WBWB | Chapter 11

And during every meal, I would sit Lady Ana on my lap, hold her hands from behind, and slowly teach her how to use the cutlery, one by one, just like I did with my younger sister in the past. 

The most important thing at this time was to praise her lavishly for even small successes and not scold her for mistakes. Many people believe that sparing the rod spoils the child, but my sister had a strong sense of pride and would refuse to do anything if she made too many mistakes.

And more than anything, everyone wants to be heard by someone they love. They also want to do what their loved ones like and be recognized for it. I was no different.

At first, I didn’t focus on lessons or results but tried to become friends with Lady Ana. She opened up to me much faster than I expected. In truth, I felt the same way. I also needed affection in this desolate place. 

I was lonely here. How could I not be? I had no one to confide in, and then this lovely child appeared as my student. Thus, I couldn’t help but love her.

We started with memorizing boring words, but Lady Ana followed along well. And soon, she was able to read picture books. Where did I get the picture books? I found them in the Duke’s library. It seemed to contain every kind of book imaginable.

Lady Ana’s reading skills improved rapidly, and I often had to borrow the key from Madame Pauline. Even in this place known for its cold climate, was warm in the summer sun. We often held outdoor lessons, sitting in the nearby garden outside the mansion on sunny days.

‘It should be alright to go out nearby, especially since I’m with my student…’

I checked a few times, but it didn’t seem to matter.

Anyway, basking in the sunlight, I taught her about the history of powerful nations, including this one, as if I was telling her an old tale. After all, it was uncertain which country’s queen Lady Ana would become in the future.

While I told her stories, Lady Ana would often weave clover and other wildflowers into beautiful flower crowns. She was clearly skilled at it. One day, when I complimented her on a particularly beautiful crown, she said she had learned from her mother.

“Teacher, I… I miss my mother…”

Tears welled up in her large eyes. Lady Ana’s shoulders shook as she began to cry. I hugged her, and tears started streaming down my own face.

‘I miss them too. But I shouldn’t cry.’

Would I ever see my mother and sister again?

The day the Duke returned to the mansion, we were having an outdoor lesson. I looked up, startled, when I saw someone on horseback approaching us. I saw a man in armor, riding a black horse.

‘Who is that? Ah!’

I had completely forgotten that he had left the mansion.

‘But is that blood on his armor?’

He gave us a cold stare and passed by as if he had seen something unpleasant. And then, in the evening, I was summoned to his office and told that I was now an “official tutor.”

‘Official?’

I hadn’t even realized I was just a temporary tutor.

There were advantages to becoming “official.” 

I could earn money as an exile. And a lot of it. 

I hadn’t received such a generous salary even when I worked as a royal tutor. Even though I had said Lady Ana’s progress wasn’t due to my efforts, he seemed to think I had performed some kind of magic. My first thought was, ‘How can I possibly spend this much money here?’ but a solution quickly presented itself.

Late at night, after meeting with the Duke, Madame Pauline came to see me as I was about to go to bed.

“I came to congratulate you on becoming Lady Ana’s official tutor. I heard that His Grace is very pleased with her academic progress.”

“Thank you.”

“I hope I’m not disturbing you at this late hour.”

“Not at all. Would you like to come in, Madame Pauline?”

“Actually, would you mind coming to my room to talk? I have some light refreshments prepared.”

So, in Madame Pauline’s room, while being served tea, I was asked how I wanted to use the gold coin given to me for maintaining my appearance.

“I’d like to buy some clothes first. I wasn’t able to bring any with me when I came here…”

When the Duke commented on my clothes, I wanted to hide in a hole if only I could. 

Of course, I wanted to dress neatly and presentably. But when I had requested clothes through the maid, all I received were three of these brown dresses and three sets of undergarments. I tried my best to keep them as neat as possible while rotating between the three, but it wasn’t easy. 

Madame Pauline was surprised by my words.

“Oh dear, I haven’t been paying enough attention to you. I’ll call a dressmaker so you can order what you need. Now, let’s see… I have some fine clothes that you might wear in the meantime. There’s a seamstress in the mansion who can make the necessary adjustments. They belonged to the previous mistress. They’re a bit old, but they should be fine once altered to fit the current fashions.”

Madame Pauline stood up from her seat and opened a large chest in the corner of the room, pulling out several dresses that, at a glance, appeared to be exquisitely beautiful and undoubtedly valuable.

“These are dresses the mistress gave me as a gift. They didn’t fit me, so I’ve just been storing them, but they’ll be wearable if properly mended.”

Saying so, she unfolded the dresses one by one and showed them to me. Indeed, her words were true. Since these had belonged to the mistress she once served, they must have been made a long time ago, yet they didn’t look old or outdated at all. In fact, they appeared sophisticated. I could sense the former mistress’s refined taste in the clothes.

“Try them on. So we can see how much altering needs to be done.”

“That’s alright.”

“Come on.”

“Then… just one.”

I declined, but Madame Pauline insisted. Feeling it would be rude to refuse her kindness repeatedly, I agreed to try one on. But that meant I had to undress first. 

I regretted it later, but I ended up in my undergarments in front of her. The dress she chose was a dark green satin dress with a pink lining. Although the neckline was a bit low, the color of the fabric changed beautifully depending on the angle of the light.

When I put it on, the dress fit perfectly, as if it had been tailored for me.

“The dress has found its owner.”

Madame Pauline, who helped me get dressed, placed me in front of a full-length mirror and let out a sigh that was almost like admiration.

“Is it really alright for me to have such a beautiful dress?”

“It’s much better for the dress to be worn than to grow old in a chest. Oh, and one more thing.”

Madame Pauline took a key from the bunch hanging from her belt.

“This is the key to the library. It will take some time for a new key to be made, so use this one for now.”

She also showed concern for my other needs. I could feel that I had “officially” become a member of the household from her changed attitude.

“Um, Madame Pauline. Did the previous tutors also do the running?”

“Running?”

“Running laps around the training grounds every morning…”

“What are you talking about? That place is used by the soldiers in the back courtyard, not somewhere suitable for a lady to enter.”

Madame Pauline just tilted her head at my words, puzzled.

‘Just as I thought.’

Even though some time had passed, and I was returning with an armful of dresses that were clearly very expensive, the question lingered in my mind.

‘Why do I have to run?’

And not in the front yard, but on the training grounds used by the soldiers.

‘And why only me, when the other tutors didn’t have to? Why? Is it because I’m an exile? But why? They said I taught the child well.’

I couldn’t understand my employer’s thoughts at all.

* * * 

Waking up at dawn the next day, I thought,

‘Do I really… really have to go there and run?’

The thought that the Duke was playing a cruel joke crossed my mind. But even if I went to the training grounds and was humiliated for taking his words yesterday too literally, I couldn’t not go.

‘I don’t want to work in construction. I don’t know exactly what they do there, but…’

Unlike the other tutors, if I was fired, I wouldn’t be going home but possibly to do hard labor.

‘Besides, he’s paying me. And a lot of money… If I can send money to my family, I’d sell my soul, let alone run a few laps.’