My Youngest Keeps Bringing Home Male Leads - Chapter 5

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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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Episode 5
Surely not.
There’s no reason it should mean anything special.
After racking her brains desperately, Agnes recalled the strange words she’d heard yesterday.
Something about how she might be a Companion of the World Tree.
‘Perhaps that’s why he’s curious?’
More than anything, her brother—barely six years old—had escaped from a rift and stormed into the Magic Tower itself.
And on top of that, someone had told him his sister was special.
Of course, it all sounded like nonsense to Agnes.
It felt unreal. Like something out of a storybook.
No matter how she thought about it, there was nothing a marquis would find worth being curious about.
She was just an ordinary person with unremarkable looks and no special abilities whatsoever.
Meanwhile, he was the master of the world’s greatest Magic Tower—Celestial.
Agnes knew nothing of magic, but she had read what Archmages were capable of in books.
They could send not just objects but people across vast distances, set fires on barren land, summon thunder, and create waterfalls from nothing.
In other words, he was someone an ordinary person like her would never have the chance to meet.
While she was lost in thought, the children, who had only half-listened to Kesenor’s words, began to make a fuss.
“O-observation?”
“Why?”
“Do you think we might have talent?”
“How does magic work?”
Of course, magical ability was a matter of bloodline, and since the twins’ parents had no connection to magic, they would have no reason to take interest.
‘Or could he be curious about my lessons?’
Either way, since she was teaching young children, she only imparted the most basic knowledge from the books.
Surely her lessons would seem too childish to someone researching advanced magic.
Taking her silence as agreement, Kesenor entered the room and settled onto the sofa.
Soon enough, without being asked, servants brought tea and refreshments. It seemed the Countess had ordered them to provide the best hospitality.
It was uncomfortable, but she couldn’t let it show.
Agnes did her best to ignore his presence and resumed her lesson.
“As I explained earlier about the Non-Aggression Pact, the territories between races were subsequently divided. Humans occupy the central continent, elves inhabit the Naopha Forest to the east, giants dwell beyond the Flame Mountain Range to the west, and craftsmen of the dark elves live on islands to the south.”
“What about the north?”
Leonard asked. Agnes glanced briefly at Kesenor.
The north was the land of Celesta.
He himself sat quietly, sipping his tea with a distant expression.
He wasn’t watching the lesson, nor did he seem to be listening closely to it either.
‘Why did he even say he wanted to observe?’
Puzzled, Agnes answered Leonard’s question.
“The north is the land of mages.”
“Oh!”
“The north is a land where Magical Beasts appear, and it is guarded by mages. Centered on Magic Towers built in various locations, they carry out subjugation efforts. The Magic Tower of Celestial in the territory of Celesta, in particular, is famous for the power of the mages who belong to it.”
Only then did Kesenor lower his gaze and offer a faint smile.
But the children, sitting right behind him, had no interest in the master of Celestial.
“Teacher, have you ever seen a different race?”
It seemed the illustrations in the book were drawn so vividly that they captured the imagination—particularly the giants, who looked as fearsome as monsters.
Agnes shook her head.
“Since the Non-Aggression Pact, they decided not to encroach on each other’s territories. Though there is some exchange, limited as it is, it would be difficult for an ordinary person to encounter them.”
“What about the marquis?”
“Have you seen one, sir?”
Despite their esteemed guest, the children showed no hesitation.
At that, Kesenor let out a low sigh and nodded. For a moment, his brows seemed to knit together.
Could he be harboring some unpleasant memory?
Of course, the children were too oblivious to notice.
“Wow!”
“Really? What did they look like?”
“Do giants really have horns?”
“Do dark elves have dark skin? Are regular elves really that beautiful?”
It seemed time for a brief respite.
Agnes sighed and pulled the bell cord.
“It’s snack time. Don’t trouble the marquis.”
Soon servants arrived with desserts and fresh tea. While the children ate their treats with delight, Agnes took a seat across from Kesenor and poured tea into his cup.
I’d offered to sit across from her since I couldn’t leave a visitor alone, but I had no idea what to say.
As I fumbled with the warm teacup, tracing its rim with my fingertips, Kesenor seemed to notice my discomfort and spoke first.
“May I ask how you came to be a tutor?”
“Oh, it’s really nothing special. The truth is, my mother passed away when I was young. So I’ve looked after Amy since she was an infant, and it seems the Countess approved of that.”
“The Countess showed me the children’s lessons from this morning.”
My grip tightened on the teacup. A flood of thoughts scattered through my mind.
‘Does she not trust me?’
Perhaps now that the children had grown, she wanted to hire someone more qualified for advanced instruction.
Unlike Agnes, who had stiffened with anxiety, he continued with a bemused smile.
“The Countess seemed quite anxious, asking me such things. She said the children were undisciplined and wouldn’t listen, that you were having a difficult time with them, and above all, she wanted to know their level.”
He was right.
Mages were people who studied the world itself, literally.
Magic, he’d said, was about unraveling how this world operated—and so they studied all the knowledge that existed within it.
An Archmage was nothing less than a living repository of knowledge.
To ask such a person whether nine-year-old children were studying well felt absurd.
Agnes lowered her head in embarrassment.
It felt as though she were standing naked before him.
In other words, the Countess had asked him to evaluate her teaching.
I turned over what had happened that morning in my mind.
‘How inadequate and pathetic must I have seemed?’
Here I was, supposedly a tutor, climbing trees with the children.
Agnes bit her lip, then confessed her feelings as though expelling poison.
“I’m ashamed. She must have been that concerned about me. The Countess took pity on my circumstances and kindly took me in.”
“Please, wait a moment. I believe I should apologize first. I’m sorry about earlier.”
“I beg your pardon?”
It was unexpected. Then he smiled and explained.
“You said I made you uncomfortable by touching you without permission.”
“Ah…….”
I couldn’t exactly say it was worse because I’d never been touched that way before.
For some reason, shameful moments kept multiplying in his presence.
With his sharp eyes softened into a gentle curve, he continued.
“Actually, I was quite impressed.”
Resting his chin on his hand, he turned his gaze toward the children behind him, contentedly devouring dessert.
“When the Countess first asked, I was skeptical. But to teach such rambunctious children to this level—don’t you think you might have a real talent for teaching?”
“Surely not. You’re too kind.”
Even as I offered the modest demurral, I was genuinely pleased.
It was the words of a stranger who barely knew her. Wasn’t that a fairly objective assessment?
I barely suppressed the corners of my mouth from twitching upward when he went on.
“Languages, mathematics—and studying history at nine years old—they’d compare favorably with noble children from other houses. Most importantly, teaching a student who doesn’t want to learn is difficult work.”
He stated it definitively, then straightened his posture. He drew his long, firm legs together and leaned slightly more toward Agnes.
“You should take pride in yourself, not feel ashamed.”
“Thank you.”
Agnes, bewildered and unable to quite accept the praise, watched as he opened his mouth again.
“That’s why I was curious. How you came to be a tutor, and how you studied as a child.”
“As a child, I was a wild thing. As you can see, I was always climbing trees…….”
“Your parents allowed it?”
“Of course I was scolded. So I’d sneak around instead.”
My father was occupied with work outside, and my mother was busy tending to my younger siblings, so I’d slip away with Rupert beyond the Mansion almost every day.
The faces of the Territory people who’d laugh and ask if I’d wandered off again came back vividly, as did the voices of those calling out warnings that climbing trees and running through fields was dangerous.
It was a memory I treasured.
He tried to continue the conversation with Agnes, but the children, having finished their dessert, began making a commotion that interrupted him.
After that, Agnes no longer felt ashamed to teach in front of Kesenor.
Instead, she became curious about him.
Why would he be curious about how someone as ordinary as she spent her childhood?
It seemed to have nothing to do with what they’d discussed yesterday.
As I tried to fathom the reason, his words from when he’d introduced himself came back to me.
‘My name is Kesenor of Celesta. I am your Prospective Companion.’
‘In other words, let’s call me a candidate husband.’
My mind snapped awake.
‘Have I lost my mind? How could I have forgotten such a thing?’
Agnes was too distracted by the news that Amy was alive, and what he had said was so bewildering that she had no mind for anything else.
Could it be that choosing a ‘Seed’ meant choosing a husband?
‘Me? The Marquis?’
‘How on earth?’
Unable to concentrate on her lessons, Agnes finally resorted to having the children copy passages from their books.
By the time she had barely pacified their complaints,
a maid arrived to tell her that the Countess had invited both Agnes and Kesenor to dinner.

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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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