# 12
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Where is the cold?
Elinor grumbled in a whiny voice.
"What do you mean cold? He's fine."
“Children are not good at regulating their temperature.”
Matthias stood leaning over, crossing his arms.
“The spring breeze is cool. It is normal to always wear socks to prevent catching a cold.”
“Today is not very cold. Since he is dressed warmly, wearing socks will make him feel overheated.”
“All health begins at the tips of the feet.”
What is this talk that resembles the words of grandmothers?
“It looks like the baby's mother is really lacking in basics.”
Elinor honestly wanted to cover her ears.
Matthias's complaining was extremely annoying.
Why do we have ears?
She never thought that having only one hand while holding a baby would be this sad.
‘Not a watcher, but a protector.’
A mother-in-law is determined to make her daughter-in-law's life miserable.
Elinor was known as the treasure of the empire, a lauded genius.
Everyone was busy praising her, and no one dared to interfere in her affairs.
“Are you listening to me, mother of the child?”
But at this moment, her amazing achievements were of no use.
In a place that was neither the academy nor the capital, she was just a novice in raising children.
In contrast, the other was the eldest son, a child-rearing master, with five younger brothers.
"…Yes."
Elinor replied after a pause.
"Okay. I'll put him in stockings like you said, Your Highness."
“Don't delay it, do it now. Go back to the room.”
She was seething inside, but she knew that non-compliance would lead to more complaining, so Elinor nodded reluctantly.
Matthias, who looked like he was going to follow her to make sure socks were on, headed into the motel's backyard.
Elinor returned to the room and dressed the baby in socks.
“Huh.”
Elinor sighed.
“When will the Duke return to the capital?”
She hoped he would leave soon to look for Charlotte.
Since she had given him the information earlier, he must have sent his followers to check.
But the news came very slowly.
What a comfortable position.
“Is the state of the Duchy not serious yet?”
In the original story, the pollution of the duchy's territory is not described in detail.
The Duke was a secondary character, not the hero, and the contamination of the territory was just a side detail not related to the main story.
It is only mentioned indirectly when the heroine is later kidnapped by the Duke.
'The question about demonic energy is embarrassing.'
She didn't want to get too deeply involved.
More importantly, even if she searched for the duchy territory, she had no way to solve the problem.
Demonic energy can only be cleansed with holy power.
Knock knock.
As Elinor was breathing a sigh of relief, a knock was heard at the door.
When she didn't answer, an urgent voice followed.
“Me. Open the door.”
Elinor frowned.
She thought he was done for the day after he retreated to the yard, but apparently he wasn't done yet.
Elinor collected her expression and opened the door.
“Did you come to check it out for yourf? I dressed him up...”
Elinor paused as she spoke.
He approached it, and there was a faint smell like the ashes of burnt paper.
It wasn't familiar, but she knew what it was.
The smell of tobacco.
'correct. Now I remember, the Duke is a smoker.'
She hadn't noticed it before because he had never been this close to her.
The smell of his perfume was always stronger than the smell of tobacco.
At that moment, Elinor had a brilliant idea.
“Your Highness the Duke.”
"What?"
“Are you a smoker?”
"Yes."
Elinor cheered inwardly.
Finally, I found a way to get him away.
She said in a very serious voice.
“A little kid like that next to you while you smoke?”
Matthias shuddered.
Fortunately, he was not the rude type to ignore the relationship between smoking and children.
Elinor did not miss the opportunity.
“Oh my God, my baby has been exposed to secondhand smoke by now.”
“Listen, mother of the child.”
“The baby’s mother… Yes, you said it well. How can the baby’s father smoke when he has a child? Will you take responsibility if my little baby’s lungs turn black? I abandoned the baby’s mother and the baby, so can you take responsibility for his lungs?”
“Why are you accepting this role now?”
“Come out please.”
Elinor extended an open hand towards Matthias.
"I can't let a smoker around my child. This is a child protection measure. Surely a parent who is good at parenting would agree, right?"
“I never smoked in front of a child.”
“But the smell is still there.”
“I'll brush my teeth.”
"No. Even if you did, the harmful substances remain as long as you smoke. And the child's health is very important. That's why I took all this criticism and put him in socks."
“Are you angry?”
"Why should I be angry? It's all for the baby's health."
And also to prevent you from getting close to me and my nephew.
Elinor declared confidently.
“From now on, do not approach the child. For the sake of his health, please stay at least 10 meters away.”
“So that's a way of saying come back.”
“When did I say come back? I’m just worried about the child’s health. All this is because of smoking. Smoking.”
Elinor said each syllable slowly, as if teasing him, and then suddenly whispered gently.
“Of course, if you stop smoking, you can stay.”
"It's all for the baby. You understand that, right?"
I won.
Elinor laughed inwardly happily.
In the original story, the villain was an old smoker.
‘Is quitting smoking easy? It's impossible for him to take off.'
What will happen next? He will not be able to approach the child.
Since he hadn't found Charlotte yet, Elinor didn't think he would actually come back.
But she thought she could stop him from wandering around her and the baby and complaining.
Even if that fails, she can stop his complaining by saying: How dare a smoker give child-rearing advice?
Elinor had nothing to lose.
"Don't stress yourf too much. I hope you are comfortable physically and mentally, Your Highness."
“Huh.”
"Quitting suddenly may cause stress. Just smoke as usual. Just stay 10 meters away from the child."
“You seem sure I won't quit. What if I succeed?”
'I saw you in the original story, you were always smoking.'
Quitting smoking is much more difficult than changing the original story.
Are you going to quit smoking?
Elinor raised the corner of her mouth gently.
“Wouldn't it be better to say that after you've been taking it off for at least a month?”
At that moment, Elinor didn't know.
She didn't realize what fire her words had ignited in Matthias' heart.
Nor how effectively she provoked him.
* * *
What Elinor didn't know was Matthias' executive ability.
“Here, mother of the child. Look at this.”
“What? What...”
“This is all I have now. I threw everything in the garbage. Now I have nothing left. Remember that well.”
Before Elinor's eyes, he got rid of all cigarettes and began quitting smoking that day.
It was amazing executive ability.
Of course, this does not guarantee its success.
Three days after he announced his quitting.
"Yes."
Elinor bumped into Matthias in the inn's courtyard.
He was standing in the corner of the yard, staring at the plants.
What is he looking at?
Elinor tilted her head in surprise.
She glanced furtively at what Mathias was staring at, but there was nothing special.
Except that the plant he was staring at looked like tobacco leaves.