Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: The Home Tutor
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“Lara.”
Theodor called out Lara’s name. As always, in his gruff but never cold tone.
Today, she seemed to be wearing one of the outfits he’d picked out in the city—it was the first time he’d seen her actually dressed in it. It suited her perfectly, just as he’d imagined. Her movements showed that her injured knee had healed up somewhat, and she looked to be in good spirits, which was a relief.
“Did I keep you waiting long?”
Lara shook her head, her expression saying she had indeed waited a while, and Theodor let out a small chuckle. He reached out and patted the top of her head with a light tap, as if to say she’d done well to wait patiently.
Three days wasn’t a long time, but for Lara—who hadn’t been able to endure even the two days without him—it might have felt endless.
Seeing that he seemed worried about her made Lara feel unnecessarily guilty.
The Master must be so busy... It can’t be helped.
It felt like she’d made him worry needlessly because of that incident. She wanted to say something, but what?
After some agonizing, Lara spoke up in a small voice.
“I’m just glad you returned safely.”
“Whoa... My goodness. What a sight. They look like they stepped right out of a painting. I’m green with envy.”
But then a voice—from someone sitting in the previously unnoticed corner—made Lara startle and clamp her mouth shut.
Claude, who had let out that exclamation, was equally surprised. He’d sensed it before, but for Claude—who had known Theodor since childhood—it was unimaginable that Theodor would make contact with anyone like that.
Good heavens, no way. Even with leather gloves on, Theodor Diarc touching someone so casually? It was unbelievable, unfolding right before his eyes, and Claude found himself utterly fascinated.
I’m glad I came back to this mansion. This is really something.
Theodor shot a frown at Claude, who was smugly pleased with his own scheming.
“Shut your mouth and stay quiet. It’s not your turn to speak yet.”
“Yes, yes. Understood, Your Grace. So touchy.”
Claude complied readily. His tone was mocking, but it meant he would obey Theodor’s order for now. Theodor calmly explained to Lara, who still hadn’t grasped the situation.
“Lara. That fool—no, that man—is Claude Renar. You ran into him once before. It was because this brazen idiot trespassed here.”
At Theodor’s curt introduction, Claude put on an aggrieved expression.
“Hey, what do you mean trespassed? We’re friends...”
“I said shut up, Claude.”
“......”
Claude clicked his tongue at the menacing warning and crossed his legs.
Lara watched the two of them for a moment before nodding slightly.
A man with golden blond hair, blue eyes, and sharp, upturned eyes that gave him a flashy impression.
There was no way she could forget him.
“Yes.”
“He came here because he wants to be your home tutor. Of course, Lara, if you don’t want it, then it won’t happen.”
“Oh......”
Theodor got straight to the point. Seeing Lara’s slight bewilderment at the unexpected news, he added,
“I guess it’s not to your liking. Let’s pretend it never happened.”
“What?”
Claude, who had been listening quietly, shot up from his seat.
“Hey, what are you saying? She hasn’t even answered yet!”
“I don’t need to hear it to know. She doesn’t want you.”
“No, listen here, Your Grace.”
Claude protested in disbelief. Lara spoke up amid Theodor’s sullen expression and Claude’s oddly proactive attitude.
“Um......”
Both Theodor and Claude’s gazes turned to her at once. Lara swallowed hard and continued.
“I don’t know the details yet... I didn’t say I hated it.”
Lara had said that because she didn’t want to let go of this new development Theodor had brought back after being away for three days, but it was Claude who looked triumphant.
“See? She’s fine with it.”
“I never said I liked it either.”
“......She says that.”
Theodor scoffed. Claude looked like he had nothing to say in response. Lara just wanted to understand the situation better.
“Ahem, ahem. Little miss. We agreed to meet again, but you kept me waiting too long. Happy to see me?”
Seizing the moment, Claude tried greeting Lara warmly again. Her wariness didn’t fully ease, but she returned the greeting anyway.
“Hello.”
“Wow, chilly. A cold wind’s blowing through. We didn’t exactly meet on good terms last time, but cut me some slack. I’m here for you and Theodor’s sake—as your home tutor, to teach you all sorts of things to help you adjust.”
“Claude. Don’t speak informally to Lara.”
“Ahem... Right, Miss Lara. I’m Claude Renar. I’ve come all the way to this snow-swept ice castle to be your home tutor.”
Claude cleared his throat and tried greeting her again. It was a thoroughly gentlemanly gesture, one that suited him perfectly.
But Lara couldn’t quite understand his attitude. The first time they’d met, it had been hard to sense any goodwill from him... Why had it changed so suddenly?
“Is that... something you decided, Master?”
After a brief silence, Lara’s question made Theodor pause. She hesitated a little before continuing.
“If there’s anything I can learn from Lord Claude, then I’ll do it.”
“......”
Theodor looked at her. Though Lara was speaking while looking at Claude before her, it sounded almost like she was addressing Theodor.
“I-Is that so? Then it’s decided! Great. From now on, I’ll be your...”
“Lara.”
Theodor cut Claude off.
Theodor was curious what Lara was thinking right now. If she was misunderstanding, he needed to correct it; if she wanted to know the truth, he had to tell her.
Lara still hadn’t asked him anything, but if she couldn’t bring herself to ask, then Theodor had to speak first. He didn’t want to make her anxious like before.
“As you said, it’s partly my decision. Claude will be helpful to you to some extent. But the final say is yours. I’ll go along with whatever you decide.”
Lara gazed at Theodor wordlessly.
“Even if your choice goes against mine, it wouldn’t be defying my orders.”
No matter how much better it might be for her to have Claude here, he didn’t want to force something she disliked.
And Lara always treating his words like absolute commands, never defying them—that wasn’t truly what Theodor wanted.
“The choice is... mine...”
Lara murmured Theodor’s words softly. Lowering her gaze, she seemed lost in thought for a moment.
When she lifted her head again, her expression was much softer than before.
A flicker of relief passed through Theodor.
“......Have you decided?”
“Yes. I... I’ll study hard.”
Theodor stared at her prompt reply, then placed his large hand on her head and stroked it once more.
“Good.”
“......”
For some reason, Claude—who was the one applying to be her tutor—felt an immense sense of exclusion watching everything get decided between the two of them.
And moreover...
Damn. Theodor Diarc doing that? I can’t believe it even seeing it.
What kind of magic had the ‘Bride of the Wolf’ worked to turn this fierce, cold man into this? That was the most astonishing thing to Claude.
Ha! Even if I grabbed a random wolf off the street and told them, they wouldn’t believe it. Look at those eyes.
Claude thought of his many friends and shook his head.
Theodor, who had somehow looked oddly pleased, met Claude’s eyes and reverted to his icy expression.
“Oh, one more thing. If you’re thinking of any nonsense, it’d be better for you to leave on your own two feet right now, Claude.”
“I won’t, okay? I said I won’t. What do you take me for?”
Claude yelled at Theodor’s words, which showed zero trust in him as a tutor.
“Besides, my student is that little miss, not you. Why should I have to watch your mood?”
“Is that so? I’m your employer, unfortunately.”
“......Let’s just eat. I’m starving.”
Claude slumped back into his chair, muttering like he’d given up entirely.
“I can’t wait to see what a splendid tutor you’ll be.”
“Don’t mock me. You really have a rotten personality.”
The glasses clinked reluctantly. Even Lara’s grape juice glass let out a timid chime as it touched theirs.
Marsha, quietly attending at the side, thought to herself that the young lady’s mood during this awkward meal between the two didn’t seem too bad—thanks to Young Master Theodor’s words just moments ago.
The first meal at the mansion was superb.
How could it not be, served in Aren territory, which was practically the Diarc family’s stronghold? A massive turkey, sauces of exquisite and perfect flavor, and all sorts of green leafy vegetables that were hard to come by in this weather—though most Wolfkin would shun vegetables entirely—vividly demonstrated how abundantly Aren thrived, isolated in the north.
“Haa.”
After finishing the meal, Claude sprawled out on the large bed in his room—the spacious guest quarters in Aren mansion’s annex—and let out a long sigh.
“Damn.”
As the tension drained away, a curse slipped out unbidden. How tense had he been walking back here with Theodor of his own accord?
It required far more mental strain than when he’d first stayed at Mason Hotel in Aren to keep an eye on Theodor.
“Double agent...?”
Lying on the bed, Claude murmured, recalling what Theodor had said in the carriage.
At the same time, Lycan came to mind. A chilling, unpleasant shiver ran through his entire body.
Lycan Spender. That guy was truly a madman among madmen.
Theodor, his old friend—similarly mad in a different way, save for that one point—was the same.
“Whew, what a life.”
Why were all the people around him like this? Claude rested his arm over his forehead and muttered.
And he himself, plainly stepping into the middle of this blazing inferno, was probably just as mad.
Come to think of it, that girl...
Claude recalled Lara’s appearance from earlier.
At their first meeting, she’d seemed like such a child despite being seventeen for a human. But as they say, clothes make the man—or woman. In her dress, Lara was quite beautiful. Her two differently colored eyes sparkled like jewels, and so did her long silver hair.
No, Lara was beautiful by any measure.
......Just like that person from his memories.