The First Etiquette Lesson
Ultimately, Rien was hired as Cecilia's etiquette teacher.
And the much-anticipated first class day arrived.
Like any other student, Cecilia sat at her desk in proper posture, holding her textbook as she raised her hand toward Rien, the teacher.
“Teacher, I have one question before the lesson.”
“W-what, teacher…? You can call me Rien.”
“Yes, Rien. Do you have any sun allergy?”
Cecilia asked, staring coldly at Rien, who was wearing a robe that covered his body meticulously over his neatly dressed appearance, as if to hide something.
During the interview, Cecilia had been imagining his possibility of being a clone human, but soon she had no choice but to accept that the person in front of her was indeed Rien.
That's how he had come out after perfectly completing the interview, and then he was rummaging through his small document bag the size of a palm to pull out the robe and cover himself with it.
‘Why can't he lose the robe? Not even a check shirt from the college days.’
Recalling her university classmates who couldn't lose their check shirts and hoodies despite all the coaxing, she felt like vomiting.
Not noticing her impulse to tear that rag at all, he answered quite cheerfully.
“No.”
“Then, did you catch a deadly disease if you take off the robe?”
“That's not it either.”
“Then, shouldn't you take it off a bit indoors? It would be suffocating.”
Thinking he had suggested it as gently as possible without scaring him, Cecilia watched as Rien clutched the hem of the robe tightly and answered hesitantly.
“W-why can't I take off the robe? It's embarrassing to show my face…”
I couldn't understand where on his face, which was too perfect to be boasted about in the neighborhood, was embarrassing, but it wasn't something I could force him to take off.
Cecilia, suppressing her impulse, said a bit more kindly.
“Then, at least during class, please lift the collar a little. The teacher's excessive face covering makes students uneasy.”
It was purely for her own eyeballs, but Rien seemed to take the nonsense quite seriously.
“I’ll keep that in mind…”
Cecilia didn't correct his misunderstanding.
After all, he had finally slightly lifted the collar in surprise.
Beneath his long eyelashes, a jewel-like purple eye appeared. Really, the faint blush that rose lightly on his cheeks, how well it matched.
‘He is opening his eyes.’
This must be the very welfare that students should enjoy.
I don't know if he wore a robe at the academy, but if not, I could swear that the attendance and satisfaction of students listening to his lectures would be 100%.
Finally satisfied, Cecilia openly observed, no, observed him.
Rien couldn't properly face the direct gaze, and soon clutched his textbook tightly.
“Then, shall we start the lesson now.”
“Eh, it's the first day, and you're starting the lesson right away?”
Holding the textbook open with one hand raised cheekily, Cecilia asked.
“Ah, then what would you like to do on the first day…”
“Tell me the story of your first love, teacher!”
This is what the first question to a handsome young teacher would be.
I was also planning to check his ideal type.
His round eyes started shaking violently.
“I am…”
With a deeply lowered gaze, tightly closed lips, and eyes with bags underneath.
Cecilia sighed inwardly at the bitterness spreading like ink.
‘I thought it was just puppy love or first love from academy days.’
It seemed there was a partner who made her sad just by recalling.
‘Ah, male protagonists with true love are divided between likes and dislikes.’
She was on the dislike side. But she decided to overlook his pre-lover's true love to some extent.
It wasn't like she'd be with him for life here, and if not, he might become her true love in the future.
Cecilia, who had accidentally stepped on a landmine, hurriedly changed the subject.
“Thinking about it, it's better to start the lesson quickly! Shall I open the book?”
“…Yes.”
Rien, who had again pressed the robe down clumsily, finally started the lesson.
“Before that, I would like to ask one thing. Is it because you have to go to the capital to receive the Saintess qualification approval from His Majesty the Emperor?”
“Yes.”
Although not official, it was a fact known even to the street urchins that the eldest daughter of the Weberdin family was equivalent to a ‘Saintess’.
So, it wasn't strange that he guessed the purpose of his trip to the capital.
“So, before etiquette, can you tell me the basics?”
“Basics…?”
“Um, like the relationship between the temple and the imperial family. I know, but I want to hear it from a neutral perspective.”
‘Actually, I'm asking because I don't know much.’
I only know that the temple and imperial family have a bad relationship, but I'm ignorant about this ‘approval’ issue.
If it were Cecilia who was born and lived in the Weberdin family, it would be knowledge she couldn't miss, but to Rien, her excuse seemed plausible.
Rien started talking calmly.
“Then, let me explain the history of the empire. In the past, you know that the empire was a society where the imperial family was unified, right. To be precise, the representative of God ruled the empire.”
When I was investigating this world, I learned that in the founding myth, God directly established and ruled the country.
‘The family that has served the God for such a long time is the Weberdin family, as Melanie boasted.’
“Over time, divine power and imperial power naturally separated, but because of that history, they have not been able to escape from the adversarial relationship to this day.”
Cecilia nodded obediently.
Since the temple with tradition has the power to rival the imperial family, they couldn't have a good relationship.
“The two groups needed means to check each other. One of them was the ‘blessing’ and ‘approval’ of the successor.”
So, when appointing a Saintess, the emperor's approval was needed, and when deciding the crown prince, the Pope's blessing, Rien added.
It seemed that the reason he had to go up to the capital on purpose was this.
‘I don't know why the emperor calls the Saintess directly to the capital…’
What is certain is that her trip to the capital would be quite dangerous.
After all, the imperial family's power would be concentrated in the capital.
‘The Weberdin family, the backbone of the temple, and moreover, the Saintess candidate would be even more eye-catching.’
Just imagining the people watching sharply with eyes open for rivalry or contempt made me lose all energy.
‘I hate it. Really.’
While having no enthusiasm, Cecilia's shoulders drooped weakly.
This was the one hundred and forty-fifth thought, but truly, I desperately wanted to go home.
***
After the first class ended.
Rien crossed the empty corridor back to the mansion.
Thud, thud.
In the quiet mansion where even servants were absent, not to mention popularity.
Only his footsteps echoed hollowly.
The place where his feet stopped was the small room at the end of the corridor.
Rien sat down with a thud on the worn-out sofa, the only one with a lived-in feel.
Then, he quietly stared at the fireplace where the flame was burning out of season.
“I told you not to follow me.”
“…”
Before Rien's words ended, the flames suddenly surged, and someone appeared from within.
A young man with long sunset-colored hair neatly tied back.
“I’m sorry. I thought you had thrown away the communication orb since you didn't respond to any calls.”
The man who bowed greeted, glancing at the communication orb placed neatly on the desk.
“…I forgot.”
When Rien answered vaguely, the man's face, which had been calm, cracked.
“Can I ask if you plan to maintain this concept… no, appearance for how long?”
“Is it strange?”
“Yes. It's a bit, no, very disgusting.”
The man, Hiltein, revealed his disgust without reservation.
If Rien really stopped acting and returned to his true self, Hiltein's body would be cut somewhere for his arrogant behavior.
But the superior's appearance of acting in a way that was disgusting enough to bear that.
However, unfortunately, the superior seemed to have no intention of stopping the ridiculous acting.
“Ah, no.”
“…Yes?”
“If I have to stick next to that person, I have no choice.”
‘X bastard.’
Hiltein barely swallowed the rough curse.
Did his superior know that this added muttering was even more disgusting.
‘What kind of ridiculous innocent act is he putting on.’
A messenger pretending to be a herbivore would do better.
Hiltein recalled the moment he first met his superior.
[Shut up.]
The man who had been reading for a long time while high-ranking mages were lined up like a screen around him said that.
The faces of the high-ranking mages who had come to greet the new Tower Master flushed red.
[Even if you're the Tower Master, such behavior…!]
[I hate inefficient things.]
The emotions in his finely crafted face were just boredom. Yet, when his gaze reached them, they all had to close their mouths.
A chilling killing intent that seemed like his neck would be cut at any moment.
Even high-ranking mages who were always strong were nothing more than prey in front of him.
[For example, making him speak twice.]
So, seeing the man who had elegantly turned the words “now shut up” into “don't make him speak twice” and instead said “shut up”, Hiltein instinctively knew that surviving under his superior would be truly difficult.