01. The Tutor of Chesterfield

1790.

It was a day like any other. Here, ‘like any other’ meant that it was accompanied by filthy s*xual remarks, which she ignored.

“Look, the noble Lady Berienne is passing by!”

The little girl walking hand in hand with Celian moved her lips.

“Sister……”

“It’s okay, Beth.”

Beth was eleven years old. She didn’t know exactly who the mockery was aimed at. But the young child intuitively knew. The dirty ruffians were targeting not her, but her sister who had turned twenty-four this year.

The mockery continued endlessly.

“If you need money for clothes, come to the tavern at night! That looks too small. Your chest looks like it’s about to burst!”

It was the result of poorly washed clothes. Trying hard to ignore the lewd remarks, a figure suddenly appeared in front of the woman who was walking.

The newcomer looked Celian up and down and whistled.

“Wow, Celian. I was just on my way to see you.”

It was Peter, the son of the most prominent landowner in this countryside. Although a commoner, most of the land was his property, so life became difficult if you got on his bad side.

With the return of this rascal son who had been studying in the capital, Celian’s life became even more challenging. Seemingly excited by the return of their group’s leader, the harassment towards Celian intensified day by day.

Celian bowed her head deeply and quickened her pace while muttering.

“……I’m sorry, I’ll just pass by.”

A lewd laughter-filled shout followed the woman walking hand in hand with her sister.

“I’ll come visit you with a bouquet soon!”

Since returning to his hometown, Peter had consistently pestered Celian. It didn’t matter that she was poor, or that she was an old maid past the age of marriage. It didn’t matter that being harassed by his friends was a daily occurrence. Peter had more than enough money, and the harassment was proof of that woman’s beauty.

The ruffians’ mockery only ended when the fruit shop lady intervened. She was a distant relative of Peter’s, and one of the few people in this area who could speak ill of their family.

“You bastards, how dare you spout such unspeakable things? Get out of here and stop polluting the marketplace!”

“It’s okay, ma’am. It’s not like this is anything new.”

“Celian, it’s because you’re too nice that those guys look down on you even more. In the capital, they wouldn’t dare……”

Celian smiled weakly.

“Thank you for standing up for me. It gives me strength. Ma’am, I need to go somewhere for a bit, could you look after Beth for a while?”

“Sure, I’ll even feed her dinner, so don’t worry and go. You should eat at our place too, instead of trying to scrape by on your own.”

“I’m grateful just for the offer. Beth, I’ll be back. Be good and listen to the lady.”

It had been several years since she settled in this rural village. At first, the villagers were wary, but they gradually got to know this young lady with silver hair and sky-blue eyes.

One of the things they learned was that this young lady came from a family so famous that even now in the capital, just mentioning the name would elicit an “Ah, that family!” response.

Perhaps because of this, there were largely two reactions to Celian. Those like the fruit shop lady who were cautious, thinking this young lady might regain the value of her name someday, and those who felt a strange thrill in trampling on a young lady who was once a noble.

“Come back soon.”

Beth disappeared behind the fruit shop. It was the only place where she could leave her sister with peace of mind.

Celian kept walking. Her destination today was the house of a young lady who was soon to be married. She had asked Celian for help, saying she couldn’t make napkins on her own.

The bundle of cloth in her arms smelled of stiff starch. Celian bowed her head to smell the clean scent. After being in the dust, smelling this clean fragrance seemed to lift her spirits a bit.

Six bell tolls rang out in the square. The sun was already starting to set. Celian thought as she walked through the increasingly narrow alleys,

‘Six o’clock. I should do some sewing at home and then go pick up Beth around the time dinner ends.’

Dogs barked fiercely every time she passed by. When she first came to this village, she flinched at their seemingly ready-to-bite ferocity, but it didn’t take long to realize that neighborhoods where dogs barked were actually better.

As the road narrowed, the sound of barking dogs faded. Now Celian was surrounded by an abandoned alley full of dilapidated houses about to collapse. A beggar, less fortunate than her, was lying on the ground, looking at Celian with flushed, drunken eyes.

Leaving the growling sounds behind, the woman continued walking. Past houses with fallen doors and broken walls, a small house with something that could be called a door appeared.

“I’m here.”

The basket containing the sewing work was placed neatly on the table.

As the woman sat down and picked up the needle, her eyes fell to the floor. A piece of paper had fallen. It seemed to have been pushed off the table when she put down the basket.

Celian bent down and picked up the letter she had read once in the morning.

To Celian,

Lian, how have you been? It’s Owen.

I have some news to share with you today.

The Chesterfield ducal household is looking for a tutor. You know Chesterfield, right? Their young master is four years old. I’ve been called there a few times when he caught colds, and he’s an incredibly cute young master.

I know you’re not keen on life in the capital. But Lian, you can’t stay in that countryside forever. Beth is also at an age where she should experience the city.

The conditions they’re looking for in a tutor are similar to you. Around twenty-five years old, with experience in raising children. One more thing, they’d prefer someone from a cultured noble family. Doesn’t that sound just like you, Lian?

Above all, the salary conditions are good. It’s incomparable to doing piecework sewing in the countryside.

Fifty pounds a year, Lian. Fifty pounds! I knew Chesterfield was generous with money, but I didn’t know it would be to this extent. With that salary, you could send Beth to a pretty decent boarding school.

Please think about it positively. I would be glad to see you in Humming as well.
Father sends his regards. I’ll be in touch again!

Your friend, Owen Caleb.

‘A tutor.’

It was the best job a fallen noble young lady could have. Moreover, it was Chesterfield. The most respected family in this country, Treven, except for the royal family.

Being a tutor for such a household would not be bad treatment. But she couldn’t go up to the capital.

Although six years had passed since the war ended, the capital still remembered what Berienne had done. Celian stared blankly at the neat handwriting.

‘Still, the capital is not an option. Knowing full well how much debt the Duke paid on our behalf…… Me going up there would only cause a commotion.’

She felt sorry for Owen who had been so considerate, but it was an opportunity Celian couldn’t take. The letter, filled with neat handwriting, was folded neatly and put back into the envelope.

‘I can write a reply tomorrow.’

She thought as she stood up with the letter. Her elbow caught on something, and the napkin cloth spilled onto the wooden floor.

“Oh no……”

Long silver hair flowed down beside the woman’s ear as she bent down to pick up the napkins.

She had picked up all the cloth, but the needle was nowhere to be seen. As Celian squinted, scanning the wooden floor, a glinting object caught her eye. It had rolled all the way to the door crack, quite a distance in this cramped house…….

Celian clicked her tongue and opened the door.

“Uh……”

What happened next occurred in an instant.

A rough hand covered the woman’s mouth and pushed her inside. The door slammed shut with a bang. The man even had the leisure to put down the hammer he had brought and lock the door with one hand. His other hand was still covering Celian’s mouth.

“Mmph!”

“Shh, be quiet.”