The entire Halesworth estate was bustling with activity. Many servants filed outside while carrying bags marked with the Ettrick family’s crest.

A large, elegantly decorated carriage was parked in front of the mansion. Several knights on horseback surrounded it, looking like a wall of steel; these men were Francesca’s personal guards who had escorted her on this visit.

“Take care now, Francesca. Do send us a letter when you get back home.”

“I will! Thank you, Duchess Halesworth.”

“Now now dear, I’ve already told you, call me mother.”

Francesca and my mother continued chatting while servants loaded the last of the bags onto the carriage. I just watched disinterestedly from several feet away, itching to go back inside the mansion. Finally, the two women hugged each other and said their goodbyes. Francesca climbed into the carriage and the duchess walked back to my side.

But when I tried to turn and walk away, my mother gripped me on the shoulder. Hard.

“She wants to speak with you before she leaves.”

Without any choice, I forced down my sigh and approached the Ettrick carriage. The guardian knights surrounding it glanced at me as I passed, but went right back to keeping a lookout - they really were way too dedicated to their job.

Inside, Francesca was sitting next to a young maid, who I assumed was her handmaiden.

The bitch glared at me as I sat down across her.

“I waited for you last night. Why didn’t you come to my room?”

Her handmaiden visibly stiffened. “My lady… such words…” She whispered.

You’re going to cause a misunderstanding here! But Francesca just irritably waved the girl back, and didn’t stop glaring at me. “Well?” She crossed her arms, unintentionally propping up that outrageous chest of hers. Oh damn, that’s not fair.

Tearing my eyes away from the deadly double distractions, I nonchalantly asked, “Was I supposed to visit?”

“Of course, to apologize!” She snapped. “And I’m not going to forgive you unless you give me a proper explanation too, Alex. You need to make this up to me or I won’t talk to you for a month. How could you treat me like that in front of your entire family? Oh, and we still need to go shopping for a new dress, I’ve already had the one ruined by your clumsy maid thrown away. Well? Don’t just sit there, say something!”

Her tone was extremely demanding and arrogant. Just like a spoiled princess throwing a tantrum after losing her favorite toy. She was making this big of a deal over the way I called her in public? How the hell did the original Alexander put up with this? From what I knew of his personality, there’s no way that pompous bastard would ever let anyone speak to him like this. Guess love really does make people blind.

The sigh that I was holding back finally came out then. This was probably a bad idea, but I really couldn’t help it anymore.

My brows furrowed as I replied in the coldest voice I could manage, “I’m sorry, Lady Ettrick. But I’m unaware of what exactly I did wrong.”

“A, Alex-!”

Francesca stuttered in disbelief, while her handmaiden couldn’t help but let out a gasp.

“Please excuse me, I must head back now,” I said while getting off the carriage. “Oh, and do have a safe trip.”

“Wait!”

Relishing the stunned look on her face, I closed the carriage door and signaled to the driver. He nodded respectfully, and the carriage with all of its accompanying knights began to move out. I made my way back into the mansion without bothering to watch them leave, my chest light as it could be. Good riddance!

Perhaps that was too reckless. But even if Francesca raises a stink back home, it should take a while before my parents hear about it. I’ll just figure something out when that happens.

__________________________________________________________

My petty satisfaction, however, was very short-lived.

“Young master Halesworth, we discussed this just two days ago! There is no need to play games. If you are no longer interested, then just say so and we will end it here.”

Albert said exasperatedly while shutting his book. I couldn’t help but wince. I’m sorry, okay! I’m not making fun of you! I really don’t know anything!

Yes, I was currently in the middle of my lessons, and they were going terribly.

This old man wearing thick glasses and a gray coat was my tutor, the one my parents mentioned last night. We were in a private study, surrounded on all sides by bookshelves, chalkboards, maps, and strange diagrams. The desk between us was covered in books and journals as well.

Like any proper noble family, House Halesworth employed a private tutor to educate its children in the academics. My lessons were usually in the morning, while Christine’s were in the afternoon.

Anyway, as luck would have it, my first lesson with Albert today was history. How the hell was I supposed to know anything about a fantasy world’s history!? Damn it, I’m 100% sure that even the game’s creators would have no idea about any of this stuff. All his questions about Uther the Conqueror and the Drying of the Shimmering River completely went over my head. At this rate people really will begin to suspect that something’s wrong with “Alexander’s” brain.

“I’m sorry, I have no excuse. I truly don’t remember this part. Can we please go over it again?”

I bowed apologetically to him. There was no choice but to work as hard as possible from now on to catch up.

He looked stunned, and for a few seconds Albert didn’t say a word. I suddenly realized that apologizing for anything must be completely out of character for Alexander, leave alone to a tutor that he wasn’t on good terms with. That bow was probably improper too, considering our respective statuses. Maintaining a noble’s mindset was so much trouble.

Thankfully he didn’t press the issue. “Then… very well, young master. From the beginning.” He coughed, opening the book again and flipping several pages back.

I listened with rapt attention as Albert discussed the founding story of several neighboring kingdoms. Less than two hundred years ago, one city declared a war of independence, and it set off a chain reaction that ended with a great empire fracturing into three different nations. Our country, Lancaster, stayed out of that mess and just watched from the sidelines without offering support to any side.

“We didn’t try to take advantage of the fighting to snatch territory?” I asked curiously while scribbling notes.

Albert shook his head. “Lancaster’s situation was too delicate at the time to consider invading anyone. This was during the succession crisis we talked about two weeks ago.” What succession crisis!? “Regardless, the result ended up being favorable to us. The Eternal Empire was one of the greatest threats to our country’s existence; its dissolution provided no small relief.”

“How are our relations with the three kingdoms today then?”

“Quite good, we are trading partners with all three. Hostilities occasionally still break out among them, but Lancaster simply watches these conflicts without interfering directly.”

“Directly?”

“They have to buy food and supplies from someone.”

I smirked. “It sounds like our national policy is to profit off war rather than wage it ourselves.”

Reminds me of a certain country from my world.

“Hahaha! A good observation, young master Halesworth, and not at all inaccurate.”

Albert seemed very pleased at how engaged I was in the lesson. He talked with much more vigor than before, and went off on long tangents about this person and that thing, to the point that I had to drag it back to the original topic. But I was really impressed at just how knowledgeable my tutor was; he barely even looked at the books, and seemed to know all of these events like the back of his hand. House Halesworth must have spent a small fortune to hire this man.

Yet from what my father said last night, the previous Alexander wanted him fired? Geez.

Minutes passed in the blink of an eye. There were times when I embarrassed myself by not knowing the answer to “basic” questions, but I still learned a lot and my tutor was very patient (if a bit confused by my ignorance). I had already filled up several pages worth of notes when Albert suddenly closed the book he was holding.

“This is a good stopping point. Let us move on to our next subject then, young master.”