CHAPTER 42…………………….

“…Thank you for agreeing to this meeting. I am Lillian Crimson, tutor to Archduke Logan Eleanor.”

I carefully took the Archduke’s outstretched hand.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“…!”

She gave my hand a light shake—but her strength was so overwhelming that my whole body swayed from the force.

…Logan really does resemble the Archduke. A lot.

The face that revealed little emotion, even the inability to properly control her strength—it was exactly the same.

Even if they had lived apart for over a decade, blood was still blood.

After the handshake ended, the Archduke withdrew her hand.

Then, suddenly, Archduke Eleanor bowed her head politely to me.

“…Your Grace?”

What? Why all of a sudden?

Despite the confusion in my voice, she spoke steadily.

“First, I sincerely thank you for providing my son with the guidance he needed.”

“I only did what a tutor ought to do. Your words are too generous.”

They really were too generous! Please, lift your head.

She was far older than me and much taller. Seeing someone like that bow so respectfully made me uncomfortable.

And besides… I hadn’t expected the Archduke to be his mother.

I had assumed she was his father, given her reputation for being harsh and icy. That had been my prejudice.

But regardless of gender, there was no one more suited to the title of Archduke than the Eleanor standing before me.

Authority radiated from even her smallest gestures.

If Logan had emphasized authority because he admired his mother, that made perfect sense.

As I waved my hands in flustered denial, Archduke Eleanor slowly raised her head with a faint smile on her stiff face.

“I expected you to decline the praise. Heinrich told me—ah, that’s my butler. An old friend of mine. He said you do far more than an ordinary tutor, yet never make a show of it.”

“…I appreciate your kind view, but I’m not that sort of person.”

As if. How much had I shown off all this time?

Still, it was fortunate that earning the butler’s favor hadn’t been useless. But I didn’t think I’d done anything deserving of this level of respect from the Archduke.

She shrugged leisurely.

“Well, from what I see, it seems true.”

Her gaze shifted to the table in the center of the sitting room.

“……?”

Following her eyes, I noticed a white sheet of paper among the refreshments.

Something I recognized.

“…Ah.”

It was the chart I had given the butler—tracking Logan’s emotional changes.

She still had that?

Returning to her seat, the Archduke picked up the paper and sat down on the sofa.

“I hear Logan takes after me. And his childhood was not exactly peaceful, so he rarely showed changes in expression.”

“…That’s true.”

“But I’m told that after you arrived, he changed considerably.”

A subtle smile lingered at the corners of her lips.

Her gaze moved from the paper to me.

“Please, sit. Let us talk, Miss Lillian Crimson.”

After we sat down, Archduke Eleanor first explained why Logan had been forced to remain in the Kingdom of Hamel for so long.

The issue was unexpectedly—

“…The Empress’s assassination?”

“That is correct. The late Empress was of royal blood from the Kingdom of Hamel. Yet the mastermind behind her death was neither identified nor punished.”

Because the death of the Empress—once a princess of Hamel—had never been properly investigated, relations between the Empire and the Kingdom of Hamel had rapidly destabilized.

Thus, to maintain diplomatic ties, the Empire had no choice but to forcibly extend the study-abroad period of the Archduke’s heir in Hamel.

“…So that’s why Logan studied there for such an unusually long time.”

“Correct. And please, speak more comfortably. You don’t normally call him ‘Archduke’s heir,’ do you?”

Though her voice remained low and firm, her words were surprisingly generous.

I nodded, feeling at ease.

“Thank you. I… had no idea. Logan never mentioned this. Perhaps…”

“Yes. Logan does not know. It is confidential. But as you are now involved, I believe you should know.”

She muttered bitterly.

“So Logan had to remain abroad for a long time, for reasons he himself did not even know. I carry much guilt over that.”

“…I see.”

I found myself staring at her expression before quickly taking a sip of tea when our eyes met.

She gave a faint laugh and leaned slightly toward me.

“I wished to return to the capital immediately after Logan came back from Hamel. However, a wave of plague had swept through the northern territory, so I could not come at once—just in case.”

“…Of course. Is everything all right now?”

“Yes. The north has stabilized. And—”

Her voice grew low and serious.

“I am sorry—and grateful—that you have fulfilled the role I should have as his parent.”

It was such a frank, unembellished confession that I began to feel ashamed of the prejudice I’d once held against her.

After hesitating, I asked carefully:

“Your Grace… Will you be staying at the capital residence from now on?”

“I must visit the northern territory in winter, but otherwise, yes. I intend to remain in the capital this summer and autumn.”

Seeing her nod calmly eased my heart.

“That’s a relief. Since your return, Logan has seemed happier. Now I understand why. Please continue to make him happy. He truly cares for you.”

She was far more reasonable than I’d expected.

It was easy to understand why Logan admired her.

She nodded slowly.

“……Very well. Though—hm.”

“Yes?”

After staring at me for a moment, she said,

“I sometimes wonder—if I had had a teacher like Lillian Crimson in my youth, might I have grown even better than I did?”

“…You are impressive as you are.”

Honestly.

I had to marshal every facial muscle to stop myself from smiling too broadly.

Then she slowly rested her elbows on her knees and clasped her hands.

“Well then. I believe I have told you everything regarding Logan and myself.”

“…Yes.”

The warm atmosphere shifted ever so slightly.

In a dry voice, she asked:

“I hired a tutor through Heinrich to help Logan return to the Academy. Yet now, that very tutor recommends he withdraw. Why?”

At a glance, her expression and tone could have felt chilling.

But during our conversation, I had realized she was not someone who would dismiss my words outright.

If I explained logically and persuasively, she would listen.

Right on cue, a blue window appeared before my eyes.

Ding!

✦ ❝Focus on the Teacher’s Words 2❞ activated! ✦

▶ Effect: Capture the guardian’s attention with sound reasoning. Persuasiveness increases by 100%.
▶ Condition: The guardian acknowledges the skill-holder as their child’s ‘teacher.’

Good. The True Teacher skill was helping too. There was nothing left to fear.

I began calmly:

“That’s correct. I began teaching Logan to help him return to the Academy. However…”

I opened the bag I had brought and pulled out a prepared stack of documents.

“Would you take a look at this?”

“This is?”

She immediately showed interest in the papers I handed her.

“They summarize Logan’s personal training indicators and his Academy grades. As you can see, while his efficiency in personal training has increased, his Academy assignment scores have steadily declined.”

Flip.

She began turning the pages swiftly.

“Hmm… Indeed.”

“Thus, I concluded that both the content taught at the Academy and its evaluation methods are fundamentally incompatible with Logan Eleanor.”

“And if he withdraws?”

“…I would like to propose that he take the entrance examination for the Imperial Knights. In fact, Logan successfully completed the final requirement last month—defeating a knight of the Imperial Knights. If he sits for the exam, he will pass immediately.”

Sylvia’s second older brother had certainly worked hard as Logan’s sparring partner.

“For someone with both talent and motivation, is the Academy truly what he needs right now?”

Maintaining my composure beneath her unreadable gaze, I concluded:

“…That is my presumptuous suggestion.”

The Archduke slowly opened her mouth.

“Indeed. A presumptuous request.”

“……”

Had I gone too far?

My heart dropped.

Even with the help of the True Teacher skill, was the authority of Disherno Academy too great to challenge?

“But.”

She was not finished.

“Logan told me that you understand better than anyone what he wants—and what he needs.”

“…Does that mean—”

“I trust you.”

She smiled faintly and straightened her back.

“Now then. When would be best to begin the withdrawal process? If I recall correctly, the next Imperial Knights intake examination is in two weeks.”

It was a success.