Chapter 1.4

Her uncle’s room had a pleasant woody scent.

Sniffing for a moment, she took a book she liked from her uncle’s small bookshelf.

After turning the pages for a while, she felt hungry and checked the clock. It was already lunchtime.

Rubbing her hungry stomach and waiting for a few minutes, as her uncle said, a maid knocked on the door with a tray. Was her name Jane? She couldn’t quite remember.

“Hey, hurry up and eat.”

She tossed the meal to her and urged her to eat quickly, but Raven already ate slowly, and feeling uncomfortable and self-conscious, she thought she might get indigestion.

The maid seemed to have feelings for her uncle, judging by the way she blushed and looked around his room, and she seemed to think of her as a cheeky brat for staring at her.

Raven stuck her tongue out at the maid’s back as she carried the empty dishes away.

You can’t have my uncle.

“…….”

After confirming the door was firmly closed, she lay on the neatly arranged bed, similar to the owner’s temperament. Only the ticking sound of the clock filled the room.

She was bored.

Oh, come to think of it, the rude Young Master of this house had asked me to come today. When should I go?

She blinked her eyes, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Had time already passed like this? Lying idly without doing anything made the day feel long, and Jane came back with dinner.

Though she disliked facing her while eating, she was hungry, so she had no choice but to quietly use the spoon.

She hadn’t realized at home, but a day without anything to do was indeed long.

After finishing dinner and looking out the window, the sky was already dark. Her uncle hadn’t returned to the room yet, so he seemed to be working late again today.

How much money did the Marquis give her uncle to work him so hard?

Suddenly, she began to feel annoyed at the Marquis Chernor she had never met.

Though her uncle told her to stay in the room, she decided to keep her promise from yesterday.

Glancing at the clock pointing to 10 o’clock, she picked up the candlestick and left the room.

She climbed the stairs through the dark corridor, as if something might appear.

Finding the familiar door and knocking softly, she heard the voice of the rude boy from yesterday.

“Come in.”

As she carefully opened the door and entered, she saw the pale blonde boy leaning crookedly against the bookshelf.

Her uncle had indeed said his name was Enoch.

Glancing at his turquoise eyes and wriggling his fingers, Enoch gestured toward the homework spread out on the desk.

“Do it.”

“…What?”

“Do this.”

Pointing at his homework, Enoch spoke in a sharp voice and sneered coldly.

“Smart, but can’t you understand words.”

Why is his tone like that? Does he act so arrogantly because everyone praises him? Look at his eyes, the typical gaze of nobles who look down on everyone.

She sarcastically mocked Enoch internally, knowing she would be in trouble if caught, while outwardly she quietly picked up the pen.

Enoch, watching her do his homework without a word, opened his mouth.

“I’ve been thinking since yesterday, why do you look like that?”

“…My expression?”

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, she asked back blankly, and Enoch frowned as if frustrated, tapping his forehead.

Where does he get off scrunching his face?

She twisted her lips, and Enoch touched her forehead, saying.

“You’re frowning right now. Is it hard to understand what I’m saying?”

“…Uh, you’re asking me to do your homework?”

She questioned back, implying that she was already quietly doing his homework, so why was he picking a fight?

Enoch, arms crossed, tilted his body and replied.

“Arrogant, I’m generously letting you do it.”

Offering homework is a funny expression, Young Master. Don’t pretend to be generous when you’re just passing it off because you don’t want to do it.

She sarcastically mocked internally again and calmly answered.

“Oh, I have poor eyesight, so I can’t see well without frowning.”

“Then wear glasses.”

“Glasses are expensive.”

Reading many books in dark places, she knew her eyesight was worsening. But her parents were not the kind to buy her glasses. If she couldn’t see, she would just have to squint.

“…….”

Enoch looked down at her with a peculiar expression and spoke as if he finally understood.

“Now I see you’re not just a commoner, but completely poor.”

“…….”

“But how do you know so much? You’re good at math and history.”

“It’s nothing.”

She answered bluntly and moved the pen again.

This homework was a history problem, and though the passage was long and seemed quite difficult, it was actually the most basic problem. She wondered how little he must have studied for a noble of his age not to know this. Perhaps he could solve it himself but was too lazy to bother.

Glancing at Enoch, who was feeding the ornamental fish and slacking off, she concluded that such a possibility was quite likely.

“I was never meant for studying. I prefer wielding a sword to moving a pen tediously. My Master said I have talent with the sword. If you’re curious, I’ll show you my sparring later.”

While she was doing his homework, Enoch fiddled with the long swords hanging on the wall and rambled on.

As she was about to answer that she was fine, Enoch flopped down on the chair next to the desk.

“Ah, so comfortable. The academy gives too much vacation homework. I’m glad I didn’t kick you out. You’re quite smart for a commoner.”

If only he would stop talking about commoners.

She sighed inwardly and mumbled.

“Yes….”

“Since I didn’t kick you out and took you in, you should repay my kindness diligently, right?”

“…Ah, yes.”

Wasn’t it my uncle who took me in, not you?

She wanted to retort but held back, unsure when he might get annoyed again.

“You’re quite quiet. I was looking forward to having someone my age here.”

Enoch stared at her and tapped her shoulder.

Move, I’m doing your homework.

“Say something.”

“…What?”

She looked up at Enoch with a strange expression, as if wondering why he was asking such a thing.

Such vague requests were what she hated most in the world. What should she say? And what did she have to say to him?

“…Forget it. You seem unwilling, so you don’t have to.”

“Thank you.”

Worried that Enoch might ask for something else weird, she quickly finished the remaining homework and left Enoch’s room.

“Come tomorrow.”

Enoch leaned arrogantly against the door and said.

“…If Uncle comes home early, I might not be able to.”

“Fool. Then come during the day.”

“…Yes, understood.”

What a brat.

She nodded roughly and closed the door.

Though she hadn’t done anything particularly strenuous, fatigue rushed in as soon as she left Enoch’s room. It was a skill to drain someone’s energy like that.

With her eyelids growing heavier, she staggered down the hallway. She needed to go to bed quickly.

* * *

Going to Enoch’s room to do his homework while her uncle was out working had become part of her daily routine.

Though she didn’t like the situation of doing Enoch’s homework, the act of doing homework itself wasn’t bad. What she meant was there were many high-level and interesting problems.

Since Enoch allowed her to read his books, she could also study personally with them. As they were books used by a wealthy Young Master, they were far superior to the mundane books available at local bookstores.

Ignoring Enoch’s sneering remarks about her being ‘quite clever for a commoner,’ this strange task was rather worth doing.

It felt like she had something to do while living there, and she felt some sense of accomplishment when she solved the problems.

She had completely adapted to this life. The bed was comfortable, and the meals were warm. Though she worried about how long she could live like this, she was honestly happy. Her parents or siblings didn’t even cross her mind, as her life was so satisfying.

That day began like any other morning. Her uncle was preparing to leave, and she was watching for the moment he left to immediately go to Enoch’s room.

Knock, knock—she heard a knock, even though it wasn’t lunchtime yet.

“I’ll get it.”

Instead of her uncle, who was putting one arm into his coat, she crossed the room toward the door. The only people who came to her uncle’s room were servants, but it wasn’t time for Jane yet.

Was today cleaning day?

Without thinking, she grabbed the doorknob and turned it, only to fall backward with a loud noise. Whoever was knocking outside had pushed the door without waiting, causing her to hit her forehead hard.

“Ouch.”

“Raven, are you okay?”

Her uncle, who was gathering a pile of papers, approached in surprise as she groaned and rubbed her reddened forehead.

Feeling tears welling up from the pain, she looked up at the doorway. There stood a very tall middle-aged man.

“Is this the child?”

“Ma-Marquis?”