CHAPTER 21……………………………………
Yurenia clutched the fence railing tightly and spoke up.
“Duke, could you teach Prince Kyle magic?”
“Me?”
“Yes!”
Her cherry-colored eyes sparkled brightly as she looked at Chester.
He was the head of the Valerio family, considered the noblest of the empire’s noble houses. There was no better candidate to teach magic to the heir, Kyle.
Kyle’s magical power was strong.
With Chester’s help, Kyle would be able to control his magic well.
“Ah! So that’s why you came!”
Just then, Kieran, having dressed, spoke heartily.
Perhaps he had just finished showering, as droplets of water fell from the tips of his scarlet hair.
“And me? What will you ask of me?”
“Swordsmanship and horsemanship. Could you teach Prince Kyle?”
“Absolutely.”
Kieran laughed freely.
“When should we schedule the lessons for the prince? Just tell me.”
“Thank you so much, Kieran!”
“Hahaha! No need to be so formal! Just call me Kieran!”
“…Enzo is looking for you, Kieran.”
Chester, who had been quietly listening to Yurenia and Kieran’s conversation, suddenly spoke. Surprised, Kieran furrowed his brows.
“Huh? I don’t hear anything.”
“No, he’s looking now.”
Chester said bluntly and fixed his gaze on Kieran.
“Go.”
“…….”
“Hurry.”
“……Understood.”
Kieran, who seemed full of things he wanted to say, opened his mouth slightly, then bowed and walked toward the mansion, pouting his lower lip.
“Enzo! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”
He kept shouting apologies repeatedly.
‘Why is he like that?’
Yurenia tilted her head and watched Kieran’s retreating figure silently. She didn’t know exactly why, but he seemed like quite an eccentric person.
‘He looks normal enough, though…’
“So… have you set the schedule yet?”
A soft voice reached Yurenia, who was still staring at the back of Kieran’s head. She turned to answer.
“Not yet. I wanted to let Prince Kyle know who his teachers for magic, swordsmanship, and horsemanship would be before arranging the schedule.”
Her heart beat with anticipation as she spoke to Chester.
How happy would Kyle be when he heard this news?
The boy was still only having indoor lessons with Yurenia.
Lately, he had been focusing particularly on learning to read and write.
Books contained hundreds, thousands of worlds. Learning letters was the key to experiencing all of those worlds.
But some lessons couldn’t be gained by reading alone.
Things that had to be experienced directly with the body.
Kyle was likely starting to feel stifled staying inside all the time. He focused well on lessons, but like any other child, he enjoyed running around actively.
It was the perfect timing for him to receive help from Chester and Kieran.
Now, Kyle could learn about a wider world.
Learning magic from the head of the Valerio family, and swordsmanship and horsemanship from the knight commander—he would grow another step forward.
“Speaking of which, I should tell the prince this wonderful news.”
Yurenia smiled brightly. She let go of the railing and tried to greet the duke, but he stepped forward to stop her.
“I’ll come with you.”
“Really?”
Yurenia opened her eyes wide at the pleasant offer.
The more time a parent spent with a child, the better. Especially for a child like Kyle, who was prone to loneliness.
She had been planning to ask the duke to spend more time with the boy anyway.
It was a relief that he would take the initiative to approach Kyle.
“If you personally teach him magic, Prince Kyle will be delighted.”
Yurenia said sincerely, smiling. Her pink eyes shone brightly against her green dress, radiating a fresh, dazzling warmth, like morning sunlight.
Chester, watching her, clenched his fist quietly.
As if trying to grasp something that couldn’t be held.
“Is it true?”
Kyle asked, his eyes wide.
“Really… uncle is going to teach me magic?”
“Yes.”
Chester’s calm reply made Kyle’s heart race.
He had always wanted to learn magic. Sometimes he felt the mana in his body surge uncontrollably, and it was becoming harder to restrain it.
It was frustrating.
He felt he could do well if he only knew how, but unfortunately, he had no way of finding out.
But he could never ask adults to teach him magic.
Since the beginning of his memories, the home he lived in was filled with sorrow, like a funeral hall.
After his father passed away, not long after, Lilian fell suddenly ill.
Even before, their mother had been preoccupied with his father’s illness, but after that point, she left Kyle entirely to the nanny and secluded herself in Lilian’s room.
Once, unable to sleep, he had quietly gone to his mother’s bedroom.
The little boy’s heart raced with excitement and anticipation as he walked down the long hallway.
He wondered if he could finally be in his mother’s arms again.
But when he gently opened the bedroom door…
He realized how naive he had been.
Through the door’s crack, he saw a faint light and heard his mother’s sobs.
She was praying desperately.
“Please, don’t take away anyone I cherish anymore. You can have my life instead, just save Lilian.”
That night, the boy couldn’t approach her.
Kyle quietly closed the door and trudged back to his room.
He was ashamed.
His younger sister was gravely ill, and here he was whining about being unable to sleep.
He curled into himself and forced himself to sleep.
From that day onward, he never spoke out what he wanted.
He tried to be as quiet and obedient as possible, so as not to hurt his mother’s heart further.
So, naturally, he couldn’t even say something trivial like wanting to learn magic.
Even here, it was the same.
He was wary, worried that his uncle might abandon him too.
Especially since his uncle acted as if Kyle wasn’t there, making him stay far from his room and ignoring him.
So, though he felt lonely and distressed, he never showed it.
The mischievous acts he played on his tutors were partly his small desire for his uncle’s attention.
But no matter how many times he tried, his uncle remained indifferent.
Until Yurenia arrived.
“Thank you, teacher.”
Kyle hugged Yurenia tightly, unable to contain his overflowing emotions.
Her embrace was warm and comforting, almost like the long-forgotten embrace of his mother.
“You should thank your uncle too, Kyle.”
“Thank you, uncle.”
Kyle stepped away from his teacher and approached Chester. Lowering his body to meet Kyle’s eye level, Chester offered a faint smile.
“I’m stricter than your teacher. Can you keep up?”
“Yes!”
“Kyle is an excellent student. Don’t worry.”
Kyle responded energetically, and Yurenia added her support.
Watching the warm scene of the teacher and her nephew exchanging smiles, Chester asked sharply.
“By the way, since when did the teacher call Kyle so casually?”
“Oh, that’s….”
“I told her to! Hey…”
Chester stood protectively in front of Yurenia, watching his small nephew, barely reaching his waist, step forward to guard his teacher.
It was both audacious and admirable.
