“Laura, I prepared rum raisin cookies that you like so much, but why aren’t you eating them well today? Last time, I brought ten, and while I ate two, you ate all the rest.”

“I think I’m full because I ate too many sweet snacks on my way here.”

“I see.”

“Oh, right! These are really delicious, Father, please have some too!”

Florencia hastily took out the bag of sugar cookies she had saved from her bag. Ludwig put one in his mouth out of consideration for her sincerity, and though he slightly furrowed his brow at the excessively stimulating sweetness, he didn’t show it and responded gently.

“It’s delicious.”

“Right? I should have saved some for you, but they were so delicious that I was afraid I’d eat them all before reaching the Temple, so I restrained myself by eating half a cookie every twenty steps.”

Eating food while walking, you’re still such a child, Ludwig smiled as he stroked her head with his large hand.

“But only you see me as a child, Father. Now I look like a proper lady in other people’s eyes. Actually, the person who gave me these cookies……”

Without noticing that Ludwig’s kind smile—which never showed anger even when she asked about the same part of the book seven times—was gradually growing colder, Florencia excitedly told him about what had happened earlier.

“Laura, didn’t I tell you not to carelessly accept things from strangers or follow them?”

“……Wh-when?”

“I told you countless times from when you were ten until you were fourteen. I didn’t think I would still need to tell you this at eighteen.”

“But he wasn’t a bad person, he was a polite gentleman. He was very kind to me too, and called me ‘Lady’ several times.”

“So, did your heart flutter?”

“……Yes?”

Not understanding what point had upset him, Florencia looked puzzled. After looking at her for a moment, Ludwig pushed aside both the teacup and the book, and took out a blank white notebook and a pen. Looking at Florencia, who gazed up at him with a confused face, Ludwig spoke somewhat sarcastically:

“Laura, I believe I assigned homework last time, so I need to check it.”

“R-right now?”

“Yes, right now.”

The atmosphere of that day’s lesson, which had been consistently gentle and warm, completely changed from that moment on.

* * *

“Why can’t you write more?”

“……”

Florencia was completely dejected as she watched his reaction. Because she had hardly been able to write down the content he was asking about, the pristine white notebook remained mostly empty.

“I assigned you to memorize the interpretation of that part as homework over a month and two weeks ago, but it seems you haven’t studied at all. It’s not like I have nothing to do or have time to spare to interpret everything for you one by one.”

“……”

“Laura, why aren’t you saying anything? Did your lips get stuck together from eating too many sugar snacks?”

Ludwig raised his eyebrows unpleasantly as he watched her fidgeting endlessly with her pen.

“But…… this is almost like asking me to memorize and write more than half of the book’s content. It’s not a suitable study method for me. Even the Academy exams are multiple-choice, this is too much……”

“Why do you think so? Recalling memorized content on blank paper is a proven method recommended by many famous educators across the continent.”

“And this book isn’t even written in the Imperial language. No matter how much you interpret it for me, Father, it’s difficult……”

“You have many excuses. Isn’t that why you learn essential foreign languages from your first year at the Academy?”

Ludwig pressed Florencia with a face even stricter than Professor Burns. Though she thought he would treat her differently from before since they had shared a bed, despite it being for educational purposes, Florencia, who had expected a somewhat romantic atmosphere, found his attitude hurtful and disappointing.

“The Holy Empire of Lebleia is the largest on the continent, yet all the scriptures being in another language that isn’t even commonly used doesn’t seem reasonable.”

“How would I know? If that’s your complaint, become an excellent saintess and rewrite them in the Imperial language yourself, Laura. I’ll make sure to use that book when teaching my next disciple. But to do that, you need to know how to interpret the existing scriptures, so you have to learn them anyway.”

“Last week, I didn’t have time to study because I was preparing for the Academy exams. You don’t know how difficult it is to sit in stuffy classrooms all day in this hot weather, this is really too much……”

Ludwig glanced at Florencia, who was weakly protesting and avoiding his gaze, feeling guilty.

“Of course, I didn’t attend the Academy, but I graduated second in my class from the Elysium Temple’s educational program.”

Since she already knew he wasn’t an ordinary priest, this wasn’t particularly surprising. She wanted to ask who was first but kept her mouth shut, and Ludwig provided the information without being asked.

“The valedictorian of the same year was Saintess Elisabeth. I excelled in practical applications of holy power, but it seems she was more outstanding in theory.”

As I thought, Father must have been close with Saintess Elisabeth since then……

“At that time, perhaps because I was going through puberty, I didn’t study very hard.”

Since you associate with such an intelligent person, how pathetic and foolish must I look in your eyes?

Florencia became sullen and mumbled quietly.

“Father, I think I’m going through puberty too. That’s why I’m not doing well with my studies lately……”

“Didn’t you just say you were a lady?”

He indifferently replied as he picked up the theology book placed beside him and opened it with a rustle, coincidentally to the exact page where Florencia had doodled.

“……What kind of long-haired ghost did you draw in the book?”

Actually, I drew it while thinking about you during class……

Should she consider it fortunate? Due to Florencia’s poor drawing skills, he didn’t seem to recognize it at all.

“The weather was so hot that I momentarily lost focus during class…… it only happened that one time.”

But at that moment, her grade report fluttered out from between the thick books.

“……!”

The small piece of paper seemed to shine as if saying ‘look at me.’

I thought I put it in a different book, but why of all things……!

The brief moment it took for Ludwig to elegantly bend down and pick up the paper from the floor felt endlessly long to Florencia. Finally, after slowly picking it up and checking its contents, his expression gradually changed in subtle ways.

“Laura, not only have you been lying continuously without doing the homework I gave you, but judging from this grade report, it seems you haven’t been diligently attending your classes either. Moreover, you’ve even doodled in this precious book, called the nourishment of the mind and the storehouse of knowledge…… If the author of this book found out, they would wail in heaven.”

Annoyingly waving the grade report in front of her, he wore an even stricter expression than before.

“It seems that for you…… a strict disciplinary approach might be more suitable.”

“But, Father Ludwig…… if I get spanked again, I won’t be able to sit in a chair because it will hurt, and I won’t be able to study more……”

“I think I went too far that day. I’m sorry, Laura.”

And getting spanked hurts too much…… When Florencia recalled what happened on their return from Stefain and made a frightened face, Ludwig found her cute and also felt sorry, so he stroked her head and smiled a little.

“Today, I’m thinking of giving you a relatively light punishment.”

* * *

Florencia was now sincerely regretting.

Her legs felt slightly numb, so she wiggled her toes. However, the bigger problem lay elsewhere.

I should have just not resisted from the beginning and done as Father said……!

Ludwig, who had said he would give a minor punishment, took Florencia to his office for some reason.

“Laura.”

He pointed to the floor right next to his office desk, where a thick, soft carpet was laid against the wall.

“Go kneel there with your hands raised and reflect.”

“……Yes?”

Ludwig stared at Florencia’s confused face and gestured once more as if to ask what the problem was.

“N-no. That’s a punishment only little children receive…… I’m all grown up now, Father Ludwig.”

“Are you really all grown up? Laura, you are truly so small in every way…… I thought you were still far from being fully grown.”

“……”

Looking at him smiling with a strange attitude, Florencia felt an inexplicable uneasiness.

“Anyway, since you hate being treated like a young child, I’ll do it a little differently.”

In the end, Florencia was receiving the punishment he had given. Ludwig said he had urgent matters to attend to, left her alone, and began reading documents at his desk.

“I’m quite quick with my hands, so it won’t take long, just wait a little.”

True to his words about it being a light punishment, kneeling itself wasn’t particularly difficult. Since Ludwig was focused on his work and didn’t watch whether she was properly serving her punishment, she could even rest by placing her arms on top of her head instead of holding them straight up.

“Hiiing…… Father……”

However, if there was a problem…… it was that she was kneeling next to his office desk completely n*ked, stripped even of her underwear.

“Laura, didn’t you say earlier that it was too hot to concentrate on your studies?”