Chapter 6

Estella was flustered by her sudden encounter with Lord Diego. She had seen him from afar before, but this was the first time he was close enough for her to greet him.

She stared blankly at Diego’s face for a moment.

His neat, slicked-back bloodred hair gave off a somewhat stoic image. His deep-set eyes, dark lashes, high-bridged nose, and thick eyebrows were reminiscent of a popular movie star of a certain era.

A faint smile graced his face, but at the same time, he did nothing to hide that it was not a genuine one.

After a moment, Estella finally came back to her senses and averted her gaze.

Even though he looked like a gentleman on the outside, he was a murderer who would soon kill his entire family. Naturally, she felt nervous around him.

With indifferent eyes, Diego examined her. “You must be the new governess.”

Then with the same gaze, Diego glanced at Cedric on Estella’s back. He noticed her unruly hair and the sweat on her temples.

He assessed Estella’s condition in a few words: “You’ve been very busy taking care of the children.”

With great effort, Estella grabbed Cedric’s slipping leg. Trying her best to appear calm, she answered, “Children his age are very active.”

“I hear that Cedric has been causing less trouble since your arrival.”

Had Cedric been even worse in the past?

Estella reflexively turned her head to glance at the boy on her back. She wanted to ask if it was true, but Diego was still standing in front of her.

She thought he would pass by them quickly, but surprisingly, he continued the conversation.

“Now that I think about it, Mother had been praising Cedric just now. I hear that his learning ability is extraordinary.”

He spoke with a soft smile, but there was tightness around his eyes.

Estella quickly realized that this conversation was more of an interrogation. Was that why he had stopped to speak with them?

Estella knew that complimenting Cedric in front of Lord Diego was a bad idea. But since the duchess had already boasted about her son, she had no choice in the matter.

Estella politely answered, “He just finished reading The Lineage of Mesquite Kingdom.”

“Already?”

He spoke as if impressed, but Estella couldn’t tell whether it was a compliment or sarcasm.

Cedric was a bright child, but Diego was nearly a genius. Though the duchess had praised Cedric’s progress, when Diego had been Cedric’s age, he’d progressed much faster.

Diego muttered with a grin, “No wonder you’re Father’s favorite, Cedric.”

With a pale face, Estella addressed him, “Lord Diego.”

However, his gaze slowly turned to Cedric, who was hunched over and leaning his forehead on Estella’s shoulder. It was then that Estella realized neither Cedric nor Cecilia had greeted Diego.

Diego called his half brother in a soft voice, “Cedric.”

“Yes, Diego.”

“You didn’t even bother to say hello to me.”

In a barely audible voice, Cedric apologized.

The sound of Diego clicking his tongue felt particularly loud.

Fiddling with the cufflinks on his sleeve, he said, “How rude of him to avert his gaze while his elder is addressing him. It’s good that he’s gaining more knowledge, but you would do well to teach him etiquette, Miss Margaret.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

Estella hurriedly lowered her head as Diego criticized her.

It seemed getting an apology wasn’t his intention. He quickly shrugged.

“Well, I don’t have high expectations in that regard. Basic manners are something his parents should focus on. But as you know, both of them are excellent models for that,” Diego concluded in a soft tone.

In every way, this was an insult to his parents.

It was true that Duke Bertha was a philanderer who had abused his late wife and that the current duchess was the perfect match for such a man. Honestly, Estella thought Diego wasn’t entirely wrong.

However, the fact that the children had also heard him was a problem.

Estella’s hands tightened. Before she knew it, cold sweat was dripping down her back.

Wincing, she said, “Excuse me, Lord Diego, but children this age understand everything you say.”

Diego’s surprised gaze passed over her for a moment. Stunned, he replied, “Did you actually think that I’m considerate of my half-siblings? How interesting.”

His tone made it clear he was not amused.

Estella was keenly aware of the cruelty that was hidden behind his clean-cut appearance.

She set Cedric down and pulled Cecilia closer so the two children could hold hands. In a firm tone, she said, “Master Cedric, you head to the training hall first. You can walk there without me, right?”

“Yes...”

“You must not let go of Lady Cecilia’s hand.”

Cedric looked dejected in a way that Estella had rarely seen. He then cautiously glanced up at Diego, trying to read his mood.

Estella tapped Cedric on his back to urge him to start walking. Encouraged by that, Cedric slowly started to move. As though they had been waiting for an opportunity to escape, the two siblings quickly disappeared.

Diego turned and stared for a moment at their small backs as they left.

In a cold tone, he mumbled, “I didn’t ask you to send the children away...”

He was rebuking Estella for making that decision on her own.

Estella took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “Only adults should be present when discussing adult matters.”

The basic principle of parenting was to recognize children as people but not to treat them as adults. Although a child’s opinion should be respected, it shouldn’t override a responsible adult’s judgment.

Estella did not want Cedric and Cecilia to grow up sooner than they had to.

She bowed down low and assumed a very polite posture to Diego.

“I will pay more attention to Master Cedric’s etiquette training from now on. Please understand that he acted like that because the situation was unfamiliar to his young mind, not because he intended to ignore you, Lord Diego.”

With indifferent eyes, Diego looked at Estella for a moment.

Out of the blue, he asked, “What’s your name?”

“My name is Estella Margaret Montiel. Please call me Miss Margaret.”

“Miss Margaret, I think I somewhat understand why the butler isn’t worried about my half-siblings anymore. It seems you’re doing a good job with them.”

Estella was taken aback by his sudden praise. She stood there and blinked.

Diego continued speaking in an indifferent tone, “Now that I think about it, my mother wanted to host a party to celebrate what a genius Cedric is, but it was almost canceled when I reminded my father he had an urgent matter.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“But if I help him, he could finish much sooner. Perhaps we’ll have some time tomorrow.”

“Lord Diego, what do you mean...?”

“It means that I’ll look forward to Cedric showing off what he’s learned at the dinner party tomorrow.”

The stunning announcement made Estella gasp.

The Lineage of Mesquite Kingdom was a five-hundred-page tome, and Cedric had only read up to page 120 today. Even if she summarized the main points and taught him only the important parts, finishing the whole book by the next day was nearly impossible.

Of course, how much studying Cedric actually did was not a concern for Diego. The young lord had just set a fire under her feet.

“Well then, I’ll see you at the dinner party.”

As though his work was done, Diego gave a nod and walked past her.

His gentle smile had been more annoying that day. Was it only her feelings that had made it seem that way?

In a daze, Estella stood for a while.

She couldn’t believe the situation she found herself in. She let out an empty chuckle.

“I have to... teach him that book in one day...?”

If Cedric failed to answer any question and embarrassed himself, the duchess would certainly mercilessly fire her.

Before Cedric and Cecilia’s death, she might actually lose her livelihood first.

Estella calculated how much time she had until the next evening, then started running to find Cedric.

They would have to pull an all-nighter.