KTD Chapter 4 (Part 2)

That was how nobles operated. It was no different from how the Duke treated him.

So, Berner knew that rebelling against the tutor’s words was foolish. It would only result in more punishment.

“You’re late. Take a seat. We finished Chapter 2 last time, didn’t we? Your slow comprehension has kept us from progressing even halfway through the book. Let’s pick up the pace today,” the tutor said.

Berner had arrived on time but didn’t argue.

“Yes, Teacher.”

“Recite Wirn’s Laws. All three of them. Then, explain why the laws were established.”

“Yes, Teacher.”

Although he hadn’t been taught this section, Berner didn’t argue. He had already memorized all the study materials he’d been given.

As Berner flawlessly explained the laws, the tutor tapped the desk lightly with his oak switch.

“Enough.”

Berner fell silent.

“You cheated, didn’t you?”

The tutor shook his head.

“No, I didn’t.”

“You must have written it down somewhere and read it out. How casually you commit wrongdoing.”

“I didn’t write anything down anywhere.”

“Lying, too.”

Even as the punishments for Berner grew harsher, the tutor faced no consequences. He had realized that no one cared about Berner.

Today, the tutor seemed particularly irritated.

“Roll up your pants.”

Berner hesitated for a moment, clutching the hem of his trousers. Then, he rolled them up.

This wasn’t because he had done something wrong. It was simply because the tutor was in a foul mood. Today, Berner was unlucky—nothing more, nothing less.

Berner understood the sequence of events perfectly.

But there was nothing he could do. If he pointed out the unfairness, the tutor would only become angrier. Then, by the next day, Berner might be beaten so severely he wouldn’t even be able to walk.

The servants, who didn’t care about Berner’s condition, would nonetheless obey Jaynie’s orders to fetch him.

‘I probably won’t be able to make it to dinner tonight.’

If he mentioned it to the servant, the response would likely be indifferent.

“I’ll let the young master know,” they would say.

Berner didn’t want that.

He liked seeing Jaynie’s face. Sitting with him at the dining table reminded him of a time he missed dearly.

The tutor spoke.

“What did you do wrong?”

Berner had done nothing wrong. But to minimize the punishment, he answered.

“I cheated and lied to you when you pointed it out.”

“That’s right. You must be punished, mustn’t you? It saddens me every time. Lord Berner, your behavior hasn’t improved at all. But I suppose that can’t be helped—your very existence is the result of improper behavior. It’s only natural your character is flawed.”

But then, the tutor crossed the line.

“What did you just say?”

Berner let go of his pants and stood up.

The tutor froze, startled, before his expression shifted to annoyance.

No matter what Berner said, nothing would change. He would only be punished more severely, and the tutor might even tell Jaynie that Berner’s behavior was unacceptable.

But Berner’s mother was not someone who would tolerate such insults.

Saying he committed a wrong he hadn’t done—that was fine. After all, Berner was just a worthless bastard.

But the tutor had no right to insult his mother.

* * *

Jaynie arrived in the corridor leading to Berner’s room and immediately noticed something strange.

The sound of activity from the study room was spilling into the hallway. It wasn’t the kind of noise that came from a loud lecture; it was chaotic, almost disruptive.

Jaynie stopped in front of the study room door. A servant came rushing out from the small side room near the master’s bedroom.

“Y-young master, what brings you here…?”

“Open the door.”

The servant glanced at Hansen and then quickly opened the door. Inside, the tutor stood red-faced and panting, while Berner sat there, his head slightly bowed.

Smack!

“Repeat after me: I dared to defy my teacher.”

“I dared to defy my teacher.”

Smack!

“I cheated and shamelessly insisted on my lie.”

“I cheated and shamelessly insisted on my lie.”

Smack!

“I lied about my lineage and tried to pretend to be someone I’m not.”

“I never said such a thing.”

“Hoo…”

Smack!

Berner repeated the tutor’s words like a parrot with each slap. His hair was disheveled, and one cheek was swollen and bright red.

The two, caught in their heated exchange, didn’t even notice the door had opened.

Berner was the first to realize they had company. His eyes widened as he saw who had entered, and he immediately lowered his head.

“Lift your head. Didn’t I tell you not to avoid my gaze? Avoiding your mistakes is a terrible habit. I’ll make sure to correct your behavior today,” the tutor said, rolling up his sleeves. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and then turned to see who had entered.

His eyes locked with Jaynie’s.

“Young master.”

The tutor seemed momentarily unsure of how to react, his confidence faltering as he glanced nervously at Jaynie.

Jaynie’s eyes swept across the room.

The room that had been designated as Berner’s study was originally a guest room. Several guest rooms had been repurposed and refitted for Berner, creating a small space just for him. Though the room wasn’t large, it had always been meticulously maintained, even when Jaynie hadn’t been using it.

A servant’s duty was to clean and maintain a room, regardless of whether the owner was present or not, ensuring it was ready for their return.

But Berner’s study was in disarray, clearly neglected.

Jaynie briefly wondered if Berner was simply too particular and had refused to let the servants clean the room. Jaynie himself disliked anyone entering his study while he was using it and ensured no one came near during those times.

However, the servant’s nervous demeanor made the situation clear.

A tutor raising his hand against a student wasn’t something a servant could overlook. Yet, Jaynie hadn’t been informed of this.

Jaynie addressed the tutor coldly.

“Leave.”

The matter of the tutor’s punishment would be decided later. One thing was certain: the man would no longer be allowed to work as a tutor.

The tutor began to protest.

“Young master, Lord Berner has a habit of lying—”

“Hansen, get rid of him.”

The butler opened the door and waited.

“I will show you the way out,” Hansen said.

“…”

The tutor shrank in on himself and slipped out through the open door, his head low.

A suffocating silence filled the room.

Hansen returned shortly after. Jaynie gave his next command.

“Call in all the servants.”

“Everyone, come in!” Hansen barked.

The servants were already waiting. It seemed Hansen had gathered them on his way back after dismissing the tutor. Seven servants, responsible for managing the mansion, entered and lined up in a row.

“When did this start?” Jaynie asked coldly.

“Which… part, specifically, are you asking about, young master?”

The senior servant hesitated, his voice faltering.

It seemed they had done too much to pinpoint any one offense.

Jaynie turned his gaze to Berner. The right side of his small face was grotesquely swollen, creating an imbalance in his features. By tomorrow, it would swell unbearably. Would his right eye even open?

“When did the tutor start laying hands on you?” Jaynie asked.

“From the beginning.”

Berner answered without hesitation, blinking as though trying to decipher the intent behind Jaynie’s question.

Jaynie pressed his fingers to his forehead, and for some reason, Berner flinched at the motion.

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I thought it was what you wanted.”

Berner’s voice grew quieter as he spoke, trailing off at the end.

What was that supposed to mean?

Berner had clearly been resisting the tutor, but he hadn’t tried to stop the beatings. He seemed accustomed to them.

Jaynie had experienced light punishment before, but no one had ever dared lay a hand on his face. He was the son of a Duke. Who would dare strike the child of a Grand Princess?

A question suddenly struck Jaynie, and he asked, “Why didn’t you have a tutor for arithmetic and other studies when you lived in the annex?”

“Mother dismissed them.”

“Why?”

Berner hesitated briefly before answering.

“They said my answers were wrong, even when they were correct.”

“And?”

“They told me I had no talent and that no matter what I studied, I would be useless.”

“And?”

“They said Mother was too merciful… and that she suffered because of me.”

At that moment, Berner substituted “suffered” for the word “miserable,” which was what the tutor had originally said.

Jaynie ran a hand through his hair, closing his eyes briefly before opening them again. His lips pressed into a firm line.

After bringing Berner to the ducal estate, the Grand Princess had stayed in the annex. To call it “staying” was a euphemism—her authority as the Duke’s wife had been stripped, her role restricted. It was a duty she had abandoned herself, and so she could not demand its return. Not that she would have wanted to, anyway.

The education of a noble child was typically the responsibility of a private tutor, but the choice of tutor was at the discretion of the parents.

And in Berner’s case, it seemed no one had ever chosen to stand by him.

 

The Grand Princess was likely the only person who might have cared about Berner’s education. But her movements and even the people she could meet had been heavily restricted.

The authority to decide who could enter the castle rested solely with Jaynie’s father.

“Why didn’t you tell me the servants weren’t cleaning your room?”

“…I thought it was because you ordered them not to, Lord Jaynie.”

Jaynie had intended to bring a mage from the hero’s party, awaken Berner’s potential, and later send him off to the mountains as repayment for the favor. Yet it seemed the mage had assumed he was being brought here just to be tormented.

“Young master….”

The servants addressed Jaynie with a pleading tone, but Jaynie felt a headache coming on.

“If you’re going to beg, it should be to Berner, not me.”

“Lord Berner….”

“Servants didn’t mistreat me,” Berner interjected unexpectedly, defending the very people who had neglected him.

Jaynie glanced at him, surprised. Judging by the shocked expressions on the servants’ faces, it seemed their treatment of Berner went beyond simply not cleaning his room.

In truth, the servants had neglected Berner more than they cared to admit. But Berner didn’t want them to be punished. These servants had served Jaynie for a long time at the capital mansion.

Berner had overheard why the servants disliked him as he passed through the hallways.

Jaynie, as the Duke’s son, should have been raised in the duchy. But the Grand Princess had brought Berner to the ducal estate, forcing Jaynie to leave for the capital.

The servants believed Jaynie had been driven out because of Berner.

And they might have been right. Even after the Grand Princess settled in the estate, the relationship between the Duke and Duchess didn’t improve. Jaynie never approached the annex and eventually left for the capital entirely.

It was no surprise the servants resented Berner. After all, Jaynie disliked him too.

Of course, Jaynie understood why the servants refused to treat Berner with respect.

It was obvious to anyone who had seen how Jaynie had long resented the Grand Princess. Suddenly bringing in her son and treating him fondly wasn’t something anyone would expect.

If Jaynie had wanted Berner to be treated well, he should have given clear orders.

But he hadn’t.

Was this Jaynie’s fault?

Servants were meant to follow their master’s orders. They carried out commands as instructed. Jaynie disliked those who added their own opinions or acted beyond their roles.

The collateral relatives who threatened his position also claimed to be loyal to the Duke. They used their supposed loyalty to offer “advice” to Jaynie.

If Jaynie had listened to their advice, he would have left the family long ago and locked himself in some small, solitary tower.

But Jaynie hadn’t done that. In his younger years, only his father’s opinion mattered to him. As he grew older, it was Leandro’s feelings that consumed him.

In hindsight, it seemed like a meaningless life. But it wasn’t a topic he had time to dwell on.

Now, a future great mage harbored resentment toward Jaynie. He needed to address it.

“Open the door.”

Jaynie crossed into the next room. Leaving the servants in the hallway, he entered Berner’s room alone.

“What is all this?”

He was greeted by a haphazard pile of clothes in a basket and laundry drying on a chair. For once, Jaynie was at a loss for words.

“Did I ever order you to mistreat a guest of this estate?”

“No, young master. You instructed us to serve him with all our sincerity,” Hansen replied, his face drained of color. The management of the mansion’s servants fell under the butler’s responsibility.