Episode 40

Halfway There

....grew up. Now that I’ve realized, in my life, that he doesn’t love me, shouldn’t I break it up?”

“..Is that why you’re going to die?”

“I’ve thought about it before, but Lord Kazar has heard too many stories from the minstrel.”

He gave her a hard time, so if Eris disappeared from this world after suffering from love and hatred for the crown prince, I thought it would be all right.

“My lifelong goal was to be loved as a crown princess. It may be a funny goal in others’ minds, but it was as important to me as Lord Kazar’s prophecy. What’s the point of giving up on something like that?”

“Lady Misérian.....”

I said this, but..... Well, maybe 1, too, misunderstood Eris. Eris could have simply been blinded by a desire for power.

I wished it was the case. Wouldn’t that be a better story, instead of this sad story of a child who is less than 20 years old who died after having a crush on someone for 10 years without being able to overcome that heart?

Jason shook his hand and stuck out his tongue before making another serious face.

“I’m joking. The truth is, Lord Kazar, think whatever you want. You won’t believe me anyway.”

“I believe you. I believe you, so tell me.”

“I don’t trust you. How can I believe you, Lord Kazar, who tries to blackmail me whenever he can? Threatening a lady with disgrace.... isn’t it too ugly as a knight?”

“..Is that so? Why? I don’t know why I get ugly when I’m in front of you.”

Jason muttered with a bitter-looking face and tone. I didn’t want to care about that, so I replied roughly,

“It’s fine, I’m more disgusted with the way you want to look good to me.”

“Sigh, I’m telling you.. I’m ugly, but Lady Misérian is mean to me, too.”

“I treat everyone equally, unlike anyone else. By the way, do you actually have time to care about me?”

“When I step down, the next candidate for the Crown Princess will be Lady Antebellum.”

When he heard that, Jason had a strange face. Even though it was a very natural thought, he looked at me as if he had never thought of it. As if Helena was completely forgotten.... and he saw me.

I thought a lot about where I should get my etiquette education from

The place where Kynthia and Anakin lived was too conspicuous to visit often, and I was worried that words would leak if I were to be discovered in other places.

Inevitably, it had to be done at the Misérian mansion, which required the permission of the marquis,

“I found a teacher for etiquette. I’m thinking about being taught in the mansion so that words don’t leak out.”

“Etiquette teacher? If you needed something like that, I would have taken care of it.”

“Do you want to spread rumors in your estate? If the teacher had been obtained through the Marquis, the rumor would have spread within half a day.”

The marquis was watching me, and I wondered what to do with the truth. So, I needed to be well aware of my surroundings. The marquis had many enemies. Even his current allies were people who would bite the marquis whenever they saw an opening.

“I’ll bring them in, learn from them, take care of them, and send them out on my own, so just take care of the housekeeping inside the mansion. You’re the one who loses if there’s talk.”

“You wouldn’t dare..”

“I’m sorry.....”

I scrunch my nose before I went out and laughed as meanly as I could.

“Since the coming-of-age ceremony, I’ve been like a member of the royal family. It’s a bit slanderous? What if someone hears about it? Isn’t it a ‘practice’ to be polite even if I’m a daughter? I haven’t learned etiquette yet, so..”

After teasing him as much as I could, I closed the door and left. I could hear the sound of something being smashed on the other side. Hey, that’s fun. If someone asks why I hate the marquis so much, well, it’s close to those with homophobia.

Ironically, the marquis and I had a lot of similarities. We were both very dirty-tempered, stubborn, ruthless, and venomous.

The carriage finally arrived. I was really looking forward to who Kynthia would send me. Anakin guided someone to the door, who was thoroughly hidden with a black parasol. As the parasol folds, an old lady appears.

“I heard you’re looking for this old person.”

“You’re talking nonsense even though you know who

am.”

“The older you get, the less you have to be afraid of. My knees are already starting to ache. If you don’t have anything to say, let’s go inside first. I have a lot to teach you so keep up.”

The old lady snorted and staggered inside, using her cane. My handmaiden caught her hastily and led her into my room.

Who is she? I glanced at Anakin. Anakin gently lowered his head and whispered in my ear.

“The nanny of the dead prince.”

Kynthia chose the right person.

The former crown prince’s nanny was knocking on her knees in my room. She looked like a good person at first sight due to her plump cheeks, but somehow, felt dignity in her slightly bent hooked nose and stubbornly shut mouth.

“If it’s Lady Misérian, I already know it’s been a long, time since you finished your education when you were young.”

“There are several reasons. I felt that the manners when being taught and the manners in the position of having to teach someone were different.” (TL/N: Eris has to teach Helena)

The maid poured tea into my teacup, followed by the nanny’s. The nanny savored the scent first and sipped the tea, then stopped at what I said.

“Teach?”

“I have to educate a certain girl on the orders of the Empress. Do I have to tell you who she is?”

“If she is important to her, I have to figure out where to start with her education.”

“Lady Antebellum. She is the daughter of His Highness Alecto’s nanny, and now.. a low ranking maid”

“Heh, what’s a ‘lady’ in the traitor’s family?”

She snorted and drank her tea.

Putting down the teacup, she lightly tapped her lap with her fingers and spoke bluntly, as if it was annoying.

“If you have to teach a villager who has never been educated, you must start all over again.. As you know, before I became the nanny of His Highness Letatio, was part of the education center for the crown princess. Because I was the Empress’s teacher, survived the ‘Great Purge’ when His Highness died..”

It was the first thing I found out, but I pretended to not know.

The nanny, who watched me, suddenly sprayed tea on my face as soon as she finished talking. The maid screamed as the hot tea poured down, dripping down my face. The maid hugged me and yelled at the nanny.

“How dare an old lady who managed to survive by the grace of a time do that to my lady!”

“There is only one reason why I set foot in the hateful Misérian mansion. I came to see how the daughter of the man, who I want to be struck by lightning for killing another’s child, was raised.”

The nanny said bitterly. From my point of view, the marquis seemed like he would live a very long and prosperous life rather than being struck down by lightning. A thunderbolt is also dirty, so I decided to avoid it.

“Stop.”

At this rate, I thought that there would be a story that no one else should hear, so I raised my hand to stop

the maid and sent her away. She kept looking at me with a worried expression as she went out.

“Why did you send your servant away?”

“Because I have to say something that shouldn’t be heard by other ears.”

I crossed my legs lightly and asked the nanny.

“Why do you think I have summoned you?”

“It must have been a shame that you forgot imperial etiquette. You wouldn’t be able to ask anyone in the imperial family.”

“Wrong. Then there’s no need to have my associate find you. Who did I say I was teaching? Why does she have to learn imperial etiquette?”

At that moment, the nauseous nanny’s expression became serious. I gently twisted my wet hair and whispered softly.

“His Majesty and the Marquis do not know this fact. Only the Empress, I, and now, you, know this. I think what the three of us have in common is that we hate them. Am I correct?”

“..I haven’t heard of Lady Misérian hating her father.”

“What good would it be to let others know about a family quarrel? It’ll be like spitting on my own face.”

As I responded calmly, I could clearly see the nanny’s heart fluttering. If I push a little more, I think she will be convinced..

I tried to look dignified. Like someone who believes in something.

“..If I give up the position, it won’t hurt the Marquis much.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll take that person down on my own. So what is your answer?”

Please come. I anxiously waited for her answer. If the nanny would teach me, I could wish for nothing more. It’s not as easy to find someone with her qualifications and who won’t betray me.

The nanny, who had been thinking about something, took a deep breath and spoke slowly.

“..Okay. Let this old woman teach Lady Misérian. Since we have to teach beginners, Lady Misérian also has to learn from the basics again. Don’t think learning what you’re learning is boring.”

With the image of a strict teacher, she adjusted her glasses that were draped over the back of her nose.

“Teachers and students should respect each other, so in the future, we will address each other properly. Do you have any disagreements?”

“There is none.”

“Okay. Then I’ll start teaching today. I’m a pretty harsh teacher, so you’d better be prepared.”