I Became the Teacher of the Imperial Family’s Bastard

078. Duke Tibria (1)

Facing the Grand Duke, the first thing that came to mind was admiration for his appearance, which had not changed at all from my memory.

This was truly astonishing.

The last time I saw the Grand Duke was 30 years ago, and even from the current point of my return, it was over 10 years ago.

He had not aged.

In other words, the mana accumulated through extreme training was suppressing the Grand Duke’s aging.

He was not just an expert.

At that level, he was at the pinnacle of an expert.

No, if you look at the density of the muscles faintly visible under his clothes and the orderliness of the mana revealed through his aura…

‘…He’s on the verge of a breakthrough?’

The Grand Duke was in a state where it wouldn’t be surprising if he became a Sword Master at any moment.

But why was he still an expert?

Lack of enlightenment? Or maybe his nature had not yet been determined.

I was struck with both wonder and admiration, and my words were stuck in my throat.

I quickly regained my composure and bowed my head.

I thought I should first handle the situation.

“Could you refrain from sparring with those friends? Today, they have a rare break, and I don’t want to overwork them.”

The Grand Duke’s ‘sparring’ was famous.

It was usually a life-and-death battle disguised as sparring.

Depending on the opponent, he might hold back a little, but the sparring would only end when one side was so damaged that they could no longer stand.

There was even a story that in the past, he did not stop fighting even when he was on the verge of death during sparring.

For that reason, there was no one among humans who wanted to spar with the Grand Duke anymore.

So the Grand Duke devised bare-handed duels with beasts.

She was such a battle maniac that she had to fight even in that way.

Now imagine such a battle maniac fighting with kids.

No matter how much they were beaten every day, this time they might really get wrecked.

I asked out of concern.

But the answer that came back was unexpected.

“Hmm, is that the first thing you say after meeting me after so long?”

A tone and expression that seemed hurt.

I flinched, my body trembling.

After swallowing the rising embarrassment, I replied.

“…How have you been, godmother?”

“Always well. You have grown so much.”

The words, spoken with satisfaction, were uncomfortable.

But I couldn’t treat her as casually as I did others.

Of course,

“Hilla would have been so happy to see this.”

One cannot be rude to a mother’s friend.

* * *

If noble ladies were to bond, it would usually be at a tea party or a ball.

However, the first meeting between the Grand Duke and my mother was different.

The two first met at the Royal Knight Academy, where they built a relationship as rivals.

The mansion of Pharos.

The Grand Duke, looking at the portrait of my parents hanging in the hall, told such a story with a smile filled with memories.

It was a story I had heard quite often.

“Even thinking back, she was a crazy woman. Hilla was the first and last woman I met who was crazier than me.”

“Yes, I often heard that she was crazy about dueling.”

“She wasn’t just crazy. She fought so much that the instructor would have a fit just hearing her name in his sleep.”

“Did she?”

“And her mouth was so foul… Have you heard that she couldn’t have a conversation without mentioning someone’s mother? That’s why she and I got along well. We could eat comfortably after punching each other in the face once.”

“…….”

“Look at those fierce eyes. You inherited them from her.”

Mother certainly had fierce eyes.

So much so that it could be felt beyond the portrait.

Her red hair and red eyes reminded one of blazing flames.

In contrast to the colors of my father standing beside her.

It was like looking at the noon sun and the midnight moon… It wasn’t me, but the retainers who made such a stark comparison.

“The way she chased after your father was truly outrageous. Philip was a bookworm who preferred books even though he was at the military academy. Still, being the young lord of Pharos, he wasn’t bullied… but with that personality, could he have had any friends?”

“Yes, well…”

“Hilla liked that. She said that if he had no friends, he would focus only on her. She relentlessly pursued him throughout his cadet days. It might have been her way of expressing affection, but it was definitely harassment. Then she confessed at the graduation ceremony.”

“I heard she was rejected.”

“Of course, she was. Philip had suffered so much. He said, ‘Every moment with you was dreadful.’ That was the first time Hilla cried. After that, she stayed in front of the Pharos mansion for a week…”

“…I heard she knelt at the gate without drinking a drop of water, whether it rained or snowed.”

“Yes, people called it devoted love, but from my perspective, it was horrifying. Do you know? Your mother’s eyes looked like those of a dead person back then. Her cheeks were sunken, her eyes hollow, and her lips cracked… and she was shedding tears in that state…”

Looking back, my mother did seem like a madwoman.

For three years, she harassed one person, confessed to him, got rejected, and then couldn’t let go, staying at the gate.

It’s a good thing they ended up together, otherwise… well, let’s stop here.

Anyway, reminiscing about the past, I find myself in the present.

The Grand Duke, my mother’s only friend and my godmother, smiled faintly and put her arm around my shoulder.

“It was fun, though. With her or Philip, there was never a dull moment.”

“…Yes.”

“Even after Cecilia was born and you were born, our relationship remained. I might have said some harsh things, but fundamentally, she was a good person.”

Is it giving a disease and then offering a cure?

But I know it’s not a lie.

Why wouldn’t it be?

The Grand Duke cherished me especially because she saw my mother in me.

From the moments I don’t remember to all the moments I do, the Grand Duke always adored me.

To the point where my sister felt jealous.

―When I was young, I was quite envious of you, young lord. The Grand Duke cherished you that much.

The day she first met me, the Grand Duke didn’t let go of three-year-old me for a moment as she walked around the capital.

When I turned fifteen, she promised to take me to the north for three years of sword training.

She liked me that much.

And that hasn’t changed.

“…I’m sorry I couldn’t keep my promise. I wanted to make you friends with my son.”

The Grand Duke apologized.

Because she couldn’t keep her promise to take me to the north for training.

But what can I do?

My parents passed away, and I had to protect Pharos as the head of the family.

…Of course, I neglected my duties while indulging in reckless behavior, but nominally, I couldn’t go to the North.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t come more often.”

“Aren’t you the Grand Duke? Can personal feelings take precedence over duty?”

“Aren’t you my godmother? It was certainly wrong of me not to visit more often as promised.”

Though he seemed to feel guilty, the Grand Duke had certainly fulfilled his obligations.

When my parents passed away, he abandoned the North and stayed here for a month.

He took care of the administrative procedures that my young sister couldn’t handle and became our guardian, removing the claws that reached out to Pharos.

Pharos at that time, with nothing left but the name of a great family… If it weren’t for the Grand Duke, it would have surely collapsed.

“It’s alright. You didn’t do nothing, did you?”

I tried to ease his guilt with various words.

Only then did the Grand Duke finally smile.

“It’s amazing no matter how much I think about it. How did Hilla’s son become so mature?”

“Isn’t half of it my father’s blood?”

“No. I assure you, Cecilia took all of your father’s blood. Isn’t there another reason why you’re a scoundrel? This is definitely Hilla’s blood.”

Tap, tap, the Grand Duke patted my back.

I felt embarrassed. Even thinking about my scoundrel days myself, it was quite a shameful past.

The Grand Duke didn’t seem to care much, though.

“At least you didn’t just inherit the scoundrel nature. You’re quite sturdy.”

“…Thank you.”

“You’ve also inherited the swordsmanship well. You might even be greater than Hilla. Ah, aren’t you the heir of a great family?”

“You’re too kind.”

“Your way of speaking is quite stiff.”

“How could I speak carelessly to my godmother?”

The atmosphere was quite relaxed.

Honestly, I thought I couldn’t treat her familiarly even if I saw her again, as she was the big lady who used to flick my forehead when I was young.

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So I had forgotten, but personal connections seem to persist quite tenaciously.

We were listening to old stories.

“Your Grace, shall we have a meal first?”

“Oh, thank you, Cecilia.”

My sister arrived.

She was more formal than usual, but aside from that, she seemed to be in quite a good mood.

It was only natural, given that she was closer to the Duke than I was.

“If you had given us a heads-up, we would have prepared more ingredients…”

“It’s fine. I’ll eat plenty in the capital.”

“Please visit us once more before you leave. I’ll make sure to prepare properly then.”

My sister bowed her head.

The Duke laughed heartily and agreed.

Then he added,

“Ah, but I’ll have a little food now.”

“Pardon…?”

The Duke gripped my shoulder tightly.

My head tilted.

It was at that moment.

A sly smile appeared on the Duke’s lips.

“I need to see how much you’ve grown with a sparring match! I’ve heard you’re doing quite well these days!”

“……”

“Yuren! Follow me to the garden!”

“Your Grace, the meal first…”

“Food tastes better after some exercise!”

The Duke turned and strode out, not waiting for any objections.

I looked at my sister’s expression.

“……”

Her eyes were filled with anxiety.

I, too, felt troubled.

* * *

As mentioned earlier, the Duke is famous for his love of sparring.

No, to be precise, he is a battle maniac.

Once the Duke starts a sparring match, it only ends when one of the participants loses consciousness.

If you don’t push until then, or if you talk about giving up, the Duke will get furious and scold the opponent.

This is the problem.

“Come on! Even though you’re like my nephew, I won’t go easy on you! Just give it your all!!!”

It seems there’s no option to avoid the duel.

But if I go easy on him, the opponent is at the top level of experts.

If I do it half-heartedly, he’ll notice right away.

So the only way is for me to win… But doesn’t that mean if his body gets damaged, he’ll stop?

If I push him a bit, he’ll definitely get more excited and charge at me.

So I asked one last time.

“…Do we really have to do this?”

“A man shouldn’t be so scared! A knight speaks with his fists, not his tongue!”

Isn’t it with a sword, not fists?

I sighed.

I won’t lose, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime dilemma.

I have to beat my mom’s friend.

No matter how much of a rascal I am, this was a bit too much.

“If you don’t come, I’ll go!!!”

Boom!

The Duke’s fist flew at me.

I responded without thinking.

Smack!

“Ugh?!”

“Oh.”

…I punched him in the jaw.