That evening, the eldest son of the Midstern family, Clive, returned home.
He had spent the past two weeks in Rotenia, attending a scholarly conference as a teaching assistant.

Rotenia, the center of learning and a thriving hub of maritime trade, was brimming with exotic imports. Though the country was close, crossing the border still counted as travel abroad, and he must have been busy assisting his professor. Yet, Clive was thoughtful enough to return with an armful of gifts for his family.

Madam Sina let out a sigh.
“I told you not to bring anything back.”

But her eyes lingered on the stylish felt hat, unable to look away. She also ordered the faintly musky wooden ornament to be placed in the “small room.”

Once the gifts were roughly sorted, a neatly arranged dinner followed.

Rio, thrilled to see his eldest brother again, chewed at his lips, eager to chat. But Madam Sina’s endless scolding gave him little chance to speak.

“You must have been busy with work. When did you find the time to wander about? I can only imagine how much that strict Mr. Benhauer must have complained.”

Mr. Benhauer was a long-time friend of the Midstern count and currently a professor at Sherk University’s business faculty.

“Mother, Professor Benhauer treated me very well. Teaching assistants aren’t required to attend every breakfast or meeting, so I only showed up occasionally. The rest was free time.”

“I trust you didn’t spend all that so-called ‘free time’ wandering around alone.”

Her sharp gaze fell on Rio, who was busily picking olives to one side of his plate, and she added sternly.

“That man thinks so highly of you.”

“I know. It was thanks to his recommendation that I was able to go this time as well. I fulfilled all my duties, so please don’t worry too much.”

“Yes. Mr. Benhauer places his trust in your father, and—”

“Yes, yes. I know. If I don’t want to disgrace Father or the family, I have to behave properly. But enough of that—Rio, how have you been? And what about Oscar?”

Clive turned to Rio, who sat glowering at his little pile of olives, and spoke to him. At once, Rio’s eyes lit up.

“Big brother, big brother! Did you go to the naval base? What about the battleships?! The Victorio-class battleship!”

Rotenia was not only famed for its flourishing maritime trade but also renowned for having the strongest navy. For a boy Rio’s age, soldiers were the very image of admiration.

From the moment Clive announced he was going to Rotenia, Rio had asked him at least a hundred times whether he would visit the naval base, and Clive had promised he’d try to make time.

“Unfortunately, I only managed to stop by the souvenir shop. That’s where I bought that model kit and the scarf earlier.”

“Aw, then you didn’t get to see the Victorio-class battleship at all.”

Rio’s face fell, all his bright anticipation crumbling into disappointment. Clive gave an awkward laugh, embarrassed.

Madam Sina immediately scolded Rio for being disrespectful to his elder brother.

In that moment, Oscar smoothly shifted the conversation.
“A new tutor arrived.”

Clive turned toward him with a faint look of surprise. He had asked after Oscar out of courtesy but hadn’t expected him to actually respond. Aside from his youngest brother, Clive was usually indifferent to the rest of his family.

“You mean Rio’s tutor?”

“Well. I wouldn’t mind having a sexy tutor of my own, either.”

“Oscar.”

Madam Sina quickly rebuked him, worried Rio might pick up his shamelessness. But Oscar didn’t even glance her way, only giving a careless shrug.

“Yes, I’m talking about Rio’s new teacher.”

“That was faster than expected.”

The sixth tutor had resigned barely a month after starting. Before Clive’s departure, Madam Sina had been tearing her hair out over the fact that no suitable candidate could be found.

“What kind of person is it this time? What’s her name?”

Since Clive had asked broadly, Madam Sina, Rio, and Oscar all answered at once.

“A bright young lady.”
“Lame.”
“Mia Green.”

Clive, who had been spearing a piece of roasted cauliflower, paused mid-motion. At length, he set his fork down and summed it up.

“Miss Green, then… Rio, what about her don’t you like?”

“She’s ugly, and her voice is all whiny.”

“It’s not right to mock someone for what they’re born with.”

A face or a voice isn’t something one can change. When Clive gently chided him, Rio stuck out his lower lip.

“What’s so wrong about calling ugly what’s ugly? And she’s annoying. She’s always reciting sonnets, like that’s all she knows how to do. But you know what? I can read, too.”

“Rio.”

Madam Sina shook her head, signaling him to stop. Then she met Clive’s gaze. His eyes were a clear shade of green.

“She’s the young lady who used to tutor Baron Russell’s daughter. It seems she postponed college because of her family’s circumstances.”

“So she did plan to continue her studies?”

“I heard she graduated from Lancaster Girls’ School at the top of her class. I didn’t ask, but it’s only natural she had such intentions.”

“Wow, that’s no small feat. Lancaster is quite prestigious, isn’t it?”

Madam Sina immediately understood what Clive was really curious about. Lancaster was infamous for its exorbitant tuition. If her family’s situation was dire enough to keep her from university, getting into Lancaster in the first place couldn’t have been easy.

“She must have attended high school on a scholarship.”

“I see.”

Clive stroked his chin in quiet thought. Just then, he felt an intent gaze. When he turned, Oscar was staring at him, lips pressed together.

“…What is it?”
“……”
“Oscar? Do you have something to say?”
“No. Thank you for the meal.”

Oscar shook his head and rose from his seat. He clearly seemed to have something on his mind.

Clive finished his own meal but remained at the table to continue conversing with the family. As Madam Sina complained about her husband’s infrequent letters, Clive thought to himself,

‘Sonnets, of all things.’
At last, it seems a proper tutor has arrived.

***

After leaving the warm, cheerful atmosphere of the dining room, Oscar brushed the goosebumps from his arm. Gatherings where the entire family sat together, laughing and chatting, always made him uncomfortable.

He wasn’t like Clive, who looked after his family with kindness, nor was he like Rio, still young enough to dote on and indulge. He was nothing but a sack of grain plopped down in their midst. Better for everyone if he left early, so the rest could enjoy themselves more freely.

Feeling stifled, he slipped out the back door into the garden.

The moon, bright and round, hung higher than the treetops, sprinkling silver light across the sky.

He stopped for a moment, gazing toward the distant forest. Night swimming was usually the best way to calm a restless heart, but…

Before he knew it, the tutor had taken over his thoughts.

The way her cheeks flushed pink in fluster when he provoked her. The way she trembled with fear, yet still held his gaze directly, answering him back without faltering.

Oscar prided himself on knowing women fairly well. That maid who had caused such chaos in the household last winter—if the decision had been his, she would never have been hired.

And by the accuracy of his own instincts, the new tutor didn’t seem like a sly or scheming woman.

‘If anything, she’s the type whose inside matches her outside—and will suffer for it.’

Whenever he encountered someone genuine, he couldn’t help but feel the urge to sneer. Must be nice, living that way.

The world he lived in was not one that permitted honesty. In such a place, an honest person was either a fool to be taken advantage of—or someone wielding overwhelming power. Since the tutor clearly possessed no such power, she could only be the former.

And if that was the case, there was no reason for him to pay her any mind at all.

So why was it?

“…She lingers in my mind.”

Annoyingly so.