WLYV 36

Chapter 36

 Please Don’t Be Jealous.

So, Teishar carefully studied Brandt from head to toe.
Now that she thought about it, there wasn’t a single thing about him that resembled anyone she knew.
But when Brandt said he wanted to see Laurencia because he considered her his “precious daughter,” she felt furious. And unbearably sad.

Laurencia had been abused her whole life simply for being an illegitimate child.
But as it turned out, she wasn’t even the illegitimate daughter of Count Paul Heredian.
If Laurencia were to find out the truth, how devastated and heartbroken would she be?

Just imagining it made Teishar’s heart ache and tear apart.
Could she even bring herself to tell the girl the truth—that she didn’t know whether her father was alive or dead?
What if, after learning the truth, that fragile little tree fell into despair and sorrow?
She didn’t even know how to tell her.

The thought of Laurencia, who would have to bear all that truth and pain alone, made Teishar’s chest burn with anger and helplessness.

“Please—bring my daughter here immediately! I want to hear the truth directly from my beloved daughter, Laurencia!”

“Ah…”

For the first time, Teishar found herself consumed by a cruel thought—
she wanted to kill someone, painfully and mercilessly.

“Miss Laurencia.”
“Yes, Evan?”
“I’ve heard you haven’t yet made your debut in society?”
“That’s right. The date for my debutante ball hasn’t even been set yet. There have been… a lot of things going on.”

Normally, young ladies make their debut at fifteen.
Their debutante ball is held together with their social debut.
But Laurencia was already nineteen and hadn’t even had her debutante yet.

This fact filled both Amelin and Evan with indignation.

“Lady Anne mentioned she had ordered a black dress for me.”
“D–did you just say… a black dress?”

Evan stammered as he repeated Laurencia’s words.
Laurencia nodded.

“Miss Laurencia,” said Amelin gravely. “Wearing a black dress to your debutante means that your social life will be as dark and bleak as that dress.”

“Really? I didn’t know that. I was actually very grateful to Lady Anne for ordering it for me.”

“What a detestable woman,” Amelin muttered coldly.

Even though it might hurt Laurencia’s feelings, Amelin believed she needed to tell her the truth. The girl deserved to know proper etiquette and meaning.

“The debutante dress should always match the eye color of your first dance partner. And the jewels should match the color of his hair.”
“This is my first time hearing that.”

Laurencia remembered, from her previous future, that she had worn a black dress and danced at her debutante. She also remembered what that color had meant.
But she couldn’t say she already knew because she’d lived through it once before—so she simply pretended ignorance.

“Don’t worry. From now on, I’ll teach you all the basic manners and social knowledge you need to know.”
“Yes, please,” Laurencia replied with a warm smile.

Amelin looked at her fondly. Laurencia learned quickly—if you taught her one thing, she would grasp ten more on her own.
She showed an eager thirst for knowledge, and every time those violet eyes brightened with understanding, Amelin felt rewarded as a teacher.

She had already heard some of Laurencia’s background from Teishar. Her first feelings upon hearing it were anger and sorrow.
She had also told Teishar that Laurencia could not possibly be Count Paul Heredian’s child.

“Thank you.”
“You’re such a sweet girl, Miss Laurencia,” Amelin said softly.

She owed an unrepayable debt to Mushila, and she had decided to repay it through Laurencia.

“Miss Laurencia, shall we review the letters you learned yesterday?”
“I’ll be in your care, Amelin. You too, Evan,” Laurencia said with a bright smile.

The sight of her smiling made even the stoic Evan’s lips relax slightly.
“It’s a pleasure for a teacher to have such an eager student. You make me grateful.”

When the paper, quill, and ink were set on the desk—

Meow!

“Leo! Did you sleep well?”
Meow, mew-mew!

Leo, now awake, had finished washing his face like a cat and began meowing for attention. Laurencia bent down with open arms. The cat leapt into her embrace immediately.

But only for a moment.

As soon as he sat on her thigh, Leo jumped onto the desk and began batting his paws and tail over her papers, interrupting her studies.

“Leo, come down.”
Meow.

At her gentle plea, Leo let out a soft, adorable sound and tilted his head.
Moments like this made it clear—Leo knew he was cute and acted that way on purpose.

“Why does Leo always interrupt whenever I start studying?”
“That’s called jealousy, my dear,” Amelin explained.
“Jealousy? Leo gets jealous?”

“Yes. Cats are funny creatures. When they love someone, they think of that person as their servant. They believe that by letting you care for them, they’re granting you the privilege.”

Amelin glanced at Leo.
He never let anyone other than Laurencia or Teishar touch him. Anyone else would earn hissing and claws.
Even when she brushed Laurencia’s hair, Leo would glare as if offended.
He acted less like a cat and more like a mother-in-law.

“When your cat’s servant starts paying attention to something else, the cat gets jealous and interferes. By stepping on your study papers, Leo is saying, ‘Pay attention only to me.’ He’s jealous of your studies.”

Realizing this, Laurencia picked up the cat lying across her desk.
“Leo… is that what you were thinking? Were you jealous?”
Meow!

“How about I get you some tuna soup or bonito stew? Would that cheer you up?”

Laurencia rubbed her nose against his and smiled tenderly.
The idea that Leo was jealous because he loved her so much touched her deeply.

“Thank you, Leo. I love you too. So please—don’t be jealous anymore.”
Meow!

Even though Leo continued to interrupt, Laurencia reviewed all the letters she had learned from Teishar.
And the more she studied, the more she realized—learning was fun.

Each time she read and wrote, her stress seemed to fade.
It saddened her to think she had gone through life without knowing the joy of learning.

Now that she had discovered it, she gently touched the amethyst pendant around her neck and smiled.

“You seem to treasure that necklace very much, Miss Laurencia,” Amelin remarked.
“Yes. It’s… the only keepsake my mother left me.”

Amelin nodded quietly, asking no further questions.

Once their review session ended, she brought Laurencia a cup of cocoa topped with plenty of marshmallows.
“Whipped cream cocoa is nice, but marshmallow cocoa is just as sweet and lovely,” Laurencia said happily.

Amelin had been making sure Laurencia ate both sweet treats and balanced meals with plenty of vegetables to restore her health.
Thankfully, Laurencia ate well and wasn’t picky—though her small stomach meant she couldn’t eat much at once.
Amelin didn’t force her. Stomachs could be trained slowly.

“Since you studied course meals yesterday, today we’ll review by actually eating one.”

Laurencia swallowed nervously. It would be her first real course meal.
She had memorized everything Amelin and Evan had taught her in theory—but practice was another matter.

“Can you tell me the order of dishes?” Amelin asked.
“Starting with the appetizer course, first comes soup and bread as something light. Then the fish dish, sherbet, and meat dish follow in order, and finally the main course is served.”

“And what is usually served as the appetizer?”
“The appetizer, or hors d’oeuvre, is something meant to stimulate the appetite—it can be either a warm or a cold dish.”

Laurencia even added that soup, whether potage or consommé, helped warm and protect the stomach.

“What comes after the meat course?”
“After the main dish comes salad, and at the end, dessert and tea. But depending on the guest’s preference, tea can be replaced by wine and cheese.”

“Excellent, Miss Laurencia. You’ve reviewed perfectly. How clever you are.”

Pleased by the praise and applause, Laurencia straightened proudly. She felt that all her studying had paid off.

“And what should you be careful of when eating soup?”
“When drinking soup, I shouldn’t make slurping noises or blow on it to cool it down,” she recited.

“Very good. Now let’s put it into practice. Evan, please pull out Miss Laurencia’s chair.”

Laurencia sighed deeply. Even sitting down had its proper etiquette—something she’d only learned yesterday.
And the more she learned about manners, the more she understood her past life.

In that other future, people hadn’t looked down on her just because she was illegitimate.
They had despised her because she lacked the refinement and grace expected of a noble lady.

“When you sit, press your lower back against the chair and straighten your spine. Lean forward just slightly. That’s it. You’re bending too much—raise your upper body a little. Now, tighten your thighs and lower yourself slowly. One… two… three. Perfect.”

In her past life, she had never had such opportunities to learn.
But now was different. She would no longer be looked down upon.

She would study desperately and master every rule of decorum.

“I never knew sitting down could be so difficult,” she laughed softly.
“You’re doing very well,” Evan said, placing a plate of beautifully arranged food before her and beginning to explain each dish.