Chapter 2
The next afternoon, Benedict laughed. It was because of his nanny.
“Young master, do you understand? You must never, ever go to the cottage in the backyard. That is a direct order from the master!”
He knew exactly why she was saying this. She still wanted to keep the presence of the wandering girl a secret.
“Did we get a new servant in the cottage or something?”
Benedict asked, feigning ignorance.
In truth, he had been thinking about Lucien from last night until this morning. And now, he believed he had figured out why she was here.
She must have been brought by his father as a “study companion.”
He had learned about study companions from a book in his mother’s library.
It said that noble children who grew up alone were sometimes given study companions — children their age brought in from the estate — to foster a sense of competition.
It was a system that benefited the noble child but also gave opportunities to less fortunate children who wouldn’t otherwise be able to learn.
Lucien, who had probably spent her life throwing bean bags, likely hadn’t had much chance to study.
Benedict was quite pleased with his cute, pale study companion.
According to the book he read, study companions often ended up becoming lovers.
Well, that part didn’t matter much to Benedict, who had to worry about eliminating inherited diseases.
“Oh my, how did you know? But it’s not a servant. It’s something much more frightening. Apparently, a criminal waiting to be taken to the capital is staying there. They say he’s such a vicious old man that the master had a terrible time capturing him!”
The nanny widened her eyes in an attempt to scare him.
That lie might’ve worked if Benedict hadn’t already met Lucien.
Still, to acknowledge her effort, he widened his eyes in feigned surprise.
She probably thought she had successfully frightened him by now.
“But since it’s not windy today, you may go for a walk while the sun is high.”
“Oh, I’ll do that.”
“Just never, never go near the cottage! The master gave your nanny strict instructions. He said he’d punish you severely if you disobeyed. Understood?”
The repeated nagging was beginning to get on Benedict’s nerves, but for the sake of the nanny who had cared for him since he was a baby, he raised one hand with patience.
“Of course, I swear, dear Madam Tabitha.”
“Oh my, our young master is turning into such a gentleman!”
Was she really that happy with his polite gesture?
Overcome with emotion, the nanny came closer to kiss him on the cheek.
Good grief, I’m not a little kid anymore!
Benedict quickly turned his body away and muttered, “I should probably study for a bit,” as he dodged her. After all, there was no better excuse to escape from adults than saying you had to study.
Luckily, the nanny didn’t say anything more.
Left alone in his room, Benedict wondered when she would finally stop treating him like a child.
She had raised him since he was a baby, sure — but kissing the cheek of a twelve-year-old boy who had already grown up? That was too much.
That kind of thing was only done by adults to children. Or by gentlemen to ladies.
And the nanny’s relationship with him fit neither category.
As the sun rose high in the sky, Benedict dressed himself and confidently stepped out into the garden through the front door.
Pretending to stroll around the garden, he made his way quietly to the backyard.
They hadn’t made an official promise, but he felt certain Lucien would be waiting for him under the dogwood tree.
And he was right — beneath the bright red berries of the tree was the girl with white hair.
She wasn’t wearing the same old dress from yesterday. Instead, she now had on a much cuter brown dress, warm fur-lined boots, and a cloak with a pointed hood.
“Did you sneak out again today?”
When he asked, Lucien smiled slyly and shook her head.
“No, since it’s warm now, they said I could go as far as the stream. Just not any farther.”
“Not strictly forbidden, then?”
“If they had said that, I’d probably already be well past the stream.”
They laughed together, and Benedict pulled out the peanuts he had brought in his pocket. He hadn’t brought them just for himself — it was a gesture of loyalty to his study companion.
“Are you studying hard? If you’re going to learn with me… I mean, with the young master… you’ll need to know a lot in advance.”
“Me? Study with a duke’s son? Me?”
“Yeah, you. You’re here as Lord Winfield’s study companion.”
Benedict wanted to tell her that he was that young master, but he held back for now — it would be more fun to surprise her later.
“That’s not going to work. I don’t know how to read at all.”
“That’s no problem.”
He handed Lucien the bag of peanuts and picked up a fallen tree branch.
“Because you can learn.”
He smoothed the ground with his palm and began to write letters in the dirt.
“This one is read as ‘Ah.’ And this is ‘Beh,’ and…”
He filled the entire shadow of the dogwood tree with letters, teaching her the pronunciation one by one.
Lucien repeated after him eagerly.
“Now say it — what’s this?”
“Deh.”
“And this?”
“Jeh.”
Even though he had only said each letter a couple of times, Lucien memorized them right away.
“Not bad. You remembered them all in one go.”
“Is that… impressive?”
“Yeah, you’re pretty smart, huh?”
“No way.”
Lucien shook her head in disbelief.
“They always scolded me in the troupe for being clumsy and making silly mistakes.”
“That’s ridiculous!”
Benedict was genuinely angry.
“Calling someone stupid is an insult. That’s something you should never say to a lady. Anyone who doesn’t even understand basic manners has no right to judge you.”
It was a surprisingly good statement for something said in the heat of the moment. Benedict was quite proud of his eloquence. Lucien, too, seemed moved by his words and gave him a bright smile.
“Thanks for saying that. You’re so knowledgeable… and kind, too.”
“That’s just normal.”
“You know, Benedict, you’re just like…”
Lucien’s eyes sparkled as if she were about to compliment him. Benedict listened eagerly in anticipation.
“Just like the kind of wonderful noble I’ve only ever heard about in stories.”
“N-no!”
Startled by the word “noble,” Benedict blurted out a denial.
“I-I couldn’t possibly be a noble! I’m just…”
“Just?”
She looked at him intently. It seemed she had been curious about his identity.
What should I say?
Benedict fumbled for an answer and finally said,
“A… a servant of the young master. Something like that.”
“Amazing.”
Lucien looked at him with eyes full of admiration.
…Which made him feel kind of guilty.
“Anyway, I’m really glad I met you, Benedict. To be honest, when I first came here alone… I was really scared.”
Her soft cheeks turned pink again, just like yesterday.
She looked so much like a bashful lady that Benedict, as a gentleman, wondered if he ought to kiss her cheek.
After all, that’s what the books in his mother’s library said — it would be the proper thing to do.
But since they had only met twice, it felt a little embarrassing to show such affection. So instead, he just swallowed hard.
“Oh, and thank you for teaching me the letters, too.”
Then—
Lucien took a step closer, lifted her chin, and kissed him on the cheek.
Thump.
Just like yesterday, his ears rang with the same sound his heart made when caught doing something bad.
But this time, it wasn’t his heart that fell — it was his bottom. He collapsed right between the “Ah” and “Beh” letters he had drawn.
This can’t be happening.
Kisses were something adults gave to children. Or something a gentleman gave to a lady.
But for a lady to kiss a gentleman first…!
“S-sorry. I saw guests at performances thanking each other like that… I didn’t think you’d hate it.”
Hate it?
It felt like he did.
His heart was racing, and it was hard to breathe.
“I-I… I…”
Benedict, his lips trembling, clutched the branch he’d been holding, got to his feet in a daze, and started running.
His ears kept pounding. And his face grew hot.
He was certain now — the illness he had inherited must’ve gotten worse.
