Chapter 22 Language Lesson
Translator: Tseirp
There was no word from the royal family.
Was it because they couldn’t admit that a commoner woman defeated His Highness the Prince? I would appreciate it if they let the matter pass with his excuse that he fell on his own. He tangled with me first, but I rather keep the peace.
At that time, my assistant job was put on hold for the time being.
Mr. Bernard fell off the stepladder while trying to retrieve a book on the top shelf of the bookshelf and broke his dominant arm. It was fortunate that Lady Eva was there.
“I’m sorry, Victoria. Uncle will be recuperating at my house until he recovers. Would you like to work at my house during that time? I’ll pay you the same amount as my uncle.”
“What would I do at Lady Eva’s house?”
“I would like you to be my son’s language tutor.”
A tutor for a noble boy? Why? Seeing my puzzled look, Lady Eva explained.
“Actually, my only son is 12 years old, but he’s not good at foreign languages. Of course, I hired tutors, but we’re not getting any results at all. I’d like to ask you since you are fluent in four languages. My husband just mentioned, ‘Why don’t we change a tutor?’. Your assistant job will be on hold for a while, so please consider it.”
“Any other tutor would be…”
“My husband said you might be a good choice. If you’re proficient enough to be a historian’s assistant, you should be able to tutor children. I’m sure you’re capable of it.”
I was overwhelmed by Lady Eve’s spirit.
“I have Nonna, and compared to a professional tutor… I am self-taught.”
“Oh, please bring Nonna with you. I think Clark will be happy because he is an only child. You’re even more amazing if you mastered the language that way. Your Ashberian is perfect.”
Even with that said, it was a worrying factor to bring Nonna along to interact with a nobleman’s child.
“Could you please allow me to consider for a while?”
“Please do. I’ll expect a good answer.”
Let’s ask Nonna first. That child is my number one priority.
“It’s fine if Vicky is with me.”
“But I’m worried about Nonna.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“But it will be with a noble boy?”
“Don’t worry.”
“Really? Then, if there’s anything you don’t like or are afraid of, will you promise to tell me?”
“Okay.”
In that case, I visited Lady Eva’s mansion to agree. Count Anderson’s mansion was gorgeous and large.
First of all, I visited Mr. Bernard, but Mr. Bernard was depressed. He must have been in pain too, but it seemed that falling from his stepladder made him aware of his physical decline, which he was struggling to come to terms with mentally.
“I’m sorry for this sudden turn of events, Victoria. I’ll ask you to help me again when my broken bones are healed.”
“Thank you very much, Mr. Bernard. For now, please concentrate on healing your injuries.”
My chest hurt when I saw Mr. Bernard’s state of unwell. For someone like me, who doesn’t know her grandparents, Mr. Bernard is something of a ‘favorite grandpa’, although I’m too afraid to say it out loud.
Master Clark was a red-haired boy with freckles and a slender figure. I thought a twelve-year-old boy would be more unruly, but he seemed well-behaved. He looked nervously at me and Nonna with his green eyes and said hello.
“Hello. I’m Clark Anderson.”
“Hello. My name is Victoria Sellers. This child is Nonna. From now on, Nonna will come with me. Nice to meet you.”
“I’m Nonna.”
Master Clark also bowed his head to Nonna. I heard that he was the only child of an aristocrat, so I was worried that he would be difficult, but he seemed obedient.
“Lady Eva asked me to teach you Hagglese and Randalian.”
“Can Victoria speak both?”
“Yes. Languages are my hobby. I am proficient enough for daily conversations.”
“I … I feel like my brain gets all jumbled up so I’m not good with foreign languages. My father is the Minister of Foreign Affairs, so he tells me I must learn Hagglese and Randalian, but I can’t learn them at all. Besides, exercise, I’m also not good at it. There’s nothing I’m good at.”
He seemed to have very low self-esteem.
“I would like to know what classes you have taken so far, so could you show me your notebook?”
Master Clark brought me a notebook from his desk.
The notebook was lined with meticulous letters, and it seemed that he was making an effort because he repeatedly practiced spelling. However, after reading the content, I was certain.
Grammar was included in the class from the beginning. A method of teaching literary masterpieces while explaining grammar. It appears efficient but does not consider the pain of the learner. The method doesn’t allow for mistakes. On the contrary, I don’t care about mistakes, and it’s faster and more fun to use and learn it. If they’re wrong, they can just be corrected.
“Okay. Let’s start with my method. What is your favorite thing, Master Clark?”
“What do I like?”
“I, for one, like cooking and exercise.”
Hmm, Master Clark thought. Let’s ask Nonna.
“What do you like, Nonna?”
“Books. And training!”
When Nonna answered so, Master Clark asked, “Training?” with a puzzled look.
“Climbing high walls. Climbing trees. Spinning in the air!”
I smiled wryly at Nonna who spoke proudly.
“What’s that? Can you show me?”
“OK!”
Nonna looked at me. I nodded and Nonna took a few steps on the floor before performing her forward somersault. She executed it prettily, but next time I’ll let her wear trousers instead of a skirt.
“That’s amazing for a girl.”
“It’s because I’m a girl. I have to be able to escape on my own when I’m attacked by bad adults. Being able to do this will come in handy…I heard from my self-defense teacher.”
“Ooh.”
A spark of curiosity was born in Master Clark’s eyes, which had no emotion. All right, he’s hooked.
“So what are you interested in, Master Clark?”
“I want to receive training like Nonna!”
I thought you would say that. I need to be careful not to let him get hurt, but learning words while moving your body is efficient from personal experience.
“Okay. Let’s start with Randalian. It can get confusing if you learn two languages at the same time.”
Since if that were the case, Nonna would be able to join.
“Well then, let’s start with the warm-up exercises. From now, I will give instructions in the order of Ashberian and Randalian. Learn by listening. We’ll learn the spelling after training so you can memorize them within the same day.”
“Okay!”
Beginning with warm-up exercises, what he’ll learn today is ‘stretch your arms’, ‘spread your legs’, ‘rotate your arms widely’, ‘jump high’, ‘run fast’, ‘place both hands on the floor’, and ‘look forward’.
My goal today is to have him memorize these seven phrases.
I said ‘stretch your arms’, ‘stretch your arms’, in Ashberian followed by Randalian, and stretched my arms at the same time. That was how I memorized the words. The only way to see if my method is suitable for Master Clark is to actually try it.
Nonna seems to be interested in the language class, and while exercising and reciting Randal words aloud together, Master Clark also resolutely worked hard. Having a younger girl learn together seems to stimulate a boy’s pride. Good good.
We padded the floor with cushions to prevent injury. It wasn’t presentable to my employer, but luckily Lady Eva seemed to be busy.
After learning seven phrases by ear and body, Master Clark was able to remember the spellings perfectly. Surprisingly, Nonna was able to too. Halfway through my class, I had asked Master Clark to lend Nonna his shorts and a string in place of a belt.
I was worried that Nonna would get confused since I was in the middle of teaching her how to read and write Ashberian little by little, but she replied “it’s okay”. Recently, I think that this child is unexpectedly strong-willed.
Master Clark seemed to be having fun while wiping his sweat and his eyes were sparkling when he remembered everything.
“Ms. Victoria! I have never had such a fun language class before!”
“That’s good. Let’s do our best in the next class. However, Master Clark should stop doing somersaults because your mother will be worried.”
“I won’t tell my mother! So please let me do it too!”
Seeing him made me want to let him continue. Well, as long as I assist him properly. I hope this young boy, who seemed to be sensitive both physically and mentally, will have at least one aspect to be confident in.
It was the beginning of a really fun jo