Chapter 34
After returning to my room, I lay down weakly on the bed. I just stared blankly at the ceiling.
“What happened this time? Your eyes look sad.”
Before I knew it, Pepe had come close to me and pushed his face right in front of mine while asking. But I didn’t answer at all. I simply turned over to the other side.
Right now, I didn’t feel like talking to Pepe. I was in shock.
What exactly was I shocked about? I already knew that Mom and Herald didn’t have a good relationship.
If Mom could speak that firmly, then no matter how hard I tried, wouldn’t it be difficult for them to reconcile?
A strange sense of emptiness wrapped around my whole body.
In my previous life, I saw my parents fight so many times that I got used to it. Back then, I only felt tired of it.
But today, for some reason, a dull pain ached in one corner of my chest.
“Hey! Are you going to keep ignoring me? What’s wrong with you since earlier? Do you think a squirrel is a joke? Huh?”
Pepe’s loud voice from behind irritated my nerves even more. I covered both my ears with my hands and curled up. Somehow, this position made me feel a little more stable.
With a heavier heart than before, I slowly fell asleep like that.
“The wood we brought is already all burned.”
Pin pointed at the blackened pieces of wood piled in a corner of the training ground.
“Shall we stop here for today?”
“Waaah!”
As soon as Pin announced the end, I collapsed flat onto the training ground floor.
Today’s stamina training was especially intense. Starting today, push-ups and sit-ups had been added as well.
Because of that, my hands trembled every time I activated my ability.
“So we’re not doing meditation today?”
“Yes, you did very well again today! It seems the Duke personally teaching you really helped.”
“Ugh… cough… I can’t get up.”
“Then I’ll stand beside you and watch until you do.”
At Pin’s words, which made goosebumps rise to my ears, I forced myself to get up unsteadily.
It was a hundred, no, a thousand times better to endure body pain than to keep receiving that burdensome gaze.
“Hngh!”
As I barely managed to stand on my shaking legs, a groan slipped from between my lips.
No matter how much I trained, I could never get used to this.
The intensity of the stamina training increased every single day. It would be stranger if it felt easy.
According to Pin and Herald, my body was sturdier than other children my age, so I could endure this level of training.
Otherwise, I would have collapsed long ago.
“My Lady, if it’s hard to walk, shall I carry you to your room?”
“No, I’ll walk.”
I refused Pin’s kind offer right away.
If he carried me, my body might be comfortable, but my ears would surely suffer from his nonstop talking.
“Are you really sure? I’ll finish cleaning here quickly, so please wait and we can go together.”
“No, I need to lie down quickly.”
If Elly started her massage later, I wouldn’t even be able to rest properly.
“Then if it becomes too hard while walking, please make sure to ask someone for help, alright?”
I nodded roughly and moved forward with weak steps.
With every step, a sharp tingling sensation ran from the soles of my feet up to my calves.
“Haah…”
The moment I entered the mansion and saw the long staircase in front of me, I let out a troubled sigh.
That long staircase felt like an extension of endless training. I regretted not accepting Pin’s offer earlier.
But if I climbed these stairs, I would get more time to rest alone.
I grabbed the railing and forced my heavy feet, which felt glued to the floor, to move.
I had to hold the railing tightly with both hands to avoid stumbling. With each difficult step, my arms and legs throbbed as if I were climbing a mountain.
“Huff… huff…”
By the time I finally reached the top of the stairs, I was completely out of breath.
And then—
“Ha…”
When I saw the door of my room a short distance away, a sigh of relief escaped me without me realizing it.
It was the first time my room had felt this lovely.
“Haah! Huh?”
But the moment I energetically opened the door and stepped inside, I froze.
A pair of feet sticking out from the end of the sofa came into view.
“Wh-what is that?”
There shouldn’t be anyone in this room…
They were too big to be Elly’s feet, and they were wearing men’s shoes.
I slowly moved closer to the sofa. The closer I got, the clearer the two feet sticking out became.
“Huu… huu…”
I took a deep breath and gathered my ability in my right hand.
Crackle, crackle.
Every time I moved my fingers, the sound of electricity filled the room. Even so, the figure lying on the sofa showed no sign of waking up.
Just when I was close enough to touch the back of the sofa—
“Yaaawn!”
With a loud yawn, the figure suddenly sat up.
“Eek!”
“Hm?”
At that exact moment, our eyes met.
And I was shocked twice. First, because the person who woke up was someone I had never seen before. Second, because of his appearance.
The man had messy hair like he had been blown up by a bomb, and stiff beard stubble stuck out from his chin.
The round glasses he wore had such thick lenses that looking into his eyes made my vision feel distorted.
He looked exactly like a beggar who lived and slept on the streets.
While I stared at him in confusion, he also looked me up and down.
“Hm… Five years old, red hair, and a face very similar to someone I know… Yes, you must be the owner of this room.”
Crack.
At his irritating tone, my eyebrows naturally frowned.
Seriously, does he even know what he looks like before speaking like that?
“Who… are you?”
I wanted to say, “Who do you think you are?” in annoyance, but since he was an adult, I decided to be careful.
At my cautious question, the man slowly stood up and lightly tapped his waist with his fist.
“Ah, it seems the Duke didn’t tell you. From today on, I am your private tutor, Seian Anaike.”
“Huh? Private tutor?”
He looked even more puzzled at my reaction.
I carefully recalled my conversation with Herald. Then a scene I had completely forgotten flashed through my mind.
‘And start receiving proper heir education as well.’
Right. While talking about ability training, he told me to start heir education too.
And the next day, a huge number of books had been placed in my room.
My already stiff face immediately turned gloomy.
“I wasn’t told it would start today.”
“You just heard it from me now, didn’t you?”
“……”
Ah… Pin and this man. Why do they always say things that are technically correct?
Correct, but annoying.
Seian did not give any introduction for the first lesson.
Right after finishing exhausting training, I had to study immediately. My soul felt completely gone.
“You know the alphabet, right?”
“Yes.”
“What about numbers? Can you do basic arithmetic?”
“Yes.”
“Really? You can multiply and divide too?”
“Yes.”
While staring into space and answering lazily, a white sheet of paper was placed in front of me.
It was filled with numbers and multiplication and division signs.
“Alright, then solve these.”
Without answering, I picked up the pen and began solving the problems smoothly.
Multiplying and dividing single-digit numbers could be done entirely in my head. Even two-digit numbers were possible.
I smirked slightly and kept moving my pen. But at Seian’s next words, I paused.
“Hm… I heard you didn’t receive proper education… but your level is higher than I expected?”
