Chapter – 12
When I asked if Dad was going to become a mentor, Teon’s eyes lit up with excitement.
“A mentor, huh? I’ve never had a student before.”
Dad took a bite of his cake and pretended to think deeply. In my view were Teon’s nervously awaiting back and Dad’s calm side profile.
I knew that expression of Dad’s very well. The kind of “thinking” face that wasn’t thinking at all. He had already decided to take Teon as his student.
‘Dad… but Teon is only ten…’
Grandma Marshal had said that Dad had a natural talent for the push-and-pull of people. His unintended actions could make others anxious.
Maybe that was why so many adults had tried to approach him, aiming for Mom’s spot.
“….”
Teon, caught in Dad’s natural talent, waited anxiously for his answer.
Dad glanced at Teon and raised the corners of his mouth.
“If it’s alright for you to learn from a retired Grand Master, I’ll take you as my student. But you must watch over Berry to make sure she doesn’t get into trouble. That’s the condition.”
“…Yes!”
A blatant “surveillance” order…
Still, in that moment, Dad had become the mentor of the future crown prince. I congratulated the beaming Teon.
“That’s great!”
“Yeah…!”
Ugh. How dazzling. The sparkle in Teon’s eyes as he looked at Dad…
‘He’s been looking at Dad like that all along? And me…!’
I’d gone through so much today—trying to get close to Teon by sending little bait through Anne, walking all the way to the West Gate, getting scolded by Grandpa, explaining to Dad—and now I felt completely exhausted!
‘Wait a second.’
Then I realized something huge.
If I had first introduced Dad to Teon and asked him to meet me afterward, Teon’s favor would have naturally followed.
“…Why did I…?”
Frozen, I held the fork mid-air. In my pocket, I still had the pebble I’d been warned not to lose. Meanwhile, on the plate I held in one hand, a pristine strawberry—untouched by the fork—was carefully placed.
Teon had taken the strawberry from his share of the cake and given it to me.
“Huh? Aren’t you eating it?”
“I’m fine here.”
Teon’s own plate still had the two strawberries Dad and I had given him.
Since he didn’t seem to dislike the cake, he probably just savored the tasty parts. I, on the other hand, ate immediately.
Hehe. I picked up the strawberry Teon had given me with my fork.
“Thanks! I’ll eat it.”
The strawberry with whipped cream was fresh and sweet.
That evening, I was alone in my room, writing a reflection. The first floor was noisy, so I headed down to the lobby.
Sherry had returned from the main house, pushing a cart full of ingredients.
“Housekeeper assigned me more ingredients! Sugar, butter, and flour too!”
Sherry, who had previously complained about the unfair distribution of supplies, now looked satisfied. She had probably pestered the housekeeper for at least four hours to win this victory. I applauded her efforts.
“Would you like me to make something for you?” I asked.
“Wow. Cookies! Could you also make some for my friend? His name is Teon, and he’ll be staying here from today.”
“I heard, Young Master Reytan’s taking him as a student.”
Sherry smiled slyly. She had known Dad since childhood, so the news that he had a student seemed quite intriguing.
“Of course I’ll make some for your friend. Where is Young Master Reytan and your friend now?”
“Dad went to meet Uncle Rex at the training hall, and Teon went to the knight dormitory to get his things.”
“Uncle Rex, the Chief Deputy? Calling him ‘uncle’ makes it sound like Young Investigator Berry is at work again, doesn’t it?”
Sherry even hummed a tune as she enjoyed her triumph over the housekeeper.
“Did you see Anne?” I asked.
“Anne? Grandma called her to the main house, so I haven’t heard any news. I’ll check.”
There had been a strange pause just now, but Sherry calmly continued moving the loot from the cart into the kitchen.
Then it hit me.
‘Oh, the candies!’
I still had the candy tin Grandpa had given me. I could give them to the maids.
I hurried upstairs with the tin and headed to the kitchen. Just as I was about to knock, a voice startled me.
“Sherry, what’s this I hear? Anne’s going to be punished?”
I froze.
From the kitchen came voices of surprise. Anne was going to be punished?
‘Why?’
Pressing my ear to the wooden door, I focused on the conversation.
Sherry said,
“They found the Lady’s pearl earrings in Anne’s house. The one where she lives with her younger sibling.”
“The house with her sibling?”
This was the servant quarters between the outer and inner walls of the Travel estate.
Other maids’ voices joined in.
“The pearl earrings? Weren’t those reported missing a few days ago?”
“Why were they found in Anne’s house?”
“Oh, I think I know. Anne worked briefly in the main house, didn’t she? When Young Master Reytan came, everyone was busy….”
The maids’ speculation about what Anne had done slowly faded. I pressed my ear closer.
“What are you doing?”
Ah!
A calm voice spoke behind me. I spun around to see Teon had appeared. He had already returned from the dormitory after organizing his things.
I mouthed a greeting awkwardly.
‘You’re here?’
Teon nodded, glancing between the door and me.
For some reason, he whispered seriously:
“Don’t get into trouble.”
“Shh. I won’t. I was just wondering if it was okay to step in while the adults were talking.”
“…….”
Teon’s gaze carried no trust, of course. Technically, I was eavesdropping.
“Let’s go somewhere else. The maids seem to be discussing something important.”
I held Teon’s hand, and we left the hallway near the kitchen.
‘Was Anne really involved in the pearl earring incident?’
Ugh. Not enough information.
Based on my experiences today, it was impossible to know the entire future.
Unknown events fell into two categories:
- Things I hadn’t experienced.
- Things I had experienced but naturally forgot over time.
This was clearly the first case. I had read about the culprit in Housekeeper Cerber’s logs, but I didn’t know the circumstances.
Moreover, I had died at twenty-four. I couldn’t remember the fine details of what happened when I was seven.
‘The housekeeper’s logs mentioned it… but why Anne got caught up in it, I have no clue.’
Far from the kitchen, Teon stopped me.
“Wait. What? Are you saying Anne, a maid, stole the pearl earrings?”
I was surprised Teon had picked up the story.
“I heard from a maid while moving my things. She said the maid who worked at the main house stole the Lady’s earrings.”
It made sense. In the dormitory, news about theft spread quickly. Teon might even know more than Sherry.
“And? Anything else?” I asked.
Teon looked serious.
“Someone must have instructed the maid to steal. Since it belonged to the Lady, they could make the mentor responsible. Miss Marian apparently said so… Ah, collective responsibility means the mentor would take responsibility for the maid’s misdeeds—.”
“What? They’re holding Dad accountable for Anne’s theft?”
“Yes….”
Ridiculous. Like blaming a store for a theft in a neighboring shop.
“The pearl earrings disappeared from the main house. Anne was working there before moving to Pebble House. Dad arrived at the Travel estate four days ago. How can they claim collective responsibility, Teon?”
“…….”
Even Teon thought it was nonsense.
“Right? It doesn’t make sense, does it?”
It was even more absurd that Marian, the first daughter of the Travel count, claimed this. Such nonsense…
Still, someone might actually try to enforce it. Marian was second in line, after all.
“Your mentor would be troubled by this.”
“Don’t worry, Teon.”
“You have a good solution in mind, right? Because he’s a Grand Master?”
Teon’s face brightened. I smiled too.
“Nope.”
“…Huh?”
“Our dad doesn’t worry about trivial things!”
Actually, it worked in our favor. A way to maintain the bottom rank.
‘Still…’
It’s unfair to just accept it. The real thief of the pearl earrings was someone else.
In her room, Marian, the eldest daughter of the Travel count, frowned at the man entering.
Gray pants with stripes, a brightly colored handkerchief, a jacket embroidered with flowers, and the large frilled sleeves of the shirt peeking out.
All high-quality fabrics, but overly flashy.
“What are you wearing? My eyes hurt.”
“You too, sister. This is the latest fashion in society. If you follow the youth’s taste, the shop’s sales increase. Our fashion house has already exceeded the first half-year’s goal. At this rate, in four years, your separate residence will be mine.”
Marian scowled. Across from her sofa, Travel’s third son, Yosel, slouched, crossed his legs, and leaned back, unable to suppress his impatience.
“Better than a child of a concubine taking your separate residence, right? By the way, did you hear? That concubine’s child went to the temple today. Can a Grand Master return easily? Probably not.”
Though Julia, the late formal second wife, had entered decades ago, the children of the first wife still called her a concubine.
“I don’t know. Who can tell what the church is thinking?”
“Ah, I smell something. Father went to find Reytan, so there must be a use for him. Seems like a deal with the church…”
“Wait and see, Yosel.”
“Why? Do you have a sharp plan?”
“Not exactly sharp.” Marian smiled faintly, fanning herself lightly.
“Let’s see how far a poor commoner can go.”
