Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: The Wager
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'He'll let me... read all the books?'
Lara's heart pounded.
She imagined herself reading fluently in front of Theodor without stumbling. If she could pull that off, wouldn't even Theo be surprised? Just the thought lifted her spirits.
"Really?"
But finishing this entire book in a month? Could she really do it? Could someone like her, who had barely even learned to write properly until now, actually manage it?
Claude, reading her thoughts, tossed out the bait at just the right moment.
"Well, if you can't quite~ trust my skills, how about a little bet?"
"A bet...?"
Lara reacted as if she'd never heard the word before. Claude quickly reeled her in.
"I'll raise your writing and reading skills to a level that's not even comparable in just one month. But if I fail, I'll grant you one wish. Anything you want. Jewelry, a dress, whatever. You don't seem to like me much anyway, so if you say 'leave after a month,' I'll go quietly."
Claude said it casually, but Lara felt embarrassed, like he'd seen right through her lingering wariness.
"Then... what if you succeed?"
Claude flashed a grin at her question.
"Then you grant my wish this time. Obviously?"
"......"
"What? Not too appealing?"
Claude glanced at the bookshelves filling Lara's room.
"These are all the books Theodor prepared for you. Imagine how thrilled he'd be if you could read them smoothly. And if you can read well, maybe you could even help him out with something?"
Noticing the slight flicker in Lara's eyes, Claude pressed on smoothly.
"I hear you're Theodor's 'bride.' Do you know what a bride is supposed to do? Well, first off, reading and writing shouldn't be an issue, but honestly, with your current level..."
"I-I'll do it. The bet."
Lara clenched her fists and stared at Claude, answering swiftly. Claude smirked inwardly. She's so easy to handle.
"Good. Then in one month, we'll take the exact same test as today. One wrong answer, and it's a fail. All correct, and you win."
"Got it."
"If I lose, I grant your wish. If you lose—no, if I win—you grant mine."
"But... what if I deliberately get them wrong to win the bet?"
Claude shrugged. Huh. Not a total fool, after all.
"That could happen. But you won't, right?"
"Huh?"
"I can tell just by looking. You couldn't pull off a lie like that. Right?"
Not a fool, but no match for playing with a cunning wolf like me. Never!
Claude's judgment of people was rarely off, and this time was no exception.
Sure enough, Lara stared at him blankly before nodding honestly. As her mismatched eyes met his, Claude felt a strange sensation.
"...I don't lie."
"Good. Then we're set. Trust me, and I'll trust you."
"Yes."
Lara nodded. Rin, who had been there the whole time, unwittingly became the witness to the bet.
"M-Master, do I have to take the test too?"
"You're learning with the young lady, so sure, why not? Ace it, and I'll throw in a gold coin as a bonus."
Claude showed rare generosity, knowing Rin was Lara's personal maid.
Learning together will make it faster for both.
Rin brightened noticeably at his offer. Lara smiled faintly at the sight.
Claude opened the book, thoroughly pleased.
He had no intention of losing from the start. He was confident he could teach Lara perfectly in a month, and she wouldn't lie. Victory was assured.
Haha. Things are getting easier by the minute.
Everything was falling into place. This innocently naive girl walked right where he wanted with just a hint about Theodor. All Claude had to do was set the trap.
Waiting for the delicious prey to step in on her own.
If I want something, I'll do whatever it takes to get it.
Seizing it in the end—that was Claude's way of life so far. Now, the only one he had to watch out for was Theodor...
Oblivious Lara was diligently poring over the textbooks Claude had selected.
"Let's call it a day."
Lara set down her pen at Claude's words. With a proper teacher who knew how to instruct human children, her skills had improved noticeably in just half a day.
She's no slouch in the brains department.
He whistled softly. Lara was an excellent student, following his guidance perfectly.
"You did great today. No more worrying about spelling mix-ups, right?"
"Yes."
Lara, too, had to revise her poor initial impression of Claude.
Is it because of the bet? He's teaching way better than I expected.
Theodor was the quiet type, so he never explained things at length when teaching her, and Lara hesitated to ask, fearing he'd be disappointed in her ignorance.
But with Claude, there was no such pressure. She could ask about anything that puzzled her. Despite his bad first impression, his focused, earnest teaching during lessons was unexpectedly appealing.
"Miss, your handwriting is getting so much better!"
Rin praised her, leaving Lara flustered. After a moment, she managed to reply.
"Rin knows everything already, but you're studying with me because of it... Sorry."
"No way! I'm having a blast thanks to you, Miss!"
Rin's writing was far superior to Lara's. Unlike Lara, who had grown up barely knowing letters, Rin had been raised normally in an ordinary family. Plus, with the famous physician Breina as a distant relative, Rin's mother had even taught her as a child.
"But studying was never my thing. Hehe. This way, it's easy. You'll surpass me in no time!"
"Yeah, thanks."
Claude didn't join their chat and stood up.
"Good work, Miss Lara. Don't forget review and preview. See you tomorrow at the same time."
"Yes, Teacher Claude."
Who she took after was a mystery, but Lara was quiet. Yet she spoke up freely when she had something to say.
Adding "Teacher" naturally to his name or spotting the bet's loophole right away proved it.
So her real personality isn't timid?
Come to think of it, recalling how she'd stood up to him at their first meeting, she wasn't faint-hearted. Few would confront someone like Claude—a young master from a prominent family and a strong Wolfkin specimen—like that.
Well, 'Teacher' does have a nice ring.
He had plenty of titles, but hearing this human kid call him teacher felt surprisingly good. After their farewell, Lara ignored him completely, engrossed in chatting with her maid about the day's lessons.
"Sigh."
Leaving Lara's room, a wave of loneliness hit him for some reason.
This wasn't where he should be! A young master like him belonged enjoying fine times with ladies at a luxury hotel in Aren. Instead, he was playing tame tutor. It was only day one, and he was already bored out of his mind.
"Don't forget review and preview? Tch, I'm dying of boredom here."
Claude muttered bitterly. Servants of the Aren estate hurried past him without a glance, their cold indifference frustrating him.
The 'Claude Renar,' guest of the main house and tutor to the young lady, was treated like invisible air by the others.
Aside from high-ranking staff like the head maid, butler, and chief physician—or the servants assigned to him—no one spoke to Claude. They clearly wanted to avoid provoking him.
Of course. With a territorial Wolfkin as their master, they'd been drilled on how to handle it.
"Really looking forward to the next Moonlight~"
Claude grumbled and sauntered off.
"Haa......"
Theodor's mood was foul.
No, beyond foul. Revolting, nauseating.
Theodor tossed aside his gloves, dripping with blood. Crimson splattered long across the pristine snowfield.
It was the final trace of the Anima that had ambushed him in the border-adjacent forest.
"......"
He didn't even need his beastkin form to handle such rabble. But either way, the stench of blood permeating everywhere was the only unbearable part.
"Your Grace Theodor. Forgive us. We failed to detect them sooner."
Theodor turned to the man kneeling on one knee before him.
"Spotting hidden Anima is no easy task. It's not your fault. Rise."
The man bowed at his superior's command, grinding his teeth.
He had no excuses, even if he had ten mouths.
He'd endangered his lord's life and forced him to act personally. As one of Theodor's closest knights and guards, it was grounds for dismissal.
Yet his lord remained impassive as ever, oblivious to his knight's burning shame.
"Your hands are bloodied... You could have left the cleanup to me."
Theodor exhaled lightly.
"You're right, Tarik. You could've handled it cleanly. It's not that I didn't trust you."