Chapter 6

Alicia stepped forward, glaring coldly.

“How can you challenge me when you can’t even defend yourself? Apologize to Young Master now. You were very rude to him.”

Celia’s mistake was cornering Mikael to control him.

But from her experience in kindergarten, Alicia knew Mikael’s personality wouldn’t change by being yelled at.

He was shy and timid.

Such children needed gentle approaches.

But Celia was domineering and made Mikael fearful.

She blamed everything on Mikael, never considering her own mistakes—even to a five-year-old.

So Mikael only cried, becoming more timid.

Celia shamelessly spoke again.

“No. I won’t apologize. That would spoil Young Master.”

Unbelievable.

Did she realize she was more spoiled than Mikael?

Alicia had no intention of holding back anymore.

Actually, she never did.

Such a person wasn’t even worth getting angry at, so Alicia only pointed out the problem.

But this time, she refused to yield.

“The only one getting spoiled is you. Apologize to Young Master, or I’ll report you to Secretary Armand.”

When Alicia mentioned Armand, Celia finally realized Alicia’s intent.

If she didn’t apologize, Alicia’s report would reach Cedric.

Celia’s pupils trembled with fear.

Her bravado faded, and she bit her lip, then timidly approached Mikael.

“I-I’m really sorry, Young Master.”

Her once bold voice was now barely a whisper.

Alicia pretended not to hear and spoke as if to the air.

“Your voice is too quiet for Young Master to hear.”

Celia made a face and trembled with anger, then clasped her hands and bowed deeply.

“I’m truly sorry, Young Master. I won’t do it again.”

Her hands shook with rage and shame.

Alicia pretended not to notice and clapped as if soothing a baby, praising Celia.

“Very well done.”

She even gave Celia an exaggerated smile.

Mikael, as Celia apologized, fidgeted nervously.

“Are you really apologizing to me?”

“Yes… I’m truly sorry, Young Master.”

Celia bowed again, her face as red as a ripe tomato from embarrassment.

After finishing her apology, she quickly came to Alicia’s side, grinding her teeth and whispering,

“Just wait. Next time, I won’t let you off.”

Celia stomped angrily down the hall.

Her furious retreat made it clear she was looking for a place to vent her anger.

Alicia laughed to herself, thinking,

‘Serves her right.’

Today, Alicia had defeated one of Mikael’s enemies and felt triumphant.

She looked at Mikael, hoping

‘Mikael’s heart will heal a little from this.’

And that he would regain his confidence.

* * *

“Crazy b*tch! Doesn’t even know her place!!”

Celia, alone and cursing, still couldn’t calm down.

“I’ll tear her apart. She’ll never dare show her face again.”

She spewed insults and cruel words she could barely bring herself to utter.

She didn’t care who heard; she was too furious to stop.

From the moment she arrived, people had said Alicia was more graceful and beautiful than any noble lady, which made her jealous.

How could Alicia be more beautiful than a noble?

The servants even said,

“Seeing her face is like an angel descending from heaven to save us.”

It was absurd.

Because she had heard such things, Celia regarded Alicia as a thorn in her side.

As the maids watched Celia curse Alicia for a while, they gradually slipped away, sensing her mood.

She was not someone you could get entangled with and expect a good outcome.

So, everyone was afraid to deal with her and avoided her.

Celia hated Alicia, the tutor who had only been at the ducal residence for a week.

It wasn’t just hatred—she was furious.

Who did Alicia think she was, acting as Mikael’s guardian just because the Duke had entrusted her with the role?

As these thoughts ran through Celia’s mind, her anger surged again, like a raging bull.

Celia crossed her arms and continued to vent endlessly.

Bang!!!

In a burst of rage, Celia slammed her fist onto the desk.

“Ah, seriously! How should I get revenge?”

She vowed to repay today’s humiliation twice—no, ten times over.

Normally, anger would have faded by now, but Celia was not an ordinary person.

That’s why she was still so furious.

Her anger refused to settle, burning her up inside.

Celia leaned against the wall, crookedly, and pointed at a brown-haired maid working under her.

“Hey, you! Bring me some water.”

It was an extremely unpleasant gesture.

But what could the maids do? If they protested, they’d likely be slapped for daring to challenge a noble as mere commoners.

Celia snatched the water glass from the maid who had just brought it.

Gulp, gulp.

The sound of water rushing down her throat echoed loudly.

She drank so quickly that she emptied the cup in one go.

“Ah! Now I feel alive.”

Celia set the empty cup on the desk and bit her lip.

Celia was obsessed with getting revenge on Alicia!

She was scheming how to make Alicia suffer more than she herself had.

Then, suddenly, she recalled something Alicia had said earlier.

‘The one getting spoiled is you. Apologize to Young Master right now. Otherwise, I’ll report you to Secretary Armand.’

That wretched woman.

Remembering Alicia ordering her to apologize made Celia even more irritated.

Then, a worry crept in.

‘She wouldn’t really tell Armand, would she?’

The thought of being scolded by Armand brought a wave of fear.

If Cedric found out about this…

‘No, no! I don’t want that!!’

Terrified even to imagine it, Celia squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head fiercely.

“No way. She doesn’t have any power.”

How could a mere commoner dare to snitch on her?

Celia forced herself to think simply and her mood improved.

Alicia was just a commoner, so she couldn’t possibly report Celia.

But Celia was mistaken.

At Kaspar’s ducal residence, once you were contracted as a servant, your status disappeared.

You lived only as a servant of the ducal residence.

Neither noble nor commoner, just a worker of Kaspar.

That was Cedric’s basic rule for all employees.

Cedric didn’t care whether someone was a noble or a commoner.

Anyone under his command was beneath his feet, so status meant nothing.

Celia was unaware of this crucial fact.

With a scowl, Celia barked at the maid,

“Hey. Do you think she’ll actually report me?”

The maids, eager to please, quickly replied as they watched Celia’s mood.

“No, no! She’d never do that! She couldn’t!”

“That’s right. Who does she think she is, Miss Celia!”

Buoyed by their flattery, Celia crossed her arms and smiled shamelessly.

“That’s right. What did I do wrong, anyway? I only did it for Young Master’s sake.”

“Of course! Who else would help Young Master if not you, Miss Celia?”

“Exactly. Young Master needs you by his side…!”

With the maids supporting her, Celia felt reassured.

Foolishly, Celia lifted one corner of her mouth and snorted.

“Hmph. I’ll crush that tutor’s pride! Let’s make her so miserable she leaves the ducal residence herself.”

If she bullied Alicia openly, Armand would find out, so she’d do it very subtly.

Celia laughed loudly, delighted at her own plan.

‘Who does she think I am? Just wait, Alicia. I’ll make you suffer even more shamefully.’

* * *

Cedric returned to the ducal residence after a morning out.

He was so busy that he headed straight to his study instead of seeing Mikael first.

Armand, his secretary, followed him.

Cedric removed his black coat and spoke to Armand.

“How’s the tutor lately?”

“She seems to get along well with Young Master. He’s been crying much less these days.”

“…”

Cedric responded with silence instead of words.

Usually, when Cedric thought positively, he didn’t reply.

Armand was used to this unique way of communicating.

The two climbed the stairs without showing any signs of fatigue.

Even though Cedric had hurried back from his duties, Armand continued the conversation without concern.

“These days, Young Master doesn’t seem wary of Teacher Alicia at all.”

“A child who hides whenever the maids come—this is unusual.”

“Indeed. According to Teacher Alicia’s reports, he even goes for walks in the garden outside.”

“Hm, he used to hate going outside.”

He always threw tantrums when the maids suggested going out.

Once again, Cedric left his thoughts unfinished.

He continued,

“Still, keep an eye on things. It could just be temporary.”

Armand agreed and made a note of Cedric’s words.

Soon, they arrived at the study, and Cedric sat down to catch his breath.

He exhaled deeply, letting his tense body relax.

He closed his eyes for a moment to unwind.

He hadn’t slept well these past few days, and his eyes felt dry from fatigue.

Letting his body relax and closing his eyes, everything before him turned dark.

He rested quietly in the darkness.

Alicia suddenly came to mind.

For some reason, Cedric kept thinking about her.

He didn’t know why.

He just kept glancing at Alicia since she arrived as the tutor.

Perhaps it was her boldness that felt refreshing.

She seemed to find him intimidating, yet she asserted her opinions confidently, which felt unusual.

Most people, when intimidated, couldn’t even speak properly….

Everyone Cedric had met behaved that way.

They either tried to please him or went out of their way to flatter him.

Or they dressed up to impress him.

For Cedric, that was normal.

He’d been called the next Duke since birth, so he always attracted attention.

Countless people had approached him to curry favor.

Did any of them ever stand up for themselves like Alicia, even while afraid?

No, none did.

Not once in his life had anyone done that, except his parents.

Everyone else simply obeyed and followed Cedric’s words.

So Alicia, who was an exception in every way, kept catching his attention.

There was more than just her boldness that surprised him.

She looked at Mikael with warmer eyes than any tutor before.

Eyes full of love.

Alicia had a sincerity that previous tutors lacked.

All the tutors before were greedy for money or desired Cedric.

But Alicia showed none of that.

She came solely for Mikael.

She saw Mikael as just a child.

Cedric liked that purity.

That’s why Alicia intrigued him.

She was a source of amusement in his otherwise dull life.

As he pondered her, he suddenly recalled Alicia agreeing to the contract’s terms.

‘She’s truly an interesting woman.’

Cedric let out a dry laugh.

He also looked forward to what further boldness and amusement she might show.

Well, Mikael’s education was in expert hands, so there was no problem.

Armand praised Alicia so often that Cedric was almost tired of hearing it.

But you couldn’t trust anything until you saw it yourself.

Next time he met her, Cedric wanted to ask about her educational philosophy.

He needed to know if her methods could change Mikael’s timid personality.

Just as he was immersed in thoughts about Alicia,

A knock broke the quiet rest.

Knock, knock.

A familiar voice outside the door woke Cedric.

“Your Grace, it’s Alicia. I have something to report.”

Alicia, who had dominated his thoughts moments earlier, appeared unexpectedly.

Cedric slowly opened his eyes at her voice, straightened up, and composed himself.

“Come in.”