MYKBH 05

Chapter 5

No way.

There couldn’t possibly be any particular meaning behind it.

After desperately racking her brain, Agnes remembered the strange things she’d heard yesterday.

He had spoken as though she might be the ‘World Tree’s Consort.’

Could that be why he’s curious about me?

After all, her younger brother, who was only six years old, had somehow escaped from a rift and stormed into the Magic Tower.

On top of that, he’d apparently told the Marquess that his older sister was a special person.

Of course, to Agnes, it all sounded like a far-fetched story.

It didn’t feel real. It sounded like something that belonged in a book.

No matter how much she thought about it, there shouldn’t have been anything about her that the Marquess could possibly be curious about.

She was just an ordinary person with a plain appearance and no particular abilities.

He, on the other hand, was the master of Celestial, the greatest Magic Tower in the world.

Agnes knew nothing about magic, but she’d read in books about what a great archmage could do.

They could send not only objects but even people across great distances. They could set fire to barren land, summon thunder, and create waterfalls where there had been nothing before.

In other words, he was someone so extraordinary that an ordinary person like her would never even have had a chance to meet him.

While Agnes was lost in thought, the children, having roughly heard what Kesenor had said, began making a fuss.

“W-Watch our lesson?”

“Why?”

“Do we have some kind of talent?”

“How do you do magic?”

Of course, magical abilities were hereditary, and since the twins’ parents were about as far removed from magic as one could get, there was no reason for him to take an interest in them.

Or is he curious about my lessons?

Even so, she was only teaching young children, so all she taught them was very basic knowledge she’d learned from books.

Wouldn’t her lessons seem childish to someone who researched complicated magic?

Perhaps taking her silence as agreement, Kesenor entered the room and sat down on the sofa.

Before anyone even asked, the maids soon brought tea and refreshments as well. It seemed the Countess had instructed them to treat him with the utmost courtesy.

Agnes was uncomfortable, but she couldn’t let it show.

Trying her best not to pay attention to him, she resumed the lesson.

“Earlier, I explained the Non-Aggression Treaty. Afterward, the territories of the different races were separated. Humans came to inhabit the center of the continent, the fairy folk settled in the Naopa Forest to the east, the giants lived beyond the Flame Mountains in the west, and the craftsmen of the dark elves lived on the islands to the south.”

“What about the north?”

Leonard asked.

Agnes briefly glanced at Kesenor.

The north was the land of Celesta.

Yet he was quietly drinking his tea, wearing a contemplative expression.

He wasn’t watching the lesson, nor did he seem to be listening attentively.

Why on earth did he say he wanted to observe the lesson?

Puzzled, Agnes answered Leonard’s question.

“The north belongs to the mages.”

“Oh!”

“The north is a land where monsters appear, and it is protected by mages. They hunt them down from Magic Towers built throughout the region. In particular, the Magic Tower Celestial in the Celesta territory is famous for the strength of the mages who belong to it.”

Only then did Kesenor lower his eyes and smile faintly.

But the children had no interest whatsoever in the master of Celestial sitting right behind them.

“Teacher, have you ever seen another race?”

It seemed to be because the illustrations in their books had been drawn so vividly. The giants, in particular, looked frighteningly similar to monsters.

Agnes shook her head.

“After the Non-Aggression Treaty, the races agreed not to trespass into one another’s territories. I’ve heard that there is some limited exchange between them, but it would be difficult for an ordinary person to see one.”

“Then what about the Marquess?”

“Have you ever seen them, Lord Marquess?”

Despite his high status, the children weren’t intimidated in the slightest.

Kesenor let out a low sigh and nodded. His brow seemed to furrow slightly.

Could he have some unpleasant memories?

Of course, the children were far too excited to notice.

“Wow!”

“Really? What did they look like?”

“Do giants really have horns?”

“Are dark elves really black in the face? Are fairy folk really that beautiful?”

It seemed like they should take a break at this point.

Agnes sighed and pulled the bell cord.

“It’s snack time. Don’t bother the Marquess.”

Soon, the maids brought desserts and served fresh tea. While the children happily ate their desserts, Agnes sat across from Kesenor and poured tea into his cup.

She couldn’t very well leave someone who had come to observe her lesson sitting alone, so she’d sat down opposite him, but she had no idea what she was supposed to say.

As she nervously traced the warm teacup with her fingertips, Kesenor seemed to notice how uncomfortable she was and spoke first.

“May I ask how you came to become a tutor?”

“Oh, it’s really nothing special. My mother passed away when I was quite young. So I took care of Amy quite a lot from the time she was a baby. I suppose the Countess thought well of that.”

“The Countess showed me what the children had learned in their lessons this morning.”

The hand holding the teacup tightened.

Countless thoughts raced through Agnes’s mind.

Does she perhaps not trust me?

Now that the children had grown considerably, perhaps the Countess intended to hire another tutor who could provide them with more advanced lessons.

Unlike the tense Agnes, Kesenor continued with an expression of disbelief, almost mocking the situation.

“She seemed rather anxious to the point of asking me about something so trivial. She said that the children were unruly and didn’t listen, that Miss Agnes was having a difficult time because of them, and, above all, that she was curious about the children’s level.”

He was right.

Mages were, quite literally, people who studied the world itself.

Magic was said to be the act of twisting the way this world functioned, and for that reason, mages studied every kind of knowledge that existed within the world.

An archmage was practically a repository of knowledge.

And yet the Countess had asked such a person whether two nine-year-old children were studying well.

Ashamed, Agnes lowered her head.

She felt as though she were standing naked in front of him.

In other words, the Countess had asked him to evaluate her lessons.

She thought back to everything that had happened that day.

How inadequate and pathetic must I have looked?

She was supposed to be their tutor, yet she’d been climbing trees with them.

Agnes moved her lips hesitantly before finally confessing her feelings as though she were forcing the words out.

“I’m embarrassed. I’m sure she only did it because she was worried about me. The Countess took me in out of kindness because she pitied my difficult circumstances.”

“Just a moment, Miss Agnes. I believe I should apologize first. I am sorry about earlier.”

“Pardon?”

It was sudden.

He smiled and explained why.

“You said you were uncomfortable because I touched you without permission.”

“Ah…”

She couldn’t exactly tell him that she’d disliked it even more because it was the first time anyone had touched her in such a way.

For some reason, she seemed to keep finding more and more embarrassing things to experience in front of him.

His sharp-looking eyes curved gently as he continued.

“To be honest, I was a little surprised.”

Resting his chin on his hand, he looked toward the children, who were enthusiastically eating desserts behind him.

“When the Countess asked me, I found it rather absurd. But to have taught those little hellions this much… Perhaps you really do have a talent for teaching.”

“Certainly not. You’re giving me far too much credit.”

Even though she’d answered modestly, she was honestly happy.

These were the words of someone who didn’t know her well.

Wouldn’t that make his opinion fairly objective?

She was barely managing to suppress the corners of her mouth from twitching upward when he continued.

“As for language and mathematics, and the fact that they’re studying history at the age of nine, they wouldn’t be lacking even when compared to children from other noble families. Above all, teaching a student who doesn’t want to learn is difficult.”

After stating this firmly, he straightened his previously slouched posture.

He brought his long, solidly built legs together and leaned a little closer toward Agnes.

“You should be proud of yourself. Yet you say you’re embarrassed.”

“Thank you.”

Still dazed, Agnes couldn’t quite manage to feel properly happy as she stared at him.

“That’s why I became curious. How did you come to become a tutor, Miss Agnes? And how did you study when you were young?”

“When I was young, I was quite the tomboy. As you saw, I spent every day climbing trees…”

“Did your parents simply let you?”

“Of course not. I was scolded, so I would sneak around.”

Her father had been busy with work outside the house, while her mother had been occupied with taking care of her younger siblings. So Agnes would go outside the estate to play with Rupert almost every day.

She could vividly remember the faces of the estate’s people smiling and saying, You’re out again?

She could also hear their voices warning them to be careful because climbing trees and running through the fields was dangerous.

They were fond memories.

He tried to continue talking with Agnes, but the children, having finished their desserts, began making such a commotion that the conversation was interrupted.

After that, Agnes no longer felt embarrassed about teaching in front of Kesenor.

Instead, she became curious about him.

Why would he be interested in something as insignificant as how she’d spent her childhood?

It couldn’t have anything to do with the conversation they’d had yesterday.

As she tried to figure out the reason, she suddenly remembered the words Kesenor had used when introducing himself.

“My name is Kesenor Celesta. I am your prospective consort.”

“In other words, you may consider me a candidate for your husband.”

Agnes’s mind suddenly went blank.

He’s insane! How could I have forgotten something like that?

She’d been so distracted by the fact that Amy was alive, and on top of that, everything he’d said had been so confusing that she hadn’t had a chance to properly process it.

Could the whole thing about choosing a ‘seed’ actually mean choosing a husband?

Me? Choosing the Marquess?

How?

Agnes couldn’t concentrate on the lesson at all.

In the end, she had the children copy passages from a book.

Just as she’d finally managed to calm down the children, who were complaining about the assignment, a maid arrived.

She informed Agnes that the Countess had invited both Agnes and Kesenor to dinner.