Chapter 37
Chapter 37
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: The New Teacher's Assessment
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"It seems my new student is quite curious as well. Isn't that right, Miss Lara?"
Having her thoughts read so plainly left Lara feeling dazed. But he was right, so she gave a small nod. Claude's face lit up with satisfaction in an instant.
"Well then, as your education tutor, I'll teach you well, Miss Lara. You can handle your own business now, overprotective guardian. Don't stick around."
Theodor ignored Claude's smug words and turned back to Lara.
"I'll be late today. When I get back, there's something I need to tell you, so wait for me. But don't force yourself to stay up."
"Yes, Theo."
Theodor stared intently at Lara after her usual prompt reply, then turned away.
"Claude. You wait quietly too."
"Yes, yes. Understood, my lord."
"If you so much as touch alcohol like you did yesterday..."
He trailed off since Lara was there—no need to spell it out—but Claude understood the threat perfectly.
"Ahem... Don't worry, go on ahead."
Ignoring Claude's wagging-tail attitude, Theodor gave Lara one last glance before slowly leaving the room.
Now, the only ones left beside Lara were Rin and Claude—the stranger who had become her teacher starting today.
"Hm..."
Once Theodor was out of sight, Claude relaxed back into his easy posture, deep in thought.
Then, feeling eyes on him, he turned to find Lara staring straight at him.
"Oh, right. You're here."
Rin stepped forward accusingly at Claude's sudden switch to casual speech.
"Excuse me. You need to use proper respect with the young lady."
"Ah, sure. Who are you, anyway? Last time, there was no one next to the kid."
"My name is Rin, and I'm the young lady's personal maid. I started today!"
"Hm. They assigned you to her, huh. You look like you just came from some rural village... Guess I need to teach you noble etiquette too. Sigh. We've got a long way to go."
Sensing Claude's attitude shift, Lara quietly pulled Rin behind her. Claude blinked in surprise, then flashed a bright smile.
"No need to be so guarded—it hurts my feelings. As for respect... fine. Let's say I'm not used to it yet. You're way younger than me, right? Cut me some slack. Even Theodor's a bit stuffy about that stuff."
Lara didn't care whether he used formal speech with her or not. But badmouthing Theodor the moment he left felt like a problem. And she didn't like hearing bad things about Theodor.
'As expected, he's not trustworthy.'
She had been trying to shake off her bad first impression, but now it seemed pointless. She felt foolish for having even a flicker of hope.
"Little miss. I'm not as bad as you think. I mean it when I say I'll teach you well. Anyway, sorry for being late today."
"......"
"Alright then, let's kick off the day with some energy."
It was a bit late for the start of the day, but Claude stretched leisurely and began strolling down the corridor. When Lara didn't follow, he turned back.
"What are you doing? Come on. If you're late behind your teacher, that's one demerit point."
Lara started walking despite herself, but inwardly she wondered.
We were the ones who spent forever looking for him because he was late today—why was he saying that?
'So shameless...'
Lara summed up Claude in her mind with one perfect word.
"Hmm..."
Claude finished reading Lara's one-page composition and sank into deep thought.
"Mm..."
He had assessed her current education level with a few prepared tests. The results? Nothing he could call good, even as empty flattery.
"......"
"......"
Lara wasn't the only one tense in the face of Claude's silence. Even Rin, glued to her side, was on edge, wondering what he'd say.
Claude could vividly feel thoughts racing through his mind. How to put this? This girl...
'Was she locked away?'
Unlike Theodor, Claude knew humans inside and out. That's why he was here. Theodor knew Claude mingled actively with humans—unlike himself—so highlighting that had been easy.
Thus, Claude reached a conclusion.
'Yeah. She must've been locked up somewhere.'
The girl sitting before him with her clear face had clearly received no proper education until now.
'Well, she's the 'Bride of the Wolf'—no wonder. I'd lock her up too.'
But locking someone up didn't mean skipping education. Some overly sheltered noble daughters lived practically confined, yet they had strings of excellent tutors.
So, only one possibility remained.
During those seventeen years when no next-generation Bride of the Wolf could be found anywhere, this girl had been hidden away somewhere—and whoever kept her there hadn't bothered with any real education.
'Still, she can write her name and read short sentences. Self-taught? It's not systematic enough for someone else teaching her.'
Lara's handwriting was crooked, unbalanced. She kept misspelling words—looked like she'd only learned recently.
'Probably Theodor taught her.'
It had only been a few weeks since he'd heard Theodor brought home a human girl of unknown origins and visited. No surprise if he'd taught her something in that time.
Though his total ignorance of humans must've been fatal.
'Even without me, this would've ended up on my plate. What does Theodor know about humans? And who else could he ask but me? Things worked out perfectly.'
For Claude, this meant more justification to stay at Aren Manor.
But just as he opened his mouth to speak, he met Lara's weary gaze and faltered unexpectedly.
"Um... so, Lara. Miss Lara. Pretty name. You wrote it well too."
He tossed out a compliment to start. Lara stared down at the composition page he'd reviewed and set back on the desk.
Thanks to practicing with Theodor, she could write her name straight now—better than at the orphanage. But even to her, the rest looked awful. Her confidence plummeted.
"Where'd you learn to read? Not at an academy, I bet."
"...At first, by myself... Then Theo."
"Aha. I see. Self-taught, then with Theodor. Good job. That's impressive. Learning alone is tough."
Claude's guess was spot on. She'd grown up without a proper teacher until coming here. Where on earth had she been raised...?
'No wonder they hadn't found the Bride of the Wolf until now. There's a reason for everything.'
A strange feeling settled over him. No one could call her upbringing normal.
Pushing down his unease, he glanced around Lara's room. Theodor had already stocked all the necessary books—that much he approved of. Checking the shelves, Claude asked,
"Anything you've practiced on your own? What books have you been reading? Even easy ones—tell me freely."
Lara pulled out her practice notebook from studying so far and a short storybook she'd just started. Seeing what looked like Theodor's handwriting above and Lara's diligent copies below, Claude realized her current level was a big improvement from the start.
Thirsty, Claude took a sip of water and leaned back in his chair. Staring at Lara across from him, her small, thin frame stood out anew. At least her complexion was much better than when he'd first seen her at Aren Manor.
'Neglected... maybe even abused? Yeah, she was too skinny for a human girl her age.'
Lara seemed to be gauging his reaction, shrinking more with every word. Probably ashamed she hadn't learned on her own.
This wouldn't do. Claude cleared his throat.
"Listen up, little miss. Looking at this, the curriculum I prepared fits you perfectly."
"...Really?"
"Of course. I'm a great teacher, remember? I'll go step by step so you can keep up. Trust me. No more of that downcast face."
Self-teaching to this level wasn't bad, and even Theodor—hardly the meticulous type—had gotten her this far in weeks.
"And you—you're Rin, right?"
Rin, who'd been watching their exchange with sparkling eyes, blinked in surprise.
"Yes, that's me!"
"You sit here too."
"Me? Oh, next to the young lady?"
"Yeah. Grab a chair and sit. You should join us."
Rin bewilderedly fetched an empty chair and sat beside Lara.
Claude gave a kind smile.
"In the next month, I'll have you read every book in this room."