Looking as if she had realized something, the maid soon spoke up once more in a quiet voice.
“Miss must be a genius. For the rumours to be true…”
At those words, the moody nanny melted into happiness. More than having others envy her, she would be much happier when others complimented the miss.
“Certainly. The miss has been different since the moment she was born.”
Looking at the pleased nanny, the maid smiled cheerfully. She should hurry back and tell everyone that Anna’s words were true.
“Since I’m here, you can leave now.”
“Yes. If needed, please call for me.”
The maid promptly left and the nanny approached the cradle. Calliope left out soft breaths as she slept.
The nanny smiled as she stroked Calliope’s head.
“Miss, our Miss Lippe.”
[I wub you too nanwy. I’m aways gwateful to you]
The words her miss had said despite not even being able to pronounce her words properly. She felt a lump in her throat just by thinking back to that moment.
“That Miss didn’t forget this nanny and spoke to me, I am just, so…”
Amidst the gathered family, she was, well, a sort of outsider.
The Rustichel family were sentimental people, but there were things that were just for family, obviously. She didn’t even feel a bit sad over it.
“Nanwy is my famwy too.” (Nanny is my family too.)
At some point, Calliope had woken up and responded to her nanny’s words.
The nanny was surprised as she looked down at Calliope. Her wrinkled face, that showed that she had raised three children over the past several years, trembled as if she would cry. Calliope reached out towards her nanny.
“Miss….!”
The nanny hugged Calliope tightly.
“I may be crossing the line, but Miss is definitely my family, and I have always thought of you as someone like a daughter to me.”
“Uhuh, famwy.” (Uhuh, family.)
Calliope closed her eyes as she lay in her nanny’s warm and soft embrace.
[Miss! Please, run away! Quickly!]
Calliope’s last memory of her nanny during the war. She could still see it clearly in her mind’s eye. She clenched her hand into a fist.
She could barely speak now. She was still far from being able to protect her family.
‘I need to quickly grow up. Since I can talk now I need to improve my body and strength.’
Though her muscle strength was probably just like any other child her age, she should practice now so that she could get a head start. Calliope began to train her body, closing and opening her hands repeatedly.
