Chapter 19. A Sense of Duty
“When did you learn Hantsvillean?”
Frederick Fellum turned his full attention toward Everett.
His cold eyes were still sharp as ever, but even that gaze meant progress — it meant he was finally interested in her.
Everett met the stares of the three people watching her and answered calmly.
“I read about it in books. Before coming here, I read all sorts of things.”
“You read about it in a book and could speak it right away?” Frederick asked suspiciously.
It was a fair question — no one could learn a language just by reading.
But Everett had met people of many nationalities in Ingrid Prison, including several from Hantsville.
That experience made her language learning faster and easier.
“It’s strange,” she said with a gentle smile. “Once I see or hear something, I just don’t forget it.”
Frederick frowned slightly. “You don’t forget?”
“Yes. Maybe… maybe it’s some kind of ability?”
She looked at him innocently.
That word — ability — was something Frederick valued most.
For a brief moment, he fell silent.
Then Charlotte suddenly slammed the table and stood up.
“Don’t be ridiculous!” she snapped.
How dare that girl talk about “abilities” just because she’d read a few books!
Charlotte feared Frederick might actually believe it, so she reacted sharply, glaring at Everett to make her stop talking.
Everett lowered her shoulders and pretended to look guilty.
“I’m sorry… I just thought maybe it was an ability because this has never happened before. It could awaken someday, right?”
“There’s no such ability as perfect memory! You just have a slightly better memory, that’s all!” Charlotte scolded.
Frederick’s eyes flashed.
“Indeed, there’s no such ability,” he said slowly. “But that doesn’t mean we should deny the possibility so strongly, does it?”
Charlotte froze, glancing nervously at him. His cold gaze made her flinch.
“I-I’m sorry. I just thought Everett was being careless with her words, knowing what you expect, my lord…”
She tried to shift the blame, but Frederick was already more interested in Everett.
“That’s enough,” he said. “Since we don’t know for sure, I’ll find a new tutor myself.”
“Oh, there’s no need, my lord. I can handle that. You’re too busy,” Charlotte said quickly.
If Frederick got involved, that meant he was starting to care about Everett again — something Charlotte could never allow.
“I’ll make sure to find one carefully this time,” she added almost pleadingly.
Frederick’s patience ran out.
He gripped his knife and cut her words sharply.
“Do you not understand what I said? If you were going to do it properly, you should’ve done it the first time. I don’t like repeating myself.”
“I only meant— I was just worried about you, my lord…”
“Enough.”
One cold glare from him, and Charlotte immediately shut her mouth.
She couldn’t argue when the marquis himself decided to handle something.
Besides, she still felt uneasy about how the last tutor — a criminal — had been exposed and thrown out.
“Uncle is so kind,” Hedia said brightly, breaking the tension.
“Uncle’s just trying to find a good teacher for Everett. That’s a good thing, right, Mother?”
Unlike her mother, Hedia didn’t see any reason to be jealous over a mere tutor.
She smiled gracefully, staying calm and confident.
“Everett, you’re amazing.”
“Thank you, Sister Hedia,” Everett replied with a polite smile.
The moment she said that, Hedia’s sweet smile faded.
“But remember, humility is also a virtue. I know you’re proud of what you learned, but it’s bad manners to speak loudly at the dinner table. Etiquette is the foundation of every noble, after all.”
She disguised her scolding as gentle advice — Hedia’s specialty.
Unlike Charlotte, who showed open dislike, Hedia always made Everett’s achievements look trivial and meaningless with polite words.
‘No wonder everyone always lost to her,’ Everett thought.
‘She’s always acted like she’s the only one who’s right.’
Everett could see it clearly now — too clearly. It almost made her laugh.
“You’re right,” Everett said softly. “I got carried away. I just wanted to show off what I learned. Of course, Hedia already knows all this.”
“Don’t worry about it. Just be careful next time,” Hedia said graciously.
“Okay. You’ll teach me a lot, right, Sister?”
When Everett agreed so obediently, Hedia’s expression relaxed again.
Their peaceful conversation made Frederick smile slightly.
“Yes, Hedia. You can help Everett learn,” he said.
For the first time, he asked someone to look after Everett — as if she were truly part of the family.
To Everett, it was an absurd sight.
Like a fake painting of a happy family.
It almost made her laugh.
Later that night.
After dinner, Everett was the last to leave the dining room.
As she walked quietly toward the door, something hard hit the floor beside her — an orange rolled to her feet.
She didn’t need to look to know who threw it.
“Brother, that was too much,” Hedia said somewhere behind her.
“Shut up. Just because Father said he’d find you a tutor, do you think you’re someone important now?”
Cedar had his hands in his pockets and his chin raised arrogantly.
But when Everett met his glare without fear, he tilted his head in surprise.
“What are you looking at? Lower your eyes.”
“Why should I?” Everett said calmly. “You’re my brother, aren’t you? I can look at you.”
“There’s no brother here,” Cedar sneered. “Don’t act like you’re part of the family just because Father’s putting your name back in the records.”
He leaned closer.
“Father just plans to make you look valuable — so he can sell you off for a good price.”
“I know,” Everett said evenly. “I heard you and Sister Hedia talking earlier. But that’s fine. If he’s going to sell me, I’d rather be sold for a high price.”
Cedar’s face twisted with disgust.
If it meant avoiding a forced marriage to Viscount Ventink (Frederick), then she didn’t care.
Better to look useful to Frederick than to be handed off like a bargaining chip.
‘Love from Father? As if that’s worth anything now.’
Even if Frederick did decide to love her again, she didn’t need it.
“You should worry about yourself, Brother,” she added. “Father doesn’t expect anything from me — but he does from you. Don’t you think he’ll be disappointed when he keeps comparing you to Taran?”
Everett knew all about the family’s situation.
Unlike Taran Fellum, the brilliant strategist fighting in the empire’s war, Cedar was only gifted in physical strength — that’s how he ended up as a knight of the imperial army.
But the Fellum family had always been proud and independent, never bending to the imperial court.
Cedar’s position in the imperial knights wasn’t an honor — it was a leash.
The emperor had allowed the Fellum family to continue their business and military power freely, on one condition: that one of their sons serve the empire as a kind of hostage.
Frederick hated that deal.
He hated that one of his sons had become a pawn in the emperor’s hand.
And no one knew that better than Cedar himself.
“You—” he growled, clenching his jaw.
Everett only smiled faintly. “I don’t have to say it. You already know it.”
Cedar tried to make up for that resentment by helping with the family’s business, but Everett’s words struck him right in the heart.
Furious, he grabbed the front of her clothes.
“Stop acting like you know everything!” he shouted. “You know nothing!”
“Maybe,” Everett said quietly, prying his fingers off one by one. “But there’s one thing I do know.”
‘You’ll be killed by Frederick and Hedia.’
That’s what her memories told her.
This family would fall — but this time, she wouldn’t let it happen.
“If you ever need my help, Brother, I’ll be there,” she said softly.
It was the only kindness she could offer him — saving his life.
Even if he’d bullied her, she didn’t want him to die like before.
But Cedar didn’t understand.
He scoffed, angry and humiliated.
“Don’t make me laugh. You’ve barely learned to read, and you think you can help me? Go beg some beggar instead!”
He shoved his fingers roughly into her short hair, gripping her head and shaking her hard.
Just like Father — using violence when words failed.
But Everett didn’t flinch.
She’d died once already.
Nothing about him scared her anymore.
“Who knows?” she said calmly. “Maybe this time, the sister Father likes will really have an ability. Anyway, you’re welcome to come find me whenever you want.”
She pulled his hand away, picked up the orange from the floor, and walked off as if nothing had happened.
