Chapter 19
“Hmm...”
Quietly, I stood on the second-floor terrace of the mansion and gazed out the window for a moment.
Since my role was to be Aiden’s tutor, I’d expected to have all sorts of things to do, but surprisingly, there wasn’t all that much on my first day.
That left me wondering what I should do now.
Aiden was taking swordsmanship lessons, so there wasn’t anything I could directly help with.
In the first place, I’d come here from another world without any abilities, in Mircania’s body...
...Mircania?
“...Hmm.”
Come to think of it, I was a dragon, wasn’t I?
I’d been so intent on pretending to be harmless and keeping a low profile here that, at some point, I’d started to think of myself as powerless.
Even though I was actually Mircania, also known as the Guardian Dragon of the North, my act had somehow become my true self.
“...Miss Kana? What are you doing here?”
“Eek?!”
Grab-
Startled by the sudden voice behind me, I cried out, and Kaide covered my mouth and made a quiet shushing gesture.
“If you shout like that, you’ll startle the other maids and butlers.”
‘No, but why did Your Grace have to sneak up on me like that? I wouldn’t have screamed if you hadn’t!’
...I wanted to say that right away, but my mouth was covered, and I was nothing but a tutor, so I couldn’t very well say such things to Kaide.
I pressed those thoughts down inside and slowly exhaled. As if he’d felt my breath, Kaide took his hand away from my mouth.
Slide-
“Ugh... Haa... W-why did you do that...?”
“Ah, well... I wasn’t trying to startle you. You were leaning against the terrace, quietly looking at the garden, so I was wondering what you were doing here.”
Kaide smiled as he spoke, as if he truly had no ulterior motive and was simply curious about what I was doing here.
“Um... The young master went off to his lessons, and I couldn’t think of much to do in the meantime.”
“...Why don’t you go to the market, or perhaps somewhere in the domain? You may have been putting it off, since you probably have plenty of time around this hour... but there’s quite a lot to see in Karts’s bustling district.”
“...Am I allowed to leave the Grand Duke’s residence?”
At my question, Kaide tilted his head as he looked at me for a moment, then smiled.
“Haha... Did you perhaps not know?”
“Uh... I came here as a tutor, so I thought I was supposed to wait here. Was I wrong?”
Since I wanted to ask him the same thing, I asked Kaide. He only gave an awkward smile before slowly speaking to me.
“Well, although you did come here as a tutor, Miss Kana, there’ll be plenty of times when you have nothing to do. While Aiden is taking swordsmanship lessons, or when he meets with children from other noble families, and so on.”
As Kaide continued, as if he meant to explain everything step by step, I met his eyes and quietly focused on the conversation.
Even little gestures and eye contact like this could show consideration and respect for others. That was what mattered most in human relationships.
“And during those times, I try to ensure that the people I employ have the best possible conditions for rest. I also like to give them time to pursue their hobbies.”
“Do you have any examples...?”
“An example... It’s a little unusual, but Miss Melia, the head maid, goes out to the bustling district on weekdays when she has free time and buys various cosmetics or perfumes.”
“Cosmetics and perfume... Those sound like exactly the sort of things girls around her age would be interested in.”
“Yes, and Mr. Miguel enjoys tending the garden, so he sometimes buys various shears or flower seeds.”
As I listened with interest, since they all seemed to have such varied hobbies, Kaide stared intently at me.
“Hmm... Miss Kana, do you have any hobbies like that? Do you buy cosmetics, perfume, or things like that, like Miss Melia?”
“Uh... I’m not sure. I don’t really buy cosmetics. The other day, I only got some perfume and wore it because I was coming here for the interview.”
“Then what is your hobby, Miss Kana? We’ve talked a few times, and now even the way we address each other has become a little more familiar, but I don’t think we’ve talked about that sort of thing.”
“Hmm... A hobby...”
What could I call my hobby?
Cooking? No, I’d never cooked in this body.
Then again, I’d never exercised at all, either in this body or in my previous life.
Maybe something casual like badminton, but I’d never done strength training or worked out at a gym.
Then what could it be?
“Nothing... I can’t think of anything right off the bat...”
“Then what do you like, Miss Kana?”
“Things I like...”
What did I like...?
That was something I could answer easily, since it hadn’t changed much between this body and my past life.
“I like drinking tea or coffee. Especially when I can have a leisurely conversation with someone, and I... um...”
I’d thought I could easily say what I liked.
After all, I knew myself better than anyone.
But the words wouldn’t come, as if something were blocking me from saying what I liked, and I was a little flustered.
A little, no.
Quite a lot, actually.
“I think that’s enough... Miss Kana, I believe you should set aside plenty of time just for yourself, too. Even if it isn’t for self-improvement.”
“...Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”
“No matter how much you say you value your role as a tutor, Miss Kana, you’re still a person in your own right, with a life of your own. So why not take a moment to look inward, too?”
Kaide offered me that suggestion, but I couldn’t readily agree. I simply turned his words over in my mind in silence.
Right now, I was too busy thinking about how to twist the fate that awaited me to focus on finding what I liked.
And I was too busy thinking about the pressure to survive closing in on me, my obligations, and the role I had in this world.
But put another way, perhaps I was too deeply absorbed in those things. Even people who didn’t know what I was fixated on could tell at a glance that my attention was elsewhere.
In that case, it occurred to me that maybe I should take some time to address those things, if only to avoid arousing suspicion.
“Yes, if you put it that way... I’ll think carefully about a hobby that suits me.”
“No, I think you should find a hobby you can truly enjoy, Miss Kana, not one that suits you. After all, hobbies exist to be enjoyed.”
I couldn’t say anything to Kaide as he said that.
I couldn’t readily agree with him as I was now, but it would also be difficult to tell him I disagreed.
All I could do, and all I could manage, was nod and smile as if to thank him for saying that to me.
“So take your time thinking about it. You seem far too impatient right now.”
“...I suppose that would be best. Time takes care of most things, after all.”
At least, it probably wouldn’t be a serious problem right now.
“In any case, perhaps we should move on to another topic. Miss Kana, do you happen to enjoy dry topics?”
“What sort of dry topics do you mean?”
I could proudly say I was the sort of person who’d lived a fairly boring life, so Kaide’s question actually piqued my interest even more.
After all, if he was the same sort of person as me, I thought we might get along quite well.
“Well, things like political affairs, which are always treated as grown-ups’ business, or the well-being of the region.”
“I’m not uninterested in things like that. In fact, I prefer them to trivial gossip.”
At my words, Kaide smiled as if he rather liked that.
He, too, presented himself as a rather serious-minded person.
Though, from my perspective, he seemed incredibly considerate and thoughtful.
“Then that’s quite a relief. Would you care to take a walk? There are nice walking paths around the garden and the mansion, and I’d like to talk as we stroll.”
“Thank you for the offer. I’d be glad to, too, so let’s do that, Your Grace.”
Since I had nothing to do at the moment, I smiled and accepted his offer.
At least, it didn’t seem like this brief stretch of time would be boring.