The very next moment, she took his hand and led him straight toward the mansion where the children were staying.
The instant she put on the uniform, Hazel suddenly felt as though she'd truly become a servant of the Duke's household. Still, the living conditions here were without a doubt far better than in the countryside. No sooner had she set foot inside than she was called down to the kitchen. The mansion was so enormous she ended up getting lost. Luckily, she ran into a knight along the way and asked him for directions. That said, the knight's attitude was every bit as unpleasant as ever.
Meanwhile, the head chef had already received word from the Grand Duke. Tonight's dinner menu needed the new nanny's approval. Hazel suggested a dish, something like a beef stew. "Basically, taking all your favorite ingredients and stewing them together."
"If you know so much about cooking, then go on over there and make it yourself."
With only twenty short minutes to work with, Hazel still decided to roll up her sleeves and give it a try. Under everyone's astonished gaze, she used magic to conjure the ingredients out of thin air. "All right, let's start getting dinner ready."
A little while later, the two children shuffled into the dining room looking gloomy, their brother beside them. Hazel could tell the atmosphere between them was heavy and tense, nothing like a normal mealtime at all. She had no idea when she'd finally get the chance to step out and greet the children properly. What's more, every single dish laid out on the table looked absolutely mouthwatering.
What surprised everyone was that this was the first time the Grand Duke had ever touched one of Hazel's dishes. He then had the food portioned out and served to Luna and Luca. The two children took one bite and immediately clamored for more. Hidden behind the door, Hazel smiled to herself with quiet pride.
Eyes wide with amazement, Luna looked up at the head chef. "It's been so long since I've had a meal this delicious."
"Thank you, miss, but I'm not the one who made that dish."
And then it was time to serve dessert. One glance was all it took for Luna to recognize the little cookie boy sitting right there on the dessert plate. She jumped up excitedly, craning her neck toward the door. The two little sweethearts had finally been reunited with the Hazel they'd been missing day and night.
But just at that moment, the Grand Duke spoke up. "Luna, Luca, you two haven't finished your main course yet. If you're not back in your seats in ten seconds, no dessert for either of you."
Fortunately, from then on she was able to stay by the children's side. And the very first lesson the two children learned was how to grow carrots.
After dinner, Hazel, who'd been busy all day long, finally got a moment to rest. Suddenly she heard strange noises coming from inside a room. Hazel flung the door open in alarm, only to find the two little ones already sitting obediently on her bed. "Can we sleep here tonight, miss?"
Faced with the two children's shining, hopeful eyes, of course Hazel nodded yes without hesitation. The bed here was plenty big anyway, more than enough room for all three of them to sleep comfortably. The moment they lay down on the mattress, the children began chattering excitedly about how sad they'd felt being away from Hazel, saying they'd even thought about going to find her themselves.
"But big brother kept forbidding it. This is great. Now we won't have to sneak around trying to run off anymore. Because Hazel's moved into our house now, right, miss?"
Hearing those innocent words, Hazel felt her heart grow heavy. She truly didn't know how to tell the children that she could only stay here until the Grand Duke's campaign was over. Thinking about that, she decided she'd simply cherish every happy moment they had right now.
But while the three of them slept soundly, wrapped in each other's arms, they had no idea that chaos had already broken out outside. The Grand Duke was leading a search party, frantically scouring the grounds in the middle of the night after discovering his brother and sister had vanished from their room. It wasn't until much later that they finally found the two little ones fast asleep in Hazel's room.
Well, a nanny sharing a bed with nobility was already questionable enough, but on top of that, there was a puppy and a kitten curled up on the bed, too. He immediately issued a new rule. From now on, the children were required to sleep in their own rooms.
He'd expected Hazel to object fiercely, but instead she signed off on it in one quick stroke, looking utterly delighted. The Grand Duke suddenly felt uneasy, as if he'd just walked straight into some kind of trap. And sure enough, he then heard Hazel say, "Would you allow me to clear a small plot of land to farm? Right now the children's lessons are far too dry and rigid. At their age, learning through play is the best method there is. Growing and harvesting their own vegetables by hand will definitely make eating them so much more satisfying."
The Grand Duke, at a loss for words, reluctantly picked up his pen and signed the permission.
The very next morning, Hazel had already dressed the two little ones neatly. "Today, you two are going to build up your strength by doing some farming with me."
Ironically, the idea met with fierce objection from the knight. "If you want to build strength, you should be out on the training grounds practicing swordsmanship, not farming."
But in the end, the knight had no choice but to surrender obediently under the children's withering glares. The moment they reached the field, Luna and Luca eagerly threw themselves into sowing seeds and planting. Hazel calmly explained that knowledge has no hierarchy of noble or humble. Through gardening, the children could come to understand the hardships and daily lives of the people living in the territory. It was a valuable hands-on experience that no amount of rigid classroom theory could ever provide.
After a long stretch of hard work, hands and feet caked in mud, the vegetables were finally all planted. The little ones started bouncing with excitement, too thrilled to wait, begging to eat the vegetables they'd grown with their own hands right then and there.
Just then, Hazel noticed that Luca's stuffed rabbit, Lulu, had gotten completely filthy. She couldn't help but wonder why the boy never let her wash it clean.
Seeing dusk approaching, Hazel pulled out the sandwiches she'd prepared earlier and handed one to the knight. But he just stared blankly at the food without any reaction at all.
"Being picky again, Daniel? This is seriously amazing, you know."
Hearing the children say that, the knight hesitantly took a bite. Oh, wow. Just like the kids said, the flavor was incredible.
While everyone was eating and chatting merrily, the Grand Duke suddenly appeared. Seeing him, Hazel invited him to join them, since, as it happened, there was one sandwich left over in the basket. Just as the Grand Duke reached out to take it, the two little ones darted in first, begging for more. And so all he could do was watch helplessly as the last sandwich slipped right out of his reach. Without another word, he swiftly snatched the half-eaten sandwich right out of the knight's hand instead. He left the poor knight frozen in place, forced to swallow his frustration without daring to say a word.
The Grand Duke himself couldn't quite understand why his mind was suddenly filled with nothing but thoughts of food.
By now, the countdown to his departure for the front had shrunk to just three days. Under the knight's watchful, wary gaze over this whole stretch of time, he noticed that not only had Hazel done nothing suspicious, she had even spent her own money buying countless gifts for the children. It was only then that the Grand Duke suddenly remembered he'd once forced Hazel to accept a sum of money as payment. He never imagined that the moment his back was turned, she'd have spent every last coin of it on the two children. What's more, apparently even the head chef had become a wholehearted admirer of Hazel's cooking skills.
Even so, the knight kept urging him not to let himself be fooled by the witch's gentle, kind-hearted appearance. The Grand Duke just laughed it off dismissively. "Ridiculous. As if I'd ever be that easily swayed."
And yet, at that very moment, his mind kept drifting to nothing but images of a ham, cheese and fried egg sandwich, rich and buttery.