Chapter 12
“Hmm... First, I feel rather uncomfortable bringing this up with an outsider, so I’d like to ask you to bear with me in advance.”
“Ah, yes. Whatever it is, I’m fine with hearing it, so please feel free to speak.”
I offered him words as tactfully as I could to ease his burden, then watched him tensely.
Kaide’s eyes were a vivid blue, but there was unmistakable hesitation and a hint of worry in them.
It seemed quite likely that what he wanted to tell me wasn’t a trivial matter, but something he was struggling with in his own way.
It must be rather difficult for him to talk about something like that with a complete stranger like me.
Of course, he’d already seen me at the audience ceremony when he turned fifteen, but the Mircania from back then wasn’t me, and now I was hiding my identity as Mircania.
In this strangely delicate relationship where we knew each other, yet were meeting for the first time, Kaide mulled things over for a moment before finally speaking.
“...I don’t know whether it’s because the Grand Duchess of Yermel died so young, or because I’ve fallen short somehow, but my son is too cynical, even though he observes proper manners.”
“That... I don’t think it could possibly be because you’ve fallen short. Have you ever talked with the young lord about it?”
I asked, just in case, and Kaide wore an inscrutable expression as he took a sip of tea.
“...I’ve tried to talk with him a few times, but I’m not very good at conversation, so it never led to a particularly successful outcome.”
“Hmm... In that case, I think the lack of communication may be the cause. If your conversations never go well, the two of you will only grow further apart.”
At my words, Kaide nodded as if acknowledging that might well be true, then quietly took a bite of a cookie.
“...I suppose you’re right. Miss Kana seems much better at talking than I am, so I think it would be far better to leave it to you.”
“...You’re too kind.”
I’d only calmly expressed my opinion as I saw it, so his reaction left me feeling rather strange.
Perhaps theories and ideas that seemed obvious to me—and had always seemed obvious in the modern world—might open up entirely new horizons for someone else.
“Sigh... I don’t think I have much of a talent for conversation. Miss Kana would be better at it than I am.”
“Ahaha... Still, everyone has their own strengths. Your Grace, you’ve made Karts safer than it was under any of its previous lords, and you’re the shield of the North, aren’t you?”
“Even so, that wasn’t something I accomplished alone, so I can’t claim it as one person’s achievement. It was a feat shared by our northern guards, our knights, and the great Guardian Dragon of the North.”
It seemed Kaide held the Guardian Dragon and the northern knights in high regard, speaking as if to honor their upright character.
Even in those few words, I could see how he made humility a virtue, despite holding a position where he could easily be arrogant and proud, and how he wanted to pass that quality on to his son and help him understand it.
That was probably why he was looking for a tutor now, hoping to make Aiden’s personality even a little kinder.
“And I don’t know what you might think of me from this, Miss Kana, but I’m not a particularly self-righteous person. Even if Aiden is my son, his life is his own.”
As I quietly drank my tea, Kaide continued speaking as though he were sharing his thoughts with me, rather than waiting for my answer.
“Still, I don’t want my son to go astray. He’s still young, so his personality may not stand out much yet, but who knows what he’ll be like if things continue this way?”
“That’s why I’m looking for a tutor: I hope Aiden will show kindness to those who approach him, rather than treating them harshly.”
It seemed Kaide was looking for a tutor because he wanted Aiden to grow into a warm person who treated everything and everyone with kindness, rather than living with his guard up and his barbs out.
So I nodded. I was more than willing to help fulfill that wish, and I also wanted Aiden to become the kind person Kaide hoped he would be.
“If that’s why you’re looking for a tutor... I’ll gladly do my best to help you fulfill that wish.”
Of course, it wasn’t certain yet that I’d be working as his tutor. We were speaking on the assumption that I got the job.
After all, I wanted to see the Aiden I knew come to life, rather than watch him become a sharp-edged person.
“This hasn’t been a long meeting, and I don’t think we’ve spoken for very long, Miss Kana, but... I believe you’ve shown me enough to earn my trust.”
“...Thank you for seeing me in such a favorable light. I also hope to find my own path here as a tutor, and to help you fulfill your wish, Your Grace. I’ve truly appreciated this conversation.”
Kaide smiled quietly at my words and nodded. I waited for him to speak again.
The soft clink of teacups and rustle of cookies filled the room for about two minutes before a voice broke the silence.
“...Miss Kana, you’re the first applicant, of course, and this is my first time conducting an interview like this, so my judgment may be inexperienced. But based on what you’ve shown me so far, I believe you’re someone I can trust.”
“...Is that so?”
At my question, Kaide calmly nodded, then looked at me once more and began to explain his thoughts.
“Yes. That’s why I’d like you to become the tutor to Aiden Kalinix, the eldest son of our Kalinix Grand Ducal House. I think you could teach my son what kindness is, Miss Kana.”
“Then what would my role involve? Both as a tutor and as one person dealing with another.”
Now that it seemed certain I’d be taking the job, I wanted to ask what I’d be expected to do as a tutor.
I needed to take responsibility for the work ahead and have at least some understanding of the role I’d be taking on.
As someone who always had to plan ahead, I couldn’t avoid feeling overwhelmed, but even a general idea of what he wanted would help me sort things out.
“First, I’d like you to do whatever you can to help Aiden become kinder. And teaching him basic etiquette and manners is also a priority.”
“Etiquette and manners... I can certainly teach him those. Is there anything else you’d like from me?”
“Hmm... This may be a little presumptuous of me, but I sometimes wonder if my son has come so close to going astray because I haven’t given him enough affection.”
“...Um, I don’t think that’s the case, but... sometimes we have to look at things more realistically and listen, rather than relying only on our own opinions.”
“So I... Ah, please don’t misunderstand me. I want Aiden to learn from you how to trust people and rely on them, too.”
To put it simply, Kaide seemed to hope that the affection he hadn’t been able to give his son—and the love Aiden had missed from one of his parents—might be something Aiden could find in me.
Even though I wasn’t his real parent, I could at least cherish him sincerely, grow close to him, and help him become kinder through that relationship.
Now that this world had become real for me and everyone else, I felt a little guilty about changing someone as I pleased for the sake of my own desires and life.
I might be erasing the possibility that Aiden could become someone different from the person I knew, with a personality unlike the one I remembered.
But I had to live.
I wanted to survive, and that was why...
I nodded, if only a little, at the question of whether I would set his course in this world according to my own desires.
“Yes. If that’s what you want... I’ll do everything I can.”
Kaide smiled and nodded, as if he hadn’t noticed the thoughts behind my answer—or as if he meant to prick my conscience.
It was certainly a warm smile, and though Kaide didn’t have a particularly gentle appearance, it still felt strangely incongruous.
Even so, it wouldn’t change my resolve in the end, so I nodded.
“Could you start... today? We’ll provide room and board. I think it would be good for you to meet my son and talk with him a little.”
“Um... You mean I’d be staying here from now on?”
Kaide simply nodded at my question and watched me intently, as though gauging my intentions. I nodded too.
Even though I was an outsider, I’d come here to work as a tutor, after all.
I trusted that he would treat me in a way that wouldn’t make me too uncomfortable, so I decided to show him that trust now and begin building mutual trust.