Chapter 7

“Master Cedric... please wake up.”

“Huh...? What...?”

Still half asleep, Cedric opened his eyes.

Reaching out with a shaky hand, Estella removed a piece of paper stuck to Cedric’s mouth. He had been drooling in his sleep, so his lips were shiny.

Cedric wiped the spit away and looked around. “What time is it...?”

“We have about an hour left until the dinner party. While you get dressed, you need to read over the main points again,” Estella said as she helped him stand up from his chair.

Cedric staggered so much as he walked that she worried he would crack his head on the floor. He had been up all night studying and had only slept about thirty minutes.

The silver lining was that Diego had proposed dinner, not lunch. Any sooner and it would have been impossible to read the thick history book. It also helped that Cedric, who had felt responsible for putting them in this mess, decided to go along with Estella’s plan to study all night.

Sighing, Estella ran her fingers through her hair.

Before she’d become a full-time teacher in Korea, tutoring had been her main source of income. Cramming information in her students’ heads through repetition was her specialty.

Long live Korea’s memorization-focused education!

Estella expressed her endless gratitude to her home country. She then dabbed some powder on her puffy under eyes. If Diego were to find out what she and Cedric had done all night, it would hurt her pride.

Soon Cedric appeared in front of her, looking tidy after having been cleaned up by the maids.

Estella held his hand and headed to the dining room. Usually she ate alone in her room, but today she had been invited to the dinner party and was allowed to join Duke Bertha’s family.

That also meant that she would be right there to see the tragic scene of Cedric giving wrong answers. Just imagining the duchess glaring at her the moment Cedric made a mistake sent shivers down her spine.

In front of the dining room, Estella took a moment to inhale deeply.

To comfort her, Cedric said, “It’ll be fine. I studied hard.”

“Master Cedric...”

With a tearful face, Estella looked at him. She was almost touched that he was comforting her in such a mature manner... but any admiration dissipated the next moment when he said, “If I get anything wrong, I’ll just take a beating.”

Estella knew better. If he were to make a mistake, he wouldn’t be the one who was punished.

Glaring at Cedric, she asked, “Do you really think someone will hit you? They’ll just fire me.”

And if I get fired, you’ll also die!

Estella tried to give him an intense look as a warning, but he casually brushed it off and opened the door to the dining room.

Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, Diego was the only one who was seated.

A total of five chairs were set around the table. Cedric naturally took the seat across from Diego.

Estella eyed the chair next to Cedric where Cecilia would have sat. Thanks to the duchess’s disdain for her developmentally challenged daughter, Cecilia was excused from having to attend the dinner party.

“Hello, Lord Diego.”

After greeting him, Estella sat in a chair. Cedric, who had been looking around the room, also greeted Diego.

“Hello... Diego.”

“Yes, Cedric. Father is looking forward to seeing how brilliant you are. Please don’t disappoint us today.”

As the pressure mounted, Cedric’s already pale face turned blue. Having successfully knocked down Cedric in one go, Diego turned his head toward Estella this time.

“You look very tired, Miss Margaret.”

“Oh, but I slept so well last night. I wonder why,” Estella replied, spreading her napkin on her lap with a calm expression on her face. Diego narrowed his eyes as he watched her.

“I heard that the light in the study room was on all night.”

“I guess the maids finally got around to cleaning it,” Estella said with an innocent smile.

Diego leaned back in his chair. He looked amused.

Estella could tell. She wasn’t sure what had bothered him, but Diego wasn’t fond of her. Or perhaps he simply had a perverse personality and hated all humans.

I wouldn’t expect any less from an immoral, cold-blooded murderer.

The tense atmosphere between them soon dissipated thanks to the arrival of the duke and his wife.

Estella quietly took a deep breath.

She had done her best. The outcome was now out of her hands.

“Cedric, my sweet son.”

Duke Bertha entered the room and gave Cedric a peck on the forehead.

Cedric immediately rubbed the spot where his father had touched. Seeing that, Duke Bertha burst into laughter.

As he walked to the head of the table with his wife, he never even glanced in Diego’s direction.

There was a stark difference in how he treated his two sons.

Estella reflexively glanced at Diego. It was only for a brief moment because Duke Bertha suddenly spoke to her.

“I can see why the butler went on and on about how great you are, Miss Margaret. Cedric is a bright child, but he never had much interest in academics before. It looks like he’s found the right teacher.”

“You’re too kind,” Estella responded casually, but she felt uneasy inside.

The duke and duchess wouldn’t necessarily try to verify Cedric’s progress, but she knew that Diego, the man sitting across from her, was ready to ambush them any minute.

Sure enough, Diego’s attack began before the appetizers arrived.

“Cedric, I heard that you’re making great progress in your history studies.”

“Yes...”

“How about it, Father? Why don’t you throw out a question to see how much Cedric has learned?” Diego suggested with a soft smile.

Duke Bertha was wary of his eldest son. He looked reluctant, but he had no good excuse to decline.

Picking up his napkin, the duke asked, “Cedric, would you please tell me how Regent Teriosa handled the immigrants during the great famine?”

“Um...”

Trailing off, Cedric busily turned the question over in his brain to find the answer.

Feeling anxious, Estella clenched her hand over her thigh. This was one of the things she’d written in the note she’d made that summarized the main points. Cedric had to know the answer.

Fortunately, he seemed to have remembered.

“Because the immigrants had no place to settle down, they often turned to illegal means to make ends meet, such as theft or prostitution. Regent Teriosa ordered them to be severely punished, so most of them became slaves of the lowest class. Thanks to this policy, they were able to eradicate the crimes that had been plaguing them, and Mesquite became even more prosperous.”

Cedric had given a clear, perfect answer. Estella let out a sigh of relief.

Duke Bertha dramatically shrugged.

Diego slowly chewed his appetizer, swallowed, and then asked, “But a few generations later, the royal family went against the grain and advocated for the abolition of slavery. Why did they do that?”

“Because the number of slaves increased as they continued to give birth. Nobles wanted to use slaves rather than hire free citizens because the cost was lower in the long run, and this made it very difficult for common people to make a living.”

Cedric answered without difficulty again. Diego asked another question without delay, “Slavery reform was the mission of which king?”

After thinking for a moment, Cedric once again gave the correct answer, “Bronte... the second.”

Estella, who had been watching Cedric with anxious eyes, was delighted. Teaching the achievements of the past kings by making it into a song had been worthwhile. Even a difficult word was much easier to memorize when a simple melody was added to it.

The duchess had looked nervous when Diego had started his abrupt interrogation, but now she was also smiling wide. She even looked at Estella with affection.

The duchess put her hands together and clapped.

“My goodness! Our son is brilliant. Like father, like son, isn’t that right? Soon he’ll be able to help you with your work as well, dear.”

As she said that, she looked at Diego with her chin held high, as if to provoke him.

Diego remained unfazed and complimented Cedric himself, “It seems you didn’t miss any lessons and kept up with your studies.”

Cedric’s face turned red.

He always acted calmly in front of Diego. Perhaps he admired his much-older brother.

With some hesitation, he said, “Well, I heard that you were even more outstanding when you were my age. My dream is to be like you.”

With a look of surprise, Diego eyed Cedric.

The moment her son praised his half brother, the duchess turned stony.

Duke Bertha, who had been observing everyone’s reactions, raised his glass as if to settle the situation.

“It’s nice to see my two sons getting along. Today calls for a celebration, so let’s drink to our heart’s content. Except for you, Cedric.”

“Why can’t I drink?”

“Ha! Instead, I will give you a reward. Is there anything you want?”

At Duke Bertha’s proposal, Cedric shouted excitedly, “A sword!”

“Hmm, all right. I guess you’re old enough to have one now.”

Stroking his chin, Duke Bertha nodded. This time he turned his gaze to Estella.

With a kind smile, the duke said, “I think the teacher deserves a reward as well. What would you like, Miss Margaret?”

“I...”

Estella took a moment to choose her words.

Duke Bertha lifted his chin as if to urge her to speak.

Estella replied with a nervous look on her face, “I prefer a monetary reward, Your Grace.”

Duke Bertha looked at Estella with a stunned expression. It seemed he hadn’t expected her to ask for that. He laughed out loud before answering, “Haha! The lady I hired isn’t so ordinary, is she? All right, I’ll give you money.”

His laughter contained a hint of ridicule at Estella’s materialistic remark.

Estella did not dwell on it too much. The duke would soon die anyway, and she didn’t have the courage to make a deal with Diego like the fearless heroine of the novel. Her only remaining option was to take the children and run, but without enough funds, they wouldn’t make it for long.

“After dinner, please come to my office for a moment and I will give you a check,” said the duke before he turned his attention back to his dinner.

Having successfully answered all of the questions, Cedric felt very proud of himself. He raised and lowered his eyebrows, his signature—yet annoying—gesture. Estella imagined for a moment how difficult life on the run would be with the two children.

In the end, she failed to relieve herself of the heavy burden on her shoulders.