The Cookie-Loving Teacher and the Young Lady Who Loves Paint Play
"Cookies are delicious. That's why—what do you mean, 'cookies are delicious'!?"
Having somehow muddled through her first lesson, Chloe returned to the bedroom she'd been assigned and punched her fist into the fluffy pillow on the bed. Crying because the cookies were delicious? It was a ridiculous excuse that wouldn't fool even a twelve-year-old. No, it wasn't really an excuse—it was just stating the plain facts....
Am I a kid or what? Ugh....
It was just... really embarrassing. She wasn't a child anymore, so what was this about crying over tasty cookies? But....
"They were delicious, though.... Anyway! Ah...."
The sweet chocolate powder that had melted on her tongue and the crunchy texture of the nut dust still lingered in her mind, refusing to fade. Leaving aside how long it had been since she'd properly tasted anything, this was a supreme delicacy she'd never even tried back when her sense of taste was still functional.
"Why'd I suddenly start tasting things...."
Chloe grumbled curtly, but she had a rough idea of the reason. Ever since becoming a woman, everything had changed. Her height, her figure, her strength, and so on. Pretty much everything. If the transformation had completely overwritten her body's data, then it wouldn't be strange for her lost sense of taste to reset and function normally again.
"If I'd known this kind of problem would pop up, I should've eaten something before coming here...."
She'd left her hideout as soon as preparations were done and headed straight for the Grand Duchy. On the cross-continental train, she'd skipped food because other people's stares annoyed her. Since she couldn't taste anything anyway, meals had felt like a waste of time to Chloe. She hadn't even thought about food much, so she'd been too late to notice her taste buds recovering. That's why she'd made such a fool of herself—in front of a kid she'd have to see for the next five years, no less.
"Whatever. I'll just sleep it off...."
A melancholy mood settled over her, but that wouldn't erase the spectacle she'd already put on. She'd roughly planned tomorrow's lesson, so if she just acted like nothing happened and pushed through, it should be fine, right? With that thought easing her mind somewhat—and figuring there'd be no assassination attempts inside the Grand Duke's castle—Chloe closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep almost immediately.
Not long after....
Clink.
A sound caught her ear, and Chloe's eyes snapped open as she hurled a dagger toward the source.
"Who's there!"
And standing there was....
"I-I... was just... going to help you... with your clothes...."
A maid trembling with a quivering voice, on the verge of tears.
"Ah...."
Chloe let out a small sigh of realization. Nobles were like delicate flowers grown in greenhouses who could barely dress themselves, and they extended similar treatment to their guests. She'd known maids would come in every morning to assist with dressing, but the intense stress of the past few days had made her overreact.
"Sorry about that...."
"N-No... it's fine...."
She gave an awkward smile, retrieved her dagger, and pulled up a chair to sit. It was her way of signaling, hurry up and help me change so you can leave.
"Th-Then... I'll start."
"Wait, hold on...."
"Wh-What now, miss?"
"Isn't this a military uniform?"
Something was off about the clothes the maid had brought. Never mind that it was a standard women's suit she could put on alone—the skirt was short with a high side slit to boot. Actually, that might not even matter. This was the uniform worn exclusively by the Grand Duke of Evergreen's personal guard.
More than the design, she wanted to question the intent behind handing her this.
"Bring me different clothes. I'll take this to Lady Rosetta and sort it out."
"B-But... they said not to provide anything else today but this...."
"Aha...?"
Seems Rosetta was dying to make her point. The fact that no other options were offered said it all.
"Got it for now. I'll change into it myself, so leave it here."
"Y-Yes, miss."
She dismissed the maid first, then slipped into the uniform, which carried the distinctive modified style of the eastern regions. Changing wasn't hard. These tailored suits, favored by the gentry, prioritized convenience.
"No need for the hat, I guess. What's this armband? A tie too? So many damn accessories...."
Still, a uniform was a uniform. Designed for official occasions, it came loaded with all sorts of fussy bits.
Ah, shit... wind....
Every step sent a breeze sneaking under her skirt, tickling the slit along her thigh. Grimacing, Chloe entered the Grand Duke's office.
"You're here."
"Lady Rosetta seems to be expecting you."
"How's that wench?"
That wench, little brat, loathsome girl. A colorful array of nicknames, all pointing to Marian.
"She seemed normal enough. A bit slow in personal development, perhaps... but I'll guide her properly."
"Do you really need to guide her properly?"
"Pardon?"
"If she gets on your nerves, just kill her.... Slip her some poison to turn her into an idiot.... Ah, no, forget I said that.... I misspoke...."
Was this what became of a mother who'd lost five children—born from her own womb—to an assassin? Haksen might be bedridden, but Rosetta didn't look all that sane either. This family was on shaky ground.
"May I ask why you had me wear this uniform?"
"It was his arrangement."
His—Haksen, no doubt.
"Even if he can't shake off the poison quickly, the Golden Darkness needs a firm justification as the Grand Duke's personal guard to protect his last remaining daughter, or so he said."
"Ah...."
Haksen was thinking ahead to public events where he'd appear with Marian. The authority a tutor Chloe could wield to protect her versus guard Chloe was a vast difference. Handing her the credentials of an Evergreen personal guard member in advance—one even low nobles would respect.... The Grand Duke's foresight was no joke.
"Understood."
"Good, you catch on quick. An appointment letter with your name will soon hang in your bedroom. Now go. You have to deal with that girl every day starting today, right? Hang in there. Or don't—whatever."
Rosetta cackled wildly, her demeanor teetering on the edge. You could practically feel her breaking down. Chloe's expression hardened with bitterness as she returned straight to her room, gathered the tools for today's lesson, and headed to Marian's bedroom.
And there....
"I asked them to make a ton since you seemed to like the cookies. Hehe...."
Marian shyly smiled and offered a box filled with the same chocolate cookies Chloe had teared up over before.
"Thank you. I'll enjoy them. Lady Marian."
"Hehe...."
At this rate, it was impossible not to be aware of yesterday's crying. And just as Rosetta obsessed over, hating the girl outright would be unreasonable too.
"Today, we're going to play with paints."
"Paints?"
"Yes, paint play."
Chloe crunched through a few of the chocolate cookies Marian had personally prepared, washing them down with milk. Now it was really time for the lesson. She laid out her prepared materials on the table one by one: two beakers, a dropper, two vials of reagents, and one pill.
"But to play with paints, you have to eat one candy first. Want one?"
"Y-Yeah! Candy!"
"Here, with water. Down the hatch."
"...!"
Calling it candy was a white lie, but Marian swallowed the pill without a shred of suspicion. In her mind, Chloe was already a mystical wizard. Only fools refused candy from a wizard—at least, that's how it worked in Marian's head.
Good thing. Was worried she wouldn't take the antidote.
Chloe let out a relieved breath and held out the vial of green reagent. Lizardman saliva from the southern jungles. A potent paralytic toxin—even prey bitten once by a lizardman couldn't escape easily.
"Let's squeeze some out? Don't spill any."
"Don't spill...."
Of course, oblivious Marian squeezed the soft vial enthusiastically, filling the beaker about a third full.
"Okay, enough green."
"Now what?"
"Now we add red."
"Here?"
"No, the other beaker."
The red was blood from the earth dragons—giant worms—of the southern jungles. A corrosive toxin that melted anything it touched, evolved to scare off predators. Highly acidic enough to cause frequent casualties; more common in warfare than assassinations. Thanks to the pill Marian had just swallowed, a little splash on the skin wouldn't hurt.
Anyway.
"There, all done. Stop now."
"What next?"
She'd enjoyed squeezing the vial so much? Marian urged her on with a faint smile.
And next....
"Now use this to move the green paint into the red one."
"What's this...?"
"It's called a dropper. Squeeze the top and release...."
"Whoa!"
"It picks up the paint. Want to try?"
"Y-Yeah...! Let's do it."
Kids loved squishy things by nature. Bringing the soft reagent vials? Making her transfer with the dropper? All tailored to Marian's needs—custom education.
"Pretty...."
Once Marian successfully mixed the two reagents, the green and red poisons blended into a shimmering golden-yellow hue.
And Chloe's real lesson began here.
"See, Lady Marian? Isn't it really pretty?"
"Y-Yeah, pretty. Can I touch it?"
"Before we touch it, how about we check this first?"
"Spoon?"
"Yes, a spoon. This is a magic spoon that tells you if things are dangerous."
"Magic spoon?"
Chloe pulled out a silver spoon and dipped it into the beaker of golden composite poison. Bubbles frothed up violently as the liquid rapidly clouded over.
"Ah...."
Marian sighed regretfully at the sight of her hard-earned pretty golden liquid ruining. She fidgeted, at a loss.
"Huh...?"
When Chloe pulled out the now-blackened spoon, Marian's eyes went wide, unable to comprehend unlike her earlier sigh.
"The magic spoon just told us that touching that paint hurts. From now on, if you want to touch something, ask the spoon first, okay?"
"I-Is that so...?"
"Of course. That's how it works."
Marian seemed a bit doubtful at first, but her eyes began to waver as she was convinced.
"Do I have to ask the spoon at meals too...?"
"Yep. Better to eat only good-for-you food, right? Shall we check a cookie?"
The clincher was the cookie. Chloe took a chocolate one from the box they'd been eating from, fetched a fresh silver spoon, and held it up. No reaction. She beamed and fed it to Marian.
"Delish, hehe.... Now I'll always ask the spoon before eating."
This might just mean....
Maybe I've got a knack for this?
Chloe thought she might actually have more talent for teaching than she'd imagined.