CH 87

“Ma-madame Montmartre?” 

“Yes.”

I couldn’t hide my confusion as I looked at Damon who answered with a clear expression without hesitation. 

“You are Madame Montmartre?” 

I was so speechless that I dropped my finger which was pointing at Damon who had sat at the desk with a nonchalant face. 

“Yes, although it’s just a nickname.”

I had imagined a middle-aged woman whose head was arranged with fancy feathers when she was introduced to be a legendary tutor who made all the hoyden young ladies debut as a star in society. 

‘I didn’t think she would be a man.’ 

Well, there was no law that states a man couldn’t be a tutor, but he was a Marquis.

‘Why would a nobleman with such a high position be a tutor?’

I knew that tutoring children of aristocrats became a hobby-like job for retired scholars and wives who have nothing to do when their children become adults. 

“Aren’t you the Marquis?”

“That’s right.”

“Do you mean to say the Marquis is my tutor?”

“Do you not like me?”

“It’s not that I don’t like you.”

When I was about to ask, ‘Aren’t you too busy to become my tutor?’ Damon spoke first. 

“I was the third son of the former Marquis.”

“Pardon?”

“Tutoring was a pastime of mine while I was a scholar in the magic tower who had no thoughts of leading the family. It’s my only hobby.”

“I see. That was rude of me.”

If you say it that way.

I had no choice but to sit across from Damon. The smell of old trees wafted from the spacious sandalwood desk etched with a herringbone pattern. 

‘Come to think of it, it’s been a long time since I studied.’ 

I had visited Josef’s laboratory alone to study about Eredia, however, it’s been a long time since I studied with a teacher. 

I stared at Damon, who was sitting in an undisturbed position, with an odd feeling.

“I’m not that smart.”

“Hmm.” 

Damon scratched his chin at my words and glanced at my expression. As if he was assessing something, I shivered and rolled my eyes. 

The scent of white sandalwood, which I had always thought was the smell of my desk, was the scent of Damon’s aura. 

‘No matter how much I think about it, this aura was of knight Damon of Lagrange.’

At that time, I was so distracted that I couldn’t examine it closely, but now I can be certain. 

In the first place, thick auras like Damon’s scent of an old tree were not common. 

“Lady Anissa.”

“Yes.” 

“Last time, you said you know me, am I correct?” 

“I was mistaken.”

I shook my head in a coy reply. Whether he served as Derek’s knight or not, it was better to pretend not to know. 

If I unwittingly divulged myself and my abilities were exposed, I’d be thrown away. 

“Are you saying that you mistook me for someone else when you saw my face?” 

“Yes, because you had the same impression.”

“...Are you talking about me?”

I nodded hastily at Damon’s acerbic question. 

Of course, Marquis Damon and Damon, who was Derek’s knight, were strikingly handsome, but what else could I say?

“Yes.” 

“Is that so.”

“Yes.” 

“Then, let’s get started with our class. Today, let’s briefly review the history of the Bernoulli Empire.” 

I frowned at Damon’s attitude that seemed to take for granted that my learning of history would be a short one. 

Damon, who moistened his lips with the tea that the maid had brought, glanced at me.

“I know that Lagrange people don’t care much for books.”

“I don’t plan on staying in the capital for a long time. And yet you’re teaching me about history first?” 

Since it’s called Madame Montmartre’s short-term special lesson, I thought it would be a pointer lecture that would educate me on tactics and precautions needed in the social world. 

‘Are you saying I should pay a hefty sum for a history lesson?’

No matter how much Dorothea paid for it, it’s a waste of money. It’s a history book, I could have read it on my own.

“The history of the Bernoulli Empire is short, so even if we move on, the history of the continent spans over 5,000 years. I have no general knowledge of it.”  

“Those who forget history have no future.” 

I had no choice but to nod at Damon’s old-fashioned remark. 

‘Sure, I guess. Anyway, it’s not my money.’

“Moreover, the majority of the high social figures in the society are well-educated. There is even a culture in which even high-ranking nobles are ostracized if they neglect to learn.”

“Don’t you make grand speeches about history and politics in balls?”

At my question, Damon quietly set down his glass and stood up. He approached and leaned closely behind me. 

At the sight of a man’s shadow stretching out on the desk, I was frightened and held my breath.

‘What’s wrong with him? Is he angry?’

I wondered if I should call for security but he opened a book which I never opened. 

A long, fine finger swept over the print of the table of contents.

‘His hand is pretty.’

There was a magic that became famous due to a great thief, who used the impression of being pretty in order to scam people. 

‘I heard that masking magic can only be used on the face though.’ 

As if noticing that I was looking at his hand closely, Damon hastily withdrew his hand. He opened his mouth, his eyes trained on the open page where the table of contents was. 

“That is why it’s short-term.”

“Excuse me?” 

“There is no need to preach about history to anyone in society – is what I’m telling you.” 

He tapped the book with a long quill pen and smiled briefly.

“It’s a way of pretending that you know.”

“...Pretending?”

“Yes. I will teach you how to pretend you know about history, to pretend to have a deep knowledge of culture and art, and to pretend to observe old-fashioned manners.”

For a moment, I could see the feather decoration of Madam Montmartre above Damon’s head which I had imagined earlier. 

I clapped my hands at Damon who raised his chin elegantly.

“That’s my style. I like it.” 

“Since Her Majesty has officially approved the title of the Grand Duke of Lagrange, it takes about two months for the matter to pass the nobility council.”

‘It’ll take two months?’

“One month.”

“One month?”

“My short-term lectures are one month long. In one month, I will help you press down the noses of the southern nobles who had looked down on you, my lady.” 

“My lord, I mean, Teacher, aren’t you on Countess Dorothea’s side?”

“I am not on anyone’s side.”

I nodded at Damon’s cold words as if he drew a line. 

‘Well, I guess that means he goes back and forth between south and north.’ 

“However, I like people who are honest.” 

I tilted my head at Damon’s carefree remark. He soon added in a low voice. 

“So if you honestly answer whether you really know me or not, then I, too, will keep your secret.” 

“I d-don’t have any secrets or anything though?”

I stuttered in confusion at Damon’s sudden words. 

‘This man, what does he know?’

I tried to figure out what he was thinking by looking at his aura, however, his aura had become foggy as if it was concealed without a trace. 

I bit my tongue and made a puzzled expression, but he was observing me with one of his eyebrows raised. 

“You know my secret?”

“I’m just saying. You seemed extremely surprised. It looks like you really are hiding something.”

“Are you playing with me?”

“Yes.”

‘This man.’

I glared at him, controlling the anger that had risen in me. What’s the point of being polite only with words? He’s a man with a foul personality. 

“Your qualification as a teacher seems to be lacking seeing as you’re making fun of your student.”

“Anyway, I am just a lecturer who teaches you how to fit in society on a short-term basis.”

‘That’s right. There’s no way this person knows who I am.’

I wanted to limit his actions even by using my abilities but unlike the knight at Lagrange, his aura didn’t move at my disposal. 

‘Is he really a different person?’

“Of course, doesn’t everyone have at least one secret they can’t tell others? Something like that.”

‘The problem is that it’s the secret of my birth.’

I spoke in a composed tone. Whatever his identity was, hiding my identity was my priority. Because Dietrich didn’t know. 

“However, it won’t be an interesting secret for you, Teacher.”

“That’s not for the lady to judge.”

“Contrary to how you appear, you seem to be interested in other people’s secrets and have a perverted tendency.” 

“...What?” 

Damon’s polite expression was distorted for the first time. I smiled slightly at his dumbfounded expression and continued. 

“Ahem, it seems that Madam Dorothea purposely sent me a perverted teacher! Well, she never liked me in the first place.”

“Who’s the pervert?” 

There’s no way the courteous Marquis Damon would suddenly speak informally with me. 

I stopped talking and kept my mouth shut at the sudden bloodthirsty words coming from the window. 

“Did this bastard do anything to you?” 

Oh crap. 

I had meant to shut him up, not take his life.