Kyle was keeping up with classes better than I expected.
Honestly, it wasn’t surprising since the lesson content wasn’t that difficult.
“Young Master, I told you not to bend over during meals.”
“Oh.”
Of course, being a child, he was bound to make mistakes. But there’s no need to scold him for that—he’s just a kid.
I placed my hand on Kyle’s waist and pressed it down.
“Like this. Keep your back straight and bring the fork closer.”
“Y-yes!”
The most important thing was that he was already surprised just by being this close to me; how could he possibly communicate properly in the social circle?
If I were a big, burly adult male doing this, he probably would’ve screamed.
If he keeps being this timid, he might end up being isolated later on.
But really, Kyle had a background that shouldn’t allow him to be timid.
Even before last year’s incident, he was shy, which means he must have been born that way.
With such an impressive background, it would be almost impossible for him to become timid later on.
He was the only son and heir of the Eristirol Territory in the Dextrin Empire.
Since his younger sister is still small, his position as heir was pretty secure.
With a face like his, I thought he could probably charm even the pickiest of women.
His white hair gave off a mysterious vibe, and those matching blue eyes were especially attractive.
Once he steps into the social circle, it was certain that he’d make a name for himself.
“Miss Sophia… Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something wrong…?”
“No, I was just watching you for a moment.”
Even now, he shrank back just because I was staring for a bit.
He listens well and is following the education properly.
If only I could fix that personality of his, he’d be fine.
I felt a sigh coming on, but I held it in.
If I sighed, he’d surely be startled and shrink away again.
*
“Young Master, do you have any hobbies?”
“Hobbies?”
“Yes.”
The reason I was asking Kyle about his hobbies was simple: I wanted to boost his self-esteem somehow.
“I like… horseback riding.”
“Horseback riding, you say?”
I was relieved to hear that Kyle’s hobby wasn’t something odd.
Thank goodness he didn’t say he collected bugs or something.
Horseback riding is a great hobby for building his confidence.
If he does well while riding, all I’d have to do is say, “You look so cool, Young Master!”
“Then let’s make sure you ride during your free time from now on. I’ll mention it.”
“Yes.”
Is he smiling because he’s now able to enjoy a hobby he sometimes had?
I caught a glimpse of a smile on Kyle’s face.
He didn’t have any formal schedules anyway.
Excluding sleep, meals, and classes, his remaining time was practically free time.
It felt odd not having a proper agenda, but the head butler said no further schedules were set.
I assumed it was because he suspended external activities after last year’s incident.
The next day, as usual, class time came to an end.
Thanks to Kyle listening so attentively, we finished earlier than usual.
“Young Master, shall we head to the stables?”
“Is there no more class today…?”
“Yes, you followed the class so well that we finished early. So now it’s your free time. Shall we go to the stables right away?”
“…Yes.”
Naturally, the horses were at the stables, so we made our way there.
We didn’t engage in much conversation on the way.
I felt bad starting a conversation since he always gets startled whenever I do.
I figured things might get better once we establish more familiarity.
Still, it seemed a bit stiff to just have lessons without any proper banter over the next few years.
“Young Master, do you have a horse you usually ride? If so, I’ll go get it.”
Kyle silently pointed at a striking black horse inside the stable.
That must be the horse he’s ridden for a long time.
I brought the lead and attached it to the horse before slowly bringing it out.
Then I brushed it a few times and wrapped its bandages.
Having ridden several horses while being an adventurer, I was well-versed in this task.
As expected, since it was a noble’s horse, it was gentle and obedient, even with a stranger like me around.
“Young Master, would you like to mount right away?”
“…Yes.”
After finishing all the preparations, including saddling up, I asked Kyle.
He looked a bit tense, glancing between me and the horse.
Was he nervous about riding while I was watching him, the private tutor?
“Young Master, it’s okay. You can make mistakes. I’ll help you.”
I walked beside Kyle and lifted him under the arms to help him up.
“Ah?!”
Kyle looked surprised, turning to stare at me.
But it was the only way I could get him up since he was shorter than his horse.
Of course, I myself wasn’t super tall either, so I had to let him take the reins after that.
As I brought him closer to the horse, Kyle finally understood and swung his leg over to sit in the saddle.
Now we were all set.
“Young Master, you need to hold the reins.”
It seemed like it had been a while since he last rode, so he wasn’t even holding the reins.
Though it was unlikely, if the horse suddenly got spooked and started running, he needed to grip those reins.
I led the horse gently out of the stable while Kyle sat on top, and even though I was a stranger, the horse followed my lead gracefully.
As we exited the stable, I encountered a problem.
Having taken the horse out and mounted Kyle was fine.
But what now?
This place clearly wasn’t ideal for horseback riding.
Staying here would be neither fun nor safe, as it wasn’t a proper path, and he could get hurt.
“Young Master, should we head towards where the knights are training? Riding here might be a bit dangerous.”
I asked Kyle directly.
In the end, I had to follow Kyle’s decision.
If he preferred to ride here to avoid the knights, I could just make sure he stayed safe.
“Is it alright to go there? I hope I’m not being a nuisance…”
“It’s perfectly fine. The knights won’t mind at all if you ride just because you want to.”
I mean, if the son of the lord wants to ride, who would complain about that?
They’d probably get in trouble with the duke if they did.
“…Then… let’s go…”
Kyle reluctantly accepted to head towards the knights’ training area, and I led the horse with him until we arrived.
Upon arriving, I saw the knights from the Eristirol Territory training.
It had been a while since I had seen actual knights instead of just the village guards.
We made our way to a designated riding area.
The ground was well-tended grass and surface to prevent any injuries.
Since Kyle had already ridden before, there was no need for me to hold him the whole time.
I released the reins and encouraged Kyle to enjoy himself.
“It looks fun…”
Watching Kyle smile while riding by himself made me want to hop on, too.
Maybe I should’ve brought two horses from the start?
Was his hobby of horseback riding for real? I was laughing at the thought.
Seeing Kyle so cheerful for the first time since I arrived at the Eristirol castle was quite a sight.
This must be the real him.
The startled, shrinking boy whenever I spoke or the way he flicked his gaze nervously whenever another male servant passed by—none of that was really him.
This smiling face? This must be who Kyle truly was.
It seemed I’d have to put a lot of effort into changing the narrative here.
While classes were important, connecting with Kyle seemed even more pressing.
*
Today, I waited outside Kyle’s Room until it was time to wake him up.
As soon as it was wake-up time, I quietly entered Kyle’s room.
I pulled back the curtains blocking the sunlight and stood beside his bed.
“Good morning, Young Master.”
I wasn’t someone who easily wakes up in the morning, even in my past life or before I started attending the boarding academy.
I’ve always been the type to sleep in and end up being late.
“Ughh…”
In this regard, Kyle was a diligent child.
He was already waking up from just a word I said.
I was sure that in just another year, he’d probably wake up even without my prompting.
“Miss Sophia… water, please…”
Yet, being a child, he still asked me for water with his eyes closed.
I handed him the cup of water I had prepared for him.
With his eyes still shut, Kyle drank the water, gulping it down.
I wondered if this was how it felt to have a younger brother.
Sure, our hair and eye colors differed, but it almost felt like I was raising a little brother.
“Young Master, would you like to have breakfast right away? Or would you like to wash up first, or…”
“Or…?”
“Would you prefer to sleep a bit more?”
I said with a smile.
I mean, although there was a set wake-up time, if Kyle wanted to sleep more, it was fine since there wasn’t much to do first thing in the morning.
“…Then… I want to sleep a bit more…”
Despite sometimes showing his passive side, he clearly expressed what he wanted in a normal way.
I felt like I’d be grateful if he could just keep doing this much.
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