CH 13

“Wow…”

Although she had followed her with a bitter heart, the courtyard of the Empress’ Palace was jaw-droppingly beautiful. The lanterns embroidering the dark evening sky created a unique atmosphere.

As soon as she entered, the scent of fresh flowers filled her lungs, and the sound of the leaves rustling against each other in the evening breeze lingered in her ears.

“Isn’t it beautiful?”

“Yes, it’s very beautiful.”

“There is another charm in broad daylight.”

The Empress smiled with a proud face.

“It’s a place that His Imperial Majesty the First Emperor personally decorated for his wife. Maybe that’s why, I can feel the affection of the person who made it all over the garden.”

There was a small bench under a willow tree. The Empress beckoned and invited her to sit down.

“No one can enter without permission here. Even the Empress can’t step in recklessly.”

“It’s an honor to be invited to such a place.”

Eleanor, who sat down cautiously, looked around and said. She sincerely meant it this time. It was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen in her two lives.

A place that only special people can enter. A place where even members of the Imperial Family, except for the Emperor and the Empress, couldn’t go in and out without permission.

She didn’t know why she was in such a place, but anyway.

“Eleanor is wondering why I called you here, right?”

As if she knew everything about what she was thinking, the Empress laughed.

Eleanor quietly lowered her lashes and laid her hands on her lap.

“I was serious when I said I came and looked because I was curious. In fact, who isn’t curious about the Lady these days?”

Eleanor blushed at the Empress’ mischievous words.

“Duke Valentine, Young Marquis Blake. I was more interested in it because I had a deep relationship with the parents of the two. In particular, Kaidel is like a nephew to me.”

Eleanor gave her a small nod. She was well aware that the former Duchess Valentine and the Empress were close.

“In addition, my son and Lucas are very kind to the Lady. I’m kind of surprised. Izmel, he looks innocent on the outside, but in reality he is a child who doesn’t carelessly surround himself with people. Especially with a woman.”

“His Highness is a wise man. He’s cheerful.”

The Empress smiled pleasantly when Eleanor quickly raised Izmel.

“But it’s also true that I have something I wanted to ask for a favor from the Lady.”

“A favor…?”

“Lucas, help him get into the Academy.”

While Eleanor let her guard down for a moment, the Empress brought the main point. If she had been drinking tea, she might have spouted it out.

“I’m sure Eleanor knows, Lucas isn’t my child. He is the son of a consort who passed away the year before last.”

Eleanor’s eyes shook slightly. It was a fact she already knew, but she didn’t expect the Empress to bring up the story herself.

“I don’t hate him. Lucas is a cute kid. He’s also a bit pitiful. I care for him in my own way.”

The sound of willow leaves clashing against each other in the gentle breeze that blew filled the silence. It was an overly intimate story to share between people who had just met for the first time. Eleanor looked at the Empress with her calm eyes, hiding her bewilderment and tension.

‘Don’t be scared. After all, this is also parent counseling.’

Thinking it was something she’d done countless times already made her feel a little more at ease.

It has always been a common experience for parents to confide in personal matters other than their children’s problems. After being hired as an instructor to some extent, it became to the extent that she didn’t blink an eye at most stories.

Few people know as well as Eleanor that there are various types of families in the world, and that there are as many problems as the number of them.

“I know how this sounds, but I’ll be honest with Eleanor. The most important thing to me is Izmel. That’s why I can’t just look at Lucas, that kid, with a generous eye. I understand if you judge me as being selfish.”

“I didn’t judge it that way. How can I…”

As Eleanor waved her hand, the empress smiled softly. It was a somewhat sad looking face.

“Sometimes I feel relieved that Lucas isn’t outstanding, and I despise myself too. I know that he follows Izmel well, and I know that he is a kind and unselfish child, but…”

The Empress raised her head and gazed into the distance. A light shadow fell on her graceful and beautiful face.

“The Imperial Family is such a place. As long as Lucas is in the palace, he is a danger to Izmel. I want Lucas to be as far away from the Imperial Palace as possible.”

Only then did Eleanor, who had grasped the empress’ intentions, answered calmly.

“That’s why you want the Prince to go to the Academy.”

“Yes. At least for those years, Izmel will be able to solidify his footing here.”

The Empress, who nodded her head lightly, continued her words.

“Until now, it has pleased me that Lucas has no interest in academics. However, that fact became a stumbling block in order for him to advance to the Academy. It’s kind of funny, but…”

The Empress laughed bitterly. The contempt on her face for the moment was directed at herself and no one else.

“I think Eleanor can be a good teacher for Lucas. Lucas likes you, and I trust you too…”

The gazes of Eleanor and the Empress met in the air.

Eleanor gurgled, swallowing her dry saliva. Even as she eagerly anticipated what the Empress would say, she became nervous again.

“Eleanor, would you mind if I trusted you and asked you to do this?”

***

She’s doomed. It’s all ruined.

She doubted she would have the guts to refuse to do what the Empress asked, revealing the bottom of herself. Eleanor nodded her head as if she was possessed.

As a token of gratitude and trust, the Empress gave her a permit plaque that allowed her to freely enter and exit any part of the Imperial Palace.

Since only five people in the Empire were allowed, it was literally like having the Empress behind her back on her way to success.

“I don’t need anything like this…”

Eleanor let out a deep sigh as she was fiddling with a wooden plaque with an albatross pattern, the symbol of Bellium.

She really didn’t have any greed. Of course, there was quite a bit, but she was a very cute and conscientious greedy person who didn’t go beyond common sense.

What’s wrong with being born as a daughter of a rich family, and trying to live a life of ease and laziness?

In fact, most noble ladies lived like that. The fact that she feels guilty for that fact must mean that she hasn’t yet completely freed herself from the spirit of worker ant from her previous life.

“Those who have spent money do it well, and so do those who have played well.”

There must be an input in order to have an output, yet Eleanor had only memories of studying, working, and being exploited for the rest of her life. The more she thought about it, the more unfortunate she felt it was. Is the worker ant of the previous life still a worker ant even after being reincarnated?

Eleanor, who was accustomed to sitting at the desk and flipping through books, grumbled.

“Hmph, I can live a very dissolute and lazy life if I put my mind to it.”

She just hasn’t made up her mind yet.

On a warm island, she will only lead a happy life with handsome men from the north, south, east, west, and spend a wonderful day doing things and so on. One day, definitely.

However, for the time being, she will continue to live as a worker ant again. It was because she would be in charge of Lucas, Damian, and Sienna’s classes from next week.

Eleanor asked the Empress to allow Sienna and Damian to take lessons together. Anyway, it was because it seemed like a business that made her feel comfortable.

“It’s not even a year. Because the exam is in winter. I can afford that much. I can play anytime.”

Eleanor’s eyes never moved away from the book even as she carefully planned a lazy and dissolute future. To present diagnostic evaluation questions for her first class.

“No computer, no printer. It’s terrible.”

She only made about ten questions, yet her hands were tingling.

It was terrifying to have to do this over and over again for a while. There were no workbooks that could be used as reference materials here, thus the price was doubled. She didn’t do this with such sincerity when she taught Dwight, but as long as they were paying tuition fees, Eleanor had to give her students the best service possible.

However, since she has been searching through books for the first time in a while and giving problems, she feels a strange sense of satisfaction.

The sound of the tip of the pen nib meeting the paper, book pages flipping over, and the faint smell of paper made her mind at ease.

Eleanor, with her hair tied up in a ponytail, was accustomed to underlining, marking it with asterisks, and adding explanations from time to time. The more she concentrated, the clearer her mind became, and everything became clearer.

“It’s done.”

Twenty questions per subject. It’s not a lot, but she was exhausted after going through more than ten books.

Outside the bright window, there was a deep darkness. Wherever her gaze went, she saw that the maid had left the wall lamp on.

She hates to admit it, but it was a sense of accomplishment she hadn’t felt in a long time.

“There is nothing wrong with the old saying. Not that the saying ‘old habits die hard’ just came out of nowhere.”

Eleanor felt a faint sense of self-doubt and began rubbing her sore shoulders.

Then Lucas’s invitation, which had been thrown roughly in the corner of her desk, caught her eye.

[Lady Alanore Avorett.] 

It was as if she could see the round back of Lucas’ head, who must have written each word.

Eleanor picked it up and put it away in the drawer.

[As long as Lucas is in the palace, he is a danger to Izmel.]

Then she suddenly remembered what the Empress had said yesterday.

Eleanor understood her words. He was the Second Prince, whether he wanted it or not, he was an existence that had no choice but to be the object of check by the Crown Prince.

The reality was that even if she herself didn’t show her greed, she was regarded as a replacement for those who didn’t agree with the Crown Prince.

Eleanor understood, too, that she couldn’t equally love the child born by her stomach and the child born by her husband’s concubine. If she had said that she loved them equally, Eleanor would have been more suspicious of her.

She understands everything, but…

“Why do I feel like I’m doing bad things to the Prince?”

Eleanor’s face darkened.

Going to the Academy in itself wasn’t a bad thing for Lucas. There, he could have various experiences, and it was also suitable for expanding his network. When he came of age, he would leave the palace with his title and fiefdom, and even then his time at the Academy would be a good asset.

However, she was worried that it was the Empress who requested it, and that the reason was to keep Lucas in check.

There wasn’t the slightest trace of malice on his face, even that of a boy who was full of his playfulness. The eyes looking up at Izmel, saying “Brother, Big Brother” were full of affection, yearning, and pride.

When she thought of Lucas, her mouth felt stuffy as if she had just swallowed sand.

“…Let’s not mind. I’m just a private tutor, and I just have to do my best in my work.”

There is nothing like simple labor to get rid of idle thoughts.

Eleanor tapped her cheeks lightly and picked up the pen again. Now it was her turn to copy three of the exam papers.

For a long time after that, the light in Eleanor’s room hadn’t been turned off.

She was about to return to being a worker ant perfectly.