Mom's Possessed - Chapter 56

“No, Bonita. Daddy didn’t say anything bad just now…”

“No bad words!”

Bonita shouted again.

‘I didn’t say anything bad…’

He wanted to make excuses like that.

Although his gaze was sharp, he had tried to be polite in front of Bonita.

If the child hadn’t been there, he would have interrogated her even more.

Thinking about it that way, Bonita’s cry of ‘no bad words’ was quite sharp. It stopped him just in time.

“…”

Bonita was looking up at him with a determined expression.

Luke crouched down.

Since he was still too big, making it look ridiculous, Aria bit the inside of her mouth.

Bonita was still serious.

“Aria is still sick, so I’d like you to be kind to her.”

“…Right. That would be good.”

Luke, now at eye level with Bonita, readily admitted his fault – which he hadn’t actually committed.

“I’m sorry, Bonita.”

“It’s not me you should apologize to.”

“Th-that’s right.”

Luke involuntarily stumbled over his words.

Although Bonita usually seemed quiet, she hit the nail on the head at crucial moments.

It wasn’t that he disliked it.

Just… a little embarrassing.

“Yes, I’m sorry. I misspoke.”

“Ah- no.”

Aria waved her hands, holding back laughter.

“There’s absolutely no need to apologize, Your Grace.”

“…”

Somehow, he felt like he was being mocked. Looking at those curved eyes, his guess was probably correct.

Irritation rose, but Luke swallowed it alone like an adult.

‘It would be better to change the subject.’

He had something to say anyway.

Luke called Bonita, who was smiling brightly after hearing his apology.

“Bonita.”

“Yes?”

“I have something to tell you.”

Pink eyes looked up at him intently.

How could she be so cute?

His eyes soon changed to look at her as if she were the most lovable being in the world.

He was kind to his nephew Bentley too, but unlike that superficial affection, this was love welling up from the bottom of his heart.

Luke tried hard to fix his mouth that was about to loosen into a foolish smile as he spoke.

“I’ve been thinking about this for a while, but I’m planning to bring in a tutor to teach you soon.”

“A tutor…?”

“Yes.”

He nodded.

“Children born into noble families originally grow up learning many things. To blend in well among them, you too need to learn similar things.”

“Uh…”

Bonita trailed off with confused eyes.

It wasn’t that she had never heard the word tutor before.

She had heard that even fairly wealthy merchants’ children had tutors, and the three boys from the marquis family and Bentley often mentioned ‘tutors’ during conversations.

Bonita mumbled in a slightly uncertain tone.

“I’m not sure if I can do well.”

“It’ll be alright.”

Luke smiled gently.

“Even if you can’t do well, we’ll teach you step by step. Let’s start by meeting the teacher first.”

“Okay.”

Seeing Bonita nod, Luke’s hand twitched.

It seemed he wanted to pat her head.

Aria, who had been watching the father-daughter conversation, noticed the movement and whispered in Luke’s ear.

“Why don’t you do it?”

At the suggestion laced with amusement, Luke glared at Aria for a moment, but his body was honest.

His hand awkwardly landed on top of Bonita’s head.

Afraid that his rough touch might push Bonita away, Luke didn’t so much stroke as lightly tap Bonita’s head.

He praised her with the corners of his mouth turned up.

“G-good girl.”

“?”

Bonita wore a blank expression.

‘What did I do to be called good…?’

Anyway, this duke’s actions were always unpredictable.

Not that she disliked it though.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Is this the house?”

Hindley Rotherham, 28 years old.

He was the second son of the Rotherham baronial family.

Apart from the eldest son who inherits the family, many sons find it difficult to make a living.

This was especially true for lower nobility.

To prevent the already scarce wealth from being scattered and lowering the family’s status, all assets including the title, territory, and cash were given to the eldest son.

The assets received by second and subsequent sons were even less than the dowry given when daughters married.

His family was not much different.

From long ago, Hindley’s parents had repeatedly said they would make him independent when he became an adult, and when that time came, they ordered him to do as he pleased, whether it was doing business or becoming a knight, based on a small independence fund.

In that situation, what Hindley chose was the path of scholarship.

He was fortunate enough to be admitted to the Royal University.

Although his parents valued preserving the family, they were not completely heartless people. They paid all of the university tuition, which was expensive even for nobles, on the condition that he didn’t fail.

After studying at the Royal University for four years, he had to choose one of two paths after graduation.

First. Becoming a royal official.

Second. Becoming a teacher.

Among these, what Hindley chose was the second. It wasn’t by choice. To become a royal official, he had to pass another exam, but he was already sick of studying.

‘I’d rather just teach kids.’

Most nobles wanted a noble-born man who graduated from the Royal University as their children’s tutor.

Matching these ideal conditions, Hindley was able to find his first job immediately. It was the son of a humble baronial family similar to his own.

As he started teaching him, introductions continued from around him. Hindley turned out to have an unexpected talent for education.

However, as such a life repeated, it somehow felt boring and empty.

‘How long do I have to live teaching these little brats?’

A tutor’s annual salary is not very high.

It wasn’t for nothing that noble-born tutors were rare. Their spending habits, cultivated in wealthy families, were beyond what could be managed on a tutor’s salary.

Moreover, seeing his elder brother preparing to inherit the family increased his sense of deprivation even more.

His only fault was being born one year later. Yet his brother, who was neither particularly smart nor capable, inherited plenty of territories that brought in money just by sitting still and became a noble, while he was merely of noble birth but not a noble himself.

If he married and had children, those children would become commoners.

If he could enter a family with only daughters as a son-in-law and inherit the title, it might be different, but usually if there were only daughters they would adopt a son, so such opportunities were rare.

In the midst of this, an enticing proposal came to him.

It was just a week ago.

“Do you have some time after the children’s lessons are over?”

The person who called him was Viscount Delphinium.

The current Viscount Delphinium was the second son of the former Duke Lisianthus, who inherited the viscounty, the second title held by the former duke.

Unlike his brother, the current duke with a monstrous physique and scary impression, Viscount Delphinium had an amiable personality and quite a good reputation in social circles.

However, for Hindley… he couldn’t help but feel bitter every time he saw him.

Born as second sons, yet their circumstances were so different. It was an unavoidable feeling.

“What is the matter, sir?”

“Ah, it’s nothing much. You must know that my elder brother recently found his lost daughter?”

“How could I not know?”

Recently, the whole country had been talking about nothing else.

Moreover, it was said that the child had grown up mixed with ordinary commoners.

An ordinary country girl turning out to be the only daughter of the kingdom’s sole duke, doesn’t it sound like a fairy tale?

Young and old alike, everyone was interested in that child. Naturally, whenever people gathered, the little lady who would become the future Duchess Lisianthus was constantly talked about, and Hindley too had overheard the story a few times.

“My brother will probably be looking for a tutor soon, and I want to recommend you.”

“Pardon?”

Hindley’s eyes widened as if they would pop out upon hearing those words.

He had never been invited as a tutor to families above the rank of count.

Yet suddenly, for the duke’s family, and not just any duke but the tutor for the duke’s only heir.

He recalled the words of a fellow alumnus, a tutor who had managed to secure connections and taught children of high-ranking noble families.

“When you get to the level of central power-entangled count or marquis families, they’re very interested in their children’s education too. If they like the tutors, they sometimes arrange a position in the kingdom’s administration after the child grows up.”

The duke was not a noble who exerted influence on central politics, but that was because he preferred to stay quietly holed up in his own territory. If he wanted, he could inject his influence into the political arena at any time.

Hindley swallowed hard.

If he taught that child well, who knows what the duke might give as a reward.

His face flushed with excitement.

Oliver, confirming this fact, patted his shoulder with a good-natured smile.

“What do you think? Want to give it a try?”

“Of course! If I can teach the duke’s daughter, I should rush over right away!”

“Hmm… is that so?”

Oliver’s eyes narrowed at the blatant attitude.

He was a man who had only shown perfunctory courtesy in front of himself. Yet as soon as the topic of his brother came up, he acted like this.

He felt annoyed.

However, such a person is actually easier to handle. He patted Hindley’s shoulder.

“Don’t get too excited. The opportunity won’t run away even if you take it slow.”

“Ah, yes…!”

“I think highly of you. If nothing else, you have quite a talent for teaching. I’m sure my brother will like you too.”

“It’s an honor, Viscount.”

“However, there’s one condition in exchange for introducing you.”

“What is it?”