Ether could be taught by the instructors sent from the Imperial Family, but for a grown adult like Ivelin, learning from them would have been disgraceful.
After all, who knew what kind of ridicule they might spread about her once they returned to the Capital.
That’s why, even though she had fallen from nobility, Ivelin chose to learn from Lotte, since she at least knew etiquette.
“Raise your head a little higher!”
Lotte was a very strict teacher.
As a maid she was normally flawless, but when teaching Ivelin, she seemed to forget her station and was utterly thorough.
In truth, if they stayed in the Duchy forever, neither etiquette nor Imperial really mattered much.
But Ether would grow up and someday meet the heroine—so he needed at least the basics.
After all, she had never once seen a sub Male Lead portrayed as a complete idiot. In fact, in the original story Ether was said to display perfect etiquette and was described as having a genius-level mind.
If anything, when the Imperial tutors saw him, they’d probably faint in surprise.
“My Lady, is it very hard for you…?”
“I-I’m fine.”
“Lotte… can’t we rest just a little…?”
“No, we cannot.”
It felt like hell, but according to Lotte, Ivelin was quick to pick things up—probably because the body itself still remembered.
Ether, however, grew restless every time he saw Ivelin struggling during her etiquette lessons.
But for Ivelin, having Ether watching gave her strength.
Whenever she showed the slightest difficulty, Ether would groan as if he himself were in pain, trailing after her constantly.
“Young Master, would you step outside for a while?”
“I’ll stay here quietly…”
When Lotte could no longer endure it, she would send him out, and only then would he sit quietly in a corner.
After an hour-long etiquette lesson ended, it was time for the moment Ether loved almost as much as mealtime.
“Studying Imperial~”
It was time to learn the Imperial language.
Children’s workbooks had arrived not long ago, and they had started from writing letters.
Since etiquette was something the body remembered, she picked it up quickly. But Imperial was different.
For Ivelin, it was the first time in her life learning this language, so her progress was painfully slow.
Just yesterday, during a dictation test of simple words, she had made two more mistakes than Ether.
“Heehee, Madam, don’t worry too much. I will teach you!”
Ether said excitedly.
“Alright, I’ll trust only in my Ether.”
“Hehe.”
He couldn’t help at all during etiquette lessons, but with Imperial, he was glad he could actually help.
“Lady Ivelin, surely you won’t lose to Young Master Ether in dictation again today, will you?”
Ivelin, who had been smiling carelessly while facing Ether, froze with a guilty look.
“Today I’ll teach you even more strictly than yesterday.”
“Ugh, Lotte…”
The words Can’t you let me off just this once? rose to her throat, but Lotte showed no mercy.
“Young Master Ether, if you do better than Lady Ivelin again in dictation today, I’ll grant you one wish.”
“What? Then make etiquette lessons easier!”
“If you do well in dictation.”
She was even good at training Ether.
“Ugh, that’s not fair!”
Ivelin protested immediately, but Lotte replied with an icy expression.
“Are you saying you lack confidence?”
“…”
“Surely not. Even if you’ve lost your memory, you’re still an adult, Lady Ivelin.”
Lotte looked at her with an expression that clearly said, Why are you getting scared? Leaving Ivelin no choice but to lower her head.
Truthfully, she wasn’t confident in language—she was weak in that area. But even so, she couldn’t admit that in front of her son.
Then she thought about it more and realized—there was no disadvantage to her at all.
Ether’s wish was just for her etiquette lessons to go easier.
‘I’ll just have to lose!’
Ivelin had neither conscience nor pride.
Lotte could never have guessed that.
Still, Ivelin worked hard. She felt that she had to be able to read and write Imperial to at least be a respectable mother.
She figured she could intentionally miss just one. But Ether was the genius of the original story.
“You’ve been defeated again today.”
“Could you not rub it in?”
Who would have thought there’d be a test where they had to combine the words from yesterday and today into simple sentences?
As a Korean, Ivelin was great at rote memorization, but she wasn’t good at applying knowledge actively—so she lost again.
“Hehe, make the etiquette lessons easier! Lotteeee…”
“Very well. But in exchange, Imperial lessons will have to be a little tougher.”
Ether quickly changed his words, saying that both should be easier, but Lotte was adamant.
“A mother who is less skilled than her son in etiquette and can’t even read or write Imperial—do you think that’s alright?”
It felt like her bones had been shattered.
“I think it’s fine…”
Of course, Ether told her he liked her just as she was. But a child still couldn’t win against adult logic.
“Even if Young Master Ether says it’s fine, what if others look down on you, my Lady?”
“…Th-then… I will protect her.”
“How?”
“Um, I’ll always be with her…”
“Very soon, tutors will be called for your education, Young Master Ether. And what if they look down on my Lady?”
“…Hiiing. I don’t need tutors!”
“But Lady Ivelin said they are necessary.”
At that, Ether was at a loss for words, his face crumpling into a pout, and Ivelin had no choice but to speak.
“Ether, don’t cry. Mom will work hard too…”
Of course, the words that came out of her mouth were completely different from what she was actually thinking.
‘I hate studying…’
***
It wasn’t a good parenting method to force too much studying on a child.
From what she could see, it seemed normal here to give children puzzles or drawing as play activities. But Ivelin thought the best thing for kids was to run around and play.
And Ivelin herself knew plenty of good games.
Lately, Ether had become fond of the game “The Rose of Sharon Has Bloomed.”
It wasn’t fun with just two, so she had gathered several servants to play too, and surprisingly it had become quite exciting.
At first, the servants, unfamiliar with the game, had muttered suspiciously, wondering what kind of trick this was. But after playing for a few days, they had gotten so hooked that they even argued over who got to join.
Unable to watch it continue, Lotte suggested deciding by ladder game. But with so many people, drawing lots and making choices was too much trouble.
So Ivelin stopped them and instead taught them “rock, paper, scissors” as a way to decide.
The whole thing escalated—before playtime even began, the servants now held tournaments to decide the day’s players.
The most unexpected thing was that Lotte, who always seemed to be the one keeping order, never skipped a day of the tournament—and had even been listed as a player two days in a row.
“Let’s decide the tagger with rock, paper, scissors.”
“Alright, let’s go!”
– Rock, paper, scissors!
“Argh!”
“Lady Ivelin, you’re the tagger!”
Even rock, paper, scissors had now become part of the game.
But seeing the excited faces of the servants and Ether, Ivelin couldn’t help but be swept up as well, happily joining in.
“I’ll catch you all.”
“You’ll never get me, Madam!”
A starting line was drawn, and Ivelin turned her back to the big tree.
“Roooose of Sharoon”
She shouted slowly and dramatically, and immediately there was the sound of orderly movement. Her voice sped up.
“The flower has bloomed!”
It was as if she had finished the phrase in just one second.
And when she whirled around, there was Ether, short legs wobbling as he froze in place.
“Hiiiing.”
Their eyes met, and he looked at her with the most desperate expression.
Slip—Ether’s small body lost balance and collapsed.
“Ether~ come here~”
There was no mercy in the game—no special treatment.
Though Ether approached with a pouty face, once he grabbed Ivelin’s hand, his expression brightened into a grin.
“Ugh, so cute.”
“Hehe.”
He was so unbearably cute that Ivelin thought she might stop breathing.
After that, Lotte and Simons were tagged one after another.
When only two were left, Colin broke apart Ether’s hand from Ivelin’s and ran.
Since Ether was still just a child, his running speed was inevitably slow, and Ivelin, having to match his pace, ended up missing her chance to catch them.
“Young Master Ether, hurry into this line! You can do it!”
“Just a little more!”
“Yaaay!”
Everyone cheered for Ether with one heart.
Ether stomped the ground with all his might, and Ivelin acted as though she had barely missed catching him, seething with exaggerated frustration.
It was a performance worthy of an expert.
Ether burst out laughing so hard he almost lost his breath.
“I escaped…!”
“Well done. Splendid.”
“Lady Ivelin is the tagger again.”
In the end, Ivelin remained the tagger the entire day.
Of course, it wasn’t the first time that the one who lost rock, paper, scissors at the start stayed the tagger throughout.
But since the game was for Ether, it was only natural that she matched everything to him.
***
Ivelin felt relieved, thinking Ether was gradually blending into everyday life.
He smiled more often now, and with her making sure he ate well, his cheeks had grown plump and rosy—it was a good sight to see.
He still treated the word “Mom” as if it were taboo, refusing to let it pass his lips, but Ivelin was satisfied nonetheless.
Everything seemed to be getting better.
That night, however, when she was complacently thinking so, something happened.
Ivelin had been up late reviewing Imperial.
Though Lotte often scolded her harshly, she couldn’t keep losing to her much younger son forever—that wasn’t a good look. So she worked hard.
She had been focusing intently on memorizing words when she heard faint noises coming from the room next door.
At first, Ivelin thought she had misheard.
But the muffled sounds continued, steady and suppressed. Thinking Ether might have woken up, she knocked on his door to check.
Knock knock—
There was no response inside. But curious about whether Ether was sleeping soundly, she opened the door and went in.
Inside the darkened room, Ivelin still carried a light heart—until she saw Ether clutching his knees, trembling all over.
“Ether!”
Startled, Ivelin rushed to him. Ether flinched, shuddered once, then spread his arms and threw himself into her embrace.
“What’s wrong?”
His face was damp all over, as if he had been crying.
“Uuuh…”
Ether couldn’t say a word and only burrowed deeper into Ivelin’s arms.
From how soaked his small body was, it seemed he had had a nightmare. Ivelin stroked and patted his tiny frame again and again.
“Did you have a scary dream?”
Ivelin asked gently.
“Uuh, hic.”
At that, Ether let out a stifled sob.
Ivelin kept soothing him, murmuring over and over, “It’s alright, it’s alright.”
She told him it was only a nightmare, that she would take all the bad dreams tormenting him onto herself.
After trembling for a long while, Ether slowly opened his mouth.
“In… in the dream… you weren’t there.”
“Hm?”
“There was no kind Madam… so it was sad, and scary, and I was afraid you wouldn’t be there even when I opened my eyes…”
