Chapter 10
10
Anna, who had been glaring at me with a murderous look, suddenly smiled brightly as if nothing had happened and interjected.
"Can I join you? I don't want to be apart from my friend whom I haven't seen in a long time."
It seemed she was anxious about leaving Winston and me alone.
Anna, who resembled a cat, exuded a more lovable charm than anyone else when she smiled.
Until now, no one had been able to resist Anna's charm...
"I'm sorry. I have something to say only to Flingtern Teacher. I ask for your understanding."
'As expected of the Dark Power Family's butler.'
Winston didn't bat an eye and blocked Anna's charm.
"W-Well, then there's nothing I can do. I'll go out first."
Anna, thoroughly embarrassed, left the room with a sour expression.
With a bit of personal feeling, the door closed, and I went back to sit across from Winston.
He looked at me for a moment before speaking.
"It's about last night."
'As expected.'
He acted as if nothing had happened, but he couldn't really pretend it didn't.
'What is he going to say?'
He had even adjusted the lesson schedule, so he wouldn't kick me out now.
With a lighter heart, I waited for his next words.
But suddenly, Winston stood up and bowed to me.
I opened my eyes wide at his sudden action.
"B-Butler? What's suddenly..."
"I heard from Young master. I heard that the teacher helped Young master, who had a fever and was struggling yesterday."
"Bin... Young master said that?"
I was surprised by his unexpected words and asked back.
He nodded.
"Even for a short time, leaving the sick Young master's side is clearly my mistake. Although it is difficult to fully understand the teacher's actions of entering Young master's room silently at night, a favor is a favor. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the teacher."
"Ah..."
I stared at Winston's pure white crown with a dazed look.
'To think Vincent would defend me.'
I felt strange.
'Anyway, it worked out well.'
Seeing the elderly Winston bowing to me made me feel embarrassed and awkward.
'Anyway, I scored some points, right?'
Did this news reach Khadien's ears as well?
As far as I knew, Winston was in charge of most of Vincent's affairs, so it was unlikely that it reached Khadien's ears.
'But it doesn't matter.'
The important thing was that Vincent tried to protect me.
Without realizing it, I smiled brightly.
Winston quietly watched me like this.
* * *
As soon as I left Winston's room with a giddy feeling, my mood plummeted to the basement.
"Livia Plington!"
Anna, who had been waiting for me in front of Winston's room, approached with fire in her eyes.
As soon as I found Anna, I erased my smile as if I had never smiled and stared at her coldly.
And I smiled coldly at Anna, who didn't hide her venomous face.
"Are you finally dropping the pretense?"
"Shut up, Livia Plington! Why are you here?"
"Why?"
I shrugged.
"You heard, didn't you? I became the live-in tutor here. Just like you."
"How dare you!"
Anna's shout echoed in the empty hallway.
Unlike the fuming Anna, I asked with a leisurely attitude.
"Are you sure it's okay? This is in front of the butler's room."
Flinch.
Only then did Anna realize where she had raised her voice and stepped back in surprise.
Looking at Anna like that, I sneered openly. Anna's face turned red again.
But she didn't rush at me, shouting like before. It seemed she had started to think a little.
'Well.'
It wasn't just Anna who was unhappy with the other.
'The tutor in the original story.'
To think that tutor would be Anna Lever.
But because it was Anna, it was understandable.
If it was Anna, she would be capable of driving a wedge between Khadien and Vincent.
I scoffed at Anna, who was glaring at me with a flushed face.
'You're not the only one who's frustrated.'
But I wasn't entirely comfortable in this place either.
I gestured to Anna with my chin and took a step.
"Follow me."
Then Anna glared at me and gritted her teeth.
"How dare you order me around..."
"Then just keep standing there alone."
I don't care.
"Tsk!"
Anna's face, which had turned as red as it could, looked dangerously close to bursting.
Watching Anna following me soon after, I held back a laugh.
* * *
The place I took Anna was the Duke's mansion's backyard.
This place, bordered by bushes, had few facilities around and was rarely visited. It was a place I accidentally discovered while heading to Western Hill.
It was perfect for having a secret conversation.
As soon as I stopped, Anna, who had rushed over, slammed my shoulder against the wall.
Thud!
Frowning at the surge of pain, I glared at Anna with cold eyes.
"You followed me all the way here, so now reveal your true intentions, Livia Plington!"
Anna was exuding a murderous aura as if she would tear me to pieces right away.
Anna was always like this.
As if she couldn't wait to kill me whenever she saw me.
Suddenly, a laugh escaped.
"Are you laughing?"
"No, it's just. You and your father took everything from me, but why do you treat me like your enemy even more?"
"......!"
Thinking about it, it was really strange.
Anna and I first met when we were 9 years old.
At the time, I was very excited about meeting a friend my age. Moreover, according to what I heard from my father, Anna was a kind and considerate child.
'She's the daughter of your father's closest friend. Just like the relationship between your father and Count Lever, I hope you, Via, can become close friends with Anna.'
'Yes, Father!'
Having watched the close friendship between my father and Count Lever, I was excited about the possibility of having such a relationship with Anna.
The first time I met Anna, she was as lovely and beautiful as I had imagined.
'Hello, I'm Anna. Let's be friends.'
Touched by Anna's appearance of smiling brightly and reaching out her hand first, I smiled brightly and took her hand.
'I look forward to it too!'
My father watched me like this with a satisfied expression. Soon, the adults left, and I took my favorite doll to Anna.
'Anna, let's-'
'Get that away from me.'
However, Anna, with a cold expression as if she had never smiled lovingly, threw the doll I had handed her.
Watching the doll rolling on the floor with surprised eyes, I froze at Anna's following words.
'Do you think someone like you can be friends with me?'
With a sneer that was not like a child on her face, Anna looked down at me.
But Anna's other side wasn't the end of it.
When the adults returned, Anna picked up the doll she had thrown and stuck close to me.
Then, as if she had never hardened her expression, she smiled brightly and pretended to enjoy playing with the doll.
'Hehe, you two. You've already become friends.'
'I knew you'd get along well.'
Hearing the voices filled with satisfaction, Anna seemed to think about something for a moment, then brushed the hair that had fallen down my face behind my ear and said.
'I look forward to working with you, Livia.'
'......'
Somehow, Anna gave me the creeps, so I couldn't say anything.
After that, Anna showed a dualistic appearance every time we met.
Until then, it was okay.
The time I spent with Anna wasn't that long.
But after entering the Academy, and my father was backstabbed by Count Lever and incurred a huge debt, things began to change.
One day, as I was about to move after finishing class, the children of the same class approached me.
I got along well with the children in the class, so I greeted them happily.
But the children's expressions were a bit strange.
Like someone digging up a secret.
The moment I discovered that expression, I felt an inexplicable anxiety.
And that anxiety...
'Is it true that Livia's father owes Anna's father a huge debt and gambled all that money away, and knelt down and begged for a little more time to pay it back...?'
It appeared in the worst possible form.
I immediately confronted Anna, but every time, Anna used her father to pressure our family.
As time passed, the rumors Anna spread became more malicious, and the students accepted the rumors without resistance.
All the students who were friends with me became Anna's friends and began to slander me together behind my back, and as Anna wished, I was thoroughly isolated and alone.
'Thanks to that, I was able to concentrate more on my studies, though.'
But that seemed to bother Anna even more.
Did Anna know?
That I gritted my teeth even more because I didn't want to bow down to Anna when it came to academics.
I looked down at Anna, who was glaring at me with gritted teeth.
"Livia Plington... How dare you..."
Anna, who was saying each word while chewing on it, suddenly chuckled.
"So, are you going to take revenge on me now? Because I took what was yours?"
I stared silently at Anna, who was clearly mocking me.
Then, I soon shook my head and parted my lips.
"Anna, I think you're mistaken about something big."
When I took my back off the wall and took a step forward, Anna, startled, took a step back.
As if it was an unconscious action, Anna's face immediately turned red.
"W-What...!"
I smiled softly.
"You're not worth that much to me."
"......!"
"Just because you're conscious of me, don't assume that I'm conscious of you."
"Tsk..."
Anna, whose eyes had turned red, glared at me while grinding her teeth.
