Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 95: Awareness (3)

“I didn’t expect you to reject the request so firmly. Don’t you usually accept most commissions as long as there’s a reasonable reward?”

“Not necessarily. I don’t take requests I believe aren’t right.”

Dereck refused Trisha’s request and dismissed her.

Though it could have been quite annoying, it was hard to deny that Trisha’s request was dangerous, so she left without another word.

“Well, if you accept every request and then can’t handle it, you’d only cause trouble.”

“That’s right. Being able to properly judge commissions is one of the important qualities of a mercenary.”

When the sun began to set, Siern quickly entered a private room carefully prepared in a secluded part of the baron’s mansion.

Ellen, who was heading toward the main hall following Dereck, tilted her head, apparently surprised that there was a room set aside specifically for Siern to use whenever she wished.

“Does Lady Siern stay here?”

“My understanding is that there’s a separate mansion in the noble district purchased with Rochester family funds. However, since she comes often for magic training, a room has been reserved for her here.”

“…The Duke of Rochester allowed this as well?”

“Yes. From the start, the title of baron was given to raise my status so I could properly assist Lady Siern. Since Lord Melverot has received much, he must take good care of Lady Siern so she has no inconveniences.”

Dereck headed toward the training grounds, swinging one arm back and forth.

Despite being busy all day with baronial duties, lessons, and receiving visitors, he never seemed to neglect his magic training.

‘The more I see him, the more mysterious he seems. He doesn’t look much older than me, yet he gives the feeling of someone who’s lived several lives.’

Ellen, stroking her chin, spoke.

“Still, sending your daughter alone to a mansion managed by a young baron… The Duke of Rochester must trust you quite a bit, Dereck.”

“…May I ask what you mean by that?”

“Exactly what I said.”

In truth, Ellen had noticed that Aiselin’s gaze toward Dereck was unusual.

Whether or not it was romantic, it wouldn’t be strange for someone as attractive as Dereck to suddenly stir subtle emotions in a person.

“I heard from Lady Denise… that the wife named Pheline was brought in merely as a figurehead to receive the title.”

“Yes. She has no interest in noble life and simply enjoys earning money through mercenary work. She’s probably drinking at the Tears of Beldern right now.”

Having seen Pheline a few times, Ellen already knew her well.

Laughing loudly, drinking several rounds, and then collapsing in a drunken mess—she was simply an ordinary mercenary.

Indeed, she was someone with no desire for social advancement, making her the perfect candidate to fill the wife’s position as nothing more than a decorative figure.

“Well… setting that aside, Dereck, you’re still a man. Don’t you have any romantic dream of a destined encounter or a partner who stirs your protective instincts? Given your profession, you’re surrounded by many women.”

“…Even so, would I ever see Lady Siern as a romantic interest?”

Those who had faced Siern in her full fury all felt the same.

Let your guard down, and you die.

In that sharp sense of danger, someone might mistake a racing heartbeat for love. But at least Dereck was not one of them.

“…I can’t deny that.”

“Don’t worry too much. I’m not the type who can’t tell public matters from private ones. Even if I were to meet a woman and feel a special connection, I’d still follow the rules that must be followed.”

“True. Hearing you say that, Dereck, is reassuring…”

In truth, Dereck had traveled to the far north with the enigmatic Aiselin, but it didn’t seem he had crossed any lines with her.

In a noble society full of scoundrels and libertines, a decent man like Dereck was rare.

He was truly a passionate mage who had devoted his whole life to magic.

‘Still… touching the hair of the most famous lady in the northern continent without a second thought, or holding her hand without any particular feeling— isn’t that a bit dangerous?’

Regardless of Dereck being a decent young man, there was no way to know how Siern, who was in the throes of turbulent adolescence, might feel.

As the saying goes, you don’t notice your clothes getting wet in a drizzle.

A relationship that seems comfortable and harmless is actually the most dangerous.

There was no benefit to letting scandals spread in Ebelstein’s noble society, so Ellen glanced worriedly toward Siern’s room.

“Lady Ellen knows well that I’m a harmless person, right?”

“Hmm… that’s true. Being able to relax without pretense is only possible because this is the Ravenclaw Barony.”

Ellen laughed and played with her unadorned hair.

It felt strange not to have anything on her head, which was always decorated with jewels and floral ornaments.

For a lady of renown, ornaments were like part of the body, so not having them felt uncomfortable.

“Well. Today’s magic lesson was productive, so I should return to the Belmierd estate. This place is farther than I thought, so it’s hard to visit often.”

“It would be nice to meet in Ebelstein, but as you can see, I’ve been so busy lately that I can’t frequent the noble district. Besides, it’s a bit far.”

“Well, that’s understandable. Now that I think about it, doesn’t Lady Siern receive etiquette and manners lessons from Lady Aiselin? Lady Siern must be busy too. Traveling between the two places must be exhausting…”

Aiselin’s mansion was in Ebelstein’s noble district, while the Ravenclaw Barony was on the inner border.

Traveling between both for lessons was, in practice, too troublesome. Therefore, a solution had to be found.

“We made arrangements when the two Duplain ladies visited earlier.”

“Oh, really?”

“We decided to set aside a room for Lady Aiselin to stay in.”

“…”

In the end, Ellen’s expression hardened again.

It was inevitable to think that the proposed solution was somewhat delicate.

“It’s unfortunate, but the Duplain family will inevitably fall behind in Ebelstein’s main noble competition. As a result, she’ll have quite a bit of free time, so it seems she plans to visit the baron’s residence regularly and stay to teach Lady Siern.”

“Is that… really okay?”

“Actually, isn’t this the most efficient way? Why do you think the Duke of Rochester’s residence provided such a mansion? It’s to accommodate Lady Siern.”

“Well, that’s true, but… Lady Siern and now also Lady Aiselin…?”

What baron’s residence could host the two most famous ladies of the high nobility?

It was a sight that would leave lesser nobles—who spent all day trying to get the attention of the high nobility—utterly speechless.

“Well, since she’s coming to teach, it shouldn’t be a big problem.”

“Lady Aiselin is very diligent as well…”

“The compensation provided by the Duke of Rochester’s residence is considerable. Even Lady Aiselin, who urgently needs money, couldn’t refuse it.”

“Money… yes, money is important…”

Dereck was leaning against the wall near the training grounds, pressing an arm firmly as he checked his magical condition.

“So, while she teaches Lady Siern, we decided to accept additional requests from those who want to learn etiquette and manners from Lady Aiselin. There’ll surely be high demand for etiquette lessons from someone who was practically the queen of the social world.”

“You did something like that?”

“Yes. If you’re going to teach at the baron’s residence anyway, why not teach more students? From minor nobles in the outskirts to some high-ranking nobles, many debutantes will come. It should bring in some money.”

Dereck didn’t have any big intentions with this, but he started it to help Aiselin, who was in a difficult financial situation.

“I owe Lady Aiselin a lot, so I thought I’d help her a little.”

“…”

“To make it more organized, I plan to give her a classroom in one wing of the baron’s residence. It’s quite a large room… and it wasn’t being used anyway. Since I’m providing the space, it wouldn’t hurt to prepare a simple blackboard, desks, and writing supplies.”

“This is more serious than I thought.”

“It’s nothing much. Most of it will be handled by the servants.”

Dereck spoke while checking the condition of his staff.

“Well, if among the visitors there are any nobles knowledgeable in magic, they might help with that. It’d be good to expand my network and might even aid my magic research, so it’s a positive thing, right?”

“Yes. What you say isn’t wrong, but… Dereck…”

Ellen, resting her chin in her hand, pondered for a moment and then spoke, sweating slightly.

“This building is used as the residence of the baron who governs the Ravenclaw Barony, right?”

“Huh? Of course. Why do you ask?”

“…No, it just seems like the purpose is changing—forget it, it’s just an unnecessary worry.”

Ellen shook her head firmly.

It seemed that the direction the Ravenclaw Barony was taking was subtly shifting, but it wasn’t something that could be judged as right or wrong at that moment.

“Well, no matter how good the public opinion is, the number of people willing to come learn something in such a remote barony will be limited. There’s no need to put too much on your shoulders.”

Dereck, having decided as much, seemed much more at ease.

*

The following week.

In a single day, a total of seventeen noble ladies visited the Ravenclaw Barony.

“…”

Murmuring.

Chattering.

Bang! Crash!

“We’re out of Glenford Mountain tea! Is there anything else suitable to serve the guests?”

“The lady of the Sidmore Viscounty is approaching the main gate!”

“There’s no more space to park carriages inside the mansion! It’s terribly discourteous, but tell them to tie the carriages outside the wall!”

“It’s a disaster! We’ve run out of the cookies prepared for the guests! Should we… should we go get more right now?”

“Clear the bedroom in the outer wing on the second floor! It’s a bit modest, but we have to use it as a VIP waiting room regardless.”

The servants and attendants, forced to care for all manner of distinguished guests, ran frantically with wild eyes.

Each carriage that brought a noble lady included, besides the coachman, attendants ranging from at least three to a dozen people.

It was an excessive number for a modest frontier barony to handle.

Each person had to be treated as a distinguished guest. However, it was impossible to uphold protocol with everyone.

Bang! Crash!

“Kyaa!”

“Be careful! The more urgent it is, the calmer you need to be!”

“S-sorry, butler!”

“Miss Rose, go help in the kitchen. Mr. Claes, guide the new guests through the garden.”

As for Dereck, who was watching the servants scurrying about, he was drenched in sweat.

He was a man who didn’t change expression even on a battlefield full of monsters, but this was the first time he’d faced a situation like this.

“Oh, Dereck. Your face is completely pale. I never thought I’d see you like this in my life. Hahaha.”

Denise, of the Beltus family, made her way through the crowd and greeted him cheerfully.

She was a lazy sort who rarely left her mansion, but today, for some reason, she had visited the Ravenclaw Barony early in the morning.

“Or should I call you Sir Dereck? If you’re managing a training center of this scale, it’s hard to ignore your influence now.”

“…A training center?”

“Oh. Now that I think about it, you said you were too busy to visit often because of the noble district in Ebelstein. The rumor has already spread through the Elfontaine Salon. They say you’re establishing an independent training center in the barony. And that Lady Aiselin herself is teaching etiquette classes?”

Denise, aware of the eyes around her, lowered her voice slightly.

In public, she was an elegant and refined figure, so she strove to maintain a modest appearance.

— Look over there… Even Lady Denise came in person.

— It’s hard to even sit near her in the Rosea Salon… I never thought I’d see her in a place like this…

However, the gazes were already focused on them.

“There are quite a few eyes watching… Shall we go inside to talk…? No, I suppose you must be quite busy right now with the training center business, right?”

“A-a training center… I had no intention of setting up such a thing.”

“Hmm… So it was just a rumor. I know you’re not the type to do those things… Though it did seem a bit odd to me.”

Denise laughed gracefully and maintained a dignified posture.

From afar, it looked like they were having a courteous, noble conversation, but up close it was a casual dialogue. Of course, no one could clearly hear the content.

“Still, whether that rumor is true or not might not depend on your will… Dereck.”

“…”

“I took a look on the way here and saw that the ladies of Baron Rodtek and Viscount Bleton were here as well. They’re from the far southeast of the continent, and yet they came all the way here… Are you going to send them all back now that the situation’s reached this point?”

“…No, I don’t think it’s right for so many people to come to such a remote barony…”

“Oh, Dereck… You lack self-awareness.”

Denise let out a small laugh and covered her mouth with a small peacock-feather fan to hide her undignified smile.

“It’s common in those who achieve extraordinary feats at a young age, absorbed in their interests. They often lack awareness of their abilities or reputation. It’s quite common.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“You know as well as I do, Dereck, what these times are like. Do you know how hard it is for lesser nobles to find a decent magic instructor? It’s like trying to pluck stars from the sky.”

“…”

“And if you add etiquette lessons from Lady Aiselin, who reigns like a queen in social circles… Do you think noble families with debutante daughters will sit idly by? It would be stranger if they didn’t rush here with wide eyes.”

Of course, Dereck couldn’t fully grasp the circumstances of those remote noble families.

The result was this hall full of ladies and their attendants from various houses.

There were even people from the other side of the continent, which was dizzying.

Seeing the exhausted servants receiving them, he decided to at least double their wages.

“No matter what, we can’t handle this many nobles. The building is too small and, more importantly… Lady Aiselin will tire first.”

“Hmm… If that’s your judgment, so be it. In any case, it’s been an interesting spectacle after so long. Still, hold out.”

Denise whispered and then snapped her fan shut. Immediately afterward, she turned and spoke loudly, as if performing for the onlookers.

“It’s been a pleasure seeing you again after so long, Sir Dereck. Next time, please give another magic lesson in Ebelstein~. If I have the chance, I’ll make time for it~!”

With that, she looked at Dereck and smiled brightly.

A young baron with a newly established house and empty authority. Even the most prestigious duchess of the Rosea Salon greeted him with respect.

Seeing Denise like this, it seemed the reason for her early visit to the Ravenclaw Barony was to preserve Dereck’s image.

As a member of one of the three great families of the Rosea Salon, a lady of her standing coming early to wish the event success was a huge support, both politically and socially.

Of course, it wasn’t Dereck’s intention, but Denise smiled seductively and slipped into the crowd as if it didn’t matter.

Murmuring.

“The reception room is this way! Please enter in order!”

“Move slowly!”

Only the desperate shouts of the servants trying to control the crowd remained ringing in his ears.

‘Nothing good comes from taking on something you can’t handle. Above all, Lady Aiselin wouldn’t have thought this would grow so large.’

Dereck straightened his clothes and walked quickly into the mansion.

Aiselin, who had finished her preparations, would soon be coming out of her room. She had surely already checked the situation, so they needed to discuss what to do right away.

As Dereck walked down the hall, he saw Aiselin, beautiful in her dress, coming out of the farthest room.

“Lady Aiselin, did you see the situation?”

Dereck quickly approached her and asked.

It seemed she had already heard about it from the servants. Aiselin swallowed and replied.

“D-Dereck… I heard as well. About twenty ladies… have come…”

“It’s not over yet. We can’t predict how many more will come. You won’t be able to handle this number, so even if you have to ask for understanding separately—”

“Dereck.”

Before Dereck could finish, Aiselin grabbed his hands tightly. Her soft hands wrapped around Dereck’s rough ones, and then she spoke in a much louder voice, eyes wide open.

“How much should we charge for each lesson?!”

“….”

“Huff… Hahaha… Hah… The drool… I’m so… lacking in dignity… Sorry… How shameful…”

Perhaps because of her dignified appearance reigning at the top of the social world, it was easy to forget.

Since becoming a fallen noble, Aiselin had awakened to the concept of livelihood.

In simple terms, she was already an excellent miser.

“Ah, no… Will you be able to handle it?”

“We have to! Opportunities like this don’t come to just anyone!”

“….”

“I-I’m so nervous… If we get paid in Rophelon gold coins from so many noble ladies… How much would that be…?”

‘Oh, God…’

Aiselin’s eyes were already full of gold coins.

He wondered if this was really okay, but she didn’t seem to have shown this much determination even in the magic duel that put the honor of the Duplain family on the line.

Dereck had to take a deep breath and reorganize his thoughts.

Whether he liked it or not, he would have to take responsibility for this academic center now that he had started it.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelCet