He thought that Luke might be more sensitive about Elodie’s maid than about other matters.

“Anyway, since you’re here, stay for a night and leave around lunchtime tomorrow.”

“Just a moment!”

But it couldn’t end like this.

Judging by the situation, it seemed that Bentley and Bonita hadn’t become close.

At this rate, there would be no opportunity to intervene until he made an excuse to visit again. Moreover, the chance to contact Aria naturally would disappear.

Before that happened, he had to somehow get someone into the Duke’s mansion.

“Aren’t you curious about the child’s education? I heard earlier that there’s no live-in tutor or nanny in the mansion.”
When the conversation turned to Bonita, Luke, who was about to turn around, stopped in his tracks.

“Yeah, I was about to ask you about that.”

“Is that so?”

Oliver inwardly cheered.

“Since we already have two children in our house, although Bonita is a girl and the specific subjects may differ from Bentley and Morgan, the basic content is similar, isn’t it?”

Luke nodded.

Subjects like language, mathematics, foreign languages, and various liberal arts were not particularly gender-specific, as they were essential for young nobles in the kingdom.

“I’ll introduce you to a good home tutor. Even if they didn’t graduate from the Imperial Academy, it’s okay if they are a noble graduate. They should be able to teach Bonita well.”

“…Is that so.”

Coincidentally, the conditions for the desired home tutor matched perfectly.

Noble origin from the Aleph Kingdom, a university graduate, and on top of that, a recommendation from an acquaintance.

However, there was still something to check.

“Is it a woman?”

“Oh, the person I was going to introduce first is a man…”

Upon hearing that it was a man, Luke’s interest waned rapidly.

Oliver hurriedly grabbed him.

“But he’s genuinely a good teacher! Since he’s not a live-in tutor or a governess, it shouldn’t be a problem even if he’s a male teacher!”

“It feels uncomfortable.”

“It’s not uncomfortable at all! He’s an outstanding person in terms of skills.”

“…Fine.”

Under continued persuasion, Luke reluctantly nodded.

“Anyway, Bonita’s opinion is the most important.”

To assess whether the child and the tutor’s personalities match, he planned to have a few short lessons.

The final decision would be left to Bonita herself. If she didn’t like it, they could look for another home tutor.

Oliver stayed at the Duke’s mansion throughout but couldn’t meet Aria until the end.

She didn’t step outside her room, not even for a moment.

The room, which included a bathroom and toilet, was literally almost never opened. Anyway, it was not appropriate for a grown man to casually open the door of a room with a lady and a child.

“Finally, he’s leaving.”

Aria, who was looking out the window, murmured.

The carriage with the emblem of the Delphinium author stopped at the Duke’s mansion main gate, crossed the garden, and passed through the front door.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Aria stood up.

Her steps were cheerful as she opened the door and went out. At that moment, the footsteps of the two people overlapped.

It was Luke and Bonita.

“Aria! Are you all better?”

Worried, Bonita, who fell for the lie that she was sick, rushed over.

On the other hand, Luke, looking at her perfectly fine face, thought, “For someone who was supposedly ill, her complexion is very good. Was it just a pretense?”

“It seems quite good for someone who was supposedly sick. Was it a feigned illness?”

“I wouldn’t do that. I guess the rest was just effective rest.”
Aria put on an impassive expression and smiled.

“It’s a shame that I couldn’t greet you properly when the Delphinium author visited, especially when I happened to be sick.”

“…Is there a reason to greet me?”

Huh?

Aria, who had just made an excuse, looked puzzled at Luke’s narrowed forehead.

Even in that brief moment, his red eyes were piercing Aria as if demanding an explanation.

“But what do I need to explain?”

She hadn’t done anything wrong.

Since it was also challenging to ignore his intense gaze, Aria scratched her cheek and awkwardly looked away.

“Well… there’s nothing wrong with exchanging greetings, right? At least for now, he’s Bonita’s little father….”

“Not just because of friendship?”

“Friendship?”

Aria’s eyes widened.

Luke interpreted it somehow, and he clicked his tongue. It was clear that he spoke loudly on purpose.

“Never mind. I don’t understand what your intentions are.”

“What? What intentions?”

“Obviously…”

Luke, who was about to continue, stopped when Bonita’s hand pulled the edge of his clothes.

Bonita shouted, “It’s not good to say bad things!”