Chapter 167 Around That Time, Rebecca...
While Sara was busy preparing for the merchant guild's grand opening, Rebecca was also keeping busy.
To be honest, she didn't have to do much about the wedding preparations herself, since others were taking care of everything.
"Did you prepare all this in advance?"
The Grandchester and Orson families had quickly taken action, so Rebecca only had to choose from the proposals that had already been prepared.
Even when it came to the wedding dress, she was eager to give her opinion, but her mother and sister, who knew her tastes well, had already prepared a design that was too good to intervene. The veil was one that her sister had used when she got married, a family heirloom passed down through the women of the Orson family. The dress would be made to match this veil.
The new home that Marquis Grandchester had prepared for her was a separate mansion that had been built for the previous Marquis's daughter, who had married into the royal family. The current Marquis's aunt, who had married the crown prince at the time, had returned to her family home after her husband's sudden death. Although she could have remained in the palace as a member of the royal family, she had chosen to leave due to the jealousy of the queen and concubines, who were intimidated by her exceptional beauty.
Rebecca arrived at Grandchester Castle as a governess in early summer, but 'for some reason' this villa had been under repair since around summer, as per the Marquis's orders. 'Strangely enough' even the garden had been taken care of
'Well, I suppose I should be honest and be happy about being welcomed...'
The furniture and fabrics were left to Rebecca's discretion, so she decided to take a look around the villa. However, even here, Rebecca's tastes were reflected in the terrifyingly elaborate decor. Although the design was simple, it didn't give off a hard impression, thanks to the curved lines. The fabrics in each room were based on earth tones, but with different accent colors to give them individuality. She couldn't help but feel the influence of her mother and sister's schemes in this aspect as well.
However, the master bedroom, Robert's study, and the family living room were not yet fully furnished. It seemed like they were waiting for the couple to decide on the design together.
The dance hall even had a newly purchased piano. It was probably prepared by the Marquis for Sara, but it was uncertain whether Sara would be living in this villa. She could understand Sara's feelings about it being awkward to live with her new foster parents, so he was leaving that decision up to her. Still, she knew Robert would make a big fuss about it, so he intended to prepare Sara's room properly.
After checking the entire villa, Rebecca headed towards the Maiden's Tower. Today, Thomas was supposed to be teaching Scott and Blaze math at the tower.
Sara had instructed the creation of a reading and arithmetic textbook, which Thomas was enthusiastically editing. Since it was a book that many children would need, Thomas's manuscript would be reviewed by Rebecca and Cordelia as well. Today was the first meeting, and Alicia the Alchemist Girl and Amelia the Pharmacist Girl would also be participating.
Their opinions, each with their own specialized fields, were extremely valuable and truly appreciated. It would be great if they could even write textbooks on their areas of expertise. However, for the time being, their work at the merchant guild is too busy, so it's not possible.
When she arrived at the Maiden's Tower, Scott and Blaze were eating pancakes with a lot of honey, seemingly taking a break.
"Blaze, you seem to be completely addicted to honey, don't you?"
"Yeah, it's sweet and really delicious!"
The boy who was skinny when she first met him had gained weight and looked healthy due to a balanced diet and regular lifestyle. He had become a handsome young man without any flaws.
Scott was also undoubtedly a handsome young man, but he had suddenly started growing taller recently, and his boyish charm was fading. He resembled his father, so he might grow to be around 190 centimeters tall, just like Jeffrey. His voice might also change soon.
"You've grown quite tall without me noticing, haven't you?"
"Haha, I've surpassed Miss Rebecca already."
"When you turn 14 next year, you'll probably get into the Academy."
"If I don't get in next year, I'll face my father's wrath."
As they chatted and laughed, it seemed that Scott's grades had improved significantly. His smile was truly identical to Jeffrey's.
"Scott will definitely make it into the Academy's entrance exam next year. He'll likely pass with excellent grades. Blaze is perfect in math, and his level is already on par with higher education. However, he still needs to work harder on his reading and writing skills, or it might be tough for him to get into the Academy."
There, Cordelia the female educator on women settlement, who was guided by a maid, entered the room.
"Wow, what a beautiful library!"
Cordelia was gazing in awe at the wall-to-wall bookshelves. Alicia the Alchemist Girl and Amelia the Pharmacist Girl, who had just come out of the laboratory, nodded in agreement with Cordelia's opinion.
"Everyone says that. Even we, who work here, feel that it's beautiful every day."
"The library is beautiful, but the Secret Garden outside is also a breathtakingly beautiful garden."
The maidens, who had called out, quickly finished their greetings and introductions to Cordelia. Thomas followed suit.
"By the way, I overheard Mister Thomas's conversation earlier, and it seems that Mr. Blaze's reading and writing skills are slower than Mr. Scott's."
"That's right. These 2 have different ages and started studying at different times, so it's natural. Considering that Blaze has only been taking my lessons for about a month now, his learning speed is amazing."
Cordelia nodded at Thomas words.
"I see. But Mr. Blaze's speech sounds like it includes words and intonations from outside of Avalon."
"I don't know where I was born, but I do know that I lived in a mountain hut near the border of Roisen and Avalon for a few years."
"The words of Roisen and Avalon are similar, but they are different languages. The grammar is also different. Smart kids can pick up both languages by ear, but it can cause confusion and delay their reading and writing skills. It's better to start learning the basics of grammar from scratch."
Cordelia smiled kindly at Blaze.
"Mister Thomas, if you teach writing to a smart kid like Mr. Blaze, he'll start writing fluently right away, won't he?"
"That's right."
"That's why he tend to think he has got the basics down, but when you check, many of them have a vague understanding. Especially with the Avalon language, there's a habit of mixing spoken and written language, so reviewing the basics of grammar will likely lead to some surprising discoveries."
"I see. As a tutor, I'm still inexperienced."
Rebecca, who was watching Thomas and Cordelia the female educator's conversation from the side, was secretly amazed by Cordelia's deep knowledge. As a governess, she was supposed to guide her students, but she didn't have the confidence to say she had a broad perspective like Cordelia.
Until now, Rebecca had thought that if she had attended the Academy, she would have been more excellent. She had always made excuses for her lack of ability, thinking, "I'm a woman, so I didn't have opportunities to learn." Moreover, she felt like she was getting a bit full of herself because she had received direct education from the Queen.
"Hehe. Lady Orson, I mean, Miss Rebecca, your gentle smile has faltered, hasn't it?"
Cordelia pointed out Rebecca's governess-like behavior.
"Ah, I apologize for my rudeness."
She forced a smile on her face again.
"I think I can somewhat understand what Miss Rebecca is thinking. I've been teaching kids for over 20 years, after all. Education is my area of expertise."
"Of course. I think you're an amazing teacher, Miss Lia."
Rebecca hurriedly added.
"But, Miss Rebecca, you're a noble lady who received education from the queen herself. Your abilities are so high that someone like me, a baron's daughter, can't even imagine. It's impossible for one person to excel in all fields. Just like how I have things I can do that others can't, Miss Rebecca has many things she can do that others can't. So, please have confidence in yourself and guide your students. If you feel like you're lacking in some areas, just ask someone who's an expert in that field for help."
"Miss Cordelia seems to see right through everything, it's scary."
"Hehe. If I had eyes that could see through everything, I might have lived my life differently."
Cordelia smiled with a slightly troubled expression. Her smile was not aristocratic, but it was soft and warm.
"Still, Lady Sophia is an amazing woman. Who would have thought that the merchant guild would establish an educational institution and create textbooks at the same time?"
"I heard they're short on talented people, so they want excellent workers."
"But I heard from Cindy that establishing an educational institution was Miss Rebecca's long-cherished dream. Miss Sara, who is also Miss Rebecca's student, persuaded Lady Sophia to make it happen. Miss Sara is a smart person, too."
The other members all nodded in agreement.
"Miss Sara is the owner of this Maiden's Tower and our patron, after all."
"The guildmaster of the merchant guild is supposedly Lady Sophia, but judging from Miss Sara's words and actions, I think Miss Sara is the real owner. She's the one who instructs me on the effects of the herbal teas we sell, after all!"
"Miss Sara is an incredibly intelligent woman, worthy of my loyalty. My academic background would be nothing but a joke in front of her."
"Her swordsmanship is on par with any knight's, I'd say."
"And her magic is amazing too. It's not just about power, but also control."
Cordelia's eyes widened, and she froze, but somehow managed to regain her composure and continue the conversation.
"I understand that Miss Sara is an exceptional young lady. I'd love to meet her in person."
"The hunting tournament will be over soon, and she'll have to show her face at the educational institution. Now, she has to teach a new lesson on accounting."
Thomas replied with a cool expression.
"I apologize for asking again, but does Miss Sara receive lessons?"
"No, Milady Sara teaches us. I'd like to participate in that lecture as a student too."
"Um, am I mistaken? I thought Miss Sara was 8 years old..."
"""""That's correct."""""
"Huh?"
This time, Cordelia really froze.
And in that moment, Rebecca realized that they wouldn't be able to hide Sophia's true identity from Cordelia and the other maidens for much longer.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)