#Chapter 14. Eastern Continent History Book

It was after Jessica and Bruno returned from the ducal residence.

“What’s her reason for not hiring a tutor?”

When Bruno asked Jessica for the reason, Jessica moved her lips and lowered her gaze.

“Just…… That……”

“Hah…… Really. So unhelpful…… Right, it was my mistake to expect such things from you.”

Bruno turned his head sharply.

“But honey. Why…… Why a tutor anyway?”

Bruno, who glanced at Jessica sideways, looked at the air and grinned wickedly.

“We’ll put a tutor on our side. Just recommending won’t work, so we need to understand the reason precisely. If we put in just the right person like that……”

Jessica, who saw Bruno’s grinning face, added anxiously.

“What if Ariel makes a fuss if something goes wrong with Lucy?”

“What can that woman do even if she makes a fuss. …… With such small guts! Can you make Derek a duke?”

When her husband scolded her, Jessica had no choice but to nod, but she bit her nails after turning around.

Of course, there were parts she acknowledged to some extent.

No matter how much fuss she made, Ariel didn’t react much.

It was due to her personality that hated conflicts.

However…… such types have a clear line that shouldn’t be crossed.

And that could be inferred without difficulty.

Definitely the daughter. It would be better not to touch Lucy.

*

“Madam will soon invite a tutor.”

“Ah, I see.”

Damian nodded at the butler’s words.

“If I may say so, Lady Lucy seems to have already read more than half of the books Your Grace gave her. Even without a tutor.”

At the butler’s words, Damian burst into laughter. The butler expressed his thoughts.

“Wouldn’t it be better if this story doesn’t leak outside? Wouldn’t it be better to hide Lady Lucy’s extraordinariness a bit? If you hire a tutor, there will definitely be talk.”

“No. It’s fine. Even if there’s talk.”

Damian cut off the butler’s words. The butler was ultimately a person of the ducal house.

He could sufficiently worry that unfavorable gazes would follow if it became known that the lady was excellent in academics, but when Damian gave her those books, he hadn’t thought about such things.

“I was presumptuous. Then, I’ll withdraw now.”

The butler withdrew, and Damian briefly recalled Lucy’s visit a few days ago. Even then, the butler had come first.

“Lady Lucy says she has something important to tell Your Grace.”

At the butler’s visit, Damian put down the map he was holding for a moment.

“Lucy? Tell her to come in.”

When the butler withdrew, Lucy entered the study with a triumphant face, holding a thick book tightly in both arms.

A child’s fairy tale book couldn’t be that thick.

Damian, who briefly checked the book’s cover, raised an eyebrow.

Damian, who slowly turned his head, scanned the large bookshelf located at the back of the study. One spot on the bookshelf was noticeably empty.

“I came to return the book I borrowed.”

Lucy, who put the large book down on the table, grinned.

“An Eastern Continent history book.”

“I was worried Father might go as an envoy, so I looked into it in advance.”

The child, who hid a small thorn in her words, subtly showed off its sharpness.

She definitely hadn’t come to apologize for secretly borrowing a book.

Damian, who had somewhat figured out his daughter, stood up from his seat.

“You said you had something to say. What is it?”

Damian, who picked up the book placed on the central table, shifted his gaze to Lucy.

“I don’t have the same trust in Father as Mother does.”

At the child’s bold words, Damian burst into hollow laughter.

“You don’t seem to know yet that those cornered will bite if threats continue without persuasion.”

“Father seems to be mistaken. The one cornered is me, not you, Father.”

“…… I’ve never cornered you.”

“Don’t play innocent. Since you’re threatening my position, I have no choice. I won’t bestow upon you the gentle way of getting angry like Mother does.”

Damian frowned while meeting Lucy’s gaze.

“Father. You have lived too complacently.”

“Complacently?”

It was the first time Damian had heard such words. Complacent.

However, Damian, who became interested in the child’s evaluation of him, sat on the sofa.

“People sometimes become complacent when too peaceful a life repeats. It’s written a lot in history books too. Cases where they make fatal mistakes while intoxicated by consecutive victories. Cases where they lose despite overwhelming differences in numbers and supplies.”

Damian was surprised by Lucy’s words, which were smarter than expected.

He thought she acted cunningly, but he had never considered that Lucy was smart as Ariel said.

“I know that all this you’re bestowing upon me is your tolerance. Without Father’s tolerance, I couldn’t say such things.”

“It’s fortunate that you know.”

“However, don’t lose something precious while intoxicated by yourself for showing that tolerance.”

The green eyes contained in her sharp gaze were like those of a knight before battle.

He could feel the child’s determined mindset.

“The moment Mother gets hurt in Father’s complacency, I won’t stay still.”

At Lucy’s words, acting as if she knew everything, Damian briefly closed his mouth. Come to think of it, Lucy’s wish was always a younger brother.

“You’re acting as if I hurt Ariel.”

“You’ve already hurt Mother. I have no intention of stopping Mother from being gentle to Father. Mother doesn’t know how to get angry at me, Father, or family at all.”

“I understand the explanation about Ariel, but I don’t understand that I hurt Ariel.”

Lucy narrowed her brow.

Her eyes rolled around and she pulled one corner of her mouth particularly.

“If it were possible to take away your existence from Mother, what would you do?”

Threat and incomprehensible anger rippled in the child’s eyes.

Unlike Ariel, Lucy was someone who didn’t hide her feelings or expressions at all.

Because Ariel hadn’t taught her that way.

Whether this would be beneficial was unknown, but Damian stared intently at the green eyes rippling with anger.

Perhaps because he thought that the anger and hurt feelings Ariel didn’t show him might be projected onto the child.

“Both your warning and threat are excellent.”

Damian stood up from his seat.

The child, still clumsy at controlling emotions, clenched her small hands tightly and trembled.

Damian, who lightly passed by that sight, took out two books from the bookshelf.

“Introduction to Political Science. Since Ariel mentioned a tutor anyway, if it’s difficult, ask the teacher and learn how to think for yourself.”

“…… Introduction to Political Science?”

When he put the book down on the table, Lucy’s face crumpled.

“I read it when I was eight. As you said, don’t be satisfied with that peaceful life, break out of your shell and try. Since you’re already enjoying many things from Ariel’s love, you should at least read that much.”

*

“Oh my, Lucy!”

Ariel grabbed Lucy’s shoulders and raised her voice.

“Haven’t you been sleeping lately? Why are your dark circles so deep?”

“…… I’m fine. I’ve been reading books lately.”

“Books? Not the Eastern Continent history book, but other books? What book are you reading so much that you’re like this. I think……”

“No. I. Really. Like. That. Book.”

Something like incomprehensible competitive spirit burned in the child’s face, which spoke in choppy words.

“The book must be very difficult.”

“Yes…… But I really want to read it all.”

Seeing the child speaking with dark circles, Ariel thought she should quickly find a tutor.

“Yes, Mom will quickly select a teacher to help our Lucy.”

After spending several nights like that, Ariel organized a list of dozens of tutors and called the first tutor.

She was someone selected as a teacher who would pay particular attention to Lucy’s academics.

“I invited you as a teacher to teach academics to the child. You don’t need to do it like tutors of other families.”

Ariel gave instructions to the tutor and had her meet Lucy.

“No. Lady, about this part……”

“Lady, you should think this way. Because……”

However, from the first lesson, Ariel judged that choosing a tutor would be quite difficult in the future.

The tutor not only didn’t wait for the child’s thoughts but constantly talked about how a lady of the Empire should naturally think this way.

Ariel, who sighed and held her forehead, temporarily stopped the lesson.

“I think it would be good to stop here today.”

It wasn’t a problem that the tutor taught wrongly.

In a way, it wasn’t wrong.

However, Ariel didn’t want such teaching. She sent the first tutor away.

The second tutor visited the ducal residence. Ariel decided to give a more detailed explanation than with the first tutor.

“I’d like you to give the child sufficient time to think. Even if it’s an answer that doesn’t seek proper principles, I’d like the child to discuss and think as much as she wants.”

“Ah……! I see. I understand what you mean.”

The second tutor nodded as though she understood Ariel’s words and started the lesson.

She had some expectation that it might be better, but the chronic problem didn’t change.

“Lady, you don’t need to think about this part. Rather, the part you should focus on more is……”

Ariel held her forehead again.

“My answer is like this, but that’s a problem for knights to discuss. Lady should be more……”

“I think it would be good to stop here today.”

It seemed she would need to reorganize the tutor list.