#Chapter 16. Tutor

“Mom!”

At Lucy’s voice, Ariel turned her head.

“Our Lucy, you’re back?”

Ariel, who took Lucy’s hand as she approached, walked forward.

“Yes. Oh, Mom, you know…… Can’t I help choose the tutor too?”

“You too, Lucy?”

“Yes. I want to see together too!”

Ariel, who recalled the two tutors who had come to the ducal residence, slowly nodded.

“Yes. It would be good if Lucy also sees and chooses together. Shall we decide together with Mom tomorrow?”

“Yes, yes! ……Huh? Come to think of it, Benjamin has a tutor too! Should I ask what kind of tutor Benjamin learns from?”

Lucy called Benjamin, who was walking ahead.

Ariel, who watched the small figure running ahead, smiled warmly.

“Benjamin! What kind of tutor do you learn from?”

At Lucy’s question, one of Benjamin’s eyebrows rose as if frowning.

“What kind of tutor? All tutors are the same. More than that, are you going to learn from a tutor now too?”

“Yes! A few days ago, two tutors came to our house.”

Benjamin’s face fell into despair.

“Aah……! Lucy, you beat Derek without a tutor, so our mom said she would reconsider the tutor problem…… Hah…… Tell the duchess that you do well even without a tutor. At least you should survive.”

“Huh? I was the one who said to hire a tutor?”

Benjamin’s eyes widened.

“……Why?”

“There are many things I want to learn, but there are difficult parts when trying to do it alone.”

“No. Please think again. They give homework four days out of the week! Have you ever done homework?”

“Homework? No…… I haven’t done it since I don’t have a tutor. Why? Is homework very difficult?”

“You haven’t done it? Wow…… I’m envious. It’s extremely difficult! So don’t do this kind of thing.”

“Really? Homework is that difficult? Then I want to try it too!”

Benjamin, who hesitated and stepped back, looked at Lucy and narrowed his brow.

“Why do you want to do difficult things?”

“If it’s easy, it’s not fun.”

Ariel, who listened to the two children’s conversation, burst into laughter, and the marchioness held her forehead while looking at her son.

*

Lizzy, who had told Bruno that she finished the job well as Lucy said, visited Bruno’s mansion again after a week.

With each step she took, her breath became short, but it was best to avoid actions that could raise suspicion as much as possible.

Taking  a deep breath, Lizzy entered Bruno’s study.

Now it was best for things to work out as the lady wanted by deceiving Bruno.

“Daniel? They chose Daniel as the tutor?”

Bruno, who heard Lizzy’s story, wrinkled his face and turned around once in place.

He tilted his head while covering his chin with his hand and tapping his fingers.

“Hah…… Of all people, Daniel. That guy won’t work with just money…… No. This might actually be better.”

Bruno, who turned two more times in place, stopped.

Without even looking at Lizzy, he gestured for her to leave.

Lizzy, who sighed in relief inwardly, bowed her head and was about to grab the door handle.

“……Wait.”

“Yes?”

“You. You’ll have to help deceive that guy.”

Bruno rolled his eyes in the air and lifted the corner of his mouth with a smirk.

Lizzy’s heart dropped and then she sighed in relief again as she took a step toward Bruno.

“There’s nothing more pleasing to see than making that daughter hate her mother.”

Bruno, who continued his monologue, moved his finger.

“Listen carefully. Now you go and spill everything to that tutor as I tell you. ……If you do that, Daniel will completely believe your words.”

“……Yes?”

“Yes, yes! Moreover, when he confirms that you’re a maid working at that ducal residence, he’ll completely become our ally, and the moment that happens, even if we’re caught by the other side, only that guy will become the crazy one.”

Bruno, who slammed the table without listening to Lizzy’s response, burst into vile laughter.

“Kuhahahaha! That one tutor will make the whole family fall apart!”

*

“Hello. I’m Daniel, who came as the tutor.”

Daniel, who greeted the duchess, unconsciously swallowed his saliva.

He had only heard rumors about the duchess’s beauty but had never actually met her, so he thought it was just an exaggerated rumor.

However, Daniel, who actually faced the duchess, realized that the rumor was rather understated.

At the same time, he could fully understand the words of the person who hired him the night before.

‘His Grace the Duke is actually being deceived by the duchess.’

He thought that no matter how pretty a woman was, His Grace the Duke of Zenova wouldn’t make such an irrational judgment, but when he actually faced the duchess, he thought that person’s words might be right.

Moreover, wasn’t the maid standing next to the duchess the very proof?

‘I’m Lizzy, working as a maid at the Zenova ducal residence. His Grace the Duke is currently being thoroughly deceived by the duchess.’

It was clearly supposed to be a meeting to be introduced to someone to become a councilor.

But he was dragged to some musty place, and a masked man sat down.

And he began saying unbelievable things.

‘I’m an imperialist like you. But the Zenova family, which can be said to be the greatest force among us imperialists, is in great crisis. The duchess has now transformed into someone who leaks information to foreign countries! Because of that, even the lady could be in danger, so I hope you could go in as a tutor and help.’

At first, he denied the unbelievable facts, but when Lizzy, who claimed to be a maid at the ducal residence, appeared, Daniel changed his mind.

Because if it was testimony from a maid actually at the ducal residence, it had credibility.

“As you may have already heard, I’d like to talk about a few precautions first before meeting the child.”

“Yes, please speak.”

Daniel nodded at the duchess’s words while recalling yesterday’s events.

‘The lady doesn’t know that the duchess is such a person. The fact that she’s specially selecting and choosing tutors now might also be to corrupt the lady.’

Corrupt.

He would need to hear the precautions to make an accurate judgment, but there were parts he could predict.

“I hope you will focus on theory and academics. ……To be direct, I hope you won’t explain parts like a lady’s life. I hope our Lucy can think diversely and broadly on her own. I don’t want to block the thoughts expanding within the child, so if that’s impossible, you may refuse the position.”

……As expected!

To speak in such roundabout ways about the part he expected! Indeed, she was a woman worthy of being called the flower of high society.

Because she was such a woman, His Grace the Duke of Zenova was completely deceived!

Though she spoke in roundabout ways, what the duchess said was ultimately about not acknowledging the Empire and plotting rebellion.

First, saying she hoped he wouldn’t explain a lady’s life.

That meant she intended to instill anti-imperial thinking in the lady.

A way of thinking that rejects the titles bestowed by His Majesty the Emperor of the Empire!

Second, hoping she could think diversely and broadly.

That was what those who had been plotting rebellion from long ago would say.

……Think broadly. There’s no reason I couldn’t become emperor either. To use such sentences in this way.

“……Sir Daniel?”

Ariel tilted her head toward Daniel, who wasn’t answering.

“Ah, no. I fully understand what you mean. I’ll do as you say.”

When Daniel nodded, Ariel’s face brightened.

“That’s fortunate. Thank you for understanding. Then, let’s go to Lucy’s playroom. I’ll observe just the first lesson and decide.”

“Yes, understood.”

Daniel, who entered the lady’s playroom, had no choice but to clench his fists.

The moment the small, delicate, doll-like lady greeted him, Daniel couldn’t contain his rising anger.

To try to brainwash a child who was only seven years old with treason! To such a beautiful lady who resembles His Grace the Duke of Zenova, whom I respect endlessly! Such, such impiety……!

Daniel, who glanced sideways at the duchess, exhaled deeply.

It was a deep breath to contain his anger, but he spoke as if he were nervous.

“I’m quite nervous. First, is there any particular subject the lady would like to learn?”

From the moment he uttered the first sentence, Ariel quite liked Daniel as a tutor.

Daniel was the first tutor to investigate Lucy’s interests or concerns.

Most of them started by explaining materials they had prepared in advance or first talked about parts they considered important as a lady.

So Ariel always had to assist with the lesson once in the middle.

Ariel explained the Eastern Continent history book that Lucy had recently read with interest.

After that, if the tutors didn’t believe Ariel’s words, she had to make them believe those words were true, and only then could they barely start lessons, but they ended up stopping lessons because of lessons that emphasized a lady’s life.

But this time was different!

Ariel tried not to expect too much from the beginning, but she couldn’t help but feel expectant.

“Recently, I’ve been reading Introduction to Political Science.”

“I see. Then what content would you like to discuss with me among those?”

Ariel was greatly surprised that political talk, not the Eastern Continent history book, came from Lucy’s mouth, and in the midst of that, she couldn’t help but be surprised again seeing Daniel calmly mention the discussion.

“I’d like to start with the saying to govern politics righteously.”

“Good. Let’s first discuss righteousness.”

Ariel froze in her seat at the lesson that began calmly.

It was the moment she witnessed both her daughter’s genius and the teacher who could support that genius.