Mia’s room was on the third floor.

Live-in servants occupied the entire fourth floor, so for her to be given a room on the third must have been Lady Sina’s way of treating the tutor as a guest rather than just another employee.

Mia was grateful for the courtesy, though it left her slightly uneasy. Whatever the difference in duties or pay, she too had signed a contract like the others. To enjoy such special treatment when everyone else lived upstairs made her feel self-conscious.

As Lady Sina had advised during the interview, it was best for a resident tutor to maintain good relations with the household staff.

But the maid assigned to her—Becky—treated Mia almost as though she were a young lady of the house. Today, after Mia returned from her walk, Becky had even prepared a bath with warm water waiting.

Mia felt it was too much.
“I really appreciate it, but I can draw my own bath.”

A relationship of mutual respect—that seemed the right balance.
“I’m sure you’re busy. You don’t have to worry about things like this.”

“But still…”

Becky, with her thick, coarse hair and dense locks, seemed to be the sort of girl burdened with every odd job, being the youngest maid.

Before being adopted into the Green family, Mia had grown up in a convent, always the youngest among her peers. She knew too well how hard it was to be at the bottom. That made her sympathize with Becky’s position. If she neglected her tasks, she would likely be scolded by her superiors.

“I’ll speak to the head maid myself,” Mia offered gently.

“R-really?”

Becky’s face brightened at once.

Mia felt a quiet satisfaction at having pinpointed Becky’s real concern and added reassuringly,
“Just come when I really need help. That’s more than enough.”

Once Becky, comforted at last, had gone, Mia hurried to get ready for work.

It was only a short walk from the third floor to the first, but straightening her clothes and gathering her teaching materials was her way of preparing her mind to work. That mattered most—especially since her new student was not going to be easy.

With a heavy volume of Literature tucked under her arm, Mia stood before the vanity mirror. The reflection showed the whole of her room:

A bed like a temple pillar rose high on four posts, each one hewn into an octagon from ash wood. The room’s palette—natural wood, deep green, and a warm ochre close to yellow—gave it a refined, subdued elegance.

Mia allowed herself a faint smile. To look more mature, she had taken to wearing a pair of round spectacles, though they slid down constantly, not quite the right fit. Still, with their gilt frames, at least she resembled a high school graduate. Looking too young was nearly a disadvantage for a governess. And beauty—well, that was another problem altogether.

“Bring in a pretty little thing like you—are you trying to stir up scandal?”

His words still echoed. All morning, after draining her energy at the lakeside, she had been chewing on them slowly.

Oscar’s hostility, she decided, was like the reflex of a man once bitten by a snake who now feared every rope he saw.

He must have seen scandal between a servant and someone in this household before.

Mia was convinced. But that didn’t mean she had to cower.

From the very first day, Oscar had threatened to have her dismissed—yet here she was, teaching without issue.

Which means, in the end, all decisions rest with Lady Sina.

Mia was grateful. However strict and difficult to approach, at least the woman who held her livelihood was rational.

“How can a mother and son look so little alike?”

Their hair and eye color, yes, those clearly came from the father. But the aura they exuded could not have been more different. Lady Sina was a sensitive, elegant beauty, while Oscar seemed the embodiment of raw vitality.

Eyes like a boiling sea. A body carved from steel. Water streaming in rivulets over tautly woven muscle, splitting along every contour and—

“Begone, demon!”

Mia slapped both cheeks hard, banishing the indecent image. Then, looking into the mirror, she gave herself a firm incantation:
“Let’s earn our keep today.”

***

Rio Midstern was the youngest of the earl’s sons, thirteen years old this year.

And he did not like his new governess.

Not that he’d ever liked one before, but Mia Green was especially unacceptable.

First of all, she wore ugly glasses. Upon closer inspection, they didn’t even have a prescription. Her eyesight was fine—so why wear such ridiculous things?

Second, on her very first day, she had made him sit through a full three-hour lesson! Wasn’t it customary for a first class to be just introductions? Until now, the longest any teacher had ever lasted was one hour.

And so Rio had already decided—he would get rid of her, too.

He was breaking records at an alarming pace. The first tutor had lasted six months before quitting. The next one had surrendered after four. The one after that, three. And this time…

One month.
No—he would make sure she didn’t even last that long. He’d see her walk out of this house on her own feet.

It was the only thing lately that gave him any sense of pride or enjoyment.

Knock, knock.

The door opened.
“I’m coming in.”

Rio snorted and shut his eyes. Arms crossed tightly over his chest, he struck the classic pose of I refuse to study today.

“Oh my. Are you sleepy? Didn’t you rest well last night?”

His governess’s voice came from nearby, followed by the thunk of a heavy book being set on the desk.

“Let’s open the window first. Some fresh air will wake you up.”

Mia flung the window wide.

The study was on the far end of the first floor, where the scent of the front lawn drifted in. The smell of damp grass tickled the nose, while the rustling leaves of the cherry tree outside sang in chorus with the morning breeze.

“How’s that? Feeling any better?”

It was their third lesson. And Mia had already realized one thing—

Rio Midstern was, in fact, a good kid.

The truly troublesome ones didn’t even sit in their chairs properly.

Though Mia had barely a year of experience, she too had once surrendered within a single month.

Her previous charge—the daughter of a baron—had spent the first two weeks refusing even to look at her, let alone speak. It wasn’t until later, when she shyly asked, “Can I call you sister?” that she both delighted and troubled Mia in equal measure.

By comparison, Rio was remarkable. From the very first day, he had arrived neatly dressed and seated at his desk. Yes, he staged little protests in that position, but Mia knew all too well how rare it was just to have a student stay in the chair.

Sitting with his arms folded and eyes shut? That sort of rebellion was practically adorable.

“Or are you feeling unwell, perhaps?”

Feigning concern, Mia placed a hand on his forehead.

As she expected, the young master’s eyes flew wide.
“W-what do you think you’re doing?! An unmarried woman, laying hands on a man who’s not her kin!”

He jerked in his seat like he’d been shocked, his upper body thrashing so violently the wheels of his chair gave a soft skrrk against the floor.

Mia quickly checked the locks on the wheels, then smiled sweetly.
“Where did you even pick up a way of speaking like that? You sound like a dowager in her fifties.”

“Dowager? I’ll have you know at thirteen I already know everything there is to know. I’m a grown… man.”

“Of course you are.”

“And my nurse says the only time an unmarried lady can hold hands with an unmarried man is at a ball!”

“Of course she does.”

Her mechanical replies made Rio’s face flush crimson.
“Are you ignoring me?”

“I didn’t ignore a word. I heard you perfectly. I’m just saying that a teacher checking if her student is sick by taking his temperature is perfectly acceptable.”

“I’m a man. And you’re a woman.”

Rio’s tone was so serious that Mia couldn’t help but laugh.

With his thick, dark-brown hair—his mother’s coloring—he still had the round cheeks of baby fat. His lashes were long and dense, giving him the look of a pretty little girl if one saw only his eyes. He really was an adorable young master. If only he would speak a bit more sweetly.

When Mia covered her mouth and giggled, Rio bounced in his seat again.
“H-how dare you laugh?”

“You’ll tip your chair if you keep that up, young master.”

“Tchhh…”

“And besides—if a teacher looks at her student as a man, she’ll be arrested.”

Mia tapped her worn fountain pen against the Literature text.
“Enough chatter. No fever, wide awake—shall we begin today’s lesson?”

Though still huffing, Rio accepted his ‘defeat’ and opened his book.

“Let’s see. Today is fables. A fable is when animals take the place of people and…”

“…and.”

Rio suddenly ducked his head and mumbled.

“Hmm? Say that again?”

“…the male relatives of the student being taught.”

“……”

“M-my tutor… she can’t—she shouldn’t be in that kind of relationship with my brother.”

Mia guessed immediately who he meant. Oscar, of course.

Not just a guess—one hundred percent.

And if she were to give her honest answer to Rio’s concern? Well…

‘That could happen.’

A tutor might very well fall in love with a student’s brother—or another relative. Feelings weren’t something one could choose at will.

Still, one had to accept that from the outside, it could look improper, and bear the consequences themselves. It was, in truth, a delicate matter.

But it wasn’t something she could spell out in detail to a thirteen-year-old child. Especially not to one who had already been shaken by something so similar.

Mia bent slightly at the knees, lowering herself to meet Rio’s serious gaze.
“Of course not. You don’t need to worry about that at all.”

“R-really?”

“Yes. Because your second brother is absolutely not my type.”

“…Then what kind of man is your type?”

He was straying off the lesson again. Mia straightened, smiling mischievously.
“My type is the prince on a white horse. Kind, considerate… someone like that. And if you want to be that sort of person someday, young master, you’ll need to—”

“That’s our eldest brother.”

“…What?”

Rio gave her a doubtful look.
“You haven’t met my big brother yet, have you?”