The Unexpected Guest
Three years had passed since I became Kyle's personal tutor and attendant.
Over those three years, Kyle had changed a great deal.
His once frail frame had filled out from eating well, and he had grown to a similar build to mine, while his personality had brightened considerably.
"Master, today there is a guest coming from outside to meet you."
"A guest?"
"Yes, the young lady of the Oldenburg family, Miss Catherine, is scheduled to arrive."
Up until now, no one had come to see Kyle.
But it was the first guest to come see him in three years since I became his tutor.
And she was a woman.
The Oldenburg count's family wasn't located in the north, but geographically they ruled a territory in the north.
The fact that the young lady of such a family had come to see Kyle became good gossip among the servants and maids of Eristirol Castle.
They were probably still happily chatting about it in the servant quarters.
"Well, let's go prepare first."
"Yes."
Since Catherine wouldn't arrive for a while yet, I needed to wash up and change out of my usual clothes.
It wouldn't do to meet the count's young lady in my everyday attire.
Kyle went to the washroom with the help of the servants, and I prepared his clothes.
What I always felt was that it was fortunate this world wasn't set in a perfect medieval background.
If it had been, I would have had to watch Kyle wearing stockings every day.
Fortunately, in terms of clothing, this world had modern Western elements.
So most nobles wore stylish frock coats.
If every noble I met had worn white stockings, I probably wouldn't exist in this world.
I would have gone blind from the light, hit my head, and been reborn in another world.
Speaking of which, Kyle's clothes had grown quite large.
Once I was smaller than him, looking down at him was like yesterday, but now his clothes would fit me.
He's still fifteen, so he'll get bigger.
"Sigh..."
The saddest thing about being born a woman was being short.
At twenty-one, my growth period was completely over.
Even if men were said to be tall in the army, I'd never heard of a woman being tall in university.
Probably... I'd never exceed 165 centimeters.
Suddenly, I felt sad.
If I hadn't had memories of my previous life, could I have lived satisfied with my height?
After all, 160 centimeters was average height.
Because of the memories of my previous life, I often felt regret for my current height and body.
Like when I was an adventurer, I often thought if I were taller and stronger...
Anyway, before Kyle finished bathing, I needed to bring the clothes.
I didn't know if a personal attendant was supposed to do such things, but since he asked, I had to.
"Sigh... Ah."
"Master, I've brought the clothes you should wear."
"...Thank you."
Looking at him now, Kyle's body had improved a lot.
Since last year, when I started exercising with him, he'd continued to improve.
I had roughly prepared to meet Catherine.
After all, what Kyle needed to do was to wear his clothes well when meeting Catherine and talk well when they met.
The rest would be done by the servants.
And I was included among those servants.
I left Kyle waiting in the castle and waited with some servants for Catherine's arrival.
As always, the north was cold.
"Sigh... When will she arrive..."
She said she'd come by carriage, but I had no idea when she'd arrive.
Even though there were magic and mana, without something like a wireless communication device for long-distance, there was nothing to be done.
I just had to wait for her to come from the front.
If we were just standing here waiting quietly, it would have been better if we had made a small building nearby so we could wait there.
Without even that, I was waiting with about six servants behind me.
About twenty minutes passed?
A luxurious black carriage came into view.
The carriage was inlaid with precious metals, and from afar, the glinting caught the eye.
I wondered if a gem might fall and get caught in the wheel, but since it wasn't our young master but a young lady from another house, I didn't worry about it anymore.
The carriage stopped at the castle's entrance.
Inside, there was one young lady who gave off a strong impression of a typical noble young lady.
She was said to be the same age as Kyle, but her appearance looked a bit younger.
Was it because she was cute?
"Welcome, Lady Oldenburg. We welcome you to Eristirol Duchy. I'll escort you inside immediately."
"Yes."
Catherine didn't object to my words inviting her inside first.
Probably, Catherine also didn't like the northern cold.
Except for me, the servants carried Catherine's luggage with Catherine's servants, and I led the way into the castle with Catherine.
Upon entering, Catherine's face looked better than when she was outside.
Compared to the somewhat displeased expression she had when she got out of the carriage, it had definitely improved.
"Master is in the reception room. If you need anything, please ring the bell inside, and we'll come first."
Per Catherine's purpose, I had prepared the reception room for conversation with Kyle.
It was a room that wasn't usually used and was instead used by some servants to rest, but today it was used for its original purpose after a long time.
By the way, why did Catherine come to see Kyle?
In my memory, Kyle had never left the Eristirol territory.
So, it was natural that there was no meeting with Catherine.
I hadn't met her before I became his tutor either.
But why suddenly come to see Kyle?
"Hmm..."
Ah, maybe she heard the rumor that Kyle is good-looking.
After all, Kyle's appearance is very famous even within the territory.
And the rumor spread to the Oldenburg family.
Since she's a young girl in her prime, she probably has some illusion about a handsome and wonderful prince.
It's common for a girl with such an illusion to hear the story of a white-haired, blue-eyed handsome duke and come directly to the territory.
After all, there are actually couples who followed that path.
A girl who hasn't even debuted yet is already going to meet men.
She's quite proactive.
I'm very curious about what they're talking about inside and what they're doing.
Is it just me who wants to open the door right now and go inside to listen to their conversation?
Besides me, there are no other Eristirol servants around, only one Oldenburg servant.
"Hello."
I spoke cautiously.
The Oldenburg servant, probably one of the higher-ranked among the servants.
So, while the other servants were carrying the luggage, she was standing next to me.
"Ah, nice to meet you. Are you Kyle Eristirol's tutor?"
"Yes. That's right."
How did she figure out I was the tutor in one go?
I don't look like a tutor.
"I've heard a lot. I'm Sebastian, Catherine's personal attendant."
Sebastian, what a name that sounds like a butler.
By the way, did you hear a lot?
Was the rumor that I was Kyle's tutor circulating?
Even in a world where nobles are interested, it's strange that they care who the tutor of a 15-year-old child is.
What a creepy world.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Sophia."
Looking at the man named Sebastian next to me, I felt displeased.
Black hair, appropriate appearance, and tall stature.
His appearance is quite likable.
But somewhere, it didn't sit well with me.
I had never felt this way when looking at Kyle, so why now?
"..."
Well, I decided not to let it bother me.
Whether I felt dislike for Sebastian or not, in the end, he was a guest of the duke's family.
How I treat them would reflect the Eristirol Duchy.
Not just a simple servant, but Kyle's personal attendant, the eldest son of the duke.
What if I make a mistake with them and they report it to the media?
Those scoundrels would immediately sensationalize the story and use it to lower the image of the Eristirol family.
Then, I would definitely be fired from my current position.
By the way, how long are they going to talk inside?
"Sigh... The north is an extremely cold region."
Kyle Eristirol was a bit surprised by Catherine's sudden visit.
Since no one of his age had visited the territory before, it was natural to be surprised.
"Lady Oldenburg, what is the reason you came to our territory?"
Kyle Eristirol spoke fluently, unlike a few years ago.
Probably because if Sophia were listening, she would have been happy with how ordinary and fluent it was.
"Prince Eristirol, I didn't come to the north just to play or to see you."
"Then, what is the matter?"
Catherine continued speaking while twisting her beautiful blonde hair with her hand.
"Prince, do you know about the rumors about you?"
"Yes..?"