9

A new week began.

It was Monday, the start of a week like any other, but this week felt different.

Because today was the day to execute a special operation.

In the worst case, an operation that might cost her job.

About three weeks ago, after Countess Lancelot had visited the school and left in a rage, Connie had made a special request to Teacher Anna.

She asked her to invite Count Lancelot as a guest teacher for her class.

Since the Count’s profession was a judge, there was an appropriate reason to invite him as a guest teacher.

He wouldn’t come as Sana’s parent, but judging by the Countess’s affection for her son, Connie’s prediction that she would gladly accept Teacher Anna’s request to invite her husband as a guest teacher for her son’s class had proven correct.

The Count had taken a week to respond, but he eventually agreed to come to the school.

Teacher Anna had even sent a letter stating that it would be best if no one else came to the school except for the one parent serving as the guest teacher.

Using the reasonable excuse that since this was a special event for Teacher Anna’s class, making too much noise could be inconsiderate to other classes and the school.

So today, only the Count would appear.

Teacher Anna planned to finish the guest teacher lesson during the last period, and while sending the children home, ask the Count to stay in the classroom on the pretext of expressing gratitude and having a consultation. Meanwhile, Connie would be waiting in the hallway with Sana’s drawing, ready to encounter the Count.

“You know timing is important, right? I’ll leave the back door open and speak as loudly as possible to signal you. Listen carefully from the hallway and then appear naturally! Got it?”

Teacher Anna had earnestly instructed.

To have such a good senior teacher as a colleague.

Connie felt newly grateful for her good fortune with people.

“Yes! I remember well, teacher. Thank you so much for helping me like this!”

“No, what have I done? I couldn’t take such risks like you, Teacher Connie. Thanks to you, my class gets to have this special parent guest teacher event. I haven’t lost anything with your idea, Teacher Connie. Sana could have been in my class. I should help with what I can. The child is pitiful.”

“Thank you, teacher.”

Connie felt like she might burst into tears at Teacher Anna’s sincere words.

“No, don’t make that face. Today we’re going into battle, we can’t let our hearts weaken already!”

Teacher Anna encouraged her.

“I’m not weakening! I can do this well!”

Connie grinned while holding back her tears.

She needed to catch Count Lancelot naturally but definitely.

⁕⁕⁕

After dismissing the children five minutes earlier than usual, Connie went out into the hallway and began putting up drawings.

These were drawings from last week, where each child had drawn two pictures on two different themes.

One was “Our Family,” and the other was “Our Home.”

She started attaching the children’s drawings from the back window, gradually moving closer to Teacher Anna’s classroom.

She could hear Teacher Anna and Sana’s father’s voices.

“Yes, thank you so much for today. Thanks to you, the children had an opportunity to learn about the ‘judge’ profession and the ‘courthouse.'”

Teacher Anna was speaking in a much higher tone than usual, as promised.

They’ll be coming out soon!

Connie quickly attached Sana’s “Our Home” drawing to the front door, and the very next moment, the two people emerged from Teacher Anna’s classroom into the hallway.

“Oh! Teacher Connie! You’re out here?”

Teacher Anna was such a good actor.

“Yes, teacher, oh? You have a guest, hello?”

Connie politely greeted Count Lancelot, Sana’s father, as if she had no idea who he was.

“Hello.”

The Count looked so old that it was hard to imagine he would have a child as young as Sana.

The Countess had looked young though…….

The Countess and the Count appeared to have an age gap of more than ten years.

“Ah! Father, Scott’s older sister is in Teacher Connie’s class. Her name is Sana…… right?”

Teacher Anna continued her acting skillfully, as if she had just remembered.

“Ah! So you’re Sana’s homeroom teacher.”

Count Lancelot spoke with an expression that seemed to be examining Connie.

“Oh! You’re Sana’s father? My, it’s nice to meet you, Father!”

Connie also continued her acting with all her might.

“Father, since you’re already here, would you like to have a brief chat with Sana’s teacher before you leave?”

Teacher Anna provided solid support.

“Ah……! Ah, um…… I suppose so.”

The Count approached Connie, not particularly enthusiastic but not showing any strong dislike either.

Teacher Anna also subtly followed along.

“I was just in the middle of displaying Sana’s drawings. Would you like to see them?”

Connie showed the Count Sana’s “Our Family” drawing that she had been holding.

“Is this a drawing by Sana?”

Teacher Anna took the lead.

“Yes.”

Connie answered while glancing at the Count’s face.

The Count’s eyes had narrowed.

Of course.

Anyone who saw such a drawing would have the same reaction.

“Hmm…… what’s…… the title of this?”

Teacher Anna spoke in a rather serious voice. As if she were seeing the drawing for the first time, though she had seen it several times last week.

“‘Our Family.'”

“What? This?”

Teacher Anna’s voice rose dramatically, and the Count’s face darkened.

In the “Our Family” drawing, there were people the size of fingernails. Only three people.

A mother the size of a thumbnail, a younger brother Scott the size of an index fingernail, and a father the size of a pinky fingernail, three people.

Apart from the three fingernail-sized people, the drawing paper was almost entirely empty and white.

No, actually there was one more person.

At a distance of about a hand span from the small drawing that was only about the size of one finger joint even with all three people combined, there was a tiny speck, like a small dot marked in black.

Connie had deliberately had the children write the names of family members under the people.

If the Count had eyes, he would have read the name “Sana” written under that black dot.

So, he would also know that the single black dot, far removed from the fingernails, was “Sana within the family” as Sana perceived it.

No, to be precise, it would be “Sana outside the family, like an invisible dot.”

“Yes, this is ‘Our Family’ drawn by Sana. This dot here is Sana.”

“Ah! Oh my, I’m sorry, Father. I forgot I had something urgent to do this afternoon. Please speak with Teacher Connie before you leave. Thank you again for taking time out of your busy schedule today.”

Following Connie’s words, Teacher Anna delivered her prepared final line and then hurried back to her classroom with quick steps, like someone truly busy.

This was the exact departure time that Anna and Connie had carefully planned together.

The initial reason for involving Teacher Anna in this play was to make the Count see his daughter’s condition not only in front of Connie but also before another witness. People want to maintain their dignity and are therefore vulnerable to others’ gazes. Until now, with Teacher Anna present as a witness, the Count had been unable to either avoid or deny the situation.

However, on the other hand, if he had to continue watching his daughter reduced to a black dot alongside Teacher Anna, his son’s homeroom teacher, he might become defiant due to excessive shame. Perhaps by pretending not to understand the meaning despite seeing it.

That’s why Anna had agreed to exit at precisely this moment.

The purpose of this operation was to rescue Sana, not to humiliate the Count.

The fact that the Count had forwarded Connie’s letter to his wife likely meant he wanted to avoid dealing with school matters, or specifically with Sana’s school matters.

It could mean he had given his wife full authority regarding their child’s upbringing, but it could also be that he had passed it off due to indifference and insensitivity.

She needed to inform the Count about Sana’s situation, finding the right balance that could move his heart, which was precariously poised between continued indifference and rekindling his paternal instincts.

For that, one picture of “Our Family” wasn’t enough.

“Father, here on the front door is another of Sana’s drawings. It’s a picture of ‘Our Home.'”

Connie pointed to Sana’s drawing attached to the front door.

Since she had deliberately placed them close together, the other children’s “Our Home” drawings right beside it would also catch his eye.

The colorful pictures drawn by the other children were clearly different from Sana’s, and it would be impossible not to notice the difference.

Sana had drawn a tiny house using less than half of half of half of the drawing paper, a house barely the size of a finger.

No windows, no doors, not even a small chimney for smoke to escape from a fireplace to warm the house—just a small square with an equally small triangular roof placed on top.

At a glance, it looked merely like a square and a triangle, but next to the house was a trace of something crossed out with an X.

The X mark seemed to reflect the mind of a child who had no idea how to draw “Our Home.”

For Sana, the house where she lived wasn’t “our home” but “their home,” making it difficult to draw “our home.”

In fact, Connie herself had become certain about Sana’s situation after seeing these two drawings.

The certainty that Sana was being abused, not treated as a child in her own home.

The feelings of a child in a sealed, tiny, cold house with nowhere comfortable to rest were conveyed directly through the drawing.

A house with no escape, yet no place for her within it either.

She could tell immediately. Connie’s own home with her uncle had been exactly like this.

Just as Connie’s “our home” had been like this, Sana’s “our home” was such a place. A house that was virtually a prison.

“……”

The Count stared intently at his daughter’s drawing on the front door, keeping his mouth shut.

“Father.”

“……Yes.”

“If you’ve seen enough of the drawings, could we go into the classroom and talk for a moment?”

“……Let’s do that.”

As the Count’s reply came slowly, Connie’s heart began to beat rapidly.

Now it was time to face this Count entirely alone, armed only with her sincerity.

“Why did you show me those drawings?”

The Count asked as soon as they sat down.

“I was merely displaying the drawings. We happened to meet by chance.”

In truth, she wanted to honestly say that she had deliberately created this situation to show him. She also wanted to tell him how desperately she had wanted to meet him.

But in that case, she would be revealing that even Teacher Anna had planned this parent-teacher day specifically to create this situation.

Teacher Anna had said she didn’t mind, but Connie didn’t want to create any more burden for her.

A small lie was her responsibility as well.

“From my experience as a judge…… I feel like I’m listening to a witness’s false testimony.”

The Count said with a somewhat self-deprecating smile.

“I’m not a witness, Father. I’m just a teacher. A teacher who empathizes with your daughter’s pain, who cries because of it, and who desperately wants to help her. And because that desire is so intense, I would even give false testimony to help Sana.”

“Are you saying my daughter needs help so desperately?”

“Father, you saw the drawings, didn’t you? I’m not an art therapy specialist, nor do I have deep knowledge of art. But even I can see it. That Sana is not in a normal situation. I, I…… I cannot stand by and watch Sana in this condition any longer.”

Finally, tears streamed down her face.

She thought she could speak calmly……

She shouldn’t be emotionally shaken……

Sana’s story was her own.

Connie Clarence who suffered.

Sana Lancelot, another Connie Clarence.

“Please help, Father.”

Connie said, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.

“……”

“Father, don’t you love Sana? She’s your daughter. Your own daughter. You have Scott too, but Sana is your only daughter. Isn’t she as precious as Scott, your own child?”

“……”

The Count just stared at Connie.

Father, please help. Help me help Sana.

Ms. Lisa, please help. Please.

“Sana has only you, Father. You are the only one who can help Sana, and you are the one who must help her.”

“Do you…… realize how dangerous a provocation you’re making right now?”

“……Father.”

“You are insulting me and my wife. As if we have neglected and abused Sana. My wife is taking care of Sana, who isn’t even her own biological child.”

“Father, do you truly believe that?”

“That question is very offensive. Sana is my child, and I know my child best, don’t I? Making such rude assumptions and accusations about someone else’s family based on just two drawings is a very dangerous and quite serious overstepping of boundaries.”

“Yes, you’re right. What you say is correct, Father. You know Sana best. So you must know how kind and sensitive a child she is. That’s why she draws pictures like these, sometimes misses school for days without notice, and on some days when the carriage leaves with only her brother, she walks home from school but never mentions it to you. Because she’s just kind and sensitive. Such a daughter……”

“Teacher!”

The Count’s voice, cutting off her words, echoed loudly in the classroom.

“Did you know about all these things I’ve mentioned? That’s what I want to know.”

Even if you shout at me, Father, I must say what I need to say.

“……”

The Count’s silence was his answer.

This Count knew nothing about what his daughter had endured.

“I wasn’t as kind and sensitive as Sana. I was adopted after my parents passed away. Despite being my blood relative, my uncle beat me every other day and starved me, and I had to work hard as a maid to avoid being taken out of school. But when I went outside, I shouted loudly: I am being abused. I am suffering. Like that. So I was able to receive help. And thanks to that help, I became a teacher like this.”

She knew the Count’s gaze upon her had changed.

Surprise, bewilderment, suspicion, embarrassment.

All those emotions mixed in his eyes.

But it didn’t matter how he looked at her.

Her goal was to save Sana.

“But Sana is different from me. She can’t ask anyone for help. She’s younger and weaker than I was then, too weak to even request help. Even if you raise some objection to me because of this, I cannot ignore such a Sana. When I see my own suffering childhood self reflected in Sana, ignoring her would be like ignoring my younger self.”

By now, tears were streaming down her cheeks.

Defamation, false accusations, slander, interference with parental rights. Other legal clauses that the Count and Countess could apply to her. Whatever it might be, she knew that the Lancelot family could harm her.

How could she not know?

Even Ms. Lisa, her umbrella of protection, had never properly told her uncle to “stop the abuse” because of such dangers.

But just because Ms. Lisa couldn’t do it didn’t mean she couldn’t either.

Ms. Lisa had done everything she could as a teacher.

And she was just doing what she could do.

The teaching position at Steen School?

It was incredibly precious.

But the teaching position wasn’t as precious as Sana.

Even if she got fired from here, she wasn’t so incompetent that she couldn’t survive on her own.

How had she endured and survived until now!

“Father, I actually still have scars on my body. Scars from being beaten by my uncle. Well, they’re not in visible places. Fortunately or unfortunately, my uncle was the kind of person who only left scars in places others couldn’t see. I earnestly hope that while Sana’s heart may already be scarred, her body is free of such marks. I was beaten when I was a bit older, but Sana is still so young. It would be more painful and more frightening for her.”

“……”

The Count sank into silence once again.

Connie also said nothing more.

But in her heart, she was praying desperately, with an intensity that felt like her chest might burst.

‘Please help the Count become Sana’s ally. Please, please……’

“My wife……”

After a long silence, the Count finally spoke.

“Yes, Count.”

“Do you think my wife abuses Sana?”

“……I don’t know. Based on the circumstances, I think it’s possible, but I can’t be certain. Sana has never once told me such a thing.”

“Why do you think the abuser would be my wife, when it could be me?”

“……!”

Connie trembled with shock.

“I’m not saying I abused her, so there’s no need to be so surprised.”

“Ah……! Yes.”

What a nasty trick!

“I meant don’t suspect my wife so easily.”

“Ah……”

So it didn’t work after all.

Did the Count choose to side with his wife instead of his daughter?

“As far as I know, there is no one in my house who would abuse Sana.”

“Ah…… Father…… please……”

It was a failure.

Her chest ached like the days she was beaten by her uncle.

She had failed to save Sana.

She was just a helpless human being, like the young Connie of her childhood.

Perhaps this was why the teachers couldn’t remove her from her uncle’s care.

Because they knew it wouldn’t be easy, that they would fail.

“However.”

“……?”

Connie, who had been in despair, suddenly lifted her tear-stained face to look at the Count when he continued.

However.

However, what?

“Yes, Father?”

Without realizing it, Connie clasped her hands together and looked at the Count with desperate eyes, as if he were a deity determining her fate.

“However, you can believe that there will absolutely never be anyone in my house who would dare abuse my daughter Sana from now on.”

“……Huuk!”

Finally, she burst into tears.

Not the silent tears that had been streaming down, but crying close to wailing.

She had done it! She had succeeded in changing the Count’s heart.

The Count denied his wife’s abuse, but instead promised that he would never allow his wife to abuse Sana in the future.

Connie could be certain that there was resolute determination in his words.

It was something she could know just by feeling.

Of course, she knew that today’s achievement didn’t guarantee Sana’s safety and happiness.

While Sana might be a precious daughter to the Count, his wife was also a precious wife.

But if she couldn’t even take this one step, there would be no expectation or hope at all.

All she could do was desperately hope that the Count, now aware of his daughter’s situation, could protect his beloved daughter from his beloved wife.

“Teacher, she is my daughter. Anyone watching might think I was abusing my daughter.”

After she had been crying for a while, the Count spoke in a gruff voice.

“I’m sorry. I’m just so grateful, and feeling so reassured by you, Father…… hic, hiccup.”

Connie barely managed to wipe away her tears and ended up making choking sounds.

“One moment you’re looking at me with the hard eyes of a prosecutor interrogating a violent criminal, and the next you’re crying like a child. It’s quite perplexing.”

“I’m sorry. It’s just because I’m so grateful. I never had a father like this. How fortunate Sana is to have you as her father.”

“……That’s enough. The more you go on, the more I feel like a shameful father. Even a first-grade child would know that the one who should be grateful now is not you but me.”

“No, Father! How can you say you’re ashamed? I’m truly grateful to you.”

It would be problematic if the Count felt shame due to her emotions. After all, the Count held the most important key to Sana’s safety and happiness.

“Then I’ll be going now.”

The Count finally rose from his seat.

After the Count left, her legs trembled and she felt drained, as if all the blood had left her body.

She must have used too much energy.

“Teacher Connie?”

Teacher Anna, who must have been paying attention from the next classroom all this time, quickly rushed over.

“How did it go? Did it go well?”

“Yes! Teacher Anna! Waaaah! This is all thanks to you.”

Connie burst into tears again and cried in Teacher Anna’s embrace.

“Oh my, really. Why is Teacher Connie like this? After resolving the matter so well.”

The touch of Teacher Anna’s hand, holding her tight and patting her back, was so warm and comforting.

Though she didn’t know for sure, perhaps a mother’s embrace would be this warm and gentle.

Connie unconsciously burrowed deeper into Teacher Anna’s embrace.

Do teachers also need someone to whom they can show their vulnerable side?

Connie, crying in Teacher Anna’s arms, suddenly found herself thinking of author Leonie who had told her to be more dependent on others.

Thinking of her mother, then thinking of the author who shared her mother’s name……

What a random flow of thoughts.

A happy flow, too.

⁕⁕⁕

Natalie, who had been absent on Monday without prior notice, arrived late on Tuesday.

“Natalie, why were you absent yesterday?”

Connie asked as Natalie entered the classroom midway through the first period.

“My mom was sick.”

Natalie answered with a frown.

Mrs. Maison?

“What’s wrong? Is she very ill?”

“She said she couldn’t bear it.”

“What?”

“Mom said she was so upset she couldn’t bear it.”

“Ah….. I see. Go ahead and take your seat.”

⟨I can’t bear it because of that Connie bitch! I hate seeing her face. How long do I have to live with that thing!⟩

Unfortunately, Natalie’s words triggered memories of Connie’s aunt.

‘I can’t bear it, it’s all because of that thing.’ This had been her aunt’s most common repertoire.

Mrs. Maison seemed to be upset about something too.

If she were truly physically ill to the point of struggling to live, Natalie wouldn’t come to school with such a nonchalant expression while talking about her mother.

By the time Natalie finished rustling through her bag for writing materials and retrieving textbooks from her locker, ready to participate in class, it was already almost time for the bell to ring for break.

“Well, it’s break time now. Everyone go to the bathroom……”

“Teacher!”

Natalie suddenly raised her hand.

Hmm?

Connie wondered what question she could possibly have since she hadn’t even attended the lesson.

“What is it?”

“What does ‘eunuch cripple’ mean?”

“What?”

Connie momentarily failed to understand Natalie’s words and asked again.

“Eunuch cripple.”

Natalie unusually pronounced each syllable clearly as she repeated her question.

Eu… eu… nuch…?!

“Eu……”

“Stop! Natalie, stop!”

When Connie didn’t answer and just stood there blankly, Natalie seemed impatient and was about to ask again very clearly, so Connie quickly covered her mouth.

Why on earth was that phrase coming out of Natalie’s mouth right now!

It was a term she never imagined hearing in a classroom from the mouth of a first-grader, so even after hearing it, she couldn’t immediately understand what was being said.

“Why not! You said if we don’t know something, we should ask!”

Ding-ding-ding. Ding-ding-ding.

Thankfully, the bell rang.

Thank you, Mr. Bell.

This was probably the most absurd and difficult question among all the questions Natalie had ever asked.

“Everyone, the bell has rung. Go to the bathroom and take out your textbooks for the next class.”

Connie spoke loudly to prevent Natalie from saying anything more.

The children, unaware of how shocking the words they had just heard were, excitedly jumped up from their seats and ran out to the corridor or to the back of the classroom.

“Don’t run, walk! Natalie, could you come here for a moment?”

The child who had been asking for an answer to her question seemed to have forgotten it as soon as the bell rang and had already half-run into the corridor. Connie quickly caught Natalie and brought her to the teacher’s desk.

She needed to find out why such vocabulary had come from Natalie’s mouth.

“Natalie, about your question earlier. Why did you ask that?”

“What?”

“The thing you asked earlier.”

“What thing?”

“That… eu. nuch. crip. ple.”

“Oh, eunuch cripple!”

“Yes, why were you absent yesterday, and why were you curious about that word? Oh! And why was your mom upset?”

As she asked, more questions kept coming to mind.

“Yesterday, mom was crying a lot, and today she’s lying down. So she couldn’t even brush my hair, and that’s why I was absent.”

Crying, lying down……

So it seemed there was something upsetting and difficult enough that she couldn’t manage to send Natalie to school.

“Is she still lying down today?”

“Yes, mom said she couldn’t bear it and kept crying loudly.”

What could have happened?

If she asked, Natalie would probably explain in her own way, but it felt like prying too much into someone else’s family matters, which made Connie uncomfortable.

“This Saturday is my birthday and we were supposed to go on a trip, but we can’t go now.”

“Ah, I see. That must be disappointing. But why did you ask about that earlier? The ‘eu. nuch. crip. ple.'”

It seemed too inappropriate to use in front of a child, so Connie tended to pronounce each syllable as if they were separate words, which sounded a bit strange.

“Because my uncle became an eunuch cripple, he was taken to the hospital with blood streaming down, and there was a huge commotion. Mom was crying and said she couldn’t bear it.”

“Your uncle?”

If it’s her uncle, that means Mrs. Maison’s younger brother…!

Is it the man she said she would introduce to me who got hurt?

Why so suddenly?

Somehow, it gave her goosebumps.

Was it because she had just heard Mrs. Maison suggest meeting her younger brother? Despite involving someone she didn’t know at all, the situation felt strange.

“My uncle, on Friday or was it Saturday? Anyway, at night, he was beaten up on the street. My mom and dad went to find him, and they said he became an eunuch cripple.”

“How did that happen?”

“I don’t know. Someone just beat him up. Mom said they should catch them and put them in jail.”

“I see……”

“But no one knows who beat him up.”

“Ah……”

It seemed he had been assaulted by a robber.

How did such a thing happen……

When she first heard about him from Mrs. Maison, she had felt uncomfortable, but now hearing this story, she felt sorry for him.

She had said he was pure-hearted and generous, so how did he end up experiencing such a terrible incident?

“What does ‘eunuch cripple’ mean?”

“Huh?”

While Connie was internally expressing her condolences, Natalie persistently clung to the term ‘eunuch cripple’ once more.

It seemed she had heard that phrase multiple times at home throughout the weekend and even yesterday, Monday.

And apparently no one had answered when she asked about it.

Well, the atmosphere at home must have been bad, and they were probably too distraught?

But did he really become a eunuch?

Ugh… how does that even happen?

She shuddered again.

“Teacher!”

“Ah, it means your uncle might have difficulty becoming a father.”

“……?”

Natalie frowned as if she didn’t understand and then left, saying she needed to go to the bathroom.

“Sigh… you really never know what will happen in life. Someone who was perfectly fine just last week……”

Connie shook her head several times as she prepared for the next class.

Wondering if the newly opened café would soon disappear since its owner had met with such a fate.

Also worrying that ‘Natalie’s mother needs to overcome her sadness quickly.’

⁕⁕⁕

A reply came from the author.

It was such a quick response that it seemed like it might have been sent within a day or two of receiving her letter.

[Dear Miss Connie Clarence, hello. This is Leonie.]

Connie chuckled while reading the greeting. It was too formal, or perhaps stiff, for an older sister three years her senior addressing a younger sister three years her junior.

Ah… it was because it seemed somewhat masculine.

“Well, the author’s novels are like that too……”

In fact, the author’s writing was, if anything, written in a slightly masculine style. Whether that was her preferred style or not, thinking about it now, her letter writing style had always been like that too.

[I received your letter well. It was all the more welcome as I had been waiting for it for a long time. The various news was welcome, and I enjoyed your being dependent on me.

And what I found most delightful was learning that you’re my university junior.

As you predicted, I also graduated from Steen University.

However, I graduated the year you entered. So unfortunately, we wouldn’t have had the chance to meet on campus during our studies.

If I had attended university for one more year, I could have met you as senior and junior at the university.]

Goodness!

She really did graduate from Steen University!

But if she’s three years older than me, how did she graduate the year I entered?

Well, there is early admission!

Even William was a case of early admission by one year, and if his academic achievement remains good and he continues to advance each year, he will eventually graduate one year younger than his peers.

The author might be in a similar situation to William.

Come to think of it, I might be able to find the author by looking at the Steen University graduation registry.

The Steen University library keeps a registry with the names of graduates, and each year the number of female students is much smaller than male students, so it might be possible to identify someone with just a few pieces of information.

If the author’s real name is ‘Leonie,’ I might be able to find her immediately in the graduation registry from three years ago.

Should I visit the library sometime?

But that might be impolite if the author doesn’t want me to.

[So I was thinking, rather than calling me ‘big sister’ Leonie, how about calling me ‘senior’?

The title ‘big sister’ isn’t so bad, but I already have a younger sister, so I think it would be much more enjoyable to gain a lovely and pretty junior like Miss Connie than to have another younger sister.]

“Ah…!”

The author already has a younger sister.

Yes, that makes sense.

For Connie, it felt like gaining a big sister she never had, but for the author, it wasn’t like gaining a new younger sister.

If she already had a younger sister, it probably wouldn’t feel as novel as it did for Connie.

It’s a bit disappointing not to be able to call her ‘big sister,’ but it’s also nice to have someone to call ‘senior’! Especially since she didn’t really have anyone like that.

And to think she called me a lovely and pretty junior.

“Hehehehehe.”

Connie laughed out loud like a villain.

“Yes, I am quite lovely and pretty.”

She even praised herself.

After all, the author hadn’t met her, and there wasn’t much chance of that happening in the future, so…

There was no need to specifically say that she wasn’t that pretty or particularly lovely.

I’ll just let her believe that.

[While reading your letter, I was actually somewhat surprised. The Duke parent you mentioned seemed very similar to someone I know.

My acquaintance is also a Duke, lost his wife, and is raising a son. He should be around six or seven years old now, I think.

The situation was so similar that I wondered if it might be the same person.

It’s not like there are many ducal families in our country……

But it probably isn’t the same person.

The ‘W’ Duke I know is not the type of person who would already be dating someone.

He had a passionate love for his deceased wife, and it’s unimaginable that he would forget her so soon.

In fact, I heard that after he parted with his wife, many women began to show interest in him.

He was someone who received a lot of attention from noble ladies even before his marriage.]

“Duke W?”

Wayne also starts with W?

It was strange. How could even the first letter of the surname be the same?

Even without the author’s words, Connie already knew that there weren’t many ducal families.

Were there three ducal families in the Kingdom of Greet? Probably not as many as four……

And to think he was raising a six or seven-year-old son and had lost his wife.

It sounded too much like Duke Wayne.

With so many similarities, it’s no wonder the author was surprised by the resemblance.

[Nevertheless, I heard that because of his deep affection for his deceased wife, he doesn’t respond to any of that interest.

Isn’t that fortunate in a way?

Getting involved with such a man would make you the target of jealousy from countless women, but the Duke doesn’t want to get involved with just anyone.

As I write this, I realize that the parent you know and this Duke ‘W’ simply cannot be the same person. You mentioned that parent has started seeing someone. The ‘W’ Duke I know isn’t someone with such a light heart.]

“Hmm……”

In truth, a Duke would naturally be the object of admiration for many women……

How many articles about the Duke had appeared in the Noble Channel?

Even though he was a man who had been married before and was a father with a child, it was surprising how high the interest of noble women was in the movements of the Duke who had lost his wife and was now alone.

The author insisted that Duke W and Duke Wayne couldn’t be the same person, but the more Connie read, the more she felt that Duke Wayne and Duke W were indeed the same person.

Hmm, does that mean Hazel Gracious could become the target of jealousy from ducal ladies?

Someone like Hazel would probably be able to easily repel or ignore such jealousy.

But the Duke……

“Being too attractive must be exhausting.”

Contrary to the author’s conclusion, Connie completely concluded that the Duke W mentioned by the author was Duke Wayne, and she cheered for Hazel and the Duke.

[And I’ve been thinking about that other person, the parent whose thoughts you couldn’t read.

You said that your first meeting with that parent was when he caught you confessing your unrequited love to the vice principal, who is your university classmate?

Hmm…… that could indeed be quite concerning.

But what I think is really important is whether you still like that vice principal or not.

If you still like him, that first meeting might continue to be embarrassing, but if you no longer have such feelings, couldn’t you just forget about that memory?

What’s more important than those embarrassing feelings is your current emotions.

So please take a good look at your heart.

Do you still like that vice principal?

Or have you realized that you no longer like him?

I would appreciate it if you could let me know the direction of your heart after careful consideration.

As I mentioned before, due to my profession, I have an instinctive curiosity about these matters.

Especially since it’s about your heart, Miss Connie, whom I care about, I’m even more curious.

And in fact, since I’m at an age where I should be thinking about dating and marriage (I’m not married yet!), I’m becoming more interested in these matters.

Of course, the biggest reason is probably because I am your guardian, right?]

Connie tilted her head.

Whether she liked Ethan now or not, the fact that someone had witnessed that scene wouldn’t change.

So regardless of her current feelings, the memory with His Highness would continue to be embarrassing, wouldn’t it?

When it came to her feelings about seeing the prince, the author’s advice somehow didn’t resonate.

“Well……”

But after being lost in thought for a moment, Connie eventually found herself nodding.

She realized that, as the author said, it was something she could just forget about.

Past events were just past events, after all.

Following the author’s advice to examine her own heart would be a much more productive approach.

Do I still like Ethan? Does my heart ache when I think of Ethan?

Before she knew it, Connie had begun to examine her feelings for Ethan.

“Hmm…… it’s gone?”

The heartache she used to feel whenever she thought about the distance between herself and Ethan was no longer there.

At the very least, thinking about Ethan no longer seemed to hurt her heart.

Had her feelings of affection completely disappeared too?

“Ah, I don’t know!”

But soon she abandoned her thoughts about Ethan.

She couldn’t concentrate on thinking about Ethan to tell the author how her feelings had changed because the content of the author’s letter was too interesting and fresh to focus on thoughts of Ethan.

To think the author was so interested in her feelings.

Perhaps it was because she was also an unmarried woman of similar age?

It seemed she was also thinking about dating and marriage.

[And while being witnessed during your confession might be uncomfortable for you, from that parent’s perspective, it might not have been a big deal.

Besides, didn’t you say that parent holds an important position in the country?

If so, he must have a lot to think about and meet many people, so even if he saw someone confessing their unrequited love to someone else in the past, he might not remember each and every such incident.

So he might not have been belittling your feelings.

Perhaps that parent just saw you going to the opera with the vice principal and wondered, could she come see it with me too? Isn’t it possible he meant that?

Couldn’t ‘just anyone’ be interpreted as ‘with me too’?]

“Huh?”

This was the first time she found it so difficult to agree with the author’s thoughts that a strange sound escaped her lips without her realizing it.

How could ‘just anyone’ be interpreted that way?

That wasn’t the atmosphere at all, author.

The author probably thought this way because she hadn’t directly experienced the situation.

Moreover, that parent wasn’t just ‘anyone’ but ‘His Highness’!

Why would His Highness want to go to the opera with her?

“Sigh……”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

It seemed that exchanging situations through letters didn’t allow for accurate communication of the context.

If the author had actually seen the situation, she would never make such an interpretation.

[I have another reason for thinking this way. You mentioned that parent criticized your clothes, right?

But please reconsider that situation carefully.

Was it really ‘criticism’?

Could it possibly have been a ‘compliment’ meaning ‘you’re so beautiful I can’t take my eyes off you’?

Try to remember exactly what that parent said to you.

Perhaps you misunderstood or thought about it in the wrong way.]

“……?”

A misunderstanding?

She remembered clearly what His Highness had said to her.

She had felt so bad that she kept replaying those words in her mind afterward.

⟨Isn’t your outfit too eye-catching? Wearing such clothes, in such a place, sitting like that, I…⟩

These words were compliments? That doesn’t seem right……

How could anyone interpret them that way?

“Hmm……”

But strangely enough, after mulling over the prince’s words for a while, they didn’t necessarily seem like criticism or pointing out flaws.

In any case, the exact intention couldn’t be known.

Did I only hear it in a negative way?

Well……

Perhaps she had been unconsciously intimidated by the situation, being the only one wearing a simple dress among all the elaborate gowns.

[If you misunderstood, that person might not be as disappointing as you thought. You said he seemed nice and impressive at the sports day.

Hmm, this makes me curious about something.

What kind of person are you attracted to, and what kind of man do you find impressive?

What aspects of that parent did you find appealing and impressive?

As your official guardian, I’m very curious about what kind of man you like.

Since I’m your senior, I could give you advice on how to meet a good man, couldn’t I?

For example, a man who has a lot of money but a bad personality, or a man who has a lot of money and not a bad personality but is too strongly shadowed by his past relationships and is so popular with the opposite sex that it’s difficult to handle.

A man who appears kind and charming at first glance but is actually empty inside like an empty cart.

You should avoid such men.]

Hmm……

I do know one man who has a lot of money but a bad personality.

And one man who has a lot of money and a good personality but is popular with the opposite sex does come to mind.

Kind and charming but an empty cart? I’m not sure about that one.

By the way, the author really is interested in people. She has insight too.

How does she so accurately pinpoint people’s characteristics as if she’s been observing my surroundings?

With this level of insight, she must have a deep understanding of relationships, so she probably knows much more than I do about how to meet a good man.

[And first impressions aren’t that important.

For example, in the case of that parent who witnessed your unrequited love confession, even though your first meeting wasn’t good, perhaps that first impression prevented you from seeing his true nature properly?

I actually find myself thinking this.

I wonder if that parent might actually like you.

If that parent is an unmarried man of marriageable age, please think about it carefully.

Could it be that he fell for you at first sight, but was surprised to see you confessing your unrequited love to another man?

And then, seeing you appear at the opera house with that man again, wouldn’t he have felt hurt?]

Ah! She doesn’t have a deep understanding of relationships after all!

It was amazing how she could think about His Highness in such an unimaginable way.

To think His Highness fell for her at first sight……

Perhaps she had a rich imagination because she was an author.

“That’s ridiculous.”

Connie shook her head.

It really was ridiculous.

But suddenly, she remembered the prince smiling at her as she participated in the relay race on sports day.

And the memory of her heart dropping to the ground in that moment.

If anything, it would make more sense if she had fallen for the prince’s smile.

“……!”

What am I saying! This is ridiculous too! How dare I think I’ve fallen for His Highness.

I must be crazy to have such absurd thoughts!

Oh my, the author really…

It seemed she herself had become strange because the author had sent such strange opinions.

“This is going too far, author. Yes, this is too much.”

Thinking about it again, even if the author didn’t know that parent was ‘His Highness,’ this imagination was excessive.

Even if that parent wasn’t actually His Highness, there was no evidence in what she had written to suggest that parent liked her.

And without needing such assumptions, he is His Highness.

“Hmm…… this is really……”

Her heart ached.

“……!”

Why does my heart ache?

Connie froze in shock as she examined her feelings.

To think her heart would ache.

Her heart didn’t ache when thinking about Ethan, but it ached when recalling His Highness.

“What’s wrong with me!”

Connie put down the letter and lightly tapped her cheeks with both hands.

“Get a grip, get a grip!”

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Connie glared at the author’s letter for no reason.

It was because the author had said such strange things that she ended up having all sorts of weird thoughts.

For the first time, she felt resentful toward the author.

[Since that parent might like you, please think carefully about how you feel about him. And I would appreciate it if you could send me your conclusion about that in your next letter. I find myself becoming interested in your love life.

Just as you promised to consult me about your romantic relationships, I am ready to give you romantic advice anytime.]

“Author! What do you mean by romance?”

When did she ever say she would date?

She had merely said such a thing might happen.

“The author is being strange today……”

[Miss Connie, you said that since we both live in Barfal, we might meet someday? I agree.

And you said that if we met, you would be so happy you could fly? I feel the same way. I would very much like to meet you someday.

Please remember that I will be waiting for such a day.

Looking forward to your reply, Leonie.]

Forgetting that she had thought the author was being strange just moments ago, Connie hugged the author’s letter tightly.

She felt grateful and happy that the author valued her, a mere reader, so preciously.

“I want to meet you too, author.”

Connie murmured with an excited heart as she took out stationery to write her reply.