TPOVF 19

Chapter 19

“I don’t know why Enzo is acting like that today. Did he eat something bad?”

It was Chester who recovered his composure first. He reached for the teacup the servant had brought and spoke.

“So? Was that all you wanted to say?”

“No, actually……”

Yurenia chose her words carefully, nervous. She steadied her breathing and lifted her gaze.

“Could I hear in detail how you dealt with the nanny?”

“I thought you weren’t interested.”

“I heard you dismissed her. I was curious whether there was any other punishment.”

“Of course there was.”

Chester chuckled softly and brought the teacup to his lips. After taking a sip of the warm tea, he spoke leisurely.

“As it happens, I’ve been busy since this morning because of the nanny. The court handed down its final ruling. Adding embezzlement, child abuse, and deception of a noble to the charges, she received a sentence of seven years.”

“Seven years……?”

Yurenia was surprised by the severity of the punishment, which was harsher than she had expected.

She had asked because she was worried the nanny might have gotten off lightly with a slap on the wrist. But this was more like a heavy hammer coming down.

“Your sister-in-law pulled some strings. Since she touched the Emperor’s aide, seven years is getting off easy.”

“I see…….”

“But why are you suddenly asking about that?”

“Well……”

At Chester’s question, Yurenia glanced around. Thanks to Enzo having taken all the servants out, there were no eavesdroppers, but she was still cautious.

“Your Grace, do you know everything the nanny did?”

“Most of it.”

Yurenia lowered her gaze and fell into thought. She needed to report the child’s condition to the Duke.

After all, he was Kylerus’s guardian.

But the words wouldn’t come out easily; her mouth felt dry.

“Is there something I don’t know?”

“By any chance, did you know that the nanny never taught the young master his letters at all?”

The moment Yurenia finished speaking, Chester’s gentle expression twisted fiercely. He set down his teacup and harshly rang the summoning bell.

“Exile Malenda Margo’s entire family, including all her relatives, from the capital. And submit an opinion to the court that seven years is insufficient for Malenda Margo.”

Chester gave the order in an icy tone to Enzo, who had come running breathlessly.

Enzo looked momentarily taken aback but quickly answered crisply.

“Understood.”

“This is the head of the Valerio family’s command. Carry it out without delay.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

As Enzo withdrew, Chester gritted his teeth. Then he gulped down the hot tea in one go.

“Should have just killed her.”

Chester ground his molars and muttered.

If left alone, he looked ready to draw his sword and head straight to the prison where Malenda was held.

“I had no idea. I naturally assumed she had taught him his letters. How dare that woman, how could she……”

“The nanny had been with Young Master Kyle even before he came to the ducal house. It’s not Your Grace’s fault.”

At Yurenia’s calm words, Chester raked his hand through his hair. He spoke with a troubled expression.

“Still, it’s not your sister-in-law’s fault either. She was about to lose her daughter to the same illness as her husband—how could she have had the time to look after another child? All she could do was assign a trustworthy nanny.”

After hearing Chester’s explanation, Yurenia could somewhat understand why Kylerus’s mother had neglected her child.

And the fact that she had used her influence to have Malenda severely punished suggested she was a mother who loved her son.

She simply hadn’t had the leeway to express that love.

*’So Kylerus’s younger sibling had the same illness as his father.’*

This was new information not in the original story.

*’That’s why the Valerio Duchy fell into darkness.’*

Yurenia nodded quietly to herself.

Having lost two key pillars of the family to the same illness, it made sense that they would seek other paths—not medicine or ordinary magic, but something else.

Dark magic, which demanded the blood of many, would have been their last resort.

She could understand their desperation, but it was not a good choice.

The moment Kylerus’s mother touched dark magic, she would wither away rapidly.

And probably Kylerus as well……

*’Is there nothing I can do?’*

She was confident she could raise Kylerus well. He was a naturally kind and good child.

But she couldn’t think of a proper way to prevent the Valerio family from falling into dark magic.

To prevent the tragedy, there was no other way but for Kylerus’s younger sibling to recover without dying.

But how?

Since Kylerus’s father, who had suffered from the same illness, had died, there was clearly no definitive cure or solution in this world.

That was why the Valerio family had been driven to madness.

*’Of all things, medicine.’*

It gave her a headache.

Medicine here was closely tied to magic. As someone with negative mana, Yurenia had little hope of being of any help.

“So, what about Kyle?”

Yurenia lifted her gaze at Chester’s question. Hiding her troubled heart, she spoke brightly.

“He said he wants to learn writing from me. He’s very motivated. He wants to learn letters quickly so he can send a letter to his mother.”

“I can guess why Kyle drove away all his previous tutors. He must have been afraid of being found out that he couldn’t read. And I went and treated him like a problem child without even knowing.”

“But you don’t do that anymore.”

“That’s right.”

Chester smiled bitterly. If he hadn’t met the tutor before him, he would have left Kylerus misunderstood and neglected.

Just imagining it sent a chill down his spine.

“If you need anything to teach Kyle, feel free to ask for it. I’ll cooperate.”

“I will. Thank you.”

“I should be the one thanking you.”

Chester pushed his fallen hair back and spoke.

“I’m glad we met you, Teacher. Thank you.”

His deep blue eyes, like the dawn sky, gazed intently at Yurenia.

His deep gaze was so captivating that she felt she might fall into it if she let her guard down—and her heart began to race.

*’Why is this happening?’*

Flustered by her pounding heart, Yurenia hurriedly drank her black tea.

It must be a side effect of overworking her brain.

After all, the Valerio family’s problems couldn’t be solved overnight.

So she’d think about it gradually, Yurenia decided, pressing down on her skittering heart.

Two weeks later.

Malenda Margo, the former nanny of the Valerio household, was sentenced to a final term of ten years.

Her name—having dared to deceive and defraud the Valerio Duchy—was now at the very top of the empire’s social blacklist.

From now on, anyone associated with her would not even be able to cast a shadow in the capital.

But despite having dealt with her cleanly, Yurenia was deeply troubled.

It wasn’t because of Kylerus, nor because of the Duke.

Kylerus had been following his lessons well, unlike the child who had run off every previous tutor. He even showed tremendous enthusiasm, doing extra homework that wasn’t assigned.

He was naturally bright, so he had mastered all his letters within two days.

From basic grammar to intermediate, and then advanced grammar—his astounding learning speed amazed her every day.

Her guardian, the Duke, was also very cooperative.

He provided the finest teaching materials every time Yurenia asked for them. And he made an effort to spend time conversing with the child as much as possible.

Even before heading to the palace, he would make time to join Yurenia and Kylerus on their walks.

Thanks to that, uncle and nephew had even developed a relationship where they could play lighthearted pranks on each other.

So then, what was Yurenia worried about?

*’Another letter came back.’*

An envelope stamped with “return to sender.”

This was her source of concern.

Yurenia had been searching for ways to help cure Lillian’s illness.

First, she had tried to seek advice from renowned figures in both medicine and magic to find a way to cure the disease.

For medicine, the royal physician was the most skilled; for magic, the Tower Master was the best.

Unfortunately, as a mere tutor, she had no way to reach the royal physician. So Yurenia first contacted the empire’s foremost mage.

Rex—the Tower Master and head of the Magic Department at the Royal Academy.

He was her academy mentor.

She had sent him letters, but every single one came back.

The first time, she sent it to the academy, but it was returned because he was on sabbatical. The next time, she sent it to the Magic Tower, but it was returned again because he was traveling abroad.

*’Where did he go?’*

Yurenia tucked the returned envelope into her pocket and pressed her lips into a straight line, feeling at a loss.