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Chapter 8
Chapter 1. The Governess and the Little Devil (7)
Beyond the door, Ethan was thinking exactly the same thing as his attendant.
“I told you there’s no need to report every day. Are you hard of hearing?”
“You told me to come in. Here, take this.”
“Just leave it there.”
Ethan glanced down at the paper Agnes handed him. On the sheet, the word “sophistry” was written.
“What is this?”
“It’s Timothy’s writing from today. He’s only seven, and he already knows and can write this word. I asked him to write it, and he did.”
“…So he knows how to write.”
“……”
Agnes was once again reminded of the undeniable truth: the man in front of her had not even a shred of interest in his nephew. She spoke up.
“Timothy is a smart child. His vocabulary is advanced for his age, and he’s very quick on his feet. How about teaching him something like swordsmanship?”
“I’ll tell Carlo.”
“He left frogs in my bed again last night. I don’t think anyone else caught them for him, so he must have done it himself. Isn’t that impressive? I wonder where he found them?”
“I’ll tell Carlo…”
“Your Grace, I’m talking about your nephew.”
“I know. That’s why I’m listening.”
“Don’t say you’re listening when you’re just nodding without even looking at me.”
“Annoying…”
“Taking care of a child is always annoying and difficult. But please, look this way.”
Ethan lifted his eyes to look at Agnes for the first time since she had entered. It was the first direct glance he had given her. Honestly, dealing with Timothy would’ve been better—at least the child didn’t ignore her entirely. Ethan only pretended to listen. He hadn’t heard a word.
He was unaware that Agnes had been repeatedly praising Timothy as “persistent” and “clever.”
He only pretended to listen.
He clearly believed that humoring her with a few half-hearted replies was the quickest way to make her stop talking, rather than forcibly kicking her out.
And annoyingly enough, he was absolutely right.
Agnes would chatter about Timothy’s mischief, the tricks he played on her, how she returned the pranks, and the conversations they had during class—all while Ethan kept replying, “I’ll tell Carlo.”
And after fifteen minutes, once she ran out of things to say, Agnes would leave.
It had been the same every day for ten days.
But today, she had made up her mind:
“I won’t let it slide today.”
Irritation flickered in Ethan’s blue eyes.
“Teacher, I’m already providing the child with everything he needs.”
“What Timothy needs is—”
“A place to live, meals, attendants, even a teacher. And if he wants more, I’m willing to support that too.”
“Your Grace.”
“You asked for permission to report on his academic progress, and I made time to hear it.”
“Yes, but…”
“What more could a child need beyond that to grow up properly?”
“……”
Agnes knew her claim was rather soft and idealistic. Saying that a child needs love and attention is the kind of thing that gets you scoffed at in almost any household.
Strict education, a wealthy environment, responsibilities and rights…
Far more people believed that what children needed most was strict discipline—not love.
Timothy was a difficult child.
It was rare to see a child so desperately craving attention and love with his entire being.
“A perfect home environment is essential, Your Grace.”
“Perfect?”
Despite the irritation in his gaze, Agnes didn’t back down.
“That’s impossible from the start. I’m not the boy’s parent. Are you suggesting I send him off for adoption or something?”
“That’s not what I meant. And you know it.”
Ethan rested his chin in one hand and gave her a sideways glance. Truly a bothersome, annoying, persistent teacher.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“……”
Agnes sighed.
It had only been ten days.
There was no way to resolve all conflicts in such a short time, and she couldn’t force him to listen or obey her demands.
“I should be thankful he hasn’t kicked me out yet.”
No tutor had lasted ten days before. Even with her overstepping boundaries, he hadn’t mentioned firing her.
“It takes as much effort to understand Timothy’s language as it does to understand yours, Your Grace.”
“…”
“You also need to try to understand mine.”
“We’re both speaking standard Imperial, aren’t we?”
“That’s not what I mean.”
“You really say the most incomprehensible things…”
“Exactly. That’s the language I mean.”
“…”
Agnes was becoming used to being looked at like someone impossible to understand.
“On that note, I’d like to try getting closer to you as well, Your Grace.”
“…”
Ethan looked her up and down. His lips curled mockingly. A sneer.
“I have no interest in rolling around in horse dung, teacher.”
“Neither do I.”
Agnes ground her teeth.
Education required patience.
Patience.
*
Johan kept stealing glances at his master’s flawless face.
His downturned eyes, long lashes, and high nose bridge created a perfect profile. His skin was whiter and cleaner than most women’s, and his piercing blue eyes and black hair gave him a beauty that most men couldn’t pull off.
Many admired and coveted this man as if he were a sculpture. But those who saw his beautiful face never saw even the faintest hint of emotion on it.
Just the sight of that face had a strange, commanding presence. Unless you were someone like Johan, who had served him for a long time, it was hard to even breathe near him, let alone serve him properly.
After all, this man was one of the Empire’s strongest and most powerful figures.
If you stared at him too long, you’d panic wondering what mistake you made or whether you had offended him.
That was how most people reacted when they faced Ethan.
“Why?”
“I-I’m sorry!”
“What did you do wrong?”
“N-no, nothing like that!”
Even when you hadn’t done anything, apologizing first gave peace of mind. Johan broke into a nervous sweat.
“I asked why you were staring.”
“I-I was just curious what you and the new teacher were talking about…”
“Ah.”
Ethan frowned. Johan quickly added,
“Usually, people are afraid of you, but she doesn’t seem scared at all, Your Grace—ugh.”
“……”
“I-I don’t mean you go around threatening people, of course! I just mean, uh…”
He messed up. As he fumbled his words, Johan bit his tongue and teared up.
“I’m sorry!”
“She really isn’t afraid.”
Ethan finally spoke, a beat later.
“R-right?”
“She talks too much.”
“Haha, right? But people are praising her these days. Ever since she arrived, Young Master Timothy’s mischief has calmed down a bit. Everyone wonders every morning what new prank the two of them pulled that day. Some are even keeping score.”
“……”
“I hear about it every day, but it seems she doesn’t take his pranks lying down either…”
“……”
“…Sorry. I’ll be quiet now.”
“Who told you to be quiet? Keep going.”
Ethan leaned his chin on one hand and tilted his head. Johan spoke with a tearful look.
“I-I just thought it might be urgent. You said the Crown Prince invited you for supper…”
Ethan looked at the clock. It wasn’t exactly tight, but it wasn’t leisurely either.
‘Annoying.’
Had the Crown Prince himself invited him, Ethan wouldn’t be this annoyed. But the main host of tonight’s dinner wasn’t the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince preferred coming to see Ethan himself rather than summoning him to the palace.
“I’ll listen on the way.”
“Pardon?”
“Is that a problem?”
“W-well, I don’t know much…”
“Tell me what you do know.”
“…Yes, sir.”
Ethan glanced briefly at the tearful Johan, then looked away.
Johan might whine and be timid, but he was a highly competent attendant. He was sharp, discreet, and easy to manage. As Ethan walked through the door Johan opened, he thought of the new governess with brown hair and gray eyes.
She wasn’t an ordinary person.
‘Fearless, talkative… persistent.’
The reason Ethan hadn’t fired the insolent woman back in the stables was simple. He didn’t want to bother with someone he’d rarely run into. He was also tired of hearing Carlo’s moans:
“Another tutor ran off. What do we do now?”
If she had the nerve to shake hands with hands that had just rolled through horse dung, she’d last longer than the others.
But over the last ten days, the new tutor had been even more noisy and bothersome than Carlo’s complaints. Even if he ignored her, she never stopped talking. He let her be because her voice wasn’t unpleasant.
Honestly, she could make a living just reading books aloud.
‘But this ends today.’
For the past ten days, he had stayed at the estate to catch up on pending territory matters.
Starting today, Ethan planned to focus again on knightly duties. Though a short war had ended, they still needed training. By now, the knights should be well rested.
“If you live like that, you’ll regret it.”
“Now that I’m here, I won’t let you regret it.”
“On that note, I’d like to get closer to Your Grace.”
As if. Regret?
Ethan smirked crookedly. He had never regretted a single thing.
Especially not the way he had lived his life.
