ALL NOVEL Life at Eristirol Castle wasn’t too shabby two months in.
It was a mix of joy and sorrow that my work and home were the same place, but overall, it was good.
The bed in my room was soft and cozy, and it was nice to have warmth inside, unlike outside.
The room was decent, but the best part was something else.
Food.
The restaurants I had been to were just neighborhood joints at best.
But the cooking of the castle chefs was on an entirely different level.
Was there a Michelin chef in my past life?
If they were here, I would give them five, no, six stars.
Honestly, I could eat anything they served, no matter how weird it looked; the chefs were just out of this world.
“Miss Sophia, would you like a bite…?”
“No, I’m fine.”
Maybe my thoughts showed on my face, but Kyle suddenly offered me some of his meat.
Even though I was a private tutor, I was, after all, Kyle’s direct servant.
Servants don’t eat with their employers, you know.
Naturally, I turned down Kyle’s offer.
I was a bit disappointed, but having meals in the morning and at night was enough for me.
“Young Master.”
“Yes.”
I spoke up while Kyle was eating.
But what I was about to say was not just my thought; it was a message from the head of the household, Eristirol Duke, who was the true lord of the North.
“The Duke suggested that you take magic lessons.”
Technically, it was a message for the head butler, not me.
“Since I cannot use magic, we need to invite an instructor from the Mage Tower. What are your thoughts on this?”
“Um… magic…”
If I could use magic, that would have been something, but I was among those who couldn’t use it either.
I didn’t quite get why I could use mana but not magic, but that was just normal around here.
Kyle was a noble.
Most nobles could use magic.
Just recently, he’d mentioned that a wizard was also a noble.
Although their rank was on the lower side.
“The instructor will likely be a woman, so don’t worry about that.”
“…..”
Kyle still hadn’t completely shaken off that trauma from before.
It seemed like we had to invite a female instructor instead of a male one.
“What do you think? There’s no need to rush it. You can start in a few years…”
“Then, I’ll postpone it.”
“..Yes.”
Was magic not viewed positively among nobles?
If there was a real chance for me to learn magic, I would definitely have jumped at it.
Unlike my expectations, Kyle immediately postponed the magic lessons.
I needed to inform the head butler.
*
By the way, I started exercising with Kyle a few days ago.
In my head, I could only think of activities that would make a person lively, like moving outdoors.
Luckily, there was a training ground for knights inside Eristirol Castle, making it a perfect spot for working out.
“Young Master, just one more set to go.”
“Ugh… One more set? I’ve already done four!”
“Nope. You have to do at least five sets.”
“Then let me drink some water…”
“Yes.”
I was pushing Kyle hard in a training area that wasn’t often used.
Without permission, I was probably going to get scolded or even fired, but Kyle was okay with it.
No problem.
Kyle probably realized it was beneficial for him.
“Alright, let’s start again. One.”
“One!!”
“Two.”
“Two…!!!!”
Honestly, I was shocked that this was the physique of a twelve-year-old.
When I was twelve, I was just buried in books at a boarding school with a flabby body.
But now, twelve-year-old Kyle was able to do five sets of push-ups without a hitch.
Of course, he’d get muscle soreness, but that just felt right.
As proof, his body was already shaping up in less than a month.
Once his body was in shape, learning swordsmanship from knights…
Nah, that wouldn’t fly in a male-dominated environment.
Wait—there had to be at least one female knight in the knight order in the territory.
I could just ask her, right?
“Thirty…!!”
I briefly pondered Kyle’s future, and before I knew it, we were at the last set.
“You did well, Young Master. Here, have some refreshing water and take a break.”
I gave Kyle some water.
I took a tiny sip, but it was such a small amount that he’d probably not notice anyway.
Even Kyle, with his sharp senses, wouldn’t catch that, right?
“Glug… glug… Ahh…”
“Feeling a bit better now?”
“Yeah… but I feel like there’s less water than before…”
“Yes?”
“It seems like there’s about one sip less than usual.”
“….”
No way that makes any sense.
It wasn’t even a full sip, just about half a sip, and he noticed that?
Is this what it means to be a noble, or is Kyle just unusually sensitive?
One thing’s for sure—if he’d debuted as an adventurer, he would have easily passed silver and probably hit platinum.
“I… had a sip. Sorry about that.”
“…It’s okay. Yes.”
“Thank you.”
“No… thank you for that.”
“Huh?”
His last words were too quiet for me to catch.
It didn’t seem like a big deal since he didn’t say it again.
Kyle and I got up from the training area.
There was no need to keep basking in the sun, not to mention Kyle was drenched in sweat and needed to wash up.
“Young Master, how are you feeling?”
“…Good.”
“Is that so?”
I was giving Kyle a massage for his tired muscles.
If I didn’t do this, he would have overwhelming muscle pain that would hinder his daily life the next day, so I made it a point to massage him every day after workouts.
“Ugh….”
“Should I be more gentle?”
“…No, keep it as it is.”
Guess that’s just how guys are.
Even at twelve years old, he didn’t want to show off in front of a girl.
Not that there would be any reason for him to like me anyway.
Oh, I could possibly gain his favor next time by taking it easy during massage.
By the way, nobles tend to marry faster than commoners, but the catch is Kyle has no girls around him.
He’s definitely a good catch, practically the best groom material among boys his age, but there are just no opportunities to meet girls.
Maybe due to the cold North, no noble ladies come to visit Kyle, and aside from me, he doesn’t seem to meet with any potential romantic interests.
“Young Master, are you perhaps not interested in girls?”
Even if there aren’t many girls around, surely a guy would take the initiative to meet them if he had an interest.
Could Kyle be gay? No, that just can’t be!
“Yes?”
“You’ll have to get married someday. So before that, wouldn’t it be good to meet some noble ladies…?”
“No.”
“Like dating too…?”
“Not interested in other girls.”
“Uh….”
Wow, he really is gay?
No, even so, isn’t it risky for the Duke’s son to be gay…?
I was left flabbergasted upon discovering Kyle’s shocking preference.
Seriously, I was completely stunned.
Gay…?
My student is gay…?
But hey, considering we’re all human beings from past lives, I can at least try to understand his sexual orientation.
If a private tutor can’t understand that, then what kind of tutor am I?
“I’m done with the massage. Would you like to wash up now?”
“Yes.”
After the massage, Kyle headed to the bathroom with the bathing attendants.
I tidied up after the massage while pondering what to do next.
I was already done with reading in the morning and had exercised, so there wasn’t much left to do today.
It seemed like a long stretch of free time was ahead until Kyle could receive classes from knights or wizards from the Mage Tower in a few years.
Right now, I was too free, and although I suggested more lessons, Kyle had postponed the lessons for knights or wizards for a few years, so it was no go.
I was a private tutor, but since Kyle was the employer, if he didn’t want to, I wasn’t going to push him.
“Still, it would be best to learn magic and swordsmanship quickly…”
In the end, those two things were hands-on skills.
There’s a big difference in skill depending on the time spent learning, regardless of talent.
Even the most talented rookie wizard wouldn’t stand a chance against an ancient archmage, nearly 500 years old.
If that were possible, it would be a proper web novel, full of clichés.
So, I recommended both things to twelve-year-old Kyle.
I hoped he’d handle both well, but… he just turned me down.
“It would be better to start within three years…”
I didn’t just want Kyle to be stronger for the heck of it.
The Duke’s words were significant, plus nobles from Eristirol directly go hunting once they come of age.
We’re not talking about ordinary animal hunting; they go out to hunt monsters themselves.
I wasn’t clear on why nobles had to do that.
What baffled me most was that even the Duke’s family participated directly in such hunts.
What on earth was the Eristirol hunting that even the Duke had to join?
I found myself even wanting to tag along next time.
Though I’m now a private tutor, I was once an adventurer.
I roamed freely, earning money by hunting monsters.
Sometimes, I really want to get out and gallop through the snowy fields of Eristirol on horseback.
“Well… once Kyle gets all grown up, it might be nice to go hunting together someday.”
I might not be a teacher like the heavens, but he would likely agree if his teacher wanted to go.