TPOVF 17

Chapter 17

‘Why is it so quiet?’

Kylerus suddenly realized that his surroundings were far too silent.

Every tutor who had been chased out before had caused a commotion. No one had ever withdrawn so quietly after being kicked out like this.

They would either pound loudly on the closed door or run to his uncle and threaten to quit immediately.

‘Gasp.’

At the thought that suddenly struck him, Kylerus’s tear-filled eyes widened.

‘What if the teacher says she wants to quit too?’

Why hadn’t he thought of that?

Today, he had thrown a tantrum like a spoiled child and thrown the picture book. On top of that, he had even pushed the teacher’s back and driven her out of the room.

Even if the teacher were an angel, that would be enough to make her angry.

If it ended with her just being angry, that would be fortunate.

But if she went to his uncle and said she wanted to quit—

‘That can’t happen!’

Kylerus anxiously nibbled on his thumbnail. He paced back and forth across the room, not knowing what to do.

Then.

“……you can just do that.”

“You’re telling me to teach …… only moderately?”

He heard voices murmuring from outside. Kylerus quickly ran over and pressed his ear against the door.

‘It’s the teacher!’

It seemed Yurenia was talking with someone. But the door was so thick that he couldn’t hear well.

‘What are they saying?’

Kylerus carefully opened the door a crack, trying not to be noticed. Then he heard Yurenia’s clear voice.

“I can’t do that.”

“Pardon?”

“Teaching moderately, half-heartedly. I can’t do it, in good conscience.”

And as soon as she finished speaking—

Creak.

“Right, Young Master Kyle?”

The door Kylerus had been leaning against swung wide open.

As Yurenia threw the door open, Kylerus, who had been pressing his ear against the crack, lost his balance and wobbled.

“Ah!”

His body pitched forward, and the carpet laid out in the hallway rushed toward his eyes.

“Whoa!”

He was falling!

As Kylerus flailed his hands, Yurenia quickly slipped her hands under his armpits.

“Up you go.”

She straightened the boy up and said something to the people standing beside her.

But Kylerus, whose face was about to burst with embarrassment, didn’t hear it.

“……Then, we’ll be going.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

As Yurenia bid them farewell, the people with her walked away.

Kylerus kept his head bowed until they had completely left the hallway.

The boy, whose ears were now red, cherished the hand that Yurenia had placed on his shoulder when she had lifted him up.

As if to prevent her from leaving him behind.

“……Teacher.”

After everyone had gone.

Kylerus swallowed dryly to muster his courage. Then he gripped his teacher’s warm hand tightly.

“I was wrong. Please don’t quit.”

“Pardon?”

Yurenia blinked at Kylerus’s sudden words.

She had realized he was eavesdropping when the tightly closed door had timidly cracked open.

She had been agonizing over how to open that firmly shut door.

So she was relieved that Kylerus had opened it first.

At least it meant he wasn’t angry at her hasty approach.

And besides, that tiny black crown of hair peeking through the door crack had been so adorable.

She couldn’t take her eyes off the child who was fidgeting and gauging his teacher’s mood.

It just so happened that right at that moment—

Enzo had said to teach the child moderately, which had made her a little indignant.

But no matter how she thought about it, she had never said she was going to quit.

Why was Kylerus worried about that? What on earth was going through that little head of his?

“I’m sorry for breaking the window. I’m sorry for pushing you out, Teacher.”

Yurenia quietly listened to the child’s words. And she looked warmly at the child who was fiddling with her hand.

“So please keep being Kyle’s teacher……”

“Young Master Kyle.”

At Yurenia’s low call, the child’s shoulders flinched. She held the child’s hand in hers and said,

“Teaching you is my job as your tutor. If you don’t want to study……”

“I, I don’t not want to……!”

“Then?”

At Yurenia’s question, Kylerus hesitated. When the child glanced around, she quickly said,

“Then shall we talk in my room? People might pass by here.”

“Your room?”

Kylerus’s eyes lit up. It seemed his curiosity had been piqued.

Until now, Yurenia had always come to the nursery, and Kylerus had never been to her room.

“Come here.”

Yurenia gently led the child.

She had already asked Enzo to have the nursery cleaned, so it seemed a good idea to talk in her room in the meantime.

“Okay!”

Kylerus nodded vigorously, as if he had never been cowed. Then he took Yurenia’s hand and headed toward her room.

“Wow.”

Kylerus’s pale green eyes sparkled. The boy’s heart pounded as he came to Yurenia’s room.

He had always only met his teacher in the nursery.

He knew she had her own space, but it was fascinating to see it in person.

“Come sit here, Young Master.”

Yurenia offered a seat to the child, who was looking around the room with wide eyes.

Kylerus quickly did as she said and sat down on the plush sofa.

The child’s legs dangled in the air as he sat on the tall sofa.

‘So cute.’

Yurenia smiled contentedly as she looked at the child.

When she had been assigned this room, she had declined it, saying it was too much. But now that Kylerus was visiting, she was glad she had stayed here.

Normally, tutors were assigned modest rooms furnished with just a bed, a desk, and a wardrobe.

Depending on the family, it was barely better than a senior maid’s quarters.

At the first family she had worked for, the walls of her accommodation had been moldy, which had been a struggle. She had barely managed to clean it off, only for rain the next day to restore it to its original state.

Bringing a noble child to such a place was unthinkable, so this was actually the first time she had brought a student to her room.

*’She said any room would do, so I assigned her any room. Just live with it.’*

—

When Yurenia had first seen this room, she had asked the Duke to change her accommodation. Because it was far too large and nice for a tutor to use.

But he had flatly refused. He had even threatened to assign her an even larger room if she really didn’t like it.

When she had said it was an elegant and splendid room fit for a noble lady, he had retorted—

—

*’Aren’t you also of noble birth, Teacher? What nonsense.’*

—

His words were brusque, but his attitude was gentle.

He reminded her a little of the Kylerus from the original story.

An interesting person.

“Here, drink this. It’s warm milk tea.”

“Thank you.”

Yurenia served milk tea—black tea brewed lightly with plenty of milk and sugar added. Then she sat beside Kylerus and spoke warmly.

“Young Master Kyle, what were you trying to say earlier?”

“……Just call me Kyle.”

“Pardon?”

“Not Young Master Kyle. Just Kyle is fine.”

Kylerus said sulkily, not even touching the milk tea. Yurenia looked at the child quietly, then smiled.

“Is that okay?”

“You can, Teacher. Please call me that.”

“That’s a relief. I was worried you might dislike me.”

“Why would I dislike you, Teacher?”

Kylerus’s eyes went round when Yurenia spoke with a smile. She tilted her head and asked the child.

“That’s strange. If you don’t hate studying, and you don’t hate me either—then why did you act like that earlier?”

“Well……”

At Yurenia’s sudden question, Kylerus bit his lip. He fidgeted with his hands, hesitating for a long time.