🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter : 09
Jacqueline’s eyes widened in surprise, as if she had just heard something utterly unexpected. Windsor silently stared at her.
Jacqueline found herself involuntarily captivated by his melancholic, steel-gray eyes. Their profound depth held a strange, mesmerizing power.
She abruptly snapped back to her senses and tensed her gaze.
“As I mentioned earlier, it was part of the educational process. To explain the current popular Fauvist technique, I thought it best to demonstrate it directly. Since the curriculum doesn’t specify exact teaching methods, I suppose Lord Preston might have been surprised. For that, I express my regret.”
“Why did you paint on the wallpaper instead of a canvas?”
A deliberate pause carried an inexplicable pressure. Though phrased as a question without rising intonation, it still brimmed with authority. Yet Jacqueline remained undaunted.
“Would the vessel of the future Marquess of Preston truly fit on a mere canvas? It takes something as grand as a wall.”
Windsor said nothing. He didn’t seem at a loss for words—rather, he appeared to be choosing them carefully.
He had remained calm and rational throughout, the complete opposite of Jacqueline’s emotional and impulsive nature.
You knew that much from the very beginning, didn’t you? You thought he wouldn’t be an easy employer.
“Did Lord Preston know that Benjamin is fond of ships?”
Jacqueline’s voice lowered slightly. Windsor met her with a quiet, expectant gaze, as if urging her to continue.
“He may be a quiet boy, but he can talk for an hour straight about the Black Fleet. In fact, it’s not just battleships—he loves trains, carriages… anything he can ride.”
“How does that benefit Benjamin’s education?”
Her attack failed to shake Windsor in the slightest. Instead, Jacqueline faltered. The atmosphere around him had grown even more resolute.
Simultaneously, Jacqueline realized it was time to retreat—just one step back to prepare two steps forward.
She may have lost the skirmish, but the war was far from over.
She faced Windsor again with an elegant expression.
“I plan to teach Northean this afternoon. Learning a foreign language is an extremely tedious endeavor. Since fluency doesn’t come overnight, many abandon it midway. That’s why I intend to discuss things Benjamin enjoys.”
“So, Miss Somerset, are you saying your art lesson was deliberately designed with this afternoon’s foreign language class in mind? That it was intentional?”
“Of course, Lord Preston. Surely you don’t think I acted without purpose, merely amusing myself? As you know, all education is organically interconnected.”
Preston remained silent. This time, he truly seemed at a loss for words. He lightly tapped his thigh.
Unbothered, Jacqueline offered him a practiced, sociable smile—the same one she always used to signal the end of a conversation.
“Before beginning the Northean lesson, I’d like to look through the previous tutor’s teaching materials. If you have nothing further to say, may I take my leave?”
Windsor stared at her blankly.
Her slightly lowered gaze was characteristic of a noble-born young lady—but beneath it lay something utterly outrageous.
She was unlike any noblewoman Windsor had ever met. At least, as far as he knew, no young lady had ever painted directly onto walls.
In fact, most wouldn’t even risk staining their expensive dresses with paint—such restraint was considered a basic tenet of ladylike refinement. At least, that was his understanding.
Was hiring Jacqueline Somerset truly the right decision?
Having arrived at this fundamental doubt within just a day, Windsor studied her calmly. Jacqueline met his gaze with a gentle smile.
you have something more to say?”
But for now, he had no alternative. He couldn’t predict how long it might take to find a new tutor.
His connections had dried up entirely; no one was willing to recommend a tutor to him. After dismissing his twelfth tutor, it had taken him a full two months to hire Jacqueline.
Perceptive nobles wished to avoid entanglement in his dispute with the royal court, while the less perceptive deemed him an overly demanding employer.
He was now reduced to posting job notices at employment agencies—a step far beneath his station. And Windsor wasn’t naïve enough to believe such places could provide someone both learned and refined.
He wanted Benjamin to become an exemplary heir to the Marquessate of Preston. He refused to watch him mocked as the nephew raised by a bastard-born uncle.
A perfect successor.
To achieve that, Windsor was determined to do everything in his power. After a long pause, he finally nodded.
“Considering this is your first time as a tutor, Miss Somerset, I will overlook it—just this once. However, please ensure such incidents do not recur.”
Jacqueline smiled confidently, as if she’d anticipated exactly this outcome. She, too, had just rehearsed the very same thoughts Windsor had.
Windsor had no other option. Whether he liked it or not, he had to give Jacqueline another chance—at least until he could find someone new.
It was fortunate for her.
“You may go, Miss Somerset.”
“Yes, Lord Preston.”
“Oh.”
Just as Jacqueline rose from her seat, Windsor turned a seemingly indifferent glance toward her, as if suddenly remembering something. She slowly shifted her eyes toward him.
“I will observe your afternoon lesson as well.”
“Yes, Lord Preston.”
That much was fine.
Jacqueline gave a casual smile, as if it were no big deal, and performed a slight curtsy.
“And…”
Clearly, that wasn’t all. Windsor spoke again. Jacqueline, who had just begun turning away, redirected her gaze back to him.
“Count Greenwood came to see me today.”
“Uncle Walter?”
Her eyes, which had just been cast downward, instantly widened in surprise—though she belatedly realized her slip-up.
Quickly regaining her composure as a refined young noblewoman, Jacqueline asked gracefully,
“Lord Greenwood, you mean?”
Windsor, who had been silently watching her, gave a nod. Only a true noble-born young lady would casually refer to Count Greenwood as “Uncle.”
“He asked me to take good care of you, Miss Somerset.”
“Oh.
Jacqueline gently tugged at the corners of her lips. Her previously sharp eyes softened instantly, transforming the atmosphere around her in an instant.
So he was worried about me.
“I see.”
She murmured almost to herself, then lifted her head once more. Windsor’s indifferent tone brushed past her ears.
“He praised you endlessly—how brilliantly you graduated from Bristol Girls’ Boarding School, the glowing recommendations from your teachers, and what a spirited young lady you are. Though inexperienced, he assured me you’d certainly make an excellent tutor. I hope you won’t disappoint his expectations.”
“Of course not, Lord Preston.”
By now fully composed as the dignified noblewoman once more, Jacqueline gave a relaxed nod and exited the room.
Behind her, the door closed. The dignified stride she’d maintained until then gradually quickened.
“Northean is my specialty.”
Late spring sunlight from the window illuminated her smile.
It felt reassuring to know someone cared for her, even from afar. At that very moment, Jacqueline brimmed with confidence—as if she could accomplish anything.
[This is the timeline separator]
“Alright. I’ll be off now, Colin. Wish me luck.”
With the solemn expression of a knight heading into battle, Jacqueline bid farewell to her teddy bear and marched out of the room with determination.
She took a deep breath in front of the study door, summoned a deliberate smile, and opened it.
“Hello, Benjamin. Let’s begin our Northean lesson.”
Benjamin, who had earlier been splattered with colorful paint, now looked perfectly neat. The only difference was that his normally fluffy, cotton-candy-like hair had settled slightly.
The boy, sitting upright, glanced nervously at Windsor seated on the sofa behind him. His chubby cheeks bore the unmistakable look of tension.
Yet Windsor’s gaze remained fixed not on the boy, but on Jacqueline. Even under his scrutinizing eyes—clearly seeking fault—she remained composed.
With a tone both warm and firm, Jacqueline began,
“Benjamin.”
“…Yes, Miss Somerset.”
Benjamin, who had been glancing nervously at Windsor, now looked at her with determined eyes. Jacqueline flipped a page of her book pointedly and continued,
“First, I need to assess your Northean proficiency. Can you describe the ship on the wall in Northean?”
Surely that should convince him the painting wasn’t entirely useless?
The uncertain boy glanced at Windsor once again. Benjamin always grew excessively nervous whenever his uncle was present.
He didn’t want to disappoint his uncle; he wanted to show only his perfect, exemplary self. But life rarely went according to plan.
Seeing the boy’s eyes dim with discouragement, Jacqueline added gently,
“It’s alright if you’re not fluent. No one excels from the start. Just do your best—that’s how we’ll begin.”
“Yes, Miss Somerset.”
*Gulp.*
Benjamin swallowed hard and spoke in a tiny, ant-like voice.
―“This is our kingdom’s Black Fleet. They’re called the Guardians of the Sea. Over a hundred sailors are on board, and there’s a big cannon at the front for attacking.”
―“Good, Benjamin. That’s very well done.”
Jacqueline praised him in Northean. Benjamin, glancing once more at Windsor, blushed shyly.
―“Thank you, Miss Somerset.”
―“But it’s not ‘cannon’—it’s ‘cannon.’ Can you try pronouncing it again?”
―“Cannon…?”
Benjamin quietly mimicked her pronunciation.
“Good. Your Northean is better than I expected. You’re clearly beyond the absolute beginner level.”
Speaking loudly enough for even Windsor to hear, Jacqueline continued in Northean,
―“Where is that ship headed?”
―“Out into the great ocean. That’s where they fight pirates. When pirates attack the kingdom’s merchant ships, they, uh… appear and wipe out the pirates.”
―“Not ‘wipe out’—‘eradicate.’”
―“Yes, eradicate.”
―“Good. You’re doing well. Can you tell me a bit more?”
―“Um… where else does the ship go? To the… to the unknown….”
Benjamin momentarily stumbled over his words and glanced apprehensively at Windsor. Just as the boy’s expression began to darken, Jacqueline gently interjected,
―“The New World?”
―“Yes! They’re setting sail to find the New World!”
Benjamin quickly confirmed, as if that was exactly what he’d meant.
―“How wonderful. What’s in the New World?”
Surprisingly, the lesson proceeded smoothly. Windsor found no opportunity to fault her.
Jacqueline’s Northean was fluent, and she patiently explained everything at Benjamin’s level. Moreover, the boy participated more actively than usual.
Considering it was their very first lesson, they made a perfect teacher and student. Even if he dismissed her now, finding a better tutor—and certainly not within a short timeframe—would be no easy task.
At that moment, Jacqueline glanced at the clock on the wall, closed her book, and said,
“Well, shall we end the lesson here for today?”
Having not once looked at Windsor until now, she finally turned toward him. Her confident eyes seemed to ask, “Well? What do you think?”
