Congratulations!
Sophia has become the private tutor and direct servant of Eristirol Duke’s Household!
If this were a game, wouldn’t this text appear?
Yeah, I’ve just landed a stable job where I can work for at least five more years and earn a high salary.
It’s a workplace with an incredibly good social perception.
Honestly, I probably got this job because I had the permission of the eldest son I’ll be teaching.
If the eldest son had said no, I would have gone back to hunting monsters.
I couldn’t use magic, but I had enough mana to reach gold rank, though it was really tough.
Honestly, it would have been better to return to my parents’ house and live as a shut-in.
“By the way, a servant…”
The role of a servant is pretty simple.
Just following around the little eldest son and preventing him from getting into danger or helping him out.
A bit annoying, but not difficult.
By the way, they even provided my clothing.
A neat-style suit.
A white shirt and a black vest.
Thankfully, unlike the boarding academy that forced skirts, they prepared both pants and skirts.
Since a skirt might show too much, I preferred pants.
So after putting on the pants, I stepped out of my personal room.
I needed to formally greet the eldest son.
I walked through the longest hallway I’ve ever walked in my life.
This wasn’t an ordinary house; it was a castle, so it was naturally long.
And in front of the duke’s first son, Kyle Eristirol’s room.
More precisely, his bedroom.
-Knock knock
“May I come in?”
I knocked on the door.
Just barging into the room of a noble’s eldest son couldn’t be safe.
It’s not the eldest son that’s dangerous, but the people around him.
Opening the door wouldn’t be much of a problem, but because of his noble status, it could definitely become an issue.
“Yes, come in.”
I heard a child’s voice from inside.
I quietly opened the door and stepped in, closing it quietly behind me.
Slamming doors isn’t very noble-like, after all.
“Good day, Young Master. I am Sophia, the private tutor and direct servant starting today. Please feel free to call me by any name you wish.”
I bowed at almost a 90-degree angle as I said this.
Should I have called him ‘Young Master’ or ‘Young Prince’?
At least it’s better than addressing him as ‘Miss’ or ‘Master’ since that would be grammatically incorrect.
“…Hello… I am Kyle Eristirol, the eldest son of Eristirol.”
He introduced himself while slightly bowing his head.
That’s the most proper greeting.
Since my status is lower than the eldest son standing before me, there’s no need for him to bow like I did.
If he were wearing a hat, he would have probably doffed it and gave a light nod.
“Is it alright if I call you ‘Young Master’…?”
If the title bothers him, I should change it.
However, the 12-year-old little young master before me seemed too polite to speak up if he felt discomfort.
So I asked first.
“It… it’s fine, Miss Sophia.”
Miss Sophia.
What a surprisingly ordinary title.
Noble people I’ve met occasionally had poor manners, but this young master seems to have some level of etiquette.
And we didn’t share much more conversation.
After all, I had only come to greet him today.
“Classes will start from tomorrow.”
After hearing Kyle’s response, I left the room.
I still hadn’t decided exactly what to teach or which direction to take with the education, nor was I prepared.
I then moved to the servant area where the head butler was.
Naturally, the living quarters of the family and the servants were separate.
There were too many servants, and the rank difference was the reason.
“Head Butler, I’m coming in.”
I entered the personal room where the head butler was residing.
He was suddenly wearing glasses he hadn’t worn until now, trying to look busy.
Maybe he didn’t recognize me yet?
“I’ve come to ask about the Young Master’s education. Do you have a moment?”
“Yes, I do.”
I took a seat on the chair in front of his desk.
A desk and chair that looked rather upscale.
It indicated he wasn’t just any ordinary servant.
“First, what aspects should I teach the Young Master?”
“First, we need to cover etiquette.”
“Weren’t they taught etiquette before?”
It’s standard for nobles to be taught basic etiquette to some extent.
But to mention etiquette first was a bit unexpected.
“Yes, the Young Master isn’t of age to debut in the social circle yet, and there haven’t been many guests at Eristirol. Basic etiquette isn’t an issue, though. However, in about five years, the Young Master will need to debut.”
“So that’s why we’re starting now.”
“And along with dancing and various other skills, Sophia, you will teach him.”
“…Isn’t there any more specific instruction or details?”
“Yes.”
…
Isn’t it the norm for nobles and parents to be very passionate about their children’s education?
Why does the duke not have any special instructions?
For now, I left the butler’s room and returned to my personal space.
Outside the window, I could see the snow-covered northern town.
It was quieter than the capital or other cities, but it still had a lively vibe.
“Etiquette…”
Teaching etiquette isn’t that difficult.
What I probably need to teach are basic etiquettes, like table manners essential for nobles.
Once I cover etiquette to some extent, it wouldn’t be bad to teach a variety of subjects aside from dance or magic.
Kyle is the eldest son of Eristirol Dukedom.
The duke has no more children besides Kyle and one daughter.
So it’s natural that Kyle will inherit the title.
If Kyle knows only proper manners and nothing beyond that?
This territory would probably fall apart.
Teaching Kyle right now isn’t difficult, but it might become challenging when his adolescence hits.
Since he’s 12 now… probably in about three years.
Right now, he’s a bit reserved, but being a boy, he probably enjoys playing around.
I was like that in my previous life as well.
I heard that a notable aspect of northern culture is hunting.
It might be good to take Kyle out for hunting lessons now and then with permission.
In fact, hunting is considered a sport among nobles.
They even hold hunting competitions among themselves.
Of course, they’re probably not as good as adventure-seekers of gold rank.
Learning from a gold-ranked adventurer would probably be better than average people.
There are sometimes idiots who speak about hunting without ever having tried it themselves.
Most of those guys ended up becoming part of nature or monsters.
I find it a bit unfortunate that Kyle’s build is smaller than his peers, but it shouldn’t be an issue.
There’s still plenty of time left for him to grow.
He should at least make it to the mid-170s.
*
The next day, I woke Kyle up after the morning dawned.
This was one of the duties I had as a servant.
After waking him, I waited while his attendants helped him bathe.
Fortunately, unlike the real middle ages, this world cares about cleanliness.
If this were the actual middle ages, it would be common to see poop falling from windows while walking down the street.
After Kyle was helped and washed, we began breakfast.
For some reason, I still hadn’t met Duke Eristirol even once.
Is he currently away from the territory?
Or maybe he has work that prevents him from dining together?
“Young Master.”
“Yes, Miss Sophia.”
Kyle looked at me.
I began our first lesson together.
“Today we will start our lessons. First, as requested by the head butler, we’ll begin with etiquette.”
“Yes.”
We were in the study room.
It had many books and was a place where other servants and maids rarely entered.
A perfect place to study.
“The very basic etiquette that you should know, Young Master: don’t point at people, take off your hat when greeting, and pass sharp objects to the other side. I won’t be covering these basics.”
“Sure.”
Right, Kyle knows basic etiquette.
Then it should be fine to move on quickly to the next topic.
Parties, salons, debuting, and women.
Things a nobleman must know.
Nobles debut around the age of 17 or 18, meet women, and broaden their relationships with other nobles.
They reveal themselves while establishing their social standing.
But what would happen if a person who can’t adhere to etiquette was rumored in such circles?
It’s likely that prospects for marriage would be completely cut off.
In about 30 years, he might marry the daughter of a fallen noble family.
That’s not a solution at all.
So, announcing how noble, polite, and capable he is during his debut is one of the purposes of entering the social circle.
As they put on displays of their abilities, pride, and sometimes exchange information.
The social circle is not merely a place to mingle, but a continuation of politics.
Naturally, if an ill-mannered, ignorant individual enters such spaces, they’ll be ostracized.
I cannot allow Kyle Eristirol, who is listening to me now, to be in such a position.
It’s only the first day, but he is my student.
My first student.
Was that how the rookie teacher who taught me in the boarding academy felt?
I might not have confidence, but I felt a spark of determination rise within me.
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