Chapter 507
The position of a wet-nurse, unlike that of a housekeeper or a paging steward, doesn’t formally belong to the retainer circle. It’s more of a middle ground, straddling the line between retainers and cordial outsiders—essentially, that’s what a wet-nurse is.
However, despite this ambiguous status, wet-nurses are high-caliber personnel, often surpassing many of the actual retainers. I mean, you can’t just hire anyone to take care of your child, right? They need to be reputable, highly skilled, and of good character—only those kinds of folks can be wet-nurses.
That’s why you can’t just easily find or create a wet-nurse. To employ a new one, the prior wet-nurse must have raised the heir diligently, or, if that wasn’t the case, you’d have to activate your wet-nurse network and rely on your connections. That’s how things work in the wet-nurse world.
But for the Katoban Duke’s family, neither of these options is viable. The role of the wet-nurse had existed for over 100 years in the Katoban family, and since the Duke never thought about getting married, there was no need to educate a successor wet-nurse. A wet-nurse network? The one who took care of Trixy had already passed away decades ago.
Consequently, the Katoban Dukedom has frantically started looking for a wet-nurse. To be precise, they were searching for someone experienced enough to nurture the next generation. Naturally, the esteemed little lord’s wet-nurse should be sourced from a noble retainer family.
— I had no idea there were so many wet-nurses with magical backgrounds.
As a result, the wizards across the continent went into a frenzy. While they may not become the wet-nurses themselves, they could still become instructors for wet-nurses. Naturally, that would create a link, however tenuous, to the Marcilio Duke.
‘This is driving me crazy.’
It was dizzying to think about a situation I never imagined.
When the Katoban Dukedom announced the job opening, I expected an influx of applicants. Anyone with even the slightest ambition wouldn’t miss a chance to connect with the Duke’s family.
However, I never anticipated a continent-wide stir so soon after the job post. Did these wizards perhaps start a fan club for Trixy? Are they posting Trixy-related updates every day?
‘How dare they leave me out!’
If that’s true, they should name me president; otherwise, it’s outright disrespectful!
…
‘What do I do now?’
Reality hit me square in the face as I realized how massive this situation had grown. If it’s become this complicated, I can’t just handle it in a simple manner anymore.
Even in the world I inhabited before, it was customary to send comforting and apologetic messages after rejecting applicants. But if, as the housekeeper said, there are over 500 applicants, it’s going to take a considerable amount of time just to write rejection letters. If there are notable figures among the applicants, even more care will be required.
‘This makes it difficult to recommend a wet-nurse.’
My brows furrowed involuntarily. If a wet-nurse I recommended confidently takes up a position while individuals from all over the continent are applying, it could lead to unwanted gossip. People might wonder why I needed to put in a good word for a friend of mine.
Of course, when I first posted the job, I didn’t expect anyone to show interest. Plus, people with the skills and personality to be a wet-nurse are hard to come by, so I didn’t have any reason not to recommend someone. But not everyone knows the nuances of the situation.
Honestly, I wouldn’t mind gossip about me floating around. You can’t please everyone, and those murmurings would likely only echo amongst themselves. But if the wet-nurse and Trixy ended up hearing malicious whispers about our situation? That’s something I can’t tolerate.
‘Ah.’
Then, a simple yet brilliant solution popped into my head.
‘There’s no need to pick just one.’
If I hired multiple wet-nurses, I could avoid any murmurings about a particular wet-nurse hogging the position. Plus, when attending school, each subject typically has a different teacher, so why should a wet-nurse be expected to teach everything alone?
“Housekeeper.”
— How may I serve you?
“The wet-nurse who took care of my siblings is currently the head maid in the Krasius family. I’ll send her over, and she can help select about four more.”
— Yes, Your Grace. I’ll see to it.
The housekeeper promptly nodded in acknowledgment of my order.
It’s a simple solution, but sometimes you can resolve problems just as simply through life.
The miraculous conclusion of selecting five teachers, including the wet-nurse.
“If you learn from one person, you might go down a biased path, but if you learn from many, you can choose the right path for yourself.”
Trixy seemed pleased with this miraculous conclusion and nodded.
Thank goodness. While I did give the order right away, technically, I had taken charge of something that should’ve been a joint decision. Especially since the Duke is perfectly fine; who was I, just the husband, to dictate choices about his retainers?
‘Better be careful in the future.’
Everywhere else, I’m the decision-maker, but when it comes to the Katoban Dukedom, I’m merely the number two. One hasty action might leave Trixy feeling hurt, so I’ll tread carefully.
“By the way, Carl, now that we have five, shouldn’t we add one more?”
“One more?”
Her suggestion took me by surprise.
Does Trixy have someone specific in mind? Of all people, Trixy?
‘She must know someone!’
It’s a rude thought, but I can’t help it. For her to ask for someone by name means she must have some fondness for them. It’s a curious thing—someone like Trixy, who seems so detached from human relationships, actually holds affection for someone, and has the guts to ask for them to join.
“I just contacted my grandmother, and she suggested we need a wet-nurse who can teach elf culture.”
“Oh.”
I got it. Grandma has the authority to request a parachute, right?
No, since it’s my grandmother’s choice, it’s not just a parachute—it’s more like an elite task force.
“Right. Since there’s elf blood flowing in them, they should know the culture of elfs.”
Instinctively, I recalled the embarrassing memories from the elf residential area. Both Trixy and I had been clueless about elf culture during that publicly awkward incident.
Yeah, I can’t let that humiliation and disgrace be passed down to our kids. If the parents aren’t educated, then the children at the very least should be learning properly.
“Oh, and.”
Trixy suddenly began to fidget and, very cautiously, opened her mouth.
“Grandma said… you should come home as soon as possible…”
At that, I too hesitated and lowered my head. Logically, I understand that my grandmother sees her granddaughter as an adult, but in her heart, she still thinks of her as a baby. Now she’s just heard the news about three great-grandchildren on the way.
What emotion must she be feeling, more than just joy? I can’t even dare to imagine.
*
After ending contact with Trixy.
“Phew…”
I chugged down glass after glass of water to soothe my turbulent soul. Since the water contains treasures bestowed by the Water Spirit King, it shouldn’t take long to settle my stomach.
— What I gave you is effective on the physical body, not the mind—
“Uh?”
— I was going to say to be careful not to drink too quickly. Even water can cause indigestion if gulped too hastily.
The Water Spirit King cleared his throat softly before leaving on the backs of some fairies.
Watching him go, I sighed. It felt like I had inadvertently crossed the spirit king.
‘It’s nobody’s fault.’
I took another sip of water, regaining my composure. This is no one’s fault. No one committed any sin here.
It’s only natural that having children comes with marriage. Trixy is an adult by human standards, after all. While there’s elf blood in her, she’s half human, and it’s not right to impose elven standards upon someone who’s lived in the human world.
Surely, surely that must be what it is.
‘How can a kid that’s barely over 120 have a kid?’
A child.
How can a child have an even smaller child?
“What kind of world are we living in?”
I found myself muttering in frustration. This world has seen the revival of the World Tree, and even Constantina has returned in all her glory, yet here I am feeling this way.
I shouldn’t be feeling this way. For those kids, it’s a joyous moment, gaining a new life right after getting married. I should be celebrating, not showing any signs of displeasure in front of them, and I’m worried I might spoil the joyous mood.
‘Maybe I shouldn’t have called them over so soon.’
Regrettably, I wished I had waited longer to call them home. When I first heard about Trixy’s pregnancy, my instincts prompted me to bring everyone together quickly, but now I realized that was hasty of me.
So, breathe, breathe again. When they arrive, I will greet them with smiles and congratulations…
‘How can a child have a child?!’
This is going to be a huge deal. I might very well struggle to cope.
“Elder, are you there?”
While I was wrestling with my inner turmoil, I heard Clarice’s voice outside the door.
I was both glad and sorry that someone was here to share in my suffering.
*
Finally, the once-flaming communication device had calmed down.
— Finally reached you. What have you been up to?
“I’ve been holed up in the mansion, protesting. Why would I want to go out and risk being in some mess?”
Thanks to that, I was finally able to reach the Judicial Minister.
Trixy had made a temporary communication device, so I could’ve contacted him earlier, but unfortunately, I’d forgotten his number. Frankly speaking, he probably doesn’t remember my number either.
— Well, even a little wandering around, everyone seems to be talking about you.
At my words, the Minister nodded and then burst into quiet laughter.
— Seems you’ve pulled off something amazing. It’s been barely any time since your first child, and now you’re about to have triplets!
“Are you envious?”
— Nope.
His firm response stung a bit. How could he not understand the joy of having children?
— Actually, it sends chills down my spine to think the next Serbette Duke is your bloodline. How did the Empire end up like this?
In the midst of it all, a truly blasphemous remark slipped from the Judicial Minister’s lips. How could he utter such a thing when the Duke’s lineage has been cemented? It’s truly unforgivable, even for a minister.
“Can I share that with others?”
— If you want, go ahead. Once I retire, what does it matter?
Yet, I was too taken aback to respond to his flawless logic.
That is indeed correct. If I reported him to the authorities, he’d be expediting his retirement by several decades.
— Well, I’m sure you’ve heard enough, but congratulations. Please pass along my regards to the Marcilio Duke too.
“People like you are why my communication device seems to have burned up.”
— Didn’t you also run away from him back in the day?
How strange. Today, every single one of the Judicial Minister’s words pierces straight to my core…
— Anyway, I’ll cut the call now; stay hidden well. Don’t get caught in the wrong place.
With perfect, unpretentious advice, the Minister ended the call without a second thought.
‘Damn.’
It seems I’m going to have to visit the Minister’s estate soon.
With Trixy.
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