CH 46

For a while, the strange murderous intent tormented Lockhart. 

He decided to give up his cruel thoughts.

‘She’s the child who will die anyway.’

He didn’t even have to get his hands dirty.

‘That’s why… right now.’

It was best to teach in moderation and leave after three days with a plausible reason for not being able to take care of the child.

He faced Clarisse across the table.

The child with the pen was still staring at him with high expectations.

“Um, shall we look at the handwriting? I want you to write down all your names first.” 

As he does with all children, he started class by checking the handwriting.

“Yes, teacher.”

Clarisse moved the pen with a clicking sound.

[Clarisse Lennon Grezekaia.]

‘Ah, so it’s true,’ said Lockhart, looking down at the last text the child had written.

Even if it wasn’t so, it seemed that somewhere in his heart, which had been distorted ever since his brother’s death, was tightening up to make it even more painful.

“Teacher?” 

As he stared at the letter, Clarisse cautiously called him over as if she were worried. 

“No, now… Should we write down your brother’s name?”

The words that came out after that came almost impulsively.

“Yes?” 

The child looked at him in surprise for a moment, as if this were an unexpected request.

“Why, don’t you know?”

Lockhart asked the child with his usual kind smile, and the child shook her head. 

“I know, but….” 

He knew why the child was slurring the end of her words.

To him, he was a murderer-like Prince, but to the child, he was the only sibling. 

It would have been very painful to write the name of a brother who had been executed in front of her eyes. 

Imagining the pain of the child, Lockhart felt extreme pleasure.

It was the first feeling he felt in his life.

“I’m glad I didn’t ask something you don’t know. Write it down slowly.” 

Clarisse hesitated for a moment, but eventually did as he asked and wrote down the name.

“Good job. Should we write your mother’s name now?”

“M, mother?”

“I’m a teacher, so shouldn’t I know anything about the students I teach?”

The woman’s name written down by the child didn’t include the name of Grezekaia.

“Your mother must have died without a wedding ceremony, right?”

“I don’t know much about my mother’s situation. Except that she liked my father very much…” 

He took the pen to the paper Clarisse had been writing on and wrote the name of Grezekaia’s last queen.

“She was the daughter of a high aristocrat. Do you know what that means?”

“N, no.” 

The child replied with a terrified face.

“It means that there is a high probability that the queen will step in and kill your mother. You know, right?” 

After smiling, he drew a line on her mother’s name, which Clarisse wrote down.

At the same time, some of the paper was torn a little by the open pen tip.

“….” 

Now, Clarisse just stared down at the spot where her mother’s name had been written.

Even though she looked like she was going to cry from being hurt, Lockhart wasn’t satisfied.

His resentment could barely be resolved to this extent.

Didn’t he lose his most precious brother?

He had to make it even more painful.

Lockhart had been uncomfortable with classes with Clarisse until just a moment ago, but now he began to look forward to the three days he would spend with the child.

“…Teacher.” 

The child, who slowly blinked her large amber eyes, barely raised her head.

It seemed that she was barely holding back her tears.

“Hmm? Do you have any questions?”

He pretended not to know and kindly asked questions.

“Teacher’s teaching… I think you are trying to hurt me.”

He smiled lightly at the words of the child, who pronounced them clearly, as if suppressing her emotions.

Fortunately, he thought it was going very well as he intended.

“Really? Why are you taking it so sensitively?”

“That’s…” 

“A family connected by blood is no different than the ground on which you stand.”

He started preaching on his own without even listening to Clarisse’s thoughts.

“So, if no one else knows, shouldn’t you? What kind of ground are you standing on? And how unfairly your mother died.”

“….” 

“Because no one else will know if it’s not you.”

Clarisse bit her lip.

“I’m sorry if you told me the truth that you didn’t like your own mother very much and you didn’t even want to know. I shouldn’t have interfered….” 

“No! I like her!” 

Before he could finish his words, Clarisse hurriedly responded. 

“I have very few memories of my mother, but I like her. She gave birth to me.”

“Yes, you must be glad to know more about your mother today. Right? Even though it’s not good news.”

“…Yes.”

“I’m glad you know now. Don’t you think so?”

“T, that’s right.”

“I have a lot to teach you about your country in the future. It is, of course, included in world history.”

Clarisse nodded her head with a firm face.

For the next hour, Lockhart continued his relatively normal class.

* * *

The Duchess was standing in front of the door when Clarisse came out of class.

She had a very nervous face as if she was taking a class.

Clarisse recalled the story that Mallang told her yesterday.

After a long struggle, her first class was completed, so it must have been very nerve-wracking.

Clarisse really liked the Duchess’ kind heart.

“Clarisse, how was it? Did you enjoy the class?”

Clarisse nodded quickly, not wanting to disappoint the Duchess, who asked the question with a twinkle in her eyes.

“Yes, I learned history and math.”

Although she felt scared of the teacher when she learned about history—.

It was because Clarisse always felt uncomfortable whenever she thought of her family. 

When she wrote the name of her brother who had been bullying her, it was hard because she remembered his scary threat, saying, ‘I’ll kill you when you turn 12.’ 

And when she heard the story about her mother’s death… her heart hurt as if it would break, but thinking about it, the teacher was right.

Who will know if Clarisse herself doesn’t know her mother well?

‘I am too sensitive. Above all, he taught me very kindly after that. So it’s okay.’

Clarisse suppressed her uncomfortable feelings and smiled even brighter.

“I think the teacher is very, very good!”

* * *

“It’s so strange.”

After sending Clarisse out to play with Noah in the garden, Brielle went back and forth slowly in the hallway and fell into deep thought.

So, it was strange.

Clarisse’s reaction when she asked how the class was.

‘It looked somehow awkward.’

However, it was impossible to answer confidently if she asked her what was strange with a pinch.

Therefore, she couldn’t ask any more when the child said, “He’s very good,” and just nodded.

But no matter how much she thought about it, the uneasy feeling in her heart didn’t go away. 

“Brielle.”

As she went back and forth down the hallway three times, she heard a voice calling her from behind. It was Maximilian.

“Duke.”

After Brielle’s identity was revealed, their relationship became much closer.

However, there has rarely been any further progress in the relationship to the extent that they have become comfortable talking to each other.

‘Well, it would be difficult for the Duke to make progress with a woman like me….’

Brielle stood toward Maximilian, holding back her bitter thoughts.

“Are you just coming back now?”

“Yes, how was Clarisse’s first class?”

“Well, first of all, Clarisse said she liked the teacher very much.”

“That’s a relief. I was worried.”

Brielle suddenly had a wild thought, ‘It feels like a real family to have this conversation.’ but she put it down quickly.

Of course, from then on, she didn’t tell Maximilian what she had randomly guessed.

She’s worried that she is only causing misunderstandings with hasty speculation.

“What do you think, Brielle?”

“Y, yes?”

“I’m asking because you seem to be worried about something. If I’m wrong…” 

“No.” 

Brielle fiddled with the hem of her clothes for no reason.

She thought she was good at hiding her feelings because she grew up as a maid, but it seemed that wasn’t enough.

“For some reason, Clarisse seemed uncomfortable… I’m sorry. Maybe I just pointed it out on my own.”

“If your observations are not wrong, there is no reason for us to insist on that teacher.”

“But, Duke.” 

Brielle clasped her hands together as if in trouble.

“It took us a really long time to meet Mr Lockhart. I don’t want to deprive Clarisse of a precious educational opportunity because of my momentary misunderstanding.”

“Just in time…I mean, that problem will be solved now.”

“What?”

The Duke took a letter out of his arms and showed it.

The king’s seal was attached.

“His Highness has finally answered my last request. Although it is different from the direction I asked for, it will be better this way.”

He held out a letter to Brielle.

She hesitated whether she dared to read the king’s letter and then opened it carefully.