Stepmothers Are Not Always Evil

“Hm.”

He’s trying to get a bad look at me. Why are you telling me to leave?

Suddenly, being kicked out of the room, I stood at the door and stared softly at the closed door.

I’m curious.

I was also curious about Viscount Espenser’s teaching method, which is said to be famous, and I wondered if Escal could get along well with strangers.

I don’t know what it is.

I put my ear to the door and focused my attention on the sound inside.

I couldn’t hear him well, whether his voice was low or not speaking.

“Madam, what are you doing there?”

“Shh!”

Startled, I put my hand in front of her mouth and fell from the door.

I thought it was going to fall off.

With the tea pot, Mary grasped the situation and giggled.

“Are you so curious?”

“I’m curious. It’s Escal’s first class.”

“I’ll come in and see what they’re doing.”

Mary opened the door before she could stop her.

“Excuse me. The tea—.”

“We’re in class, so please leave.”

As soon as the door was opened, a cold order fell.

Mary closed the door quietly, unable to find out.

“Hah, I’m so scared. I thought I was going to fall.”

“Look. I knew it.”

“But, I saw it.”

“What?”

Mary’s eyes twinkled and whispered to me.

“Did the master write a lot on the paper?”

“Escal? What did he write?”

“That’s it, I don’t know.”

Mary muttered with a pale face.

Come to think of it, Mary can’t read, right.

Hearing those words, my curiosity grew even more.

Mary calmed me down from walking around because I couldn’t contain my curiosity.

“Don’t be so nervous, just ask him after class.”

“Okay.”

I had no choice but to go back to my room and wait for the class to end.

An hour later, the message came that Viscount Espenser had left the room.

Hearing that he was waiting in the drawing room, I rushed to the drawing room.

Viscount Espenser, who was standing by the window, pondering, greeted me with a very serious face.

“Madam, would you like to talk for a moment?”

****

As I lifted the steaming teacup and set it aside, I looked into Viscount Espenser’s eyes.

The Viscount, who was drenched in tea in a modest posture, had an mysterious expression on his face.

‘What didn’t you like?’

Escal is not a child who will be hated by others, but if he tries to find fault, he should be thrown.

I waited anxiously for the Viscount’s mouth to open.

“I’ve taught a lot of students, but this is the first time I’ve seen a student like young master Escalium.”

Viscount Espenser opened his mouth as if a little startled.

What, was it that serious?

It’s been said that even if a child is too smart, it’s burdensome to teach, but our Escal is too clever.

I smiled broadly, thinking that I could understand the difficulty of the Viscount having to teach a genius.

“You don’t need to be burdened. Escal is overly intelligent, but if it’s a good educator like the Viscount….”

“He can’t finish writing by the age of six.”

“…….”

My neck shrugged at the point of frostbite.

It’s only been a few months since I became Escal’s mother, and although I read books in my spare time to teach him how to write, I had nothing to say to the point that Escal’s learning was slower than that of his peers.

Viscount Espenser sighed and continued.

“When I asked what book he reads the most, he said [Introduction to Swordsmanship]. I’m not sure how that book will help young master Escalium.”

“He loves that book so much.”

I’ll try to read him a fairy tale. The problem must have been that I read what he asked me to read because he was sleepy when I talked about Snow White and Cinderella.

Another sharp rebuke flew over my slightly smaller head.

“Maybe that’s why he couldn’t read ‘Apple’ and ‘Grape’, but he knew about ‘Rapid Attack’ and ‘Strike’.”

“Is that so?”

“Fortunately, the ability to learn seems to be fast, so if you teach him for a few months, he will be able to catch up with children of his age soon.”

I raised my head at the softer tone of voice.

“Then do you accept him?”

“I’ll continue to teach him in the future.”

Viscount Espenser held out my hand. I quickly grabbed that hand.

Thank god. I was really worried about what would happen if Viscount Espenser refused to become Escal’s tutor because of me.

In fact, it was not necessarily good for Escal to discover the crimes Helios committed at the Dillua Academy.

People criticized Baron Rockefeller’s crimes and praised Helios, but on the other hand, they wondered what caused Duke Anthemion to visit Dillua Academy.

And the rumors spread openly that Helios was trying to send Escal, his ex-wife’s son, to Dillua Academy by the luxuries figures who were proud to have excellent reasoning skills.

As Viscount Espenser became Escal’s tutor at a time when Escal’s position was almost at risk, the rumors surrounding Escal and Helios could be dispelled.

“Then when does the class start? What should I prepare….”

“Before that, there is something I want to show you.”

Viscount Espenser pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket.

The crooked letters were densely written on the white paper.

The writing was so messy that it was hard to see at a first glance, but upon closer inspection, some characters caught my eye.

These were letters such as ‘Escalium Anthemion’, ‘Introduction to Swordsmanship’, ‘Lenia Anthemion’, and ‘Mother’.

“This… Did Escal write it?”

“That’s right. When I asked him to write if he knew how to write, he wrote something like this.”

Lenia Anthemion.

How can he know if I didn’t teach him?

My heart was pounding. I quietly stroked the letter.

Viscount Espenser spoke softly to me, trying not to be disturbed in front of the guests.

“In my first class, I ask my students to write what they want to write. Ordinary children write plausible sayings, passages from books, and things they like.”

“I see.”

“Escal is the first to write his parents’ names.”

It’s a stepmother, not a real mother.

I bowed my head silently, as if I had heard words that didn’t even come out of his mouth.

“When I work as a tutor, I meet all kinds of nobles.”

“…….”

“As if inviting me alone is the end, most people are not interested in how to teach, and there are parents who only demand a high level of education without understanding the child’s abilities.”

Not all parents care about their children.

There are many parents who don’t respect their children, treat them as accessories, or treat them like annoying and disobedient pets.

The parents who entrusted their children to Viscount Espenser are probably at a better level than those people.

“I know that madam cares a lot about young master Escalium.”

And I wanted to be a ‘good mother’ rather than a ‘better mother’ than them.

“Absolutely. Escal is my son.”

Viscount Espenser grinned.

****

The public reputation surrounding Viscount Espenser was not in vain.

On the first day of the class in earnest, the Viscount invited me to attend the class.

“Is it okay if I watch it?”

“It will be helpful for future learning to know what the level of young master is.”

Escal, who seemed nervous because it was his first class and he was watching me, immediately concentrated on the class.

Viscount Espenser was a strict but amusing storyteller, and when he explained the history of the empire, I fell in love with him and listened to him without even realizing the passage of time.

At the end of the class, the Viscount gave him homework to write down the contents of the class that he had heard that day.

Escal completed his homework on his own without my help, and after 10 days of starting the class, he took off the letters perfectly and started reading alone.

The synergy between good students and good teachers is really great.

I gazed happily at Escal reading a book alone on the terrace.

“I mean, it’s a big deal.”

Mary, who was stirring the lemon juice soaked in cold water, tilted her head and asked.

“What?”

“I think my child is a genius.”

“Yes?”

“Look, he’s reading that difficult book by himself without my help.”

“What kind of book is that?”

“Jack and the Beanstalk.”

“… Ah yes. Have some tea, I’ll go to the kitchen.”

Shrugging, Mary placed the cup in front of me and turned around.

as she has nothing to do. How nice it is to read Escal book or watch it together.

I glanced at Mary and turned my attention back to Escal.

The sound of reading a book is also very clear.

Sometimes when difficult characters came out, he stuttered, but still, it’s a perfect reading for me.

If there is a job called a voice actor here too, it would be okay to have a voice actor. Why is this world so limited in career choices?

I grumbled inwardly and drank the lemon tea. The fresh lemon scent went very well with the freshly baked madeleines.

I want to recommend it to Escal too, but I don’t want to interrupt his reading.

I put a little more of my portion of Madeleine on Escal’s plate, and put the rest in my mouth.

Shall I bring it to Helios?

Perhaps because of Baron Rockefeller’s work, Helios said he was busy, often skipping meals, and hardly slept.

As I was about to call the maid to let her in because it would get in the way if I went to the office, Merlin approached me.

“Madam, you have a visitor.”