Accompanying
A delicious aroma wafted from the kitchen.
Clack, clack. With a rhythmic beat, eggs were whisked in a bowl before flour, sugar, and milk were added to create a smooth batter. The mixture was poured into a buttered pan, while bacon and vegetables sizzled on the other side. The cooking proceeded with practiced ease.
It was the sight of a home tutor, busy cooking in a borrowed corner of the kitchen.
Cream watched this scene, which had now become a daily routine, with a watchful eye.
"It's ready."
It didn't take long for the food to be finished.
Pancakes, bacon, and grilled vegetables.
"I didn't have time to prepare minced meat today. Besides, it's not good to eat burgers every single day."
"...Thank you for the food."
Cream, whose disappointment at the lack of her usual hamburger was plain to see, picked up her fork and knife. But the moment she cut a piece of pancake and popped it into her mouth, her eyes went wide.
A harmony that melted instantly on her tongue.
A fluffy, pillowy sweetness she desperately wanted to become one with.
"Is it to your liking?"
"Yes! It's super delic—! ...cious. Thank you, Teacher."
In her heart, she wanted to make a huge fuss and inhale the food, but she held back. She ate elegantly, taking small, dainty bites, practicing the table manners she had recently learned.
Though noble culture was nothing but a laughable formality, it served as the perfect excuse to eat slowly.
Cream had recently made a monumental decision.
She was going to kick the man standing before her out of the mansion.
To do that, she could not let herself be dragged along at his pace.
Lately, she had been dragged around by him so much that she was a total mess. Whenever she snapped out of it, she would find herself swept up in his antics—either screaming in frustration or whimpering in despair. It was too pathetic to even think about.
To prevent such disgraceful displays in the future, she had set two rules for herself.
First, do not get swept up in the teacher's pace.
Second, maintain a certain physical distance from the teacher.
The first was obvious, and the second was decided due to the difference in their strength and size. No matter what mischief Cream tried to pull, the moment the teacher scooped her up into the air, she became completely helpless.
Had anyone ever experienced pounding their fists in sheer fury, only for the other person to act as if it didn't hurt at all, letting out a chuckle that felt almost mocking?
'I want to grow up fast.'
She would likely leave this place before ever reaching adulthood, but she was resentful enough to harbor such a faint wish.
Using that resentment as fuel, Cream steeled her resolve.
To defeat your enemy, you must know them. Only then could she devise a proper plan.
The young girl decided to follow the teacher around all day today, observing his every move. Though he was an unpredictable man, acting with some knowledge would surely yield a higher success rate than moving blindly.
She would follow Andy, determined to figure out his specialties, his habits, and his behavioral patterns—every single detail.
"If you are finished eating, shall we go look at the garden?"
"Yes!"
Not that she really needed to make an effort to follow him, since they were always together anyway.
And so, the two of them headed out to the vegetable garden.
At the sight of the welcoming green sprouts, Cream scurried forward.
Say what you want, but the girl was quite serious about tending to the garden.
Even without Andy prompting her, she was often spotted near the garden—staring blankly at the spinach, playing in the dirt nearby, or messing around with the bugs that nibbled on the leaves.
"Once next week passes, we can start harvesting."
"...So we're going to snip them all off?"
"That's how they harvest for commercial sale. For us, we'll just pluck the large outer leaves to eat. The tender inner leaves will remain, so we can grow them and harvest them again."
"Ah...!"
"We can do the same with other leafy greens, not just spinach. It would be nice to plant other things when we get the chance. What would you like, my lady?"
"U-Uh, I..."
That was an interesting piece of information.
Indeed, if that was how harvesting worked, it would be great to plant other things besides spinach. Like lettuce for hamburgers, which she could keep eating if she planted it—
'No, wait!'
Cream, who had been listening intently, snapped out of it and shook her head. She had almost been swept up in his pace again. She was only acting like an innocent child; she couldn't actually become one.
"I-I don't care about that kind of stuff. Just do whatever you want, Teacher. Hmph."
"My lady?"
With that, she got up first and headed to her room. As soon as she arrived, she tightly hugged her stuffed dog and sat at her desk.
She had deliberately pushed the teacher's chair next to her far away.
"Ah, you were already seated. Good job."
"Hmph."
Andy, who followed shortly after, handed a worksheet to Cream, who was pointedly turning her head away in a sulky pout.
2 + 3 x 4 =
12 - 10 ÷ 5 =
...
These were mixed operation problems she had recently learned.
A new barrier for Cream, who had already mastered reading, writing, multiplication tables, and basic arithmetic back in her back alley days!
"Mmm..."
"Let me know when you're finished, or if there's anything you don't understand."
Sitting beside her, Andy pulled something out and began rustling around. Peeking over, she saw him embroidering.
As she kept staring, wondering what on earth he was doing, he spoke first.
"This? It's a handkerchief for you, my lady. I'm embroidering your initials."
"Huh?"
"Should I go sit over there if it's distracting?"
"No, it's not that..."
Her resolution not to get swept up in his pace was rendered useless; she was simply bewildered.
Her name was being neatly stitched onto the soft fabric without a single crooked line. His skills might actually be better than those of a noble lady.
Come to think of it, her teacher was good at almost everything. As Cream reflected on their daily life, from cooking and farming to this embroidery, it all seemed far too excessive for a mere home tutor.
'Wait...'
Hadn't he mentioned working somewhere before?
"Since I have experience working in a restaurant before—"
"According to my experience working on a farm before—"
"Since I have experience working at a cleaning company before—"
"...Teacher. I have a question."
"Which problem are you curious about?"
"Not a math problem... What kind of work did you do before coming to the mansion?"
"Pardon? Ah... before coming to the mansion."
"From what I remember, you've worked in restaurants, on farms, and all sorts of places."
"Yes, that's right. I also worked at a clothing factory and various other places."
"Why...?"
"I needed the money. I wanted to move out and live on my own, and I also wanted to go to a good school. So I worked whenever I had the chance. I even worked three shifts a day... Ah, of course, I have experience teaching children too, so don't worry."
Andy answered, recalling his memories of tutoring until recently in his original world. The jobs he got after entering a decent university had been quite satisfying.
Hearing this, Cream silently shifted her gaze back to the worksheet.
'So he didn't live an easy life either.'
Because his mind seemed to be filled with flowerbeds—no, heaven itself—she had assumed he grew up comfortably in a wealthy household.
She hadn't expected him to have lived like the people of the back alleys, who headed out to factories, construction sites, and chimneys every single day.
"..."
Shaking off her thoughts, she decided to focus on the problems in front of her. If she didn't finish them all within the time limit, snack time would be pushed back. That was absolutely unacceptable.
Beside the young lady, who was groaning as she wrestled with the math problems, Andy thought about recent events.
Once he realized Cream's true nature, he had significantly raised the difficulty of the lessons, which had led to a certain issue.
"Teacher. Why is this 'x' sitting between the plus and minus signs?"
"Pardon?"
"And what is this tiny number next to the big number? Why are there parentheses in the equation?"
"Excuse me?"
He had been surprised that she lacked advanced knowledge, but then surprised again by how much she did know for a child from the back alleys. That was when she had explained it herself.
"I know how to read and do basic math. Because I was taught."
"By whom?"
"...Who else would I have lived with before coming here?"
Cream's mother.
A woman who had originally worked as a maid in this mansion, caught the eye of the previous Count, and was kicked out after getting pregnant with Cream.
Since a servant of a noble family would at least know how to read, write, and do basic arithmetic, he figured she must have taught those to her daughter.
Come to think of it, the Cream in the original novel was the same in her childhood. Her level of knowledge wasn't much different from the current Cream's.
'But putting the original novel aside... how did the current Cream get along with her mother?'
"I'm done!"
The moment he had the thought, the young girl proudly held out the worksheet with a flushed, eager face.
"Oh... they are all correct!"
"Ahem."
Receiving the paper covered in red circles, Cream straightened her back and puffed out her chest. She looked as if she were boasting, 'Is this all?' At times like this, she truly seemed like an innocent child.
She studied hard, voluntarily did her morning exercises—lately, she was the very definition of a model child.
Since the Carnel incident, the servants hadn't picked any fights, making things peaceful.
Mrs. Noryu stayed confined to her room because she disliked people, and Count Hollybell was away from the territory.
Since the Count's wife had passed away early, Petunia was his only child. Andy recalled that the Count was currently busy running around to manage her engagement.
He was probably occupied with cleaning up the business the previous Count had ruined and searching for a son-in-law to marry into the family.
Andy wanted to make good use of this brief period of peace.
Wisdom +1
As soon as the lesson ended, he immediately went to find someone.
"Head Butler."
Spotting a familiar back in the first-floor hallway of the mansion, he called out to stop him.
"I have a question. If I want to use a carriage, should I head to the stables?"
"Do you have business outside, Teacher? If so, I will have one prepared for you. You are heading down the hill to the estate, yes?"
"Yes, thank you."
"If you go, you must try the flaxseed waffles. Make sure to add the ice cream option. There is a large Request Center down there, and they sell them right in front of it."
"Oh... Do you like sweet things, Head Butler?"
"Haha... Not particularly. I just heard the young people like them."
"Thank you. I will be sure to try them."
At Andy's reply, Albet gave a warm, good-natured smile, bowed politely, and went on his way.
Down the hill from where the Hollybell Mansion stood lay a small commercial district. Surrounding it were the vast flax fields and textile factories that made up the Hollybell Territory.
It was a land that had once flourished through the linen industry but was now facing difficulties on multiple fronts due to the development of synthetic fibers.
It was also the very place that Cream would eventually burn down in the future to "relieve the estate's residents of their misery," but that was a story for another time.
"...Teacher. Are you going somewhere?"
"My lady?"
A soft voice called out from behind. She must have followed him quietly and overheard the conversation.
"My apologies. I should have asked for your permission to go out first."
"That's fine. But what kind of business do you have?"
"I have some personal matters to attend to."
"Hmm... Personal matters."
"Yes. I will be back quickly on my own, so please wait for me."
"Mmm... On your own."
"Just in case, let me remind you: if something makes you angry, take a deep breath and count to ten. Do not act rashly. Even when I am not here, you must behave yourself in the mansion. Understood?"
"Oh, honestly. Just how much of a troublemaker am I in your head, Teacher?"
"There is no troublemaker quite like you, my lady."
"Hehe."
"Haha."
"..."
"..."
The two of them eyed each other warily before slowly backing away and heading their separate ways.
The teacher went to his room to prepare for his outing.
And the young lady crept toward the luggage compartment of the carriage he was about to board.