“By the way, did you manage to find a new tutor?”
On the fifth day of the Frost family’s stay at the duchy, the children were once again playing excitedly on their own. Hestia, having finished her work and settled into a spot where she could keep an eye on them, turned her head at Melvin’s question.
“You mean that scumbag you sent me before; wasn’t he the young master’s tutor?”
Realizing he was referring to Baker, Hestia let out a dry laugh.
“This is the first time I’ve ever heard you use such harsh language, Master.”
“Even just skimming through the letter you sent me made my blood boil. A so-called educator brainwashing a child, of all things?”
Melvin rarely got angry, but now he grumbled furiously.
“For now, the children are on a bit of a break since they’ve come to the duchy, so there aren’t any lessons happening. But even the young master seems to be just playing with the others all the time, so I take it he’s not getting any lessons either.”
“Yes, that’s correct. For now, he’s just continuing his swordsmanship lessons and going over the work I’ve assigned him. I did put out a new hiring notice for a tutor, but… I haven’t found anyone suitable yet.”
And besides, there was always the chance that someone might try to infiltrate the estate again, like last time, by sending a spy to monitor the duchy.
To prevent this, the hiring process was deliberately strict, but unfortunately, no one had passed it yet.
“Maybe it’s not the candidates, but your standards that are too high?”
“What?”
“Tell me, what exactly are the requirements you’ve set?”
At Melvin’s question, Hestia hesitated, then mentally reviewed the job posting she’d written.
“They need to be a graduate from one of the three top academies, hold a teaching license, be capable of teaching not only basic subjects but also at least three cultural skills, be available at least three times a week, enjoy working with children, and…”
“Stop, stop. I get it. That’s enough.”
Melvin clicked his tongue, leaving Hestia bewildered.
“Are my requirements really that unreasonable?”
“It’s not that they’re unreasonable—they’re just too demanding.”
“What?”
“Well, considering you picked me as the first tutor, it’s not entirely surprising. Listen closely, Hestia. It’s extremely difficult to hire someone with a teaching certification as a private tutor.”
“But I made sure to include good benefits in the offer, and the salary is higher than that of an average professor…”
“If someone were simply wanting money, they wouldn’t bother becoming a professor. Why would they put in all that effort just to become a tutor?”
Melvin’s retort left Hestia momentarily speechless.
“Getting a teaching certification requires years of education and research, and only after publishing recognized papers can you finally obtain it. Professors can work at academies or universities and pursue research under their own names. Why would anyone go through all that hardship just to become a private tutor?”
Hestia hadn’t considered it that way.
“Most private tutors are young graduates with high grades from academies or people preparing to become professors. Unless it’s a royal household, most noble families hire young academy graduates as tutors.”
‘So that’s why Baker…’
Baker may have had a terrible personality, but his academic performance was undeniably outstanding.
Plus, before the deaths of the duke and duchess, he had at least seemed to treat Leonhard decently.
“Then why did you accept my offer, Master?”
“Well, I’m already retired. I’ve done all the research I wanted, earned plenty of money, and trained countless students. I’d planned to settle down quietly in the countryside…”
Melvin chuckled as he sipped his tea.
“But somehow, I ended up getting roped in by a troublesome little girl.”
Realizing he was talking about her, Hestia gave an awkward smile.
“Still, I couldn’t be happier in my later years, having such a fine student like you. You’re wonderful, Hestia, and so are Elvin, Annie, and Eric. They’re all delightful children.”
Perhaps it was because they grew up in a loving and harmonious noble family, but these children were far more endearing than any others he’d taught before. or maybe Melvin was simply getting more sentimental as he aged.
“Thank you for thinking so highly of us. Our family doesn’t have grandparents on either side, so sometimes you feel like a grandfather to me.”
“Hahaha! Then that makes all of you my grandchildren. I’ve never even been married, yet now I have grandchildren—it’s quite reassuring.”
As Melvin patted her on the head, Hestia smiled and leaned into his hand.
“Thanks to your advice, I think I understand what the problem is now. No wonder all the applicants so far have been older. It makes sense, but…”
“If they’re applying for a tutoring position like this, they’re likely not well-regarded professors.”
“You’re right. Sigh, I’ll have to rewrite the job posting.”
“That’s surprising.”
“What is?”
“I fully expected you to ask me to tutor the young master.”
Hestia widened her eyes briefly, then smiled.
“To be honest… I did consider it, but you told me once before.”
‘I’m done with politics. The only reason I agreed to your request was because you’re from a baron’s family. If you were from a duke’s or marquess’ family, I wouldn’t have accepted it under any circumstances.’
Having served in various positions as a scholar and witnessed countless political battles between nobles, Melvin had grown thoroughly disillusioned with such things.
“After all, this is a ducal family. And more importantly, you’re already taking care of my siblings, so I can’t ask you to stay here as well.”
“Hmm.”
“Just in case, though—if you ever feel like quitting or if there’s anything you don’t want to do, please let me know. That was part of our agreement from the start, wasn’t it?”
If Melvin wanted to leave, she wouldn’t stop him. She had made sure to leave the decision up to him.
Touched by her consideration, Melvin smiled warmly.
“Haha, I really did pick my pupil well.”
With a content chuckle, Melvin patted his knees.
“With such a thoughtful student, I can’t just sit idly by as your teacher.”
“Pardon?”
“I’ll introduce you to one of my former students. They’re in need of money recently. With the conditions you’re offering, they’ll likely agree to become the young master’s tutor.”
“Really? That would be amazing!”
If Melvin vouched for them as his student, their skills would surely be top-notch.
“I’ll just connect you two; the rest will be up to you. Good luck with it.”
“Yes, Master! Thank you so much!”
Hestia jokingly asked if there was anything he wanted in return, to which Melvin simply laughed warmly and looked at her with the fondness of a grandfather doting on his granddaughter.
“Hic, hic!”
“Sniff… Please don’t cry, Young Master…!”
On the seventh day of the Frost family’s visit, they were preparing to return to Byron.
Leonhard and Eric, reluctant to part from their friendship, were sobbing as they said their tearful goodbyes.
Seeing the two boys’ cheeks wet with tears, the adults struggled to hold back their laughter.
“Sniff! But we’ll see each other again soon!”
“Yes! When you visit Byron, I’ll introduce you to lots of my friends! Until then, stay well!”
As the two boys hugged tightly, the adults exchanged their own farewell.
“It was good to see you again, Tia. Let’s meet again soon.”
“Yes, Master. I’ll visit you soon.”
“Sir Luciard, please take good care of Tia and the young master. Even though they’re grown now, they’re still children in my eyes, and I can’t help but worry.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll look after both of them.”
“Sir Luciard, may I ask you something?” Anna glanced around cautiously before whispering to Luciard.
“Yes, ma’am?”
“Do you have a fiancée or a lover?”
“…What?”
Momentarily flustered, Luciard shook his head.
“No, I don’t.”
“Oh my, no issues with women? Perfect.”
Leaving Luciard utterly baffled, Anna was pulled away by Derrick, who muttered about her being ridiculous.
Meanwhile, oblivious to her parents’ words, Hestia bid farewell to Elvin.
“Mom’s tired, so make sure you keep an eye on the kids on the way.”
“Don’t worry; I’ll handle it.”
“And… we didn’t get to talk much this time because I was so busy. Let’s have a proper chat next time, okay?”
Hestia had been the busiest person in the house, balancing work with family time, and it weighed on her that she hadn’t had the chance to speak with Elvin much.
Elvin turned his slightly blushing face away.
“Hmph! It’s not like I care about talking to you.”
“Sure, sure. See you next time.”
As she pushed him toward the carriage, Elvin glanced back with the faintest hint of regret.
Once the two Frost family carriages, bearing their crest, disappeared into the distance, Hestia let out a deep sigh.
“Ah, they’re finally gone.”
“You’ve worked hard.”
“…Will we see them again soon?”
Seeing Leonhard’s teary eyes, Hestia and Luciard comforted him.
“Of course. The Milky Way Festival is coming up soon.”
“We’ll all go together with the Frost family then, so don’t worry.”
Sniffling, Leonhard nodded.
The reason they could so easily promise their next meeting was because the grand imperial event, the Milky Way Festival, was approaching.
“Lady Hestia! The auction results are in!”
Not long after the Frost family’s departure, Gallion appeared with some exciting news.
“I told you, that’s not it. How many times do I have to explain?”
“Ah, I got confused!”
“How do you even get this confused…?”
When Gallion entered the office, he found Hestia teaching Luciard.
Since she had decided to pass the role of guardian to him, she had promised to teach him about management and operations whenever time allowed.
As a result, Hestia often worked on tasks with Luciard by her side. Of course,
“Argh! This is so frustrating!”
She throws her hands up in frustration.
“Ahem, Lady Hestia?”
“Oh, Gallion. When did you get here?”
Hestia, who had been clutching her head in despair, finally noticed Gallion.
“The auction results from your recent bid have been finalized.”
“Oh! Finally!”
The light returned to Hestia’s tired eyes.
Snatching the paper from Gallion’s hand with lightning speed, Hestia piqued Luciard’s curiosity.
“…What is this about? An auction?”
“Well, you see…”
Gallion cautiously explained how Hestia had won the bid for an abandoned mine.
“What? Why would you buy that?”
“My thoughts exactly…”
“Why didn’t you stop her? It’s not like it’s a small sum of money.”
“Do you think I didn’t try? It was pointless.”
As Gallion let out a heavy sigh, Luciard, having spent the past few days with Hestia, fully empathized with his struggles.
“Great! Now the mine is mine!”
Unaware of their shared exasperation, Hestia seemed nothing but delighted.
“Lady Hestia.”
“Hahaha! Yes?”
Gallion called out to her, prompting her to turn around.
“From now on, please discuss major decisions with us. The expenses for this have been significant, so we’ll need to be cautious for a while.”
“Expenses? Half of it was my money, though.”
“Even so, purchasing a mine is no small matter. Besides, I noticed the amount you mentioned during the rebellion incident was astronomical.”
“Rebellion? Oh, that? Don’t worry, Gallion.”
Hestia suddenly burst into laughter, leaving Gallion baffled.
“Do you want to see how much I paid?”
When Hestia handed him the auction confirmation, Gallion’s eyes widened in shock.
“This… this is…! Did you really buy it for this price?”
“Totally a steal right?!”
Hestia had purchased the mine for less than half the usual price.
“Then… what about the amount you mentioned earlier?”
“Obviously fake. That was bait to catch those guys back then. Do you think I’d pay that much for an abandoned mine?”
As Gallion stood dumbfounded, Luciard muttered in awe,
“…The seller must be crying blood.”
Indeed, at that very moment, Baron Sears was shedding tears of blood as he looked at the paltry sum he had received.
