It's Not A Childcare But A Contract Marriage - Chapter 7 Part 1

The startled top floor members, who were in a state of distress, noticed me and exclaimed with surprise.

“My lady! Have you returned?”

“M-My lady! The family members are currently in the upper level…!”

Amidst their hopeful gazes, fixated on me as if I were their savior, I took a deep breath, attempting to control the boiling rage within me.

* * *

“Are your mouths glued shut? I asked you where my little sister is! Answer me! Why won’t you respond?”

Crash!

Another porcelain bowl shattered with a sharp sound.

“What is the meaning of this… Stop this at once, Doulian!”

As I hurriedly entered the room, the person who had thrown the plate against the wall looked back at me with an indifferent expression.

“Pudding. Have you arrived?”

Ha!

The ceramics in the room were already in a sorry state. It appeared as though they were thrown intentionally, with great force, near the person standing there. The pile of pottery shards trembled beside them, and the guild members stood there, quivering with fear.

As I surveyed the scene, a sense of unease crept over me, causing my face to stiffen.

“What on earth do you think you’re doing?”

“Hmm… Just practicing my skills? These lower-level people are so dense, they can’t even comprehend what’s being said.”

“What?”

How could this useless individual, who couldn’t even earn a broken plate on their own, dare to treat a member of the top floor, who lives a much harder life than me and is helpful to me, as an idiot?

His complete lack of tact was on full display.

It wasn’t Doulian, the second brother with a furrowed brow, who received my sharp stare, but rather the other top floor members who lowered their heads, afraid to meet the gaze of an angry nobleman.

“So, they didn’t understand the situation and tried to interfere with the affairs of the house owner?”

“What do you mean?”

“No, Pudding. It’s clear that you aren’t coming home. Aren’t you pretending to play hide and seek here, using this place as your playground?”

The malicious intent dripped from his words, mocking the guild as my “playground” in front of others.

“So, these people who eagerly wait for your games must know where you are.”

No, you little brat. I deliberately kept the ordinary members of the top level, who wouldn’t dare disobey the nobles, in the dark because I feared they would behave like this.

I didn’t give up on maintaining the façade of ignorance, but I hadn’t anticipated their audacity to mock and harass the innocent members of the guild.

‘They don’t care about appearing rude or about the commoners’ opinion.’

As I touched my forehead in frustration, Doulian inexplicably approached the pile of broken pieces and kicked it, smirking at the upper members standing nearby.

“You didn’t open your mouth at all. How cheeky.”

“That’s enough.”

How much did he torment people? When Doulian approached, the servant’s face turned pale.

As I stepped forward to block his path, trying to shield the terrified gaze of the servant, my second brother glanced at me and clicked his tongue.

“Tsk. That’s why I told you not to associate with such lowly beings. They get too comfortable and start making judgments.”

“I told you to stop.”

“The owner asks for their help, but they don’t understand the situation and keep trying to hide you. What will happen if you, ignorant and engrossed in these runaway games, end up in danger?”

Doulian seemed to take pleasure in seeing the guild members tremble in fear with each word he uttered, continuing to verbally attack the innocent people.

And then, as if thinking he had set the stage enough, another voice interrupted his words.

“Enough. A child who doesn’t understand the harsh realities outside… Just as your brother said, what would you have done if something truly dangerous had happened?”

Contrary to the gentle tone, annoyance was clearly visible in the person’s eyes. My mother, bringing a handkerchief to her eyes as if wiping away tears, remained faithful to her role as the “ideal caring family” for her youngest daughter.

“How worried your mother was… How could you let your family experience sorrow like this?”

“Enough. You have overstepped this time. You’re the youngest one.”

“What?…”

Even before I could respond, a feeling of foreboding washed over me.