I Will Try to Save My Dad - Chapter 20

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 20

“This way.”
Behind the Main Estate where Count Trabel lived, past the external corridor, stood another building. It was the Education Hall where the direct heirs of the family underwent their succession training.
Serber adjusted his pace to match mine, bending slightly at the waist so I could hear him better as he guided me down the path.
This is strange. Serber is my uncle’s man, after all.
“The instructors vary depending on the subject, but the person I’m about to introduce you to will oversee your entire learning curriculum. Of course, they also teach many of the courses themselves.”
Why is he being so kind to me?
Even though I regarded him with obvious wariness, his cheerful expression never wavered.
He even volunteered information I hadn’t asked for.
“There was quite a commotion early this morning. That’s why even when acquaintances provide reliable information, one shouldn’t invest carelessly…. Ahem, ahem.”
He seemed to realize his slip and trailed off awkwardly.
‘Ah, I see.’
So today was when the Ink Company president embezzled funds overseas and fled.
I’d thought he’d dismiss my childish prattling as meaningless, but it seemed he’d sold his stocks. His instincts were better than I expected.
The thought that I’d never have to see that fool Jacob again brought me peace of mind.
‘After all, people who provide useful financial information temporarily feel like benefactors!’
I smiled inwardly.
Eventually, such feelings would fade with time. Until then, I decided to graciously accept Serber’s goodwill.
‘If he doesn’t overstep his bounds, the butler should be willing to grant me small favors, right?’
There’s no harm in befriending someone with influence within the Count’s household~
I smiled brightly and followed Serber down the corridor.
Upon entering the Education Hall, a middle-aged woman stood waiting, her hair tied back so tightly not a single strand escaped.
She was nearly as tall as Serber.
“This is Baroness Hobant. She’s the person I mentioned on the way here.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Berry Quartz Trabel. Please call me Madam Frea.”
“Ah, hello.”
I bowed my head respectfully, just as I had when greeting adults in Bonwell Village.
Madam Frea regarded me with a stern gaze.
“It seems we must start with teaching you proper etiquette. I’ve heard that when you saw the Count, you didn’t greet him—you simply burst into tears.”
Ugh. A scathing critique of my past behavior, delivered without warning.
Serber watched my expression carefully and tried to gently appease Madam Frea.
“Madam, it’s the young lady’s first day, so perhaps not too harshly….”
“That is my responsibility.”
Serber’s lips sealed shut as if glued together.
Madam Frea spoke to me.
“Follow me. We’re going to the classroom where you’ll study with your relatives.”
“Yes….”
“Speak with clear pronunciation, and finish your sentences with certainty—don’t trail off.”
“Yes.”
Ugh.
Somehow, my chest felt more constricted than when Count Trabel had summoned me to the Commander’s Office. I let my shoulders droop and followed Madam Frea.

***

As Madam Frea opened the door, the full expanse of the classroom came into view.
A blackboard and lectern stood at the front, while six broad desks and bookshelves were arranged in two columns and three rows, all facing the Church.
Children occupied all the desks except for the two in the front row.
They were my cousins, all around my age—except for Kane, my uncle’s eldest son, who was at the Academy.
Four pairs of eyes snapped toward me in unison.
“…What on earth are you doing?”
Madam Frea, having entered the classroom, noticed me covering the top of my head with both hands from the doorway and asked.

– Screech!
– Ugh. What is that smell?
– The lowest-ranked one must have washed her hair with rotten milk.
– Spoiled strawberry… How funny.

I lowered my hands with an embarrassed smile.
“My head was itching.”
I wondered if something was still dripping from above the door.
In that moment, I heard a snicker of mockery.
It was Calips, the only son of Aunt Mariane, seated by the window in the back row.
Ten years old this year, he was a year older than the twins.
His chestnut hair was slightly tousled, and his sharp crimson eyes held a defiant glint.
His posture, slouched carelessly, and his sullen expression—everything about him radiated displeasure with the entire situation.
When Calips’s eyes met mine, he clapped his palms together sharply and pulled them apart. A flattened paper ball dropped onto his desk with a soft thud.
‘Idiot.’
That’s what Calips mouthed at me.
I was contemplating what to do about his terrible attitude when Madam Frea introduced me to my cousins.
“Please pay attention for a moment. This is Miss Berry Quartz Trabel, who will be joining our lessons from today onward. She is the daughter of Reytan, yes? At seven years old, she is the youngest in the Trabel Family.”
“Hello! Nice to meet you all!”
“…I will teach you proper etiquette for greetings at a later time.”
My spirited greeting earned a snort from Calips, while the twins averted their gaze and pretended not to notice. Only Ciel, seated beside Calips, acknowledged my greeting.
Her long, golden blonde hair gleamed brilliantly.
“Nice to meet you, Berry! I’m Ciel, thirteen years old. My father is Hevanth, the eldest son of Grandfather.”
She was remarkably kind for someone from the direct line. I waved at Ciel enthusiastically.
Though Madam Frea immediately corrected me for it.
“Now you need only decide where you’d like to sit. The furniture has been adjusted to suit your frame. You may choose whichever desk appeals to you in the front row.”
“Yes. I’ll take the seat by the window!”
“Very well.”
I walked toward the window desk without hesitation. Along the way, my eyes met those of the twins sitting in the back row, and both of them hastily averted their gaze.
‘Are they avoiding me because of yesterday’s frog incident?’
A smirk tugged at my lips. I couldn’t let this momentum slip away.
I settled into my seat, turned around, and greeted the twins with a bright smile.
“Hello! Fancy seeing you again after yesterday!”
“Eek!”
But the twins’ reaction was far from ordinary.
Hati recoiled in alarm, while Mati turned to me with a frightened expression and demanded an explanation.
“It was you, wasn’t it? What you did this morning.”
“…This morning?”
I wondered if I’d encountered another frog during my walk, but surely that wouldn’t have terrified them so.
“…What exactly?”
“It was you…!”
“What did I do…?”
“That’s just it, you…!”
“Now, please be quiet. Class is beginning.”
Mati slammed his desk in frustration, but Madam Frea’s announcement of the lesson’s start forced him to hold his tongue.
I’m curious too. What on earth did I supposedly do this morning?

***

But the one feeling frustrated was not me.
Less than ten minutes into the lesson, Madam Frea’s expression began to harden.
“What sort of instruction did you receive from your previous teacher?”
“Teacher? I never had one!”
“…Have you studied mathematics or foreign languages?”
“Oh, that’s right. Peter taught me numbers-.”
“You learned numbers? So you were receiving some form of instruction. How exactly were these lessons conducted?”
“When the same pattern appeared, you’d call out numbers in sequence! Even if the number 10 and a person card were placed together-.”
“Wait, please. Cards… patterns…?”
“Yes! There are red and black colors! And heart shapes and diamond shapes and-.”
“That’s enough. Stop.”
Madam Frea adjusted her spectacles, as though steadying her mind that had been shaken by the shock.
“Do you know the history of the Heishal Empire? What is the symbol of the Trabel Count Family?”
“…Money?”
“….”
After that, Madam posed several more questions of basic common knowledge—the number of letters in the alphabet, which direction the sun rises from, and so forth.
“You know absolutely nothing. Miss Berry Quartz Trabel, you must remain after class and complete all the assignments I give you before you may leave.”
…I should have gotten two of them right.
“Idiot.”
Calips whispered it softly enough for me to hear.

***

Once the lesson concluded, Madam Frea placed a stack of papers on my desk.
“I believe it would be best to start from the fundamentals. Write each letter of the alphabet one hundred times, submit them to Serber, and then you may leave. Since it is your first day, I am being quite lenient.”
“What a waste of paper…”
“There is no waste in learning. Once you finish, submit your work to Serber and go.”
“Yes…”
“Keep your answers brief.”
“Yes.”
Madam Frea left me alone in the empty classroom with a disapproving expression. It had only been a few hours since I submitted my reflection to Father, and now I had to practice writing—
“There’s nothing more tedious than repeating something you already know a hundred times.”
I glanced around the empty classroom. Calips had bolted out the moment class ended without even tidying up, leaving his textbooks scattered across his desk.
He called me an idiot twice, didn’t he?
‘Let me see just how clever he really is.’
I walked over to Calips’s seat and examined his materials.
“Ah. So Calips struggles with mathematics.”
It was a problem set, not a theory book. Traces of grading marked the earlier pages.
As the pages progressed, the number of correct answers dwindled, and it seemed he had grown frustrated and stopped attempting the problems altogether.
The last page bore rain stains. Everything after that remained pristine, like an unopened book.
I glanced back at my own desk. The paper Madam Frea had given me was the common variety found anywhere within the Trabel Estate.
‘Why not try solving it?’
Curiosity stirred within me. Solutions were bubbling up in my mind, and I wanted to verify whether they were truly correct.
I retrieved paper and a pen from my desk and grasped the pen with my left hand.
“If I write with my left hand, no one will recognize my handwriting.”
I had used my right hand to feign illiteracy before Madam Frea, but in truth, I was left-handed.
I hummed softly and twirled the pen lightly between my fingers.
“Well then, let me give this a try~”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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