Chapter 18
Part 3. The Governess’s Many Schemes (1)
‘Just because Timothy cried in my arms a little doesn’t mean I can let my guard down…’
It wasn’t time to think about the next step yet. Maybe he’d opened up a little, but one careless mistake had only earned her more wariness and distrust.
“Hey.”
“…”
“Hey! Are you ignoring me?”
“…”
“Agnes.”
“Yes, Timothy. Could you please call me ‘teacher’?”
“What have you even taught to be called that?”
Timothy spoke with an incredulous look. Agnes nodded as if she agreed.
“Right. It’s about time we started proper lessons… Hm? Where are you going, Timothy?”
“You planning to give lectures in the hallway?”
“I’m still on vacation, though.”
“…Are you even a real teacher?”
“If Timothy really wants to study, I’ll gladly cut my vacation short.”
“Forget it!”
“Once you say something, you should follow through. Let’s go!”
“Let go! Hey, I said let go! Aren’t you going to? Hey!”
“I told you to call me Agnes.”
“Hey! You muscle-brained idiot! Ugh, stop carrying me—ah!”
Agnes effortlessly lifted the struggling Timothy into the air. He was only seven years old—not exactly featherlight—but not a burden either. Not as heavy as Rachel or Eren, of course, but close to the weight of lifting both children at once.
“Ah! You’re shaking me! Don’t drop me—wait!”
“If you wiggle like that, of course it’s going to shake.”
“That’s why I said put me down—ah!”
“Yes, yes. If you stay still, it won’t shake, right?”
“Are you deaf? Or just insane?”
“Oh dear, I was fine earlier, but after all that screaming, I think I’ve gone deaf…”
Despite the way he thrashed around, Timothy’s limbs stayed stiff like he was bracing himself. His arms and legs didn’t move much, as if he’d realized flailing might hurt Agnes. She smiled in quiet satisfaction at the thought.
‘This is why people become teachers.’
Work really is the best. Smiling brightly, Agnes set Timothy down.
He looked confused—like he was wondering why she suddenly let him go after all that resistance. Agnes tried to reach out and touch his hair, but he coldly slapped her hand away.
“I’d love to start class right now, but…”
“Save it.”
Timothy cut her off.
“You expect me to stare at that ugly mug of yours all day? You trying to torture me or something?”
“Haven’t you gotten used to it by now?”
“It’s not just ugly, it’s blotchy and covered in who-knows-what. It’s revolting.”
“Oh, I see. That’s your way of saying you need a rest today, right?”
“…Are you insane? Are you really deaf?”
“Spending time with you has helped me understand the subtext. Impressive, right?”
Honestly, Agnes was quite proud of herself. But Timothy didn’t seem impressed. He gave her a look that said what nonsense are you spouting? and then scowled.
‘Looks like he does feel guilty.’
His eyes lingered on her cheek. Then he scrunched his brows in annoyance.
“Yeah, you’re amazing. Really amazing.”
“Thank you.”
“…Do you not even get sarcasm?”
“No idea. I only heard praise just now. Now, Timothy…”
Agnes, who had been smiling brightly, suddenly turned serious and placed her hand on Timothy’s shoulder. He flinched in surprise and looked up at her.
“I heard from the butler that you stayed up all night.”
“…”
“Look at those dark circles. How can that possibly be a seven-year-old’s skin…?”
“Still better than yours.”
“You need to go to bed right now. The butler probably prepared a bath and a snack. I know how desperately you want to study, Timothy, but just for today, let’s get some rest.”
“Who said I desperately want to?!”
“Sorry I didn’t realize. How could I have overlooked such a passionate student?”
“Just shut—”
“I wanted to say this earlier too, but you sleep way too late, Timothy. You don’t sleep nearly enough. If you don’t sleep at this age, you won’t grow.”
“…Both my parents were tall.”
“Then I guess only you’ll be short.”
Agnes gave a gentle smile to the boy glaring daggers at her. Timothy briefly relaxed, maybe reassured by the return of that smile, only to quickly turn away in anger at himself for it. Then he stomped off, his steps echoing down the hall.
“Goodnight, Timothy.”
He probably didn’t hear. Agnes stared at his golden hair glinting in the sunlight streaming through the corridor.
Fourteen years later, Timothy had grown tall. But he was painfully thin. His slender arms and fingers, his delicate neck like a deer’s—they couldn’t be hidden, even by clothes. He always looked fragile. Looking back now, it was probably because he rarely ate properly.
‘So even if you live recklessly, you’ll still grow tall thanks to your parents, huh.’
She never imagined the day would come when she’d get sentimental thinking about Marquis Reynold. Weren’t they practically enemies? Even if she’d come to see Timothy as separate from him…
But Reynold himself was only twenty-one when he was killed by his own uncle. Younger than she was now.
A child who wanted to be an adult as soon as possible. Immature, rough-tempered.
And surrounded by adults who made terrible role models.
‘I think I understand now…’
It was a strange feeling—to begin understanding the man she once hated.
Timothy also wanted to grow up fast. Even now, he claimed he was already an adult. But no one recognized that. And that wouldn’t change, even when he was older. No matter how much his body grew, if his mind didn’t, no one would ever treat him like an adult.
The past “Marquis Reynold” didn’t understand that, and at fifteen, he got into trouble with his fiancée. Before marriage, and still practically a child, they got pregnant. The fiancée’s family was in an uproar. So was the Duke of Battenberg’s house. Naturally.
That incident forced Timothy to take responsibility for the twin children and be banished to the Marquisate of Reynold. He got to play the role of an adult then, but whether it was what he truly wanted… who could say?
‘Who was the fiancée? Does Timothy have a fiancée even now?’
Timothy needed to marry that girl properly, if he was to see Rachel and Eren again.
That was the only thing Agnes knew for certain. When she was hired into the Marquisate of Reynold, it had already been three years since the incident. The scandal among the noble heirs had shaken the capital of Conswyrn, but Agnes had never cared for gossip and knew nothing of the details. She didn’t even know the names of the ones involved.
‘Looking back, those too-good-to-be-true terms were a trap from the start…’
There’s no such thing as a free lunch. Without checking the reputation or doing any background research, she’d jumped at the high pay. It had been stupid.
A young marquis, driven out after an incident, left to care for twin children in a remote countryside estate. Who in their right mind would take that job? From the start, the role had been bait for someone desperate and naïve—just like Agnes.
‘I thought all I had to do was fix his bratty attitude.’
She’d underestimated everything.
Agnes reflected on her own carelessness. Just because Timothy had opened up a little, she’d gotten ahead of herself, already scheming to get in the good graces of a future duchess… There was still a long road ahead. She began counting on her fingers, organizing her to-do list.
First, improve Timothy’s relationship with the Duke of Battenberg.
Second, help Timothy make friends to build his social skills.
Third, find out who his fiancée is.
Fourth, identify the person who lured Marquis Reynold into treason.
Etc., etc.
She was stuck right from the first step.
‘How do I persuade a man with no heart or tears to fix a relationship?’
She was starting to talk to herself more and more.
As Ethan once said, a deal only works if both sides have something to gain. Agnes had nothing to offer. Honestly, neither did Timothy. Ethan had all the power, and she was the one wishing for him to change.
The second—making friends…
Nothing was easy. It had taken more than two weeks just to make Timothy feel guilty enough to open up even a little. She’d even gotten injured to earn that much. Yet he still refused to call her “teacher,” let alone by name. So how would he treat a peer?
‘Wouldn’t he just say, “I’m a marquis and you’re beneath me—shouldn’t you be kneeling?” Or “How dare you act like we’re friends?”’
A child who wanted to be an adult would never recognize another child as an equal.
Third—she didn’t even know the fiancée’s name.
Fourth—she had no clue who the culprit behind the treason was.
“I’m so screwed…”
She felt utterly lost.
