Chapter 9
Roerston’s father, the previous Duke of Ipsel, had been anonymously supporting Adelia all this time.
Even so, it was generally customary for a sponsor to stop providing support once the person they supported became an adult.
However, Roerston had decided to continue supporting Adelia, following his father’s wishes.
“You can continue studying with my support, just as you have until now, Junior.”
At those words, Adelia’s face became somewhat pale.
Roerston tilted his head as if wondering why.
“Or is there something else you want?”
Adelia had been trying to calm herself by memorizing decimals while skipping two digits at a time.
She cleared her throat and straightened her posture.
Her face bright red, she carefully opened her mouth.
“If I may speak honestly, the only thing I truly want is to study.”
“Yes, I know. I heard you’re very interested in science. What was it again? Studying microorganisms?”
At that moment, the calm look that had remained on Adelia’s face throughout the conversation suddenly changed.
Her eyes began to shine brightly.
“Senior, are you interested in microorganisms?”
Even Roerston, who had experienced all kinds of things in life, had never seen someone’s expression change so dramatically in an instant.
“…Hmm?”
“Researching microorganisms is incredibly fascinating! Microorganisms exist in everything we naturally see, touch, and taste. Oh, and microorganisms have something called interspecies interaction.”
“Interspecies?”
“Yes! It’s really amazing! Of course, it doesn’t happen only among microorganisms, but it’s so adorable that these tiny, tiny little creatures help each other grow…!”
“……”
“Of course, the sad part is that, in the end, the stronger ones survive. That’s the harsh logic of interspecies interaction.”
“Excuse me.”
Roerston tried to say something, but Adelia seemed not to hear him.
She clenched her fists and continued passionately.
“Even so, that doesn’t mean the ones that separated from the group were incompetent and deserved to disappear. Even individuals that don’t survive can still affect the ones that do survive. So in the end, microorganisms are all connected to one another…”
“Wait. Wait a moment, Miss Whitton.”
Roerston waved his hand, and Adelia’s face immediately turned bright red.
It was almost as if the words I made another mistake had appeared above her head.
“I-I’m sorry.”
“No, there’s nothing for you to apologize for. I’m actually happy to see that you’re so… passionate about learning. If my father were still alive, he probably would have been even happier.”
At those words, Adelia made a small sound of surprise and lifted her head.
Her intelligent eyes sparkled brightly.
“I want to thank the previous Duke of Ipsel, your father. If he hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t have been able to live like this until now. And I want to thank you too, Senior.”
Adelia bowed deeply while remaining seated.
“Then isn’t our conversation finished? If what you truly want is to study, you can simply continue receiving financial support for your education.”
“I am extremely grateful for that… To your father, and to you as well. I’ll never forget this kindness for the rest of my life.”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying…”
“But I don’t think I can accept it.”
“What? Why not?”
Seriously, why?
The confusion in his question was so obvious that Adelia’s face became slightly red.
She hesitated, unable to continue speaking.
Finally, she whispered,
“I heard that the relationship between a sponsor and the person they support usually ends when the person becomes an adult.”
“That’s normally the case. But I’m planning to continue supporting you so that you can keep doing your research, so don’t worry.”
“But… research students’ tuition isn’t cheap…”
“Did you think our family couldn’t even afford that? You’re starting to hurt my pride.”
“N-No, that’s not what I meant. It’s just that I don’t think I’ll be able to repay you for everything you’ve given me… As you know, becoming a research student takes a very long time. If I receive your support for all those years, then I…”
I’ll end up owing you money even in my next life after my next life!
She didn’t actually say those words aloud, but judging by her tearful expression, that was clearly what she was thinking.
Roerston remained seated against the sofa and looked Adelia over once again.
Her curly brown hair.
Her clear green eyes.
Her distinct facial features and pale, smooth cheeks without even a visible vein.
Adelia was the kind of charmingly beautiful young woman that anyone would immediately describe as pretty.
And as for her brilliant mind, there was no need to explain how impressive it was.
Yet she only became confident when explaining subjects she was interested in.
In almost every other conversation, she seemed determined to make herself as small and humble as possible.
Well, considering what happened to her when she was young, it’s understandable that she became timid.
Roerston knew that Adelia had lost everything in her life when she was only ten years old.
What must a child have felt after discovering that she had no parents to protect her, not even a distant relative, and not even a single coin left to her name?
Roerston let out a short sigh.
Wanting to make Adelia feel as little pressure as possible, or at least let her know that he was trying, he spoke in a bright voice.
“You don’t have to pay the money back. Neither my father nor I supported Miss Whitton because we expected to make a profit from you later.”
Adelia’s face became slightly red.
Only then did she realize that, although she hadn’t meant it that way, her words had almost made the kindness of the previous Duke and Roerston sound like they had some ulterior motive.
“But…”
Roerston interrupted her again.
“If you’re really uncomfortable with it, let’s assume you don’t become a research student and look at how you could repay the money.”
“Yes? Oh, all right.”
He took a sheet of paper and a pen from a shallow drawer beneath the table, then leaned forward slightly to begin writing.
“Have you decided where you’re going to work?”
“Not yet.”
“Of course. You only graduated today… Then have you thought about what kind of job you want?”
Adelia immediately nodded, although she didn’t look very confident.
“My first choice is to become a live-in tutor.”
“You mean a tutor for a noble family that doesn’t send its children to school?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Hmm. With grades like yours, your academic qualifications alone should make finding a job easy. But…”
“But?”
“Miss Whitton, have you ever taken care of a young child?”
Adelia’s lips moved slightly.
Then, looking somewhat discouraged, she quietly answered,
“No.”
“A live-in tutor for a noble family usually also works as a nanny. Many families also expect the tutor to teach etiquette. Depending on the circumstances, you may even have to work as a maid during your free time. Making tea, doing simple cleaning, things like that.”
“……”
“You wanted to become a live-in tutor because you thought you could teach a child for a few hours and then use the rest of your time to study or conduct your own research, didn’t you?”
Adelia’s eyes widened.
“H-How did you…?”
She muttered something about whether he might be a fortune-teller.
Roerston barely managed to hold back his laughter before continuing.
“You would have your housing and meals covered, more or less. But the average weekly wage for that kind of work is only about 8 or 9 Tizle, excluding Sundays. You already know that the annual tuition at the Royal School in the capital is around 450 Aps, so that means…”
“……”
“Miss Whitton would have to work six or seven full days just to repay one four-hundred-and-fiftieth of a year’s tuition.”
Adelia’s face turned pale.
Her expression made it seem as though she wanted to pull her hair out for never having bothered to calculate all of this carefully before.
Roerston continued.
“Since even the best-paid live-in tutor position is like this, jobs such as typist, postal clerk, or librarian would be even worse. If you found a job at a bank, the salary would probably be higher, but you’d likely need to take additional classes related to banking first. Did you take any?”
Adelia shook her head again.
In some ways, she’s surprisingly impressive.
Roerston thought.
