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Chapter 41
“The person who taught me all this time was the princess…?”
Shuknen was consumed by a deep internal struggle—something rarely seen in his eight-year-old life.
In his entire eight years, he had never been this serious.
He tried to think hard, even clutching his head, but no clear conclusion came to mind.
Letting out a groan of frustration, Shuknen used his chubby little hand to pull back the curtain of the carriage.
He could now see the edge of the Nesheld Royal Palace—proof that they had finally left the rural town of Vanessa.
The joy of returning home was short-lived. What truly weighed on his mind was Erne, who had disappeared just the day before.
With a sigh, Shuknen slumped back into his seat.
“What should I do… really…”
If someone asked Shuknen what Erne meant to him, he would’ve said she was someone very special.
A teacher from a place with a name so hard to pronounce—Cheonghakdong—who proudly taught all sorts of strange things.
So delicate she looked like she’d topple over if you so much as nudged her. And yet, she was beautiful.
“Shuknen, shall we fold paper planes and fly them today?”
Erne, standing in the sunlight, always looked dazzling.
To young Shuknen, Erne had become an object of admiration.
Especially because she was pretty.
At first, he had considered treating her just like all the other private tutors he had driven away.
She was beautiful, sure, but she’d eventually leave just like the rest.
Those tutors had mocked and scorned Shuknen, calling him “fake.”
They even harassed him behind his father Winzerd’s back.
All Shuknen could do in response was scream and stubbornly act out to drive them away.
To him, a “teacher” was just that kind of person.
“Your name is Shuknen, right?”
“Why are you speaking informally to me?”
As usual, Shuknen responded in the way he always had with his past tutors.
“Because I’m your teacher. Other teachers might act differently, but not me—at Cheonghakdong, we don’t speak formally to children. I don’t want to treat you differently just because you’re from a high-status family.”
“But I’m the only heir of House Douglas!”
“So what? You’re still Shuknen. And to me, you’re just my student. Call me teacher. My name’s Erne. Or you can call me Ellen if you like.”
‘My student.’
That was the moment Shuknen fell for her.
As if hypnotized, he slowly took her extended hand, and the warmth he felt from the contact made him flinch.
But Erne only responded with a bright smile and gently patted his head.
It was the first time someone had touched the head of the noble young master of House Douglas so freely.
It was the motherly affection Shuknen had always longed for.
“Did you tease Ash again? I told you to be nice to your friends.”
“But, Teacher, I didn’t mean to make him cry.”
Even when he acted like a brat, doing the exact opposite of what Erne taught him, she never got mad at him.
“Try to get along, Shuknen. Humans can’t live alone. We live together, rely on each other, and help each other.”
She never hit him in the name of discipline, nor did she ever speak harshly to him.
“First, try greeting people. Say hello when you meet them. Just ‘hi’ is enough.”
“…”
“Want to try it with me? Like this—‘Hi, I’m Shuknen! Nice to meet you!’ Or if that’s too hard… oh, I know! How about, ‘Wow, Shuknen, you look so handsome today! I think you’ve grown taller, too!’”
She never got tired of his antics and never left him.
On the contrary, she showered him with unconditional affection.
Eventually, Shuknen was moved by it. He began to listen and behave because of that kindness.
“Hello, Teacher. Hi, Ash. Hi, Selene.”
That day, Erne hugged Shuknen with a tearful expression of joy.
Her warm, bone-crushing hug made Shuknen want to be hugged like that again.
So he tried to be a good boy, because if he did, Erne would hug him just like she did that day.
He had made the right decision. Every time he did something kind, Erne would always hug him tightly with a glowing face.
“Great job, Shuknen!”
That was when it happened.
That was when Shuknen decided Erne would become his new mother.
The white paper was filled with traces of deep thought. He had taken it out when they left Vanessa, but it still remained blank.
He had left it empty because he hadn’t made up his mind yet.
Then, finally, he held his forehead, as if reaching a decision, and gave a small determined exhale. His small hands began to move slowly.
And the once-empty page was now filled with the number “100.”
Across from him, Huger—who was accompanying the young master as his guardian—watched the number “100” and asked gently,
“You’re not drawing today, young master?”
“Nah. What kind of eight-year-old draws childish stuff like that?”
Huger was momentarily stunned into silence.
Was this the same boy who had previously framed a drawing titled “Sharing Cake with Friends”?
But Huger was a veteran butler. A loyal servant who had served House Douglas for many years.
A proper retainer didn’t argue too much with his young master’s whims.
Instead, Huger decided to ask about the meaning of the number.
“May I ask what it means?”
At Huger’s gentle question, Shuknen shrugged arrogantly.
“It’s my score.”
Shuknen looked very satisfied, but Huger was still confused and had to ask again.
“…Pardon?”
Why don’t adults ever get it?
Shuknen muttered under his breath.
“My score. Can’t you tell? My score is…”
He turned the paper so Huger could see it, hesitated, then debated,
‘Should I reveal it after a 60-second countdown?’
No, no. That’s dumb.
Shaking off the strange idea, Shuknen steadied his breath.
Exhaling a thin sigh, he looked at Huger and said,
“My score is 100. For Teacher Ellen.”
“…You mean the Princess?”
“What, Huger, you knew she was a princess too? Whatever. The fact that my soon-to-be new mom is a princess makes her perfect. Of course I’d give her 100 points. I’m going to show this to her when I see her. I’m upset she didn’t tell me, but that doesn’t change how I feel. She’s probably worried about me right now.”
Realizing what Shuknen meant, Huger carefully asked for clarification, but Shuknen was already bubbling with excitement.
After all, Erne was his favorite person to talk about.
Looking down proudly at the number “100,” Shuknen rolled the paper up tightly.
He couldn’t wait to show it to Erne.
Huger was left speechless by the boy’s enthusiasm.
How should he respond here?
While he was still choosing his words, Shuknen kept rambling.
“Ellen—no, the Princess—is so pretty. When I grow up, I’m going to be a knight who protects her!”
Huger couldn’t take it anymore and cautiously opened his mouth.
“Um, young master. Forgive me, but may I ask just one more thing?”
“Go ahead.”
“Well… since you said she’ll be your new mother, does that mean you believe the Duke and the Princess will marry?”
Huger felt sweat trickling down his back.
Sure, Shuknen was still a child and might not fully understand, but he was still the heir to House Douglas. He needed to understand how this worked.
Huger pulled out his handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his brow.
And yet, Shuknen continued chattering away.
“Yeah. She’s way too good for Father, honestly. But I’ve always wished she could be my mom. I hope Father manages to win her over.”
“Yes… I agree with you there. But may I ask—have you considered the Princess’s feelings?”
“…What?”
Just days ago, Huger himself had joined in persuading Duke Winzerd to pursue Ellen, Shuknen’s teacher.
But that was before they found out she was Nesheld’s next queen—the Princess.
After learning that, Huger knew this relationship would never be simple.
He now saw how difficult Shuknen’s innocent wish would be.
If only the Princess actually liked the Duke too, it might be simpler.
Just one royal decree—“You shall be my husband!”—could settle everything.
Regretful, Huger asked the still-excited boy one last question.
“Is it mutual, young master? Do the Princess and the Duke both wish to marry?”
‘Mutual?’
Shuknen mulled over the unfamiliar word and eventually scrunched up his face.
Ugh, whatever! He had a tendency to get bored quickly and give up just as fast.
“How would I know that?!”
Yeah, whatever. Let’s just do it first and see what happens.
