One day, I suddenly got my memories back.
To be precise, it was my past life’s memories.
But honestly, nothing that important came back.
Just that in my past life, I was a guy living a normal life until I got run over by a truck.
But maybe because my childhood memories returned,
I gradually started to act a bit more like a boy.
Not like fully putting on pants and acting all manly, but you know, somewhat boy-ish.
“Mom, I wanna eat meat.”
“What on earth are you talking about, Sophia?”
“I said I want meat!?”
“Hey! You need to eat veggies too! How can a person just want to eat meat!?”
“Ugh!!”
Honestly, I was acting less like a boy and more like a brat at that time.
It felt like my mind was regressing alongside my childish body.
“Last time, you nearly broke Evan’s arm, who lives next door!!”
“No! I was just running and he blocked my way!”
“You’ve been yelling at your mom lately!?”
“No…”
“What did I say would happen if you yelled again?”
“…”
“What did I say?”
“That you’d send me to a boarding school.”
“Right, off you go!”
“Wait a minute!!”
“Honey~ Let’s send her to that boarding school we applied to last time.”
“Mom!?”
…
If I hadn’t yelled at my mom that time, there wouldn’t have been any need for me to go to a boarding school and spend my adolescence that should have been fun.
According to my mom and dad’s plan, I got sent to a boarding school.
Not just any school, but a super famous elite academy.
To this day, I still have no idea how my mom and dad could afford to send me to such an elite institution.
What’s for sure is that if I hadn’t attended that school back then, my life would have been vastly different.
Because that academy was incredibly prestigious, and graduating meant it was practically easy to get a job.
Even though it’s a world where magic exists, only a few can actually use it.
Of course, I wasn’t among that lucky group.
However, graduating from that academy proved I was exceptional in some way.
Whether I was truly exceptional or not, I have no idea.
If I hadn’t gone to that academy, I wouldn’t even have had the chance to seek a decent job.
“Hmm… So you graduated from the Elysia Academy… and you have some experience as an adventurer?”
“Yes! I graduated at 16 and spent two years as an adventurer with some decent achievements!”
And now I’m here interviewing.
Not for a huge corporation or anything, but for a DUKE’S HOUSE.
The nation I live in is the Dextrin Empire.
The Eristirol Family, which governs Eristirol, is located in the northernmost region of the empire.
Before coming here for the interview, I was enjoying my adventurer lifestyle, traveling between the capital and the provinces.
After spending several years in an academy, I got too bored and started wandering as an adventurer, and I had become a Gold-ranked adventurer.
Gold rank isn’t extraordinarily high, but I ranked within the top 30%.
I got a bit tired of hunting monsters and solving requests for a living.
After all, I hadn’t properly settled anywhere and kept hopping from inn to inn, and whenever I got a request, I had to travel to other provinces.
But then, I heard a rumor that they were looking for a private tutor in the Northern Eristirol.
And it had to be a woman!
In my past life, I was a man, and although my identity was still somewhat muddled, I probably leaned more toward being male.
But when a chance like this arises, you’ve got to seize it.
And now.
“Hm… Your grades from the academy are top-notch. Your achievements as an adventurer aren’t bad either. And your looks…”
“?”
Oh, since it’s for a private tutor, they might want to consider appearance too.
But I had absolutely no issue with that.
I’m pretty cute!
You might think I’m being full of myself, but I’m really cute.
I may not even be 18 yet, but I’ve got looks that could rival those of a goddess.
If I had this face in my past life, I would have been called a once-in-a-millennium idol.
The man conducting the interview was intently scrutinizing my face.
Well, he wouldn’t dare insult my looks.
Unless, of course, he counted my youth against me.
I was bundled up in a coat because it was cold, so he couldn’t even assess my figure.
I mean, come on. It would be unreasonable to judge someone based on their looks.
“…Please wait a moment.”
The interviewer momentarily left me in the interview room.
What gives?
Is this some kind of test?
Surely not.
Could it be an escape-the-room scenario like from a movie, where water suddenly rises from the floor?
I waited in my chair as instructed by the interviewer.
Was it about five minutes later?
The door opened, and the interviewer returned.
And he was holding the hand of a young boy.
The boy seemed shy, but his looks were anything but.
He had snow-white hair and bright sky-blue eyes that seemed to sparkle.
And more than anything, if he played with kids of my age, all the girls would swoon over him.
He looked exactly like how a duke’s son would appear….
“Uh?”
Wait a minute, they were looking for a private tutor in Northern Eristirol.
And I’m here interviewing at the Northern Duke’s castle.
…
Was I actually an enormous fool?
This was clearly a position to be the private tutor for the Northern Duke’s son.
That felt super daunting and risky.
One wrong slip-up and I might end up losing my head, right?
“This is His Highness, the Duke’s son of Eristirol… Kyle.”
Kyle Eristirol.
The eldest son of the Northern Duke.
But why on earth are they showing him to me right now?
“..Your Highness, what do you think about having this lady as your tutor? She’s quite experienced and talented.”
The interviewer introduced me to the Duke’s son and asked for his opinion.
Oh, I get it now.
Since they’re looking for a tutor for the duke’s son, they naturally have to get his approval.
If he doesn’t like me, I’m out. If he does, I’m in.
Based on my memory, the duchy’s son wasn’t particularly young.
I think I saw in the newspaper… he was about 12 years old, right?
But he looked a tad frail for his age.
More accurately, he was hunched over.
“…Okay…”
What a tiny voice.
It was a voice that belonged to a kid who clearly hadn’t gone through puberty yet.
That voice gave me approval to become his tutor.
And the interviewer took the boy back and began the contract process with me.
“First, there are a few things you need to know.”
“Yeah?”
“You need to be informed about His Highness before proceeding, and you’ll have to sign a confidentiality agreement regarding this information.”
“E…”
What kind of story could require a confidentiality agreement?
Is His Highness an abuser or a psycho that hurts servants or something?
“Just listen first. You don’t have to accept being his tutor after hearing this.”
“Yes…”
If it’s not something I can’t handle, I’m fine with it.
If it’s about coercing me into a response, I would’ve bolted out of the place by now.
“His Highness… was almost assaulted by a male servant a year ago.”
“Pardon?”
Did I just mishear that, or did the interviewer just say something bizarre?
A male servant?
Assaulting the young duke?
“Wait, you mean a male servant?”
“Yes, more specifically, your Highness’s direct servant attempted to assault him. Thankfully, a maid happened to come in at the right time, so it didn’t go too far…”
….
That was not what I expected at all.
It turned out the young duke was the victim of the incident, not the perpetrator.
That’s likely why they were telling me this.
They wouldn’t want rumors spreading about the young duke almost being assaulted.
So that’s why they needed me to sign a confidentiality agreement.
Given how delicate the duchy was, they offered me the chance to make my own choice.
“After that incident, His Grace became fearful of men except for a handful of male servants who have known him since childhood.”
“Ah…”
So this is why they were only looking for a female tutor.
Well, make sense, that’s quite a traumatizing story.
Having your direct servant, who’s basically a bigger male, attempting to assault you, how could you not be scared?
“That’s why we sought a female tutor and servant. We won’t force you. Sophia, do you still want to become His Highness’s tutor after hearing this?”
The interviewer asked.
If I say no here, that would be the end of it.
But I wasn’t planning on rejecting this offer.
The duke wasn’t the aggressor, and there was no reason for me to be afraid.
In fact, I stumbled into a fantastic job opportunity just this easily.
It’s obvious I’d be paid handsomely, too.
Why not?
As a tutor, if I do my job well, I could live comfortably in this grand castle for years without getting fired, right?
That’s way better than being an adventurer, running from place to place for two years.
It’s cold outside, but the inside of the castle is unbelievably warm.
“I’ll do it. I’ll be the tutor.”
“Then let’s finalize the confidentiality agreement regarding what you just heard.”
The interviewer brought over a table and began casting magic on it.
In some bizarre language that I couldn’t understand.
He mumbled some incantations and a paper with a green border floated down onto the table.
“Please sign here, and the contract will be established.”
I read the document carefully.
You should always read contracts thoroughly.
It was a confidentiality agreement that asked whether I would keep silent about the incident involving the Eristirol duke’s son or something along those lines.
I quickly signed it with a pen that was right beside me.
As soon as I finished my signature, the paper suddenly ignited with green flames and burned away into nothingness.
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