Chapter 6
The Duke, who had returned home after a long time, gathered his family for dinner.
Catherine glanced across the table. Eleanor was also seated there.
As the meal continued, the Duke set down his utensils and looked at Eleanor with a cold gaze.
“Eleanor, I heard about what you did in the dining hall the other day.
No matter how dissatisfied you were with the food, throwing it on the floor is unacceptable. You need to relearn table manners.”
His low voice was heavy and cold.
Catherine rolled her eyes, glancing between Eleanor and the Duke.
Where had he heard about this? The butler who swore loyalty to him? Or Rachel?
More importantly, did he believe that Eleanor had bad table manners?
Catherine was curious about his thoughts.
“Do you think my manners are the problem?”
Eleanor stopped cutting her meat and looked directly at the Duke, speaking clearly.
Her tone was mocking—something she wouldn’t have dared in the past.
The Duke, of course, noticed immediately. One of his eyebrows lifted slightly.
Eleanor silently placed her knife down neatly.
Catherine, watching, couldn’t help but be impressed.
‘Is he seriously lecturing her about manners after seeing that?’
“I heard you threw an entire plate of food onto the floor.”
“Yes, that’s true.”
“Are you saying there was nothing wrong with that?”
Ignoring their conversation, Catherine absentmindedly cut her meat.
Though her actions seemed uninterested, her mind was racing.
‘Since he’s bringing up table manners, the etiquette teacher episode must be coming soon.’
“Well, I think Catherine’s table manners are a bigger problem.”
“…Huh? Me?”
Catherine snapped her head up at the mention of her name.
She locked eyes with Eleanor.
Her gaze gleamed like a lioness spotting prey.
“I saw you eating before—you always spill food. Isn’t it embarrassing for a fifteen-year-old girl to still eat like that?”
“…Ugh.”
Everyone at the table turned their attention to Catherine.
Her face grew hot.
Rachel quickly spoke up in her defense.
“You should be supporting your sister, not criticizing her.
Besides, Catherine is still young. She has plenty of time to learn.”
But that only embarrassed Catherine more.
She and Eleanor were only one year apart.
That excuse didn’t hold up.
“Does the reputation of the Valentine family mean nothing to you?”
“That’s not what I—”
“Enough.”
Rachel was about to argue further, but the Duke cut her off.
“Both of you will undergo etiquette lessons again. I will arrange for a new tutor within the next few days.”
His voice left no room for discussion.
Catherine, knowing the original story, accepted the decision without complaint.
But Eleanor was different.
“Will it be another incompetent teacher?”
Her voice was indifferent as if she had no expectations.
Catherine knew what Eleanor meant by “incompetent teacher.”
In The Duke’s Daughter Refuses to Regret, every tutor Eleanor had met after each of her time regressions had mistreated and looked down on her.
‘You are a disgrace to the Duke’s family!’
And the mastermind behind it was obvious.
Catherine glanced at Rachel.
Eleanor continued in a calm voice.
“In that case, please at least choose a woman. I find male teachers rather difficult to deal with.”
The Duke’s eyes sharpened.
“What do you mean by that?”
He wasn’t the only one who reacted.
David slammed the table and stood up.
Food splattered from his plate, staining the white tablecloth.
‘…And he’s the one lecturing Eleanor about etiquette?’
Catherine found his reaction far from well-mannered.
“You didn’t know? My previous etiquette tutor believed he was above me, the daughter of the Valentine family.”
“The Valentine family holds great power in the North. Who would dare treat you like that?”
The Duke and David’s expressions hardened.
But Eleanor remained indifferent.
“The one who hired him was you, Duke. I wonder why you’re acting surprised.”
She was right.
No tutor could step foot in the mansion without the Duke’s approval, even if Rachel or the butler recommended them.
Once inside, those tutors quickly grasped Eleanor’s position in the household and treated her as inferior.
The Duke had been too indifferent to notice.
Rachel knew but stayed silent, and the butler looked the other way.
Eleanor had just exposed that truth.
Only after experiencing so much neglect did she finally speak up.
Catherine watched, feeling a faint sense of guilt.
“…This time will be different.”
“I hope so.”
Eleanor answered briefly before leaving the dining hall.
Her tone made it clear she didn’t believe him.
The Duke watched the door she exited through with a dark expression.
Perhaps this was the first time he had truly looked at her retreating figure.
Catherine, observing everything, thought to herself.
‘I hope he realizes Eleanor has changed soon. This is just the beginning.’
Eleanor had spoken up about the past on purpose—to force the Duke into hiring a proper tutor.
But she likely knew what was coming.
The new tutor would still mistreat her.
‘Because Rachel will be the one choosing the teacher again.’
Unless something changed, everything would follow the original story.
This incident would mark the beginning of Eleanor’s rise.
It would make the Duke and her brothers finally look back at her—and regret.
The dining hall, after Eleanor’s departure, felt as cold as a winter storm.
Catherine rolled her eyes and happened to meet Rachel’s gaze.
“Don’t worry. I will find the perfect tutor for you both.”
Rachel smiled sweetly.
But Catherine knew that smile wasn’t meant to reassure her.
“…Fine, I’ll leave it to you.”
“Yes, don’t worry.”
The Duke sighed, drinking a glass of cold water to calm himself.
Rachel smiled as if telling him to relax.
Catherine swallowed hard, suppressing a groan.
Gulp.
She bit into a roasted onion, but it was more burnt than she expected.
A bitter taste spread in her mouth.
“Nice to meet you. My name is Iris Nancy. I used to be a teacher at the academy.”
A woman with soft brown hair and kind brown eyes greeted them.
She was the new tutor.
“Hello.”
Eleanor gracefully lifted the sides of her dress, bowed elegantly, and smiled.
Her etiquette was so perfect that it made one question why she even needed a tutor.
Iris nodded in approval.
“…Hello.”
But Catherine’s greeting was awkward.
As she tried to bow slightly, she lost her balance and wobbled.
She must have looked like a baby gorilla.
“Oh my.”
Naturally, she was compared to Eleanor.
“Hoho, it seems Lady Catherine is a bit nervous.”
“…”
Iris’ voice trembled slightly as if taken aback.
And Eleanor, watching silently from the side, only made Catherine feel more humiliated.
“It’s an honor to teach such lovely ladies. I look forward to our time together.”
Iris smiled warmly, her brown eyes full of kindness.
