Chapter 22
I didn’t expect Sir Aiden to blush.
It was only after seeing his reaction that I realized I was holding his hand.
I quickly pulled my hand away and apologized.
I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful.
“…No, it’s fine. I actually want to properly learn how to hold a quill pen.”
His voice was lower than before when he said that.
Maybe he was offended because I taught him like a child.
I glanced at him. His gaze looked heavier somehow.
He was staring intently at my hand—no, more precisely, the hand that had just wrapped around his.
Feeling like I’d made him uncomfortable, I curled my fingers inward. His gaze followed the movement of my fingers.
The atmosphere suddenly became strangely awkward. It was a little uncomfortable and a bit embarrassing at the same time.
It was Sir Aiden who broke the silence first.
“Come to think of it, I don’t even know how to write your name. I’d like you to teach me.”
“My name?”
“I should at least know how to write my teacher’s name.”
“It would be an honor. My name is—”
Before I could finish, a deafening thunder-like sound rang out.
Sir Aiden instinctively stood and stepped in front of me, as if to protect me from a sudden attack.
“Damn it! Who the hell was that?!”
The moment he moved on instinct, all signs of his usual polite demeanor disappeared, and vulgar curses came spilling out.
His eyes sharpened like sandpaper, and the tone of his voice was nothing short of fierce.
But there wasn’t even time to be startled by his transformation.
“Gasp.”
Huff. Huff.
My breath caught in my throat. The sound reminded me of the metal doors slamming shut in the Inquisition chamber.
‘It’s okay. This isn’t the Inquisition. Calm down. Just breathe.’
I closed my eyes tightly and tried to regulate my breathing while Sir Aiden ran outside to check what happened.
Because of the torture I endured at the Inquisition, my chest trembled uncontrollably, more than necessary.
Soon, loud voices could be heard from outside—Sir Aiden and Sophie were speaking, their voices muffled by the walls.
Since their voices came from outside the mansion, I walked to the window to see.
“Haa… Haa…”
The noise earlier had come from the collapse of a wall.
‘My goodness.’
It was my first time seeing an exterior wall collapse.
Unless someone completely neglected the upkeep of the estate, something like this should never happen.
Seeing that the imperial family had gifted such a poorly maintained residence, I could guess how little they thought of Sir Aiden.
I followed him outside to grasp the situation. On my way out, the dreadful condition of the mansion left me speechless.
He’s a national hero, so it’s not a financial issue. And it’s been years since the war ended, so time shouldn’t be a problem either. Yet the current state of the estate…
‘It feels like living in an abandoned house.’
Outside, I saw Sir Aiden and Sophie having a serious conversation as they inspected the collapsed wall.
“I’ve lived a long time, but I never thought I’d see this. Now I’ll have to hire someone to repair it again.”
“Are you just going to leave it like this?”
“Plenty of houses don’t even have walls. I can live without one.”
Sir Aiden spoke to Sophie with a far more casual tone than he used with me.
“Still, it’s a safety issue. And aesthetically, it’s not a good look either.”
“What’s there to steal in this wretched place? If the wall looks that bad, we might as well tear down the whole thing.”
Sophie sighed faintly, seemingly at a loss for words in response to his blunt answer.
“Ahem.”
I cleared my throat, and Sir Aiden turned in surprise.
When he saw me, he quickly composed his voice and bit his lower lip.
“It’s nothing serious, so you don’t need to worry, Teacher.”
Unlike his casual tone with Sophie, he now spoke firmly.
“Rather than hiring laborers repeatedly, wouldn’t it be better to employ permanent staff?”
I had played the role of lady of the house at Count Estarion’s estate since I was old enough to understand things.
The count was too busy with outside matters, the butler was old, and Zion was focused on his duties as heir.
“My lady, the wind is chilly. Please go back inside. You’re not fully recovered yet.”
Sophie looked at me with concern and led me back in.
Once we were a bit away from Sir Aiden, she blushed and added,
“It may look like this now, but it’ll be much better come spring. It’s a fundamentally nice mansion.”
“I haven’t seen any other servants. Are you the only maid?”
“The Duke is rather indifferent to maintaining the house.”
“You must’ve gone through a lot on your own.”
At my words, Sophie paused and stopped walking.
She widened her eyes and let out an uncharacteristically deep sigh.
“…I can’t deny that. I really don’t understand why he’s so reluctant to hire help.”
“Are you doing all the cleaning and laundry by yourself? It must be hard in such a big house.”
“There is one kitchen maid named Mary, but… it’s still not easy. By the way, is walking uncomfortable for you? You seem to be slightly limping.”
“It’s from frostbite. It’ll heal eventually.”
Haa… I could see my breath in the air. I let out a small laugh.
Back in the Inquisition, I used to wish I could vanish like that breath. I never thought I’d make it out alive.
“My lady, please head to the dining room. Dinner should be ready by now.”
“Alright.”
Until now, I had only been sipping thin soup in bed due to my illness, but starting today, I planned to have a proper meal.
The food was already prepared in the dining room. Sir Aiden, who followed behind, hurriedly pulled out a chair for me.
He seemed more flustered than elegant. He sat awkwardly across from me.
“I hope you eat well and regain your complexion soon.”
When I looked at him curiously, Sir Aiden chuckled and added,
“Let’s just say it’s the heartfelt wish of a student who cares for his teacher’s health.”
“You’re right… Now that I think about it, this is our first meal together.”
“Ahem, yes… That’s true.”
He glanced at me and then picked up his fork. It was clear he didn’t know proper table manners.
“You start with the outermost fork and knife. The knife’s blade should face inward. And don’t put your elbows on the table.”
At my words, Sir Aiden carefully moved his elbows off the table.
After checking what was on the plate, he picked up the fork and knife.
“When eating shrimp, you should peel the shell with the knife and hold down the head with the fork. Like this.”
I peeled the shrimp smoothly. Sir Aiden watched my hands closely and mimicked the movements with his utensils.
Perhaps because he was used to handling a sword, he was a little clumsy, but he managed to peel the shrimp cleanly.
“Yes, that’s right. Just like that. Always keep the water glass on the right and bread on the left. I’ll explain how to eat meat and fish later. The order of courses is…”
I continued my explanation.
The dishes weren’t served in proper sequence, so it wasn’t ideal for learning, but it didn’t matter.
Sir Aiden listened attentively to every detail I shared.
Even while doing so, he didn’t stop peeling shrimp.
“That’s enough.”
Sir Aiden cut me off. When our eyes met, he gave me a slight smile.
“Let’s focus on eating for now. You haven’t had a single bite because you were too busy explaining.”
“Ah…”
“Teacher, you…”
