In response to my question about whether my dad would become Theon’s teacher, Theon’s eyes were filled with expectation.
“A teacher, huh? I’ve never had a disciple before.”
Dad took a bite of the cake and pretended to be deep in thought. In my view, I could see the anxious back of Theon’s head and my dad’s carefree profile.
I knew that expression on Dad’s face very well. A face with no real concerns. He had already decided to take Theon as his disciple.
‘Dad… Theon is only ten years old…’
Grandma Marshall said that Dad had a natural talent for push and pull. His unintentional actions always made people feel on edge.
Perhaps that’s why many adults approached, trying to take my mom’s place.
Theon, completely hooked by my dad’s natural talent, anxiously waited for his answer.
My dad glanced at Theon and smirked.
“If you’re okay with a retired Grand Master, I’ll accept you as my disciple. But you have to keep an eye on Berry to make sure she doesn’t cause any major trouble. That’s the condition.”
“…Yes!”
Did he just openly say I’d be under surveillance…
Still, it was the moment my dad became the teacher of the future crown prince. I congratulated Theon, who was overjoyed.
“That’s great!”
“Yeah…!”
Wow. The light in Theon’s eyes as he looked at me was dazzling.
Has he always looked at my dad with those eyes?
‘I am…!’
I couldn’t help but feel incredibly envious. I had gone to great lengths today—throwing bait at Anne to get close to Theon, walking all the way to the West Gate, getting scolded by Grandfather, and explaining everything to my dad. I was exhausted!
‘Wait…’
Then, I realized something shocking.
If I had just let Dad meet Theon first and introduced me afterward, Theon’s favor would have naturally followed, wouldn’t it?
“…Why didn’t I…”
I was so shocked that I froze, holding my fork in mid-air.
In my pocket, I still had the stone that I’d get in trouble for if I lost it. Meanwhile, a perfectly unmarked strawberry carefully landed on my plate, which I was holding in one hand.
It was the strawberry from Theon’s cake.
“Huh? Theon, aren’t you going to eat it?”
“I have mine right here.”
Theon pointed to his own plate. The two strawberries that Dad and I had given him were still there.
Since he wasn’t opposed to cake, it wasn’t like he disliked strawberries. He was just the type to save the best for last, huh?
I’m the type to eat it right away, though.
Hehe. I speared the strawberry Theon gave me with my fork.
“Thanks, I’ll enjoy it!”
The strawberry, smeared with whipped cream, was both tangy and sweet.
***
That evening.
I was alone in my room, writing a reflection paper, when I heard some noise from the first floor. I went downstairs to the lobby.
Sherry had returned from the main building with a cart full of groceries.
“I managed to get more supplies from the butler! Sugar, butter, and flour too!”
Sherry, who had stormed off earlier, angry about the unfair distribution of supplies, now seemed completely satisfied.
It must have taken at least four hours of pestering the butler to achieve this victory. I applauded Sherry for her effort.
“Is there any snack you’d like to eat? I’ll make it for you.”
“Wow. I want cookies! Sister Sherry, could you also make some for my friend? His name is Theon, and he’ll be staying here from today.”
“I heard. A disciple of young master Reytan.”
Sherry smiled.
Sherry, the daughter of my dad’s nanny, had known my dad since childhood. Maybe that’s why she found the idea of my dad having a disciple so amusing.
“Of course, I’ll make some for your friend as well. Where are young master Reytan and your friend now?”
“Dad went to see Mr. Rex at the training center, and Theon went to the knights’ quarters to get his things.”
“You mean Chief Commander Rex? You call him ‘mister,’ so I guess Detective Berryberry once again worked her magic.”
Sherry was even humming a tune, basking in her victory over the butler.
“Sister Sherry, did you see Anne?”
“Anne?”
“It said that Grandmother called her to the main house.”
“…Hmm, I haven’t heard anything. I’ll look into it.”
Wasn’t there a strange pause just now? But Sherry, acting as if nothing was wrong, moved to the kitchen with the other maids, carrying the spoils of their victory.
I watched the excited maids discuss what to make as they walked away. Suddenly, something occurred to me.
‘Ah, the candy!’
Now that I think about it, I had spoils of my own!
I hurried to my room and came back with the jar of candy that Grandfather had given me, planning to share it with the maids.
Just as I approached the closed kitchen door and was about to knock…
“What do you mean, Anne is going to be punished?”
I froze.
A surprised voice came from inside the kitchen, and I stopped my hand mid-knock.
Anne is going to be punished?
‘Why?’
The thin wooden door wasn’t very soundproof, and I could hear most of what was said inside. I pressed my ear to the door to listen carefully.
Sherry spoke up.
“They say the Countess’s pearl earrings were found at Anne’s house. You know, the one where she lives with her younger sibling.”
The house with her younger sibling.
That referred to the servants’ living quarters between the inner and outer walls of the estate.
Other maids’ voices chimed in.
“The pearl earring? The one that went missing a few days ago and caused such a commotion?”
“Why would that earring be found at Anne’s house?”
“Oh my, I think I know. Anne worked in the main house for a short time, right? Everyone was distracted the day young master Reytan arrived, so maybe….”
The maids’ voices, cautiously speculating about what had happened to Anne, grew quieter. I pressed my ear even closer to the door.
On the day Dad and I arrived…
“What are you doing here?”
Ahh!
A calm voice spoke from right behind me. Startled, I spun around to see Theon standing there.
It seemed he had already finished organizing his things at the knights’ quarters.
I gave him an awkward smile and mouthed the words, ‘You’re back?’
Theon nodded. Then he glanced between me and the kitchen door from where the conversation was coming.
Whatever he was imagining, Theon leaned in and whispered seriously.
“Don’t cause trouble.”
“Shh. I’m not causing trouble. I was just thinking about whether I should interrupt the adults’ conversation or not.”
“……”
Theon didn’t say anything more, but his eyes didn’t exactly radiate trust either.
Of course, I had no excuse since it really did look like I was eavesdropping….
In the kitchen, the maids continued to discuss their concerns about Anne and what might happen to her. I had heard enough.
“Let’s go somewhere else. It seems like the maids are having an important discussion.”
I took Theon’s hand and led him out of the corridor.
‘Is Anne really the culprit behind the pearl earring incident?’
Hmm. I didn’t have enough information yet.
Judging by my experiences so far, I couldn’t expect to know everything about the future from my memories alone.
‘The reason I remember details about the Travel family members is because, when I was about twenty years old, my other self had investigated the family’s records from the past thirteen years.’
There are two main types of unknown futures:
1. Events my other self has never experienced.
2. Events my other self has experienced but naturally forgotten over time.
This case falls into the first category. I know who the real culprit is from reading the butler Mr. Cerberus’s log, but I have no idea about the background.
Moreover, my other self died at twenty-four. It’s not like I remember every detail from when I was seven.
‘I did read about this in the butler’s log… but I don’t know why Anne got involved.’
We had walked far enough from the kitchen when Theo called out to me. There was no one else around.
“Huh? What’s up?”
“The maids were talking in the kitchen about a maid named Anne stealing the pearl earring. Is it true?”
I hadn’t expected Theon to ask that, so I blinked in surprise and asked,
“How do you know about that, Theon?”
“I heard about it while I was packing at the knights’ quarters. They said the maid who came to the training center had stolen the Countess’s earring.”
Of course. News about theft travels fast at the knights’ quarters. Theon’s information might even be more accurate than what Sherry heard at the main house.
“And? Did you hear anything else?”
Theon’s expression became serious as he replied.
“Looks like someone instructed the maid to steal the earrings. And since it’s the madam’s belongings, they say Teacher could be held jointly responsible. Lady Marian claimed as much… Oh, joint responsibility means holding Teacher accountable for the maid’s wrongdoing.”
“Hold him responsible? You mean they’ll blame my dad for Anne’s theft?”
“Uh, yeah.”
I was dumbfounded. How ridiculous! It’s like saying one shop got robbed so the neighboring shop should pay for it!
“The pearl earring was stolen from the main house, Anne worked there before coming to Stone House, and my dad only arrived at Travel four days ago! How does it make sense to hold him responsible, Theon?”
“….…”
Theon shook his head, looking just as confused as I was.
See? Even Theon thinks it’s nonsense.
“Right? It makes no sense!”
The fact that Aunt Marian was the one claiming responsibility only made it more absurd. But… it might work. After all, Aunt Marian is second in line.
Sigh. I really wish these eight years would pass quickly.
Being at the bottom of the ranks is tough.
“Teacher will have a hard time.”
“Don’t worry about it, Theon.”
“You mean Teacher has a good plan? Since he’s a Grand Master?”
Theon’s face brightened with hope. I smiled just as brightly.
“Nope.”
“…Huh?”
“My dad doesn’t care about trivial things like that!”
He’d probably think it’s convenient, using it as a way to maintain his low profile.
‘Still…’
It’s unfair to just let this happen, right?
The real culprit behind the pearl earring theft is someone else.
***
Count Travel’s eldest daughter, Marian, frowned as she noticed the man entering her room.
He wore gray pants with a striped pattern, a brightly colored handkerchief, and a jacket embroidered with flowers. The shirt’s large frilled cuffs peeked out from under the jacket.
Though all the materials used were high-quality, the overall look was excessively flashy.
“What are you wearing? It hurts my eyes.”
“Sister, this is the latest trend in the social circles. You have to keep up with the younger generation’s taste if you want to sell clothes. Our shop’s sales have already far exceeded the mid-year goal. At this rate, your cottage will be mine in four years.”
“You think you can get rich selling bits of cloth?”
Marian rolled her eyes. Yossel, the third son of Count Travel, flopped onto the sofa opposite her and crossed his legs. He leaned back against the cushion but soon shifted forward, unable to contain his impatience.
“It’ll happen sooner than letting the child of a concubine take over my sister’s annex. But more importantly, did you hear? That child of the concubine visited the Church today. Is it really that easy for a Grand Master to return to their position? It shouldn’t be possible, right?”
Yossel mumbled to himself, his foot tapping anxiously.
Even though it has been decades since the late Julia was accepted as the official second wife, the children of the first wife still referred to her as a concubine.
“Who knows? How can we guess the Church’s intentions?”
“Ah, something smells fishy. What other reason could Father have for seeking out Reytan? He must be making some kind of deal with the Church….”
“Just wait, Yossel.”
“What? Do you have some clever plan?”
“Not exactly a clever plan.”
Marian smiled slightly, fanning herself gently.
“Let’s see how far a penniless commoner can go.”
