Childcare Diaries

Chapter 120

Your Happiness is My Happiness (1)

I could swear to God.

I was already seventy years old.

It was the first time in all these years that I had seen such a well-matched couple’s wedding. It wasn’t because it was the Master, whom I had served for a long time, that married. I was more objective than anyone else.

Two months ago, I was told to prepare for the wedding because they were getting married and a noble wedding had a lot of things to do. It had been a long time since I had stayed up all night with the head maid.

However, knowing the adversity the two of them had overcome, I was happy despite the hardships.

Each chair the guest sat on was hand-picked, and the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and the wine glasses diligently carried by the servants were selected by visiting dozens of furniture stores.

The orchestra that played was also composed of people selected by listening to each song with the Master. In order to harmonize the entire harmony, me and the Master listened to the piece tirelessly. While I lay down to sleep, I could only take a nap because of the music ringing in my ears.

The brightly colored carpet, which was delivered with great difficulty, shone on the path the bride was walking on. I had been diligently running around with an aide to go through the customs clearance procedure for this carpet imported from an eastern country.

I had to soothe the aide, who cried and complained that he was single and asked how he could ask for help in preparing for such a difficult wedding.

Seeing that the Countess, whom I could no longer call by name, looked so well with the dress she had chosen, it struck me that I had done a good job of airlifting the carpet. It was the same with the aide, who had been sleeping soundly for a long time and was smiling with a refreshed face.

Was that all?

I also chose the bride’s bouquet, which brought a spring breeze to this desolate mansion. It was made with my own money as a reward for raising the Young Master well.

The flowers that the Young Master and Ellie, as the flower children, scattered in the flower path also had their petals taken off one by one.

‘Have a good life and be happy. Now, only the day to laugh will be waiting for you.’

…With such a wish.

The Young Master, who was no different from an angel, refused Young Master Jaden, who would come to play, saying that he would sit next to me and help Marie. Seeing him scattering flowers in front of the Countess as a flower child, it seemed that all the tension from the previous night had been dispelled.

Ellie, who came from school late last night, was smiling at the people who came to congratulate her sister, wearing her bright dress. In the past, her courage, which even disguised herself as the Young Master to protect him, was impressive.

I was ashamed of myself.

The child was stronger and smarter than anyone else, so she would become a teacher as she wanted as her dream.

As the Countess sauntered to the platform, she gazed at the groom, the Master, with a smile.

Where else could there be a wedding where the groom liked it so much? It was okay to look happy, but I still wanted him to manage his expression.

The Master had already been caught, and in fact, the future was already drawn.

Even though I wondered whether there had been like that at the wedding the other day, I couldn’t remember much because I was too old now. At times like this, I wondered if I would be able to hold on until the Young Master got married…

Perhaps knowing this concern, the Young Master, who returned from the flower path, clenched my hand tightly and looked worried.

“Are you sick?”

“No, this old butler is so happy.”

Only then did the Young Master’s face brighten again, and he turned his head forward to look at his uncle and nanny.

She was not his nanny anymore, but his aunt.

I followed the Young Master and moved my gaze back to the Master. He ignored the officiant’s words and could only be seen staring at the bride’s face.

As the Countess’s face turned red, laughter came from all around her.

The officiant must have seen it, so he finished it in a hurry. The King had sent a high priest to perform the officiating ceremony. Among the nobles, those who received the blessing of the High Priest were rare, so everyone was envious.

“Ah.”

The time for the two of them to kiss had come.

…What a reckless groom.

I was embarrassed at that point. At the same time, I quickly covered the Young Master’s eyes just in case it was going to be long.

“What’s wrong, butler? Get your hands off of me quickly.”

“No.”

Fortunately, the kiss was over before the Young Master could shake off my hand as the Countess gave the Master a slight blow to the stomach.

Sensing a resentful look for not being able to see the middle of the wedding, I quickly turned my head away.

I could see Barry wiping away tears.

After graduating from the academy and preparing for another future, he was with a friend who stayed at the mansion. The friend was teasing him for crying, but Barry even received the handkerchief from the guest next to him and began to cry in earnest while Ellie glanced at her brother pathetically.

In the meantime, applause began to be heard.

The Master and the Countess were walking out together for the last time and greeting the guests one by one.

Knowing that he was a notorious boss in the Royal Palace, I was secretly worried about what to do if the Master’s wedding hall was empty, but at the same time as his notoriety, he was popular, so many more guests came than expected.

It felt like a sincere congratulations came from everyone.

As I was clapping hard, I saw a handkerchief being held out.

It was the head maid.

It seemed that I was crying like Barry without even realizing it. Even though I was seventy years old and all my emotions were drying up, I couldn’t believe I was crying while looking at someone’s happiness.

Lastly, I called her by her name.

…Marie, stay with our Master for the rest of your life.

Tears keep coming out of my eyes in the spring breeze you brought.

Sometimes, I was plagued by unattainable urges.

Retirement.

…What a beautiful word. If I hadn’t bought a house with a loan not long ago, I would have handed out the letter of resignation that I had in my chest right now.

Pain. Regret… towards myself.

Looking at a pair of birds right in front of me, all the goosebumps that were hiding in my body came out.

In addition, the male’s gaze glaring at me.

Although it kept looking sideways, the male already had something firmly on his eyelids and his eyes were shining and even that was cool. Seasons had passed since I watched the Master, but the intensity of that affection only deepened and showed no signs of diminishing.

If the knights had heard my thoughts, they would have been angry at me for comparing their Master to a bird. Still, I wanted to tell them that they should try it, too.

An act that set fire to the heart.

It wasn’t until after the Young Master was born that the Master started to neglect his work little by little.

However, at the time, it was natural.

If my nephew, who was only a few months old, had come back alive from an attempted murder, I would have abandoned my job and stayed by his side.

The Master, fearing that he might harm the Young Master at the beginning of childcare, could not get close to him easily and hovered around. He went back and forth to the Young Master’s room over and over again, using his leg exercises as an excuse.

Then, the nanny changed.

…It was an event that had a huge impact on his life.

At first, even though the Young Master’s nanny had changed, I didn’t think that a change would come to him. No, but the more the Master’s parenting skills improved, the more attached he became to the nanny, and he even started putting off work.

Come to think of it, I should have handed in my resignation then.

After that, there were times when he was unable to work even though it was overflowing with paperwork to sign for, such as the mine he directly operated and the transportation business, due to various incidents.

But fortunately, everything ended well, and I thought that there would be no more need to chase after the Master and ask him to sign the papers.

But more and more, this kind of thing got worse…

It reached its peak after the two got married, and I was going through this crisis again.

“Hurry up and go.”

As the Countess finally pushed him away, the Master’s stinging gaze was directed at me though I felt it was unfair.

“What kind of documents are you talking about?”

As the Master approached, I quickly handed out the payment documents before he took a step back.

“Request for vacation…? The reason is a relationship? What does this mean?”

“Master. Thanks to the two of you, the spring breeze is blowing through the mansion. I’ll have to join in on that wind, too. Please accept the request. I’ll be back after taking a break for just one month.”

Spitting out the words in a rush, I quickly turned around and started to run away, fearing that the Master would refuse. It was possible because I saw the Countess, and I believed that the Countess would take care of things.

When I stopped walking and looked back, I could see the Countess approaching the Master, who was making an absurd expression.

I saw the Master smiling at his own one and only mate.

Master, I’m glad you look happy. Then, I’ll go find my own happiness, too.

I’d never seen the Master have such a white face. Even though I worked at the mansion even before I became the chief handmaid, I never imagined that I would be able to see him, who lost his reason up close.

He couldn’t stay still and move from place to place.

It was all the more surprising because the Master always acted calmly, except when he was running around as a child.

“Aaahh!”

As the Countess’s voice rose and rose, he clenched his fists and grabbed her hair.

“It’s going to be okay, right? It’s going to be okay.”

It was also strange to see him talking to himself like this.

“…I think I’m going crazy with nervousness.”

Even if there was a midwife who had helped pregnant women give birth a hundred times, or even if he brought in three of the most competent doctors in the kingdom, fearing something might happen, he didn’t seem to be relieved.

“Give me a little more strength.”

I could hear a commotion from inside. I also wanted to give birth for the Madam’s sake, but it seemed like she probably expected the Master to be like this, Madam asked me to take care of her husband.

While I was puzzled at first, I thought I knew why now.

“She’ll be fine.”

It was when I opened my mouth after barely stopping the Master from jumping up and trying to go inside, a baby’s cry was heard in the room.

“The wife…!”

The Master asked the midwife in a rough voice.

“She is safe.”

Cried the midwife in a booming voice. It was clear that she was annoyed with the Master, who kept asking her why it was so late.

“What a relief… Thank goodness.”

However, it was a very strange thing. The Master said to himself that it was a relief and sat down on the floor, and all his anger was relieved.

He was a human, too.

…Caring for loved ones.

“Are you okay? Can I get you some water?”

I could see tears welling up in the Master’s eyes as he lifted his head and looked at me.

He was really nervous. I thought he was very worried. Looking at the expression of the gentle head shaking, it seemed that no matter what I offered, he would eat it only when they saw the Madam and the child safe.

Finally, when there was a knock on the door and the midwife came out, the Master jumped up and walked toward it with brisk steps.

“She’s a pretty Miss.”

A big smile appeared on the Master’s face.

“I’m going to see my wife.”

The Master began to walk towards the tired Madam, who was lying down.

Looking back, I thought. In the past, I only saw his backside crying after losing someone, but now, I see his backside shedding tears of joy over the birth of someone.

Be happy, Master.

— Your Happiness is My Happiness ( END ) —

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