K-Eldest Daughter Possessed a Childcare Novel

“But.”

At my words, Rover paused for a moment, then turned to look at me.

I confidently smiled at Rover and said.

“I can give you one of your options.”

“What?”

“How about becoming my person?”

For a moment, Rover’s eyes blinked blankly.

“Lady Belladi’s… person?”

I just stared at Rover without any further explanation.

After a brief silence, Rover, who understood my words, jumped up in place.

“A butler must remain neutral and not take sides with any faction within the household!”

“So, are you maintaining neutrality right now?”

“Of course!”

Having said this much, Rover rolled his eyes around for a moment and added timidly,

“Maybe.”

“Was it Charles who said the butler must remain neutral?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“For someone who listens so well to Charles, how do you plan to get out of his shadow?”

“Well…”

As Rover hesitated, I spoke in a calm voice.

“There’s no need to think so hard about it, Rover.”

I could feel him paying attention to my words.

I continued speaking while organizing today’s documents.

“Right now, you prioritize the head of the household’s orders, right? Because my father is the master of this mansion.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Becoming my person simply means slightly changing that priority. You would follow my orders before my father’s.”

“But…”

“My father doesn’t care much about the mansion in the first place. Have you ever received any special instructions from him?”

At my words, Rover frowned slightly and shook his head.

“No, I haven’t.”

“Exactly. So, no one will notice if you become my person. Even if they do find out, what’s the problem? Isn’t it natural for the butler of the mansion to prioritize the orders of the one managing the internal affairs?”

Rover, who had been quietly listening to my words, nodded as if he understood. I smiled as I looked at Rover.

“Think it over slowly. If you have nothing else to say, you may leave now.”

“Ah… yes! Thank you very much for today!”

Rover left the office, somewhat regaining his usual composure.

‘Just as he cries easily, he recovers quickly.’

I was leaving a brief impression when someone knocked on the door and came in.

“Lady Belladi.”

“How was my performance today, Lady Belladi?”

It was Stea and William.

I grinned at William.

“No one noticed you came here, right?”

“It wouldn’t matter even if they did. Because like this.”

William tapped his own face. Then his face started to change smoothly.

“I came in disguise.”

Soon, a completely different stranger stood in William’s place.

Seeing this, Stea clicked her tongue.

“Don’t play with my magic.”

She said this as she snapped her fingers. Then the face changed back smoothly, and a familiar voice was heard.

“Hahaha! It’s been a long time since I’ve done this, so I got a bit excited!”

It was Zeppelin, laughing joyfully.

I smiled along with Zeppelin.

“Good job today, both of you. Especially you, Zeppelin, your performance was flawless.”

“Thank you, Lady Belladi. Acting is an essential skill for a watcher.”

“And your magic was excellent, Stea.”

“Thank you, Lady Belladi.”

Indeed.

Today’s William who toyed with Rover’s emotions was actually Zeppelin, who had changed his appearance with magic.

I looked at the siblings anew.

While transformation magic itself wasn’t difficult, maintaining it naturally was very tricky. Moreover, there were security spells around the mansion detecting specific magics like transformation.

‘Although I intentionally weakened the security on the second floor.’

Even so, maintaining a seamless transformation for a long time through that was no easy feat.

Combined with Zeppelin’s surprisingly good acting skills, the synergy was remarkable.

‘With that skill, he could be a spy anywhere.’

This time, it was just deceiving Rover, but next time, I should use it for something bigger.

I thought so as I spoke to the two of them.

“What happened to the real William?”

“He was dealt with 16 years ago by the duke’s orders.”

“Technically, it was punishment for a traitor.”

At Stea’s last words, I fell into thought.

Initially, I planned to find the real William. It seemed a waste to use Stea and Zeppelin just to win over Rover.

Then I heard something new from Zeppelin.

‘William was actually a spy…’

Upon learning that, my father used the watchers to deal with him without mercy.

He told my mother, who had just given birth to me, that .

‘There was no such incident in the original story.’

Was it because it was such an old story that it wasn’t mentioned?

I tilted my head and asked.

“Is it still unknown why he betrayed our family?”

Stea nodded.

“Yes. He kept his mouth shut about who instigated him and why he betrayed us.”

“I see.”

“Should I investigate the matter further?”

“… no, it’s fine.”

It was a puzzling incident, but I decided to let it go.

‘Right now, I have my own issues to deal with.’

Then Zeppelin, looking pleased, spoke up.

“Congratulations. The head butler of the mansion is now in your hands, Lady Belladi.”

“Brother, isn’t it too early to be sure?”

“Didn’t you see Rover’s expression when he left the office, Stea?”

I also chimed in with their conversation.

“How was it?”

“He was absent-minded, but his eyes were shining. Like a child receiving an unexpected gift.”

Zeppelin answered, shaking his head.

“I’ve always felt that Rover Wesson is quite easy to handle.”

“That’s good to hear.”

I leaned back in my chair with a relaxed smile.

‘Emily was already under my control, and now Rover is well convinced.’

Now that I was accustomed to managing the mansion…

“Shall we start the real training?”

At my words, Zeppelin’s eyes widened, and he looked at me with an excited face.

“Everything is prepared. Please let me know anytime you are ready.”

Zeppelin, saying that, looked like a child who had received a gift. Seeing this, Zeppelin and Rover didn’t seem all that different.

“Ha, brother.”

Noticing the same thing, Stea sighed deeply.

***

“How is the training, Lady Belladi?”

After the training, I was resting under the shade of a tree when Zeppelin approached with a water bottle. I took the water from him and said.

“It’s manageable.”

“Manageable?”

Zeppelin sat down beside me and asked again.

“You are training much more than seasoned watchers.”

“Zeppelin, this level is easy if you want to be called a genius.”

At my somewhat joking, somewhat serious remark, Zeppelin smiled.

“Lady Belladi, you are not just any genius. You are a genius among geniuses.”

Of course, I was in the position of the female lead’s older brother(?) in this novel.

In stories, the family members of the female protagonist must be exceptional in at least one field.

“If the knights of the Alton Duke family saw your growth rate, their morale would plummet.”

“Really? How strong am I now?”

To my question, Zeppelin answered seriously.

“You’ve already surpassed most watchers. Not to mention the new knights of the duke’s family, even many veteran knights would not be a match for you.”

Zeppelin, who initially answered solemnly, started to get more excited as he spoke.

“To achieve this much in just half a year, even the duke wouldn’t have been like this. I restrain myself dozens of times a day from boasting about you, Lady Belladi. Those fools who only care about Lord Meldor as the heir. The true one is right here. Next to this Zeppelin Vincent…!”

Before I knew it, Zeppelin’s mouth was pouring out words of praise for me. I drank another sip of water and quietly listened to him.

‘He has a stone-cold face but is quite the flatterer.’

While letting Zeppelin’s words pass, I reminisced in a daze.

Half a year ago, Rover came to find me the day after that incident and knelt on one knee. That gesture was similar to the loyalty pledge knights usually made.

-From now on, I will serve Lady Belladi for the rest of my life! Like the knight I dreamed of as a child, I will now serve only one lord!

Where did he learn such things?

Anyway, time flew by since then. Before I knew it, two seasons had passed, and winter was approaching.

During that time, I was busy with the mansion’s internal affairs and training under Zeppelin.

So busy that I could count on one hand the number of times I saw my father and Meldor in the past half year?

‘Although the encounters weren’t particularly pleasant.’

But I completely succeeded in bringing the servants under my control. They now looked more to me than to my father or Meldor, paying closer attention to my wishes.

Well, that was only natural.

‘Since I’m the one managing their salaries.’

People tended to follow the one who gave them food… or in this case, money.

My mother, father, and Meldor might have been easy to serve because of their indifference, but I was a rather demanding master.

Moreover, with their direct superiors, Rover and Emily, being my people, how could they not pay attention to me?

Of course, I also provided ample rewards. That was the regular special allowances.

‘After all, we’re all working to make a living.’

Since the time I started reorganizing the mansion half a year ago until now, I had occasionally promised them special allowances and always followed through.

As a result, their loyalty towards me was growing day by day.

‘A workplace that pays well is the best.’

While I was looking back on the past, Zeppelin, who had been continuing his praises, suddenly changed the topic as if he remembered something.

“Oh, by the way, don’t you have an appointment today?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

I said as I stood up and dusted off the grass from my bottom.

“Zeppelin, you really think my skills are on par with decent knights?”

“Yes, absolutely!”

“Good, now shall we do what both you and I have been wanting to do?”

“… is there such a thing?”

Zeppelin tilted his head in confusion.

I stepped out from the shade into the sunlight and smiled broadly.

“My bragging.”