The Unemployed Prince Covets My Nephew

Even if Theo truly inherited the blood of a dark mage, no matter how great Winchester was, they couldn’t welcome the descendant of someone who had horribly tortured and killed their ancestors.

Noticing this hint, Axel quietly grasped Hailey’s trembling hand.

“Whatever the result, he is my child. Please promise me here and now. That you will do your utmost to protect Theo, no matter what happens.”

“Are you daring to threaten me now?”

“I’m telling you how serious I am about this.”

In a situation where he should keep quiet to gain the Grand Duke’s trust, Axel spoke strongly to the Grand Duke for Theo’s sake.

Hailey knew that Axel wasn’t doing this simply for her. Axel was someone who genuinely cared and thought about Theo.

Hailey trusted Axel like this. Firmly grasping Axel’s hand, she too gathered her courage.

“Theo is only five years old, Your Grace. My sister may have been a lacking person, but Theo is a smart, kind, and good child who doesn’t know how to be greedy. Of course, I can say this because I’m Theo’s mother.”

The Grand Duke inwardly sighed. The lady looking straight into his eyes did not lower her head. Unlike his grandson, her gaze wasn’t threatening either.

But she doesn’t cross the line.

Knowing where the boundary lies is not something that can be learned simply by memorizing it. She is clearly an intelligent and clever woman.

A few days ago, when the butler came and showed him the documents prepared by the lady, even the Grand Duke was surprised. How did she produce such results without ever formally studying accounting?

Since Dora had seen it directly, it wasn’t with the help of Axel or Langston.

The Grand Duke had been constantly observing Hailey these days.

“I believe children are shaped by how they’re raised. So please teach Theo a lot so that he can grow up to be a good person. That’s all I want.”

Both Axel and Hailey ultimately wanted to say one thing. Theo isn’t that kind of child, so please stand on the child’s side and lend your strength.

But the way Hailey spoke was admirable.

The pure and kind appearance the child shows now was all thanks to Hailey’s education.

Hailey spoke gently but didn’t hide this point. She spoke in a way that made the other party clearly understand what she wanted, without unnecessarily lowering herself, yet never crossing the line.

“It’s just one of the possibilities for now. Until it’s certain, no one knows. This is Winchester. Anyone who qualifies will be under my protection.”

It was an ambiguous answer, but it was the best the Grand Duke could offer.

‘Grandpa, Theo’s going to sleep first. Yawn. Have happy dreams too, Grandpa.’

Of course, the Grand Duke had no intention of ignoring that small child who sleeps every night hugging a doll beside him.

However, he had no intention of kindly explaining this to Axel and Hailey.

Children are the parents’ responsibility, and it’s up to the parents. In the end, it should be up to the two of them and Theo to overcome this.

* * *

“Hailey.”

After finishing the meeting with the Grand Duke, Hailey came out full of worries and concerns. Axel followed closely behind her.

Khalid, who was watching from the very back, thought that Axel, who could knock down most adult men, had never looked so small.

‘It’s severe.’

Khalid suddenly wondered if the young madam realized. The fact that she had unknowingly put a leash on the neck of that Black Lion.

Hailey turned her head at Axel’s call.

The tips of Axel’s ears that caught Khalid’s eye were red. Khalid had to rub his eyes vigorously, feeling like he had seen an invisible tail wagging furiously.

“If it’s alright, shall we have a cup of tea together…?”

“My Lord.”

There goes that ‘My Lord’ again.

Axel and Khalid had a tight schedule today.

Since coming here, Axel had flipped the schedule several times. He’d get lost on his own, or suddenly run out saying he needed to check if Hailey was okay, and not return all night.

Khalid moved quickly to stop Axel’s rampage. He approached closely behind Axel and urgently tapped his feet.

“I’ve prepared a mountain of documents for you to review. Why don’t you have tea with me?”

Khalid was fast.

No sooner had those words ended that Axel frowned.

“You both must be busy, thank you for taking the time for Theo.”

“Not at all. I’d do anything for young master Theo.”

“Thank you, Khalid. Take care then.”

Hailey smiled brightly, expressing her gratitude to Khalid and Axel. It was a smile meant to not cause worry despite her troubled mind.

Khalid bowed his head as the kind young madam turned around and walked away without any lingering attachment.

Once Hailey was out of sight, Axel gritted his teeth.

“Khalid, how can you be so tactless?”

“My Lord. It’s because I have tact that I’m doing this much. Let’s go quickly. We have a lot to do.”

Axel had planned to have tea time with Hailey, appropriately reassuring her by saying, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll protect the little one,’ while patting her back. If it weren’t for that guy, he could have easily created such an atmosphere.

The more he thought about it, the more upset Axel became. He glared coldly at Khalid and smiled coldly.

“We’ll spar tomorrow morning at 6 AM. You’ll be my opponent.”

“What?! That’s not morning, that’s dawn!”

“If you don’t like it, improve your tact from now on.”

Khalid felt wronged.

Unlike when he was chasing after Hailey, Axel’s strides now were full of anger as he walked away.

* * *

Roto’s day starts with waking up at 7 AM.

After tidying up the bedding, washing up neatly, and changing clothes, he has breakfast at 8 AM with the other adult servants.

Whether some servants disliked him being close to the little young master, lately he ate at the very end of the dining table.

After meals, he immediately headed to the Grand Duke’s room where little young master Theo stayed.

Thanks to Theo sharing the bedroom with the Grand Duke, Roto was, in his own way, a servant who could come and go in the Grand Duke’s room.

Today too, Roto straightened his shoulders dignifiedly, knocked on the door twice, and entered.

“Y-Your Grace! Good morning! D-Did you sleep well?”

The Grand Duke was always busy moving around, so Roto had never seen him in the room when he came to wake Theo. However, today, as he entered, the Grand Duke was there. He was already impeccably dressed and ready.

It seemed he had been in his office and returned to the room.

‘Could it be that he came to see the little young master?’

The Grand Duke was standing by the bed, looking down at Theo for a moment.

Roto stood tensely by the door, his whole body stiff, waiting.

“Yes. I’ve heard you’ve been assisting this child well. You must be working hard.”

“I-It’s not hard work at all! I think it’s what a butler should do, and I’m approaching it that way!”

The Grand Duke acknowledged Roto’s efforts.

Roto’s face turned bright red in an instant. Though he pretended to be a professional butler, just the fact that the Grand Duke mentioned his work made him so happy that even his ears turned red.

The Grand Duke, who certainly wouldn’t miss such a reaction, was once again impressed by Dora’s insight in suggesting to assign Roto to Theo first.

When Dora first brought him to the castle, Roto was a scruffy-looking child who was very shy and couldn’t use magic, so he didn’t get along well with his peers. When did he grow up like this, taking care of a child even smaller and younger than himself?

The Grand Duke cleared his throat to hide the smile rising to his lips and said,

“He tossed and turned a lot last night, so pay special attention to him.”

“Yes!”

The Grand Duke patted Roto’s shoulder a couple of times in encouragement.

As he watched Roto standing there, seemingly frozen with emotion, something suddenly occurred to him and he spoke quietly.

“Have you ever experienced anything strange or noticed any peculiarities around this child while being with him?”

Noticed any peculiarities?

Roto briefly recalled a certain scene. The other day, while showing Theo around the castle, he accidentally overheard some suspicious conversation among the young madam’s maids. However, he hadn’t told anyone yet.

It was difficult to judge hastily, and he was hesitating, wondering if anyone would believe Roto’s words, considering he was just an apprentice butler after all.

‘Should I tell the Grand Duke?’

The Grand Duke noticed the contemplative look on Roto’s face but didn’t press him.

Roto was trying his best not to show it, but after all, he was only ten years old.

‘Seems he does have something to report.’

The Grand Duke put his hands behind his back and spoke again to Roto in a solemn voice.

“If you have anything to report, even if it seems trivial, tell the butler immediately. If you can’t find the butler, you can come directly to me. Understand?”

T-to directly report to him! Roto felt like he might faint.

‘He’s entrusted me with such an important task!’

Roto stood at attention, took a few deep breaths, and answered loudly.

“Yes! I-I’ll keep that in mind!”