K-Eldest Daughter Possessed a Childcare Novel

Thinking about that time, I muttered absentmindedly.

“It would have been nice if Mother were alive…”

If she were, I would have somehow returned the wounds she inflicted on me.

‘… or not?’

If Mother were truly alive, could I have purely hated her?

The betrayal and misery I felt towards her hadn’t faded even now that I’d become aware of my past life. But equally, or perhaps even more, I loved her.

The complex emotions towards my mother, which I had been trying to forget, surged up. Taking a deep breath, I hurriedly calmed my mind.

‘Yes… it’s better that she’s gone. I don’t need anyone to disturb my feelings from now on.’

In any case, I had no intention of leaving this greenhouse, which only brought me pain, as it was.

‘I need to completely uproot it, physically if necessary.’

I slowly looked around the greenhouse. As I planned to turn this place into a giant jewel storage, I could soon regain my composure.

‘If I’m going to uproot it, it would be even better to make it mine.’

At that moment, Rover, who had been waiting behind, spoke up.

“Lady Belladi, should we arrange the furniture we brought into the greenhouse?”

“… for now, yes.”

It was still a long way off before I could take over Mother’s greenhouse, so this plan was postponed for now.

I pointed to the velvet sofas placed around the greenhouse.

“It’s getting warmer, so replace all the velvet with new ones.”

“Yes, Lady Belladi! Alright, move it!”

At Rover’s command, the attendants behind him began moving the newly ordered sofas and matching tables.

While we were busy moving things around, a loud, youthful voice echoed through the greenhouse.

“What are you doing!”

Turning around, I saw Meldor, who had returned from his outing, glaring at us with fiery eyes.

Apparently no longer ignoring me, he yelled at me, visibly agitated.

“Are you crazy! How dare you touch this place!”

“Stop yelling unnecessarily. I’m just changing the sofas to suit the season.”

“Hah, so all the commotion in the mansion is your doing too? You really have gone mad! Mother has passed away, and you’re doing this now?”

Meldor kicked a nearby rattan sofa in a fit of rage, causing Rover and the servants to flinch and step back.

Seeing this, Meldor shouted.

“Rover! Whose side are you on! You should have stopped her!”

“Y-Young Duke, it’s just that…”

I stepped in front of Rover, blocking Meldor’s line of sight.

“Redecorating the mansion to suit the season is a rightful family tradition. You don’t need to worry about it, just do your job.”

“How can I not worry! This is my family! If a family member acts like a spoiled brat, it’s my duty to correct them!”

His words significantly displeased me.

“A spoiled brat?”

“Yes! As the successor of the Alton family, I can’t stand your unruly behavior any longer!”

Meldor couldn’t contain his anger and pointed his finger at me.

“If Mother were alive, you wouldn’t dare to act like this! Now that she’s gone, you think it’s your world?! Aren’t you ashamed to face Mother?”

Hearing his outrageous words, my hand instinctively reached out.

Whoosh!

My hand stopped just short of grabbing Meldor’s face.

‘I can’t hurt Meldor yet…!’

Reason returned just in time, and I managed to stop my hand right in front of his nose.

Although it was only natural that I, the eldest daughter, would take over managing the mansion, I hadn’t completely received the authority yet. I couldn’t afford to create trouble and get on Father’s bad side.

‘Even after hearing such words, I have to restrain myself.’

Suppressing my boiling anger, I glared intensely into Meldor’s blue eyes.

Meldor shuddered slightly at my piercing gaze.

“Wh-what! Are you threatening me?!”

Meldor, clearly feeling humiliated by his own momentary fear, struck my hand away and mumbled something. Soon, faint blue magic gathered around his hands.

Seeing this, I immediately realized what Meldor was planning.

‘Magic!’

Was he trying to use magic on me again?

I didn’t bother to hide my crooked smile.

Did he want to recreate the moment he first used magic on me…?

‘It’s not going to work on me anyway, it’ll just be a waste of magic.’

Back then, I was caught off guard and clumsily blocked it with my hand, but now things were different.

With a mocking grin, I watched his actions. I was ready to dodge his magic at any moment.

“Grr!”

Reading my expression, Meldor gritted his teeth and began gathering magic with both hands.

Seeing the magic swell up much larger than expected, I raised an eyebrow.

‘That flow of magic…’

It looked like Mother’s specialty, ice magic.

This magic was much stronger than the ones Meldor used to vent his anger. If I got hit by it, I’d probably be bedridden for a week.

‘No matter how much he’s provoked, he’s really planning to shoot that at me.’

I wondered who he took after to be so mean. Just as I thought I should stop Meldor before the magic was cast, a thought struck me.

‘Wait, I could use this to easily take over Mother’s greenhouse.’

At that moment, Meldor fired the completed ice magic.

A blue beam of light shot towards me at high speed.

“Alright, Meldor.”

Since you wanted to recreate that moment so badly, I would play along just this once.

I didn’t dodge Meldor’s magic as usual. Instead, I quickly enveloped my hand in my magic and struck the incoming beam.

Just like in the early summer greenhouse.

Whoosh!

The direction of the magic shifted cleanly.

The beam of light hit the crystal pillar in the center of the greenhouse, perfectly striking the sapphire that was under preservation magic.

Seeing this in real-time, Meldor screamed.

“No, no!”

With Meldor’s scream, the sapphire began to freeze solid.

The magic Meldor used wasn’t weak to begin with. Adding my own magic to redirect it made the ice magic even more powerful.

As the sapphire froze, the flowers in the greenhouse began to freeze rapidly as well.

“The flowers!”

“Oh no! The ground is freezing too!”

The servants and Rover, who had been watching us with bated breath, gasped. Just as they said, the greenhouse was freezing solid, flowers and ground alike.

Watching this, Meldor clutched his head and screamed.

“Why didn’t you dodge! You could have easily dodged it!”

“Hmm. I was so surprised… I just deflected your attack.”

It wasn’t only Meldor whose magic skills had improved. I could now control my magic more adeptly than before.

So, manipulating Meldor’s attack was a piece of cake.

‘I used to let it go to avoid trouble, but there’s no need for that now.’

Clenching and unclenching my unscathed hand, I shrugged.

“So, who told you to use such strong magic?”

“Argh! You ruined Mother’s precious greenhouse!”

Meldor lunged at me with eyes rolled back. I easily avoided him and lightly touched a frozen flower. It crumbled into powder and scattered.

“It wasn’t me who ruined it; it was you. Anyway, this greenhouse is unusable now, right?”

Engrossed in his fury, Meldor didn’t seem to hear me, busy swinging his fists. I dodged them with a strange sense of satisfaction.

As we were at it, a thunderous voice rang through the greenhouse.

“Meldor Alton!”

Meldor’s movements stopped abruptly. We both turned towards the entrance of the greenhouse.

Father stood there with a stern expression.

“F-Father…”

Meldor immediately straightened up.

I also dusted off my disheveled skirt and faced Father.

“You’re here, Father.”

“… what is the meaning of this?”

Father stepped into the greenhouse and looked around.

The completely frozen sapphire and crystal pillar.

The flowers, crumbling into ice powder.

The trembling servants in one corner and the scattered sofas.

Father silently took it all in, then turned his gaze to us.

“Explain. What is this mess? Why is the greenhouse like this?”

I was about to open my mouth to explain.

At that moment.

“Waaah-!”

A sudden cry made me stop and look at him.

Meldor was crying bitterly with a sorrowful face.

“She, she tried to mess with Mother’s greenhouse! I was just trying to stop her!”

Hearing his tearful plea, I was reminded of his age.

’12 years old… still so young.’

Father’s red eyes turned towards me at Meldor’s tears.