WBWB | Chapter 1

When a strong wind blocks our path while sailing, should we sit down and curse the wind, or should we hope that its direction will eventually change? 

I don’t know the answer, but what I did was straighten the sails first. So that the wind wouldn’t swallow the ship whole.

Even if it meant breaking the unspoken rule of the aristocratic world.

A noble serves the kingdom, not works for money. 

This was the foundation of the order that made up the aristocratic world. Many nobles desired positions in the royal court, and sometimes noblewomen taught children of nobles or royalty, but their wealth had to come from vast estates, not occupations. Nobles who worked for bread rather than honor were considered shameful beings who ate away the dignity of their fellow nobles.

However, even nobles would starve to death without bread. The reason I, the eldest daughter of the Toulouse Count family, became a tutor was simple. I had to earn money. Even if it meant throwing away dignity and prestige, and being criticized for breaking the unspoken rules of the aristocratic world, I had no choice.

Tracing back generations, the Toulouse Count family was a venerable one, directly serving His Majesty. However, as time passed, by the time my father inherited the title, all that remained as inheritance was a small plot of land barely worthy of being called an estate, a mansion, and a collection of over a thousand books passed down from my scholar grandfather.

Even so, we could have lived without worrying about food and clothing as small landowners. If only my father’s aggressive investments, worried about the slowly declining future of our family, hadn’t failed.

When I was fifteen, my father invested all his assets in a trading company, using our estate as collateral. Two years later, the company went bankrupt. Due to its massive scale, not only our family but also many other nobles went bankrupt or suffered similar losses.

The nobles now had to choose one of two options. Either bow their heads and enter the royal court to become salaried nobles, or be thrown out into the streets. For now, our family first sold the estate and my grandfather’s books.

But our misfortune didn’t end there. The investment failure triggered my frail father’s guilt and brought another misfortune. My father, unable to bear the shock of bankruptcy, fell ill. My mother devoted herself to caring for him, but he eventually passed away a year later, leaving behind only a mountain of debt.

And then I realized.

‘I’m the only one.’

The only person who could save the Toulouse family was me, the eldest daughter.

I persuaded my family to sell the mansion, a money-eating monster. We could no longer afford its upkeep. With the money we raised, I moved my family to Franc, the capital city. I thought there would be jobs in Franc, where the royal palace was located.

But how should I start working?

Fortunately, my grandfather had left me an intangible legacy. The knowledge from his library. While he was alive, I had learned much from him, a renowned poet and scholar.

His network of connections also greatly helped me in finding a live-in tutor position. I wrote a letter explaining my situation to a noblewoman who had been acquainted with my grandfather, and I was able to become a tutor for her granddaughter.

However, the position of a tutor was very delicate. I wanted to find fulfillment in teaching the child, but the Viscountess, my employer, looked down on me for working for money despite being of the same class, and the servants were wary of my presence. I didn’t belong anywhere and felt alienated.

That atmosphere also extended to the Viscount’s second daughter, whom I was teaching. At first, she acted like a tyrant in the study. However, after Christmas, when she learned that I was close enough to the Marchioness, her grandmother, to exchange letters, her attitude changed completely. The Marchioness used to give her granddaughters jeweled rings, pearl necklaces, and other gifts during the winter festivals.

I strived to fill my first student’s head with as much knowledge and culture as I knew, hoping it would help her not only in social circles but also in enriching her life.

Three years flew by in an instant, and she successfully debuted in society at the age of eighteen. Whether it was thanks to my education, her lovely appearance, or the dance lessons she devoted herself to before her debut, I wasn’t sure, but she married the eldest son of a better family than her older sister.

The satisfied Viscountess, finally regretting not having met me sooner, introduced me to my next employer.

“The Duchess of Ventadour’s son?”

This time, it was a position to teach the Duchess’s son.

‘But wouldn’t a Duke’s son be able to get a better tutor than me?’

Completely ignorant of royal affairs, I initially thought the job was simply to educate the Duke’s son. However, I later learned that the Duchess of Ventadour was not the Duke’s wife, but His Majesty’s maîtresse-en-titre, his only official mistress. 

Her lady-in-waiting, who resided in the palace, was the Viscountess, my former employer. Having taken a liking to me, she introduced me to her superior, who happened to be looking for a tutor.

The maîtresse-en-titre, although a mistress, held a position right below the Queen, and her children could be officially recognized as “the King’s children.” However, since they were not born to the official Queen, they were referred to as “the Duchess’s son” or “young master” publicly. As someone simply looking for another tutoring position, I had taken on a student in a rather complex position.

‘The royal court is a place rife with politics and intrigue… will it be alright?’

I hesitated after learning the situation. The current Queen had daughters and two grown-up sons. With two princes born to the Queen, it seemed unlikely that the maîtresse-en-titre‘s son would be caught up in a succession dispute. More than anything, the position offered excellent compensation, enough to make the risks worthwhile.

‘Where else could I earn this much money?’

In the end, I accepted the second tutoring position.

The student I was assigned was named Mael. The young master, just thirteen years old, had inherited the Duchess of Ventadour’s appearance, with curly blond hair, eyes like lapis lazuli, and beautiful features. He was also incredibly polite, far exceeding my first student.

After a brief conversation with the young master during our first meeting, I was amazed by the breadth of his knowledge at such a young age. Moreover, every question he posed was sharp and insightful.

“How did you acquire so much knowledge? Without a teacher.”

“I had a lot of time. Even if I stayed in the royal library for days, no one looked for me.”

He said so and smiled shyly.

“I’m glad to have met you, teacher. There have been many books I couldn’t understand even after reading them. Please teach me a lot.”

That day, I was so happy to have met a proper student that I couldn’t sleep.

From then on, I resided in the royal palace and poured all the knowledge I possessed into Young Master Mael’s head. Having him as a student brought me great satisfaction and joy, beyond the financial rewards.

But along with that, I gradually came to understand the workings of the royal court. 

Why such a bright and talented young master had to settle for a female tutor from a fallen noble family with a meager resume?

The Duchess of Ventadour had been the King’s most favored mistress for over a decade, but she wasn’t his only lover. Moreover, the royal court was dominated by the Queen’s faction, who had the Crown Prince as their son, and the Queen openly regarded the Duchess of Ventadour as a thorn in her side.

The King was aging, and the maîtresse-en-titre‘s power would vanish like morning frost the moment he was gone. The Crown Prince could ascend to the throne as soon as tomorrow, and no noble would stand against the Queen to support the Duchess of Ventadour.

The fact that Young Master Mael was excessively intelligent was also a problem. Anyone who conversed with him, even briefly, could recognize his brilliance. If Master Mael had been the Queen’s firstborn son, his intelligence wouldn’t have been an issue.