Chapter 3

Cedric, without hesitation, gave instructions to his secretary.  

“Armand.”  

“Yes, Sir.”  

“Bring Mikael.”  

Armand replied, then left the drawing room.  

Cedric was cooler than expected.  

From his intimidating gaze, she thought he’d never let her see Mikael, but…  

Once Armand exited, she and Cedric waited in awkward silence for Mikael to arrive.  

Without Armand to ease the tension, it was hard to sit still.  

The awkwardness filled the room.  

Moreover, Cedric’s handsome face made it hard for her to breathe.  

Seeing his face in real life, after only reading about it in text, she couldn’t help but glance at him again and again.  

She sipped the tea the maid brought and glanced at him.  

He was handsome, even on second look.  

Sitting with one leg crossed, gracefully drinking tea—he was the epitome of a nobleman.  

Yet even among nobles, he seemed especially dignified.  

She could see why he was the envy of all men.  

She found herself drawn to him, almost unconsciously.  

But only for a moment.  

Swallowing her tea, her mind snapped back.  

‘This won’t do. If I fall for Cedric, I’ll end up entangled with Mikael.’  

If she kept staring, he might notice.  

‘If our eyes meet…’  

That would be even worse.  

She could imagine Cedric coldly asking why she was staring, with a sharp glare.  

Enough. No more admiring his face.  

The most important thing now was Mikael.  

She refocused and set her teacup on the table.  

Soon, knock knock, there was a sound at the door.  

“Young Master Mikael will enter.”  

As soon as the servant finished speaking, the drawing room door opened.  

Mikael entered cautiously.  

His black hair shimmered behind his neck as he walked, and his eyes were a shade between sky blue and deep blue—those caught her attention first.  

His plump cheeks were tinged with a healthy blush.  

He was about as tall as her hip.  

His skin wasn’t pure white, but had the soft, pale quality unique to children.  

In short, he was a cute and handsome young noble.  

Mikael blushed, glancing nervously around.  

He seemed embarrassed to meet her.  

He shuffled forward and greeted her, his voice trembling but polite.  

“Hel-hello. I-I am Mikael Kaspar….”  

He was quite proper for a noble child.  

Seeing young Mikael, she felt relieved.  

Thankfully, he was still young, so her death flag was far off.  

Judging by his height, Mikael seemed about five years old.  

The five-year-olds she had taught before were about the same height as Mikael.  

‘Is that child really the shadowy Mikael?’  

She doubted it as soon as she saw him.  

Unlike Cedric, Mikael had a gentle face and drooping eyes, practically broadcasting ‘I’m a good boy.’  

How could such a child become the shadowy figure who brings ruin in the future?  

She couldn’t believe it.  

What shocked her even more was how adorable Mikael was—almost too cute.  

He was a child whose innocence was obvious.  

Even now, he couldn’t look her in the eye, avoiding her gaze.  

Mikael, awkward with their meeting, fiddled with his fingers.  

His small, delicate face grew redder with shyness.  

‘Ah! This is driving me crazy!! How can someone be so perfectly cute in both appearance and behavior?!’  

She wanted to hug him, he was so lovable.  

She clenched her fist tightly to suppress the urge.  

‘Heart, please calm down.’  

He was so cute it hurt her heart.  

Why hadn’t Cedric cared for such an adorable son?  

A child so cute you wouldn’t mind putting him in your eye.  

She recalled that Cedric was indifferent to Mikael in the novel, which made her worry even more about Mikael.  

‘He’s still a child craving love. Cedric should take better care of him.’  

But even if she said it, unless Cedric changed, it wouldn’t matter.  

So she resolved to love Mikael herself, so he wouldn’t turn dark.  

Grabbing his hand or hugging him at their first meeting would only burden Mikael.  

Looking at Mikael’s current state, showing too much affection might make him shrink away.  

He was so shy, approaching him too energetically might make him run.  

‘So, I’ll let Mikael open his heart to me little by little—step by step.’  

She bit back her smile, greeting the child politely.  

“It’s an honor to meet you, Young Master. I am Alicia, and I will be teaching you from now on.”  

A perfect business smile with just the corners of her lips raised.  

After the greeting, she bent down to Mikael’s height.  

She wanted to ask him the thing she was most curious about, matching his eye level so he wouldn’t feel threatened by her greater height.  

She kept her gentle smile and asked him.

“Excuse me, Young Master, there’s something I’m curious about—may I ask?”

Mikael glanced sideways for a moment before slowly opening his mouth.

“…Yes. It’s okay. You can ask.”

Mikael was still very shy, stuttering as he spoke.

But that was fine.

Even this side of him looked incredibly cute to Alicia.

However, Mikael seemed to be very conscious of his father’s presence.

He couldn’t look Alicia in the eye, constantly glancing toward Cedric.

Just as in the novel, Mikael’s greatest fear at the moment was likely Cedric.

He must have thought that if he made a mistake, he’d be scolded.

Alicia looked at Mikael’s increasingly flushed cheeks and asked,

“Young Master, are you five years old by any chance?”

“How did you know…?”

Mikael’s expression was one of surprise.

“Well, I can see everything. Guessing your age is child’s play for me.”

With several years of experience, Alicia could hardly miss such a detail.

If she couldn’t, she’d be a fool.

She’d taken care of dozens of children over the years.

‘Anyway, if Mikael is five years old…’

That meant she had about twenty years left before her death.

It was a relief.

She just needed to prevent Mikael from becoming the shadowy figure over the next twenty years.

‘I’m confident.’

In her previous life, Alicia had lived with pride as a capable teacher.

She’d been pushed around by parents, directors, and others, but she endured and overcame it all.

Especially, she had been the teacher in charge of the most troublesome children.

Kids transferred from other kindergartens because no one else would take them, and those whom all teachers avoided—she taught them all.

Teaching and helping such children never bored or exhausted her.

The hardest part was dealing with parents’ territorial attitudes or teachers’ gossip.

So she never doubted her abilities.

No matter how difficult the child, she often heard, “Being with you is fun, Teacher—I like you more than Mom.”

‘Most importantly, it’s just one child.’

Unlike her previous life, where she handled more than twenty kids, taking care of just one was a breeze.

Moreover, when all the children went home and one child stayed behind, that child was always so adorable.

‘Back then, I used to share snacks I bought for myself with them.’

She could never forget the face of the child who ate so happily.

After spending such time together, even the most troublesome child would soon become a gentle lamb.

Those memories flashed through her mind, giving her hope that she could teach Mikael well.

If Mikael met a good teacher, he wouldn’t become a shadowy figure.

Alicia still believed there was hope for Mikael.

She smiled brightly and offered her hand for a handshake.

“I look forward to working with you.”

Such a cute young master.

* * *

After the greeting, Mikael left the drawing room.

It had been a brief meeting, but it was enough.

Now that she’d confirmed Mikael’s exact age, there was no need to worry.

All she had to do was sign the contract.

Earlier, she’d only skimmed the contract to buy time, but now she could read it carefully, line by line.

Alicia meticulously reviewed the contract’s contents.

In summary, it stated that she would be appointed as Mikael’s tutor until he became the Young Duke.

It promised full support for anything Mikael needed for his education, and specified that her teaching methods would not be interfered with.

However, in the middle of the contract, there was a clause stating that if any incident or accident involving Mikael occurred, the contract would be terminated.

For now, Alicia could disregard that clause.

No one could predict if any incidents would happen.

Overall, the contract offered the most ideal employment terms.

Based on the contract, Cedric was entrusting everything to her.

‘I like it.’

She calmly read the last line of the contract.

‘Two hundred gold?!’

Wondering if she was mistaken, Alicia rubbed her eyes and checked the amount again.

The signing bonus alone was two hundred gold.

And the contract stated that she would receive a monthly salary of one hundred gold.

This was roughly equivalent to ten million won in Korean currency.

Alicia calculated how much she would earn if she worked here for about a year.

‘If it’s one year, I’d earn twelve hundred gold. That’s 120 million won?!’