Chapter 8

The patriarch’s command had been to include Firentia in classes going forward; however, Clerivan was too suspicious to accept a new student on blind faith.

A seven-year-old reading a book like this...

It’s possible for even the strictest human to develop a soft spot for his granddaughter that skews his perspective, Clerivan thought before he knocked on the door to meet Gallahan and Firentia.

He was greeted by a surprised Gallahan, and he could see Firentia reading in the corner of the drawing room. The child was reading People of the South as if she wanted him to see it.

“There’s no way she’s actually reading.”

Clerivan hadn’t believed Lulac’s words.

Adding a seven-year-old who knew nothing would ruin the whole class experience, and he was never going to allow that. He would prove that Firentia was only perusing the book for its pictures and would persuade the patriarch otherwise.

“Tia, come here,” Gallahan called.

Firentia closed her book and walked over to them.

Her curly brown hair was tied with a ribbon, and her plump, rosy cheeks (typical of a child) were quite striking. Yet, despite these features, Firentia still looked too young, especially when she was sat on her father’s lap.

However, there was something that shook Clerivan’s confidence.

It was her bright green eyes, so full of intelligence, which she had inherited from her father. How many seven-year-olds could meet the gaze of a stranger without flinching and smile back so confidently?

“...indeed,” he muttered.

The head of the family had every reason to say that this child carried a strong family resemblance. Firentia’s personality definitely seemed more akin to her grandfather Lulac’s than to her father’s.

That said, she was still only a child. While she might show remarkable boldness and determination, this was an entirely different matter from the genius hypothesis that she could read and understand academic books at the age of seven.

Clerivan’s thoughts were shattered, however, when he began conversing with Firentia.

“I only read a little bit, but it’s about fascinating people who live together in the empire’s southern forests. This book tells their stories.”

Surprisingly, the child knew exactly what the book was about.

Anybody could have heard that much about it, Clerivan thought and chose not to accept it quite yet.

“Who is the author of this book?”

“It’s written right here on the cover that the author’s name is ‘Lofille.’”

“What was the first chapter about?”

“The first chapter discusses how Lofille came to hear a rumor about the people of the South.”

“Hmm...”

However, despite his questioning, Firentia answered without hesitation each time, leaving less room for doubt.

Had this child truly understood everything while she was reading?

Clerivan’s confusion did not end there.

“Lofille is a ‘she,’ not a ‘he,’” she said confidently.

“I beg your pardon?”

“It’s mentioned right at the beginning in the preface. Her full name is Avane Lofille. She’s a female scholar.”

Corrected by this young child...

He had read People of the South long ago, but how could he not have realized that the author and narrator, Lofille, was a woman? It came from the assumption that only a man could have written such a famous research text.

He blushed with embarrassment when he realized his mistake, while Firentia looked on innocently.

“I guess… you only skimmed through it.”

He was being teased by a child. Clerivan began to see a familiar face in the child’s grin, bringing a frown to his own face.

She really did resemble the patriarch. Even her unsettling smile was an exact replica.

“You may participate in the class from the sixth day of next week.”

Clerivan exited the room and soon found himself smiling.

I’ve been considering changing jobs since this position as a tutor has been so dull, but maybe I should hang on a bit longer.

It might be worth it to keep going if I’m to teach that child.

Feeling reinvigorated for the first time in a while, Clerivan hurried back to his office to prepare for his next lesson.

***

“It has been some time since we’ve seen the sun. Do you want to go on a picnic?” my father asked one leisurely afternoon. “Let’s pack those delicious cakes and cookies you love and get some sun. Oh, and before that, we should visit Doctor O’Malley.”

Aha.

I immediately guessed what he was up to. He knew that I hated going to the doctor, so he was trying to lure me with a picnic filled with sweet treats.

A week had passed since I’d seen Doctor O’Malley. I thought to myself how quickly time was passing and nodded my head.

Father grinned and began preparing before I could change my mind. Considering he had a pre-packed picnic basket, it seemed that his plan had long been in the works.

He’s quite endearing sometimes.

I grabbed my father’s hand and headed over to Doctor O’Malley’s office. As the door slid open, I could see someone else with the doctor.

“Huh?”

There was a woman in her twenties nodding as if receiving a request from the doctor.

“Welcome,” said Doctor O’Malley. His eyes never left the lady, even as he greeted us.

After noticing me staring, my father decided to ask who the woman was.

“H-hello. I am Doctor O’Malley’s student, Estira,” she said softly.

She didn’t seem shy, but perhaps she was just surprised to have a patriarch speaking to her.

“Shall we take a look at your wrist then?” Doctor O’Malley asked with a smile.

I dodged his grasp and hid in my father’s embrace.

“Tia?” my father asked.

“Haha, it seems the young lady is suddenly feeling shy.”

Father seemed surprised by my uncharacteristic action. “What’s going on, Tia? Are you scared?”

I shook my head and said, “This lady...”

“Hmm? Come again, Tia.”

“I want to get treated by the lady.”

That surprised all three adults. The brief moment of silence was broken by Doctor O’Malley.

“It would seem that the little miss has taken a liking to Estira. Let’s have her take a look then.”

“But...” my father began.

“Estira is one of my top students. There’s nothing to worry about. I’ll be supervising her. Would that be okay with you, Miss Firentia?” Doctor O’Malley asked.

I nodded, walked over to Estira, and extended my injured wrist.

“Ah... Well then, just a moment...”

Estira, her face flushed, carefully unwrapped the bandage around my wrist. I could see her fingers trembling.

Feeling a bit guilty for putting her in an uncomfortable position, I decided to start a conversation to ease her nerves.

“Is your name Estira?”

“Yes, it is.”

“My name is Firentia. My daddy is Gallahan.”

“I see...”

She was employed by us, so I was certain she already knew, but it never hurt to introduce myself. I needed to make sure Estira remembered us in the future.

“What are you learning from the doctor?”

“I’m learning about herbology.”

“Huh. So you’re going to be a doctor too?”

“Yes. I still have a long way to go though.”

As I continued chatting with her, she began to relax.

“Your swelling has gone down quite a bit. Doctor, I think we can change her medicine now.”

“Hmm. I see. Go fetch the sacos grass extract.”

I frowned at Doctor O’Malley’s instructions. I wasn’t worried about them giving me effective medicine, but I knew the taste would be horrible.

Of course.

Sure enough, the pale green liquid that Estira brought back looked extremely bitter at a glance.

“Eat this, Tia,” my father said, pulling a cookie from the picnic basket as if he had expected something like this.

I reached into the basket and pulled out three large cookies, clutching them in one hand.

*Gulp*

I swallowed the bitter medicine in one go, feeling my whole body shudder from the taste, and quickly stuffed a cookie in my mouth. Then, I offered one of the remaining cookies to Doctor O’Malley.

“Why thank you, young lady!” he exclaimed and shoved the cookie into his mouth.

And the last cookie...

“This is for you.”

Estira’s eyes widened in surprise as she looked at the cookie in my hand.

“I... I...” she stammered.

“You helped me. It’s delicious.”

After a moment of hesitation, Estira eventually took the cookie.

“Well then, shall we go?” Father said enthusiastically as he picked me up.

“Goodbye,” I called, waving at Doctor O’Malley as we left the room. I watched Estira staring at the cookie in the distance. “Bye, Estira!”

My sudden shout surprised her, and she bowed in response.

I kept waving.

Next time, I’d make sure to request to see Estira specifically.

We needed to be friendly with her, after all.

***

“Hm, hm... la la la.”

Leaning against the window and feeling the cool breeze, I couldn’t help but hum a tune.

“You seem to be in a good mood today. Are you excited about your first class tomorrow?”

Well, kind of.

I looked up at my father and laughed, and he followed suit with a smile. Then he returned to what he was doing, diligently sketching something.

I went back to gazing out the window. Even though it had been raining yesterday, it suddenly turned bright and clear today, like magic. The air felt exceptionally crisp as well.

I breathed in the breeze greedily as if I could suck in all the air. At the end of that deep breath, I saw a carriage with a flag entering the estate.

My lips curled into a smile as I murmured softly, “There it is.”