IFOVP l CH 02

Chapter 02

Two months ago, Pria had signed a contract with a man named Lexio, the head butler. They had discussed the terms at that time.

To sum it up:

Pria Harrit was hired as the private tutor for Rubin Bordel, and there was a two-month grace period before her first class.

The reason for that grace period? Neither Lexio nor the current Pria knew.
Only the “real” Pria knew the answer.

Pria Harrit had also received six months’ salary in advance.
No one knew what she used that money for either.

In short, she made a mess and ran off.

“Your first class is scheduled for tomorrow morning, but if you prefer, we can keep all your lessons in the morning.”

“Okay…”

It was bad enough to suddenly find herself with a death flag, but the biggest crisis right now was this:

No one knew why the Duke’s household had chosen this version of Pria to be a tutor. She was completely clueless—like a blank slate.

All she knew were the events from the original novel!

She had only just learned today that she was supposed to be Rubin Bordel’s tutor!

And poor Lexio, unaware of all this, had high hopes for her.

“We’re really glad Lady Pria is the young master’s tutor.”

Lexio gave her a kind and warm smile.

“The previous tutors were all much older than the young master, and that made communication difficult. But I believe you and the young master will get along well.”

“I’ll try… haha…”

“You graduated at the top of your class from the Imperial Academy, so we trust you completely.”

Pria had just found that out too. Top of her class at the academy?

Every time a new hidden detail came up, she felt like she was going to lose her mind.

Dear author, are you trying to kill me or what?

****

Pria looked around the room, which practically reeked of money, then slumped down on the couch.

After Gabette’s visit and all the chaos that followed, she was too exhausted to even stand.

“They made a mess, so why am I the one who has to die again?”

Just like in her past life, she was being dragged toward death because of someone else.

For now, she had to live as Rubin’s tutor for the next six months.
It was currently August—summer—and the rebellion was set to happen in the winter.

That meant: In six months, I’m off on a one-way trip across the River Jordan.

“300 gold…”

If she could just repay that money, she could nullify the contract and escape the plot.

But how?

Pria only had five gold to her name. Three hundred gold was impossible—whether she lived or died.

There was only one option:

Just like in many novels, maybe she could twist the original story a little.

She recalled the first chapter of the original.

In the novel, Aiher was a villain through and through, cold and distant.
But he deeply cared for his own people—even if he didn’t show it on the surface, he always took care of them behind the scenes.
A classic tsundere-type guy.

When he realized his rebellion had failed, he fought to protect Rubin and the duke’s people until his last breath.

He may have started off as a psycho obsessed with the heroine, but in the end, he became a hero who gave everything for his people.

“Maybe I can use that.”

Pria knew Aiherr’s past, present, and future.
She knew the author’s full design for his character.

“If I get close to Aiherr, I might survive this.”

The plan was to use her “reader’s buff” to build a relationship with him, then casually bring up the subject of canceling the contract penalty.

She wouldn’t even ask for a full exemption—just a small discount, something manageable.

Then, she could slip away from the duke’s estate before the rebellion started.

****

Even though she had basically walked into hell with no money to repay her debt, Pria actually slept well.

The duke’s bed was so comfortable, it was beyond anything she had experienced in either her past or current life.

For the first time in 21 years, she got real, undisturbed sleep.

She had tried to put some effort into her appearance for the first day of class—but she didn’t have much to work with.

She wore a plain dress with no jewels and tied up her long pink hair in a loose bun.

No makeup. No jewelry. But still, she looked beautiful.

Elegant. That was the word that came to mind every time she looked in the mirror.

“Not that it matters. I won’t even get to use this pretty face before I die.”

In the mirror was a woman with silver eyes and a strong determination to survive.

Knock knock.

Freia opened the door.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Romila, the head maid. Please call me Romila.”

“I’m Pria Harrit.”

As a former reader, Pria recognized Romila and greeted her without awkwardness.

After all, everyone here had their own death flags—it wasn’t worth making enemies.

“I’ll take you to the study room.”

As they walked, Pria’s face grew paler the closer they got to Rubin’s study.

What kind of lesson am I supposed to teach?

She had stayed up late worrying, but no answer had come.

She didn’t even know how the education system here worked, and now she had the title of top Academy graduate.

For the first time since she possessed this body, Pria felt overwhelmed by it.

She wished they’d fire her for giving a bad class—but even if they did, she’d still owe 300 gold in penalty fees.

Just as she was sinking into anxiety, a clear little boy’s voice reached her ears.

Pria instantly recognized who it was.

“I don’t wanna study! I wanna play!”

Sigh. She hadn’t even started yet, and she was already being rejected.

When she opened the door, Rubin’s whining became even louder.

“Young master. Today is your first class with your new tutor. It’s time for your lesson.”

“Rubin doesn’t wanna study!”

“Young master…”

“Everyone go away!”

He sat on the carpet with his chubby legs spread out.

His pouty lips and puffed-up cheeks made it very clear: No studying.

Romila glanced back at the new tutor.
She wondered if the young lady might be startled—but instead, she looked surprised in a very different way.

Wow. How is someone that pretty real?

Pria was amazed when she saw Rubin too.

Jet-black hair that sparkled in the morning sun, red eyes like a baby rabbit, and skin so pale it looked untouched by sunlight.

Seeing the symbol of the Bordel ducal family in person was breathtaking.

But there was something more.

The faint shadow of a dragon in his hair, the strange energy from his red eyes—he gave off an intense aura that was hard to explain.

Still, all that quickly faded when you saw Rubin’s soft, chubby appearance from head to toe.

Pria asked gently:

“Romila, is it okay if I call him just ‘Rubin’?”

“Since you’re his tutor, you may. The Duke himself gave permission.”

“Great. Then could you give us the room? I’d like to speak with Rubin alone.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I’ll talk to him gently.”

Pria smiled confidently at Romila, remembering her volunteer work at an orphanage back in high school.

Children often acted up more when surrounded by adults.

Back then, teachers would take kids somewhere quiet and talk to them one-on-one while making eye contact.

Rubin Bordel was the youngest child of the former Duke and Duchess, and the only younger brother of the current Duke.

He was just five years old.

He had grown used to people spoiling him, and he leaned on that kindness a little too much.

Once Romila and the other maids left, the room felt much emptier.

Rubin blinked his big eyes in confusion and stared at Pria.

“Hi there.”

“…”

“I’m Pria. I’ll be your new tutor.”

“…Nice to meet you.”

When Rubin gave a little bow, his round belly jiggled adorably.

That belly!

The unexpected cuteness hit Pria like a truck.

Though there were fancy chairs in the room, Pria sat on the floor across from him.

“You were playing with blocks?”

“Yup.”

“I like block games too.”

“Huh?”

Rubin tilted his head. He was starting to become curious about her.

His simple emotional shift made Pria chuckle.

“Rubin, do you not like studying?”

“Nope. It’s boring.”

“That’s fair. I don’t like studying either.”

“Really?”

“Yup. Does anyone really like studying?”

“Big brother likes it! He’s super smart!”

Of course he is. He’s the perfect sub male lead.

Not to mention, his swordsmanship is amazing. He could cut someone’s head off in one stroke…

Yikes.

Just thinking about Aiherr gave Pria chills.

She was suddenly grateful that her ending in the original story didn’t involve him chopping off her head.

In contrast, the boy in front of her was so pure and sweet, it was hard to believe he was the younger brother of the main villain.

“Just because your brother likes studying doesn’t mean you have to.”

“Wow!”

With just a few words, Rubin’s guard was completely down.

He wasn’t the type to be shy around strangers in the first place.

All the past tutors had forced classes from day one, insisting on rigid behavior and serious attitudes.

They had pushed Rubin hard, saying it was expected of someone in the Bordel family.

It was all too much for a small child.

Rubin had assumed Pria would be the same. But she wasn’t.

She never once said the words “study” or “lesson.”

Instead—

“Can I play with you?”

After five long years on this earth…

Rubin had finally met a real teacher.