Betrothed to My Sister's Ex

After finishing the bath and returning to my room, Nanny Ella was there.

"Welcome back, lady Marie. Lady Lisa is happily playing right now."

Apparently, she had been playing with Lisa. They were sitting on the floor, gathered around some toys. It was such a heartwarming sight.

Sniffle... sobbing.

From somewhere, I heard a small crying sound. Looking around the room to find the source, I noticed the curtain by the window swollen unnaturally. The crying seemed to come from there. Approaching carefully, I gently opened it and found Cecilia wrapped in the curtain, quietly sobbing.

"Ceri?"

"Marie!"

The moment I called out, she screamed and clung to me.

"Marie! Marie, Marie, Marieee, ugh—"

"Ceri, what on earth is—"

Clinging to my skirt, Ceri tried somehow to explain, but couldn’t form the words. Though she was young and a bit innocent beyond her years, I had never seen her cry like this. What on earth could have happened...

"—Ella, Ella did...!"

"Lady Ella did?"

I followed the direction Ceri pointed to. There, Nanny Ella was standing, holding something in her arms. It was the toy she had been playing with Lisa just a moment ago. Seeing it, I gasped.

It was a wooden craft. Inside a cage-like object were five small balls trapped. That was... older sister Anastasia’s. A gift from her to me. Handmade by my sister, a skilled apprentice artisan—though to me, she looked more professional than anyone—a one-of-a-kind precious item...

Ceri buried her face into my skirt, crying and yelling.

"I just said no! It’s no good, that’s a present from Marie’s older sister, so you can’t use it without permission! Even I’m not allowed to...!"

Ah— I was lost for words.

That’s right. Not long ago, I had scolded Ceri. She had tried to roughly open the cage, asking, "How do these balls go inside?" I told her no. It was just to prevent rough handling so it wouldn’t break, not that I forbade her from touching it entirely... But I think I did say, since it’s precious, don’t touch it when I’m not around.

Nanny Ella, still holding the toy, looked at me with a puzzled expression.

"I'm sorry! Did I do something wrong? I saw it was a delicate craft, so I was just trying to keep it away from rough children while playing with lady Lisa..."

"Ceri is not a rough child!"

Ceri glared fiercely at Nanny Ella and shouted. What should I do— I understood both sides. I could understand Ceri’s feelings and that Nanny Ella was right.

After much thought, I chose my words carefully, knelt down in front of Ceri, met her eyes, and gently explained.

"Sorry, Ceri, I didn’t explain properly. It’s fine, as long as it’s not handled roughly, anyone can use it... Nanny Ella is our wet nurse. Even if she plays with Lisa’s toys, Nanny Ella hasn’t done anything wrong."

At my words, Ceri’s tear-filled eyes widened and she stared at me. Her expression looked shocked, like she’d been betrayed.

I realized then I had said the wrong comforting words. Panicking, I tried to fix it but didn’t know what to say.

"Ceri..."

"Marie, you idiot!!"

Like a kitten, Ceri quickly ran out of the room.

"Ceri!"

I called after her, but she didn’t stop. I was about to chase her when I heard an adult’s crying behind me and froze.

"I’m sorry! Oh no, I’ve done something wrong again, haven’t I? I’m so sorry, please tell me how to make it right, I’m so sorry, I’m sorry."

Nanny Ella was crying and apologizing. No, it wasn’t her fault. I took her hand in mine, saying thank you and sorry over and over.

While comforting Nanny Ella, I searched for the words I should have said to Ceri.

Ceri hadn’t said it was no good because it was Lisa’s toy. She said it was Marie’s precious thing.

Ceri was trying to protect it. Not just our promise, but my precious thing—from Nanny Ella...

To an eight-year-old like Ceri, Nanny Ella was almost a stranger. Speaking up to her must have been scary and required great courage. I shouldn’t have apologized to Ceri—I should have praised and thanked her. Thanked her for trying to protect my precious thing...