I was startled by the sudden familiar voice.

As I turned my head slowly, I saw Cardien standing upright in front of the door.

My breath caught in my throat as our gazes locked, his violet eyes as dry as a bone.

Observing me silently, Cardien approached step by step, while Chelsea and Winston stepped back, and before I knew it, he was standing in front of me.

I stared blankly at him.

His face overlapped with the image of him desperately calling my name over his face before.

“Your…….”

But I couldn’t say anything more.

“Tutor.”

Cardien looked down at me with eyes colder and more indifferent than ever before.

Just like the day we first met.

“Tutor, you…”

Suddenly, as his lips twisted into a grimace, he uttered, “You’re fired.”

* * *

I stared blankly at the ceiling into the night.

Everyone had left, but I had no spirit to bid them farewell.

’Fired?’

Cardien, who coldly delivered the termination notice, had already left the room.

There was no chance to stop him.

’Why?’

In truth, there were too many reasons to consider.

Firstly, it would be judged that I couldn’t conduct classes properly due to my illness, and with the ring, he was no longer suffering from headaches.

Moreover, since he had requested help from the despised temple, he might be fed up with me.

’But… we had a deal.’

You can’t get a good night’s sleep without me.

Did he decide that he couldn’t keep me in this house even considering that?

’After giving me such a cold look…’

As I recalled the gaze, he gave me before leaving the room, I hunched my body.

My body didn’t hurt anymore, but for some reason, I found it hard to breathe.

* * *

Winston watched Cardien’s retreating figure with concern.

‘What’s going through his mind? ‘

As he hesitated from behind, Cardien’s voice echoed.

“Butler.”

“Huh? Ah, yes.”

Winston responded in surprise, but Cardien continued without paying much attention.

“Hire a new private tutor.”

“…My lord…”

Winston asked, barely managing to stifle a rising sigh.

When Winston quickly lowered his head, Cardien looked back at him and continued.

“Yes.”

His answer was firm.

Normally, Winston wouldn’t question further.

But this time was different.

“But if young master Vincent finds out, he may find it difficult to accept.”

“That’s Vincent’s problem. Do I have to worry about that too?”

“May I ask for the reason? Even though Teacher Pellington is suffering from an illness… a sudden dismissal will only worsen the confusion. Moreover…”

If she’s fired as a private tutor, she can no longer stay in this mansion.

Winston knew that Miss Pellington’s estate had already been auctioned off.

If she was driven out from here, she would have nowhere to go.

“……Am I supposed to worry about the private tutor’s living arrangements as well?”

But this time, the answer was just as cold.

Winston narrowed his eyes.

’Cold.’

So cold, in fact, that it was as if he had reverted to his old self before Livia had entered the manor.

What on earth had made him so cold?

‘He was the one who stayed by the tutor’s side until just now.’

Whatever the reason, Winston couldn’t let Livia go like this.

Not just Livia.

His intuition was screaming at him.

If Livia left like this…

’The Duke of Mercedes will die.’

Things would revert back.

No, they would become even more desolate.

Livia was now an indispensable figure in the Mercedes mansion.

Then something crossed his mind.

“T-There’s a special clause.”

“A clause?”

“Yes, yes!”

Winston, who had hastily stepped forward, bowed before Cardien and confessed.

“Forgive me. When I first drafted the contract with Tutor Pellington, we added a clause stating that we wouldn’t hire a new tutor for a year after Miss Anna. So, it’s difficult to find a new tutor now.”

“The butler has nothing to apologize for. Delegating full authority to Vincent’s education to you was my decision.”

“Then it would be difficult to dismiss Teacher Pellington after all, wouldn’t it?”

Winston looked up at Cardien with eager eyes, but Cardien looked past him and simply replied.

“Get a lawyer.”

“…… Your Grace.”

With a sense of desperation, Winston looked at Cardien, but Cardien remained steadfast in his decision.

Alone in the corridor after Cardien left, Winston let out a long sigh.

* * *

“Tutor, I brought porridge.”

At Chelsea’s voice, I sat up groggily.

Chelsea soon placed a large bowl of steaming white porridge on the bedside table she had brought up.

“…Thank you.”

I weakly picked up the spoon and scooped a little porridge into my mouth.

Slurp.

After a few minutes of struggling, I set the spoon down.

“I don’t have an appetite…”

“You must eat. You haven’t eaten properly for days.”

“But…”

I lowered my gaze.

I noticed my wrists, which had become thin from a few days of hunger.

‘I really have no appetite.’

Since receiving the dismissal notice, I had hoped that Cardien would change his mind, but after three days of waiting, he remained silent.

I wanted to run to him out of frustration, but Chelsea stood by me like an impenetrable barrier, making it impossible.

Chelsea, who had been deciding and acting on her own without listening to me, truly didn’t heed my words.

‘The sense of betrayal must have been strong…’

I understood that, but I couldn’t help feeling frustrated.

In my heart, I wanted to run to Cardien right away and plead with him to reconsider, to assure him that I wouldn’t let it affect the classes or Vincent.

‘But I know he won’t let me in.’

I still wanted to know what Cardien was doing right now, even if it was just his current status, but Winston’s visits had ceased since that day.

Well.

‘Winston is loyal to Cardien, so if Cardien made that choice, Winston couldn’t help it either.’

Maybe by now, they’ve posted an announcement about hiring a new home tutor?

Still, it would be nice to visit at least once.

‘I’m worried about Vincent too.’

I remember Chelsea saying he just keeps crying.

Vincent liked me a lot, so the shock must be significant.

Is he eating well? Is he having nightmares?

I bit my lip hard.

Now it finally hit me.

‘I’m really getting kicked out. ‘

Where should I go then?

I had sold the house, and I had no relatives or friends to turn to.

’Maybe I should ask Lemon for help.’

If I requested a trade for clues about the culprit, Lemon would readily accept.

It was a good move to have Lemon on my side…..

In the end, I put down the spoon that I hadn’t even lifted a few times and forced a smile as I spoke.

“I’m sorry, Chelsea. But I really have no appetite… I’ll eat properly at the next meal. Please understand, just this once.”

It was sincere.

I genuinely wanted to eat as much as possible for Chelsea’s sake, but I just couldn’t bring myself to eat anything due to my complete lack of appetite.

It felt like I would vomit if I forced myself to eat anything.

Chelsea had said she wouldn’t listen to me, but if I pleaded like this, she would eventually give in.

“…Alright. You really must eat well next time.”

“Of course. Thank you, Chelsea.”

“Then rest well.”

“You too, Chelsea.”

As Chelsea left the room, I burrowed under the covers.

The bed in the room was too fluffy for my liking.

‘Am I going to be able to sleep anywhere else?’

Insomnia had crept up on me.

If you’re going to kick me out like this, then why make me get used to this comfort?

I closed my eyes, trying to ignore my worries.

But it took several hours before sleep finally overtook me.

And when I opened my eyes again, it was deep into the early morning.