Feeling a bit uncomfortable at his probing tone, Hindley, unlike when dealing with regular knights, where he didn’t need to explain himself, introduced himself.

“I’m someone who came with an introduction from Delphinium Jasper.”

“An introduction from the Jasper?”

“If you have a letter of introduction?”

“Is a letter of introduction necessary?”

“Not because I don’t trust the teacher, but it’s a necessary verification process. Please cooperate with it.”
Hindley rummaged through his belongings slowly, adopting a nonchalant attitude.

Dalton’s irritation surged. Seeing the carriage without a family crest, it wasn’t from a high-ranking noble or even the successor of a lower-ranking one. At best, the person might belong to the gentry class, but even then, the sight was not particularly pleasant. However, it was merely keeping proper manners due to Delphinium Jasper’s introduction.

‘Why did Oliver introduce such a guy?’

Come to think of it, Oliver had an unusually poor judgment of people for a long time.

People around him either betrayed him, got involved in unsavory affairs, or, after making a mistake, tried to pin it on the good Oliver. They did all this without any gratitude.

Perhaps that man was in a similar category.

“Ahem! Well, here it is. Please come and check it.”

“Yes, understood.”

Dalton, grinding his teeth internally, received the paper handed by the young gentleman.

‘If the letter of introduction is fake, I won’t let it slide.’

He unfolded the paper.

There, Oliver’s unmistakable signature and a recommendation as a family teacher were written in clear handwriting.

Dalton’s expression became subtle.

‘A family teacher? This guy?’

Judging by his attitude, he thought the person might be a merchant or involved in royal management, but a family teacher? There was only one child in this household who needed a family teacher.

“Is there a problem?”

When Dalton stayed silent for a while, Hindley asked.

Dalton quickly composed his expression.

“No, please come in.”

Even if he felt puzzled, the other party had come as a family teacher with Oliver’s introduction.

Pointing out his qualifications would be a clear overstepping.

‘He seems like a quite unfortunate guy in many ways.’

Still, who knows?

If Oliver recommended him, he might be teaching all of Delphinium Jasper’s children.

In that case, he would certainly have at least the basic skills. It’s not like skill and character were inversely proportional.

‘Well, he may seem like a guy with a lot of bad luck, though.’

Still, you never know.

If he really lacked the qualifications, the duke would probably dismiss him without hesitation.

So, Dalton had nothing to worry about. He closed the open gate and resumed guarding the front of the Lysianthus Duke’s residence with a free face.

“So, you are the family teacher recommended by Oliver?”

“Yes… Yes!”

Hindley faced the duke in a tense state.

Although he pretended to be calm on the outside, inside, he was screaming.

‘Is this for real?!’

He thought the rumors were exaggerated.

But… it was much more overwhelming than he had imagined. It surpassed all expectations, an imposing presence.
The ominous rumors about dark magic and bloodthirsty creatures circulating were not baseless.

‘How did the Duchess live in the same house with such a man…’

Known as an eccentric couple, the two were famous, and Hindley found it quite surprising. The deceased Duchess was either an incredibly strong-willed person or someone who lived alone in a flower garden.

“Hmm… What is your name?”

“I am Hindley, the second son of Duke Lothern. I graduated from the Royal University at the age of 20 and have been teaching children for 8 years.”

Luke muttered as if surprised, “Your experience seems sufficient.”

Nobles are sensitive when it comes to children’s education. If there had been a serious flaw in him as a teacher, he wouldn’t have been able to establish a foothold in the education field for the past 8 years.

Luke quickly skimmed through the documents that Hindley presented. It was a list of names of children he had taught as a family tutor.

The list was quite long.

‘The fact that he’s a man still bothers me…’

Nevertheless, at this level, it seemed he could be entrusted with a class for a trial period.

Luke stood up from his seat.

The significant difference in stature that was overwhelming even when seated became even more apparent as he stood up.

“My daughter is in her room. A separate study room has been prepared for lessons, so I will guide you there.”

Hindley swallowed hard.