First, Cedric is a genius.

“My God, my son, you are a genius, and this mother is so full she has to skip meals just to look at you.”

As she said this, the Duchess patted Cedric on the head as if she were proud of him. She jumped up from her seat in excitement.

“This is not the time for this. I must speak to the Duke and bring you something nice. There will be a feast in the near future.”

“Yes, mother.”

“I’ve interrupted your studies, haven’t I? I’ll leave you to your lessons.”

The Duchess looked down at Cedric with a satisfied expression. Cedric bid farewell to his mother with a calm face, as if he were expecting it. Just before the Duchess opened the door, she remembered Estella’s presence and gave her a sharp look, not forgetting to do so.

“Since you say you are teaching Cedric well, I will let this one slide. But you would do well to remember that the tuition I am paying is for two.”

“…I’ll keep that in mind.”

Estella bowed deeply, and the Duchess turned away with a scowl. Then the door slammed shut. With the source of the disturbance out of the way, there was a moment of silence in the large room. Estella stared at the closed door, then called out to Cedric.

“Young master.”

“What?”

The second thing the Duchess would not have suspected…

“You didn’t even go that far.”

That Cedric was a liar.

“Does it matter?”

Cedric asked back with a shameless face. He even snorted as if he was mocking her.

“I saved you from getting fired, don’t you realise?”

“Well, that’s true, but… What if the finale to that dinner is the Duke’s barrage of questions?”

“I suppose I’ll just have to make good progress until then.”

Cedric replied, looking helpless. Estella sighed in resignation. It was true that Cedric was a bright kid for his age. Even if she couldn’t get him to open all the history books, she could at least cram enough knowledge into him to pass the Duke’s verification process.

Instead of returning to his seat, Cedric turned to Cecilia and sat down on the seat next to her.

“Cecilia, she’s gone.”

“Go…ne?”

“Yeah, she’s gone, so you can lift your head.”

Cecilia raised her bowed head. She glanced back and forth between Cedric and Estella with sheepish eyes, then broke into a small smile. Cedric stroked Cecilia’s equally tiny head with his tiny hand. Estella’s eyes widened in surprise.

Just as he had lied about having read ?The Genealogy of Mesquida?, he hadn’t meant it when he’d spoken ill of Cecilia. Cedric seemed to have learnt from experience how to treat his mother to keep Cecilia safe.

‘They get along surprisingly well.’

Estella felt her heart flutter unnecessarily. The Cedric and Cecilia she’d seen over the past month were just children. Cedric is mature for his age, and Cecilia is a little behind, but of course those peculiarities are no reason to be murdered by their brother.

The fact that she still can’t make up her mind between running away and staying is because it makes her weak. She doesn’t know if she can save the children, but without the knowledge of the future, fate will never change.

Estella is trying to remember when Diego executed his plan. She recalls that the death of the children would happen after the death of the Duke, but she cannot recall any specific clues that would lead to a discovery of the date of the plan. All she knows is that the event is supposed to happen this year, and the description of the weather was vague.

“Teacher, I helped you get away from the devil so let’s skip class today.”

Cedric was stroking Cecilia’s hair when he suddenly had an idea. Estella stopped him with a scowl.

“Young master, how many times have I told you that you shouldn’t call your mother that…”

“You nag again!”

Of course, regardless of taking good care of Cecilia, Cedric still showed no respect towards Estella. The brief emotion that had welled up in her disappeared without a trace. Estella narrowed her eyes and replied.

“I’m supposed to be a nag. Now that I’ve told you, you need to get on with your history studies.”

Cedric’s cheeks puffed up. Estella quickly reached for the carrot.

“How about this, If you make it to page 120, I’ll let you go out on the training grounds and watch the knights joust.”

If there’s one thing that remains true no matter how much the world changes, it’s that children will be children. Looking at Cedric, whose eyes were now serious, Estella began to read.

* * *

“Pick me up!”

Cedric shouted as soon as it was time for lunch. Estella reflexively looked back at Cecilia, who was sitting still. If anyone needed to be picked up, it was Cecilia, but some healthy boy was asking her to be carried.

“…I’m sorry, Master, but you’re very heavy.”

“I’m a kid.”

The kid Estella was teaching was a very clever bastard who knew when to pretend to be an adult and when to use his actual biological age to his advantage. Estella finally gave up and picked Cedric up. He was a small boy, so he was bearable for a while, she managed to endure for a moment.

“Miss, take my hand.”

Estella reached out to Cecilia. Cecilia scrambled out of her seat and sidled up to Estella.

“Teetcher! Go outside?”

“Yes, miss. But you must be careful with your pronunciation when you call your teacher.”

Cedric smirked at Estella’s gentle correction. He pointed behind Estella’s ear.

“Since the teacher speaks with a northern dialect, Cecile’s tongue is getting shorter.”

What a backward bastard.

She didn’t hate the cheeky remark, because she knows that a child’s personality is shaped by their home environment. Estella sighed as she pushed her way out the door.

The expectations that the Duchess had for her son were overwhelming. And her stepson, who was uncomfortable with them, was a frightening figure. The fact that there was an enemy within the house where one is supposed to feel comfortable was more nerve-wracking than one might think.

“You’re not going to skip meals again if we go to the training grounds, are you?”

“We don’t have time to go to the dining hall.”

“I knew you were going to do that.”

With a look of disbelief, Estella shrugged her shoulders. It was one of the duties of a governess to take care of a growing child’s meals and make sure they were not skipped. Estella stopped a passing maid and asked her to bring some snacks to the training hall.

“Flo…wers!”

Cecilia, who had been looking around, suddenly dashed off down the corridor. Estella checked her empty hands and ran after her in a panic.

“Miss, huh, hughh…Keep running, fall…”

The original body was out of shape and carrying a large child on its back. Estella barely caught up with Cecilia, panting like she was about to die. Actually, catching up was an understatement. They had barely turned the corner when Cecilia, who had run off into the distance, turned and hid behind the hem of her skirt.

“Miss?”

Estella turned her head straight ahead as she let out a puzzled voice. Her shoulders stiffened abruptly. Cecilia pulled on the hem of her shirt as if urging her to go back.”

“He…llo, My Lord.”

Estella barely managed to move her stiff tongue in greeting. The sudden confrontation with Diego had taken her by surprise. She had seen him pass by at a distance, but never this close, nor had she ever greeted him.

Estella stared at Diego’s face for a moment, dumbfounded. The neatly swept pla hair gave off a ascetic impression. The deep-set eyes, nestled under thick eyebrows, and the high-bridged nose, were reminiscent of an actor from a bygone era. He had a smile on his face, but at the same time made it very clear that he didn’t mean it.

It was only after a moment that Estella managed to pull herself together and avert her gaze. The man who appeared to be the perfect gentleman, but who was about to exterminate her family. She couldn’t help but feel nervous. Diego stared at Estella impassively.

“You must be our new tutor.”

He glanced over at Cedric on Estella’s back. His eyes taking in her tousled hair and the sweat on her temples. He briefly assessed Estella’s condition.

“You seem exhausted from looking after the children.”

Estella barely managed to catch Cedric’s slipped leg. Estella replied, trying to sound nonchalant.

“Growing children are good at running around.”

“From what I hear, Cedric’s behaviour has improved since you arrived.”

Did he mean he was less troublesome?

Estella reflexively looked back at Cedric on her back. She wanted to ask him if it was true, but Diego was still in front of her. She expected him to walk right past them, but to her surprise, he continued the conversation.

“Come to think of it, I came here right after hearing my mother’s praise for Cedric. She says my younger brother has exceptional learning abilities, is that true?

He smiled, but his eyes were hard. It wasn’t hard to see that this was something akin to inquiring, which was probably why he didn’t leave immediately.

She knew it was not advisable to sing Cedric’s praises to Diego. But if the Duchess was already bragging, she had no choice. Estella replied politely.

“I’m afraid we’ve just finished reading ?The Genealogy of Mesquida?.”

“Already?”

He said it with admiration. Estella couldn’t distinguish whether it was a compliment or a mockery. If Cedric was a prodigy, Diego was almost a genius. While the Duchess marveled at Cedric’s progress, Diego had surpassed him at a much younger age. Diego chuckled and murmured something.

“You must be father’s favourite son.”

“Little Duke.”

Estella called him with a smile. His eyes rolled slowly to Cedric. Cedric cowered, resting his forehead against Estella’s shoulder. Estella realised then that neither Cedric nor Cecilia had even said hello to Diego.

Diego called out to his half-brother in a husky voice.

“Cedric.”

“Yes… brother.”

“You don’t even know me anymore.”

Cedric said sorry in a barely audible voice. Diego clicked his tongue briefly and loudly. Diego fiddled with the cufflinks on the end of his sleeve.

“Avoiding eye contact when an older man is speaking to you, what a rude thing to do. It’s all well and good to fill up on knowledge, but perhaps you should pay attention to your manners.”

“I will pay attention.”

Estella quickly lowered her head in response to the reprimand. Diego shrugged his shoulders briefly, as if he had no intention of apologizing.

“I don’t have high expectations. Basic manners like this are something that should be taught by your parents first, and as you know, neither of them are very good at it.”

Diego concluded with a low voice. In a way, he was criticising his parents. The Duke of Berta had abused his ex-wife and had an extramarital affair, and the Duchess was the perfect match for such a man.

In all honesty, Estella didn’t think Diego was wrong, but it was another matter altogether if the children were listening. Estella’s hands tightened, and a cold sweat broke out on her back.