“Is it really that easy… Is it really that easy?!”
Nikolai muttered to himself, clutching his head while gripping a pencil.
He had clearly heard that it was a simple test to check his skills.
If that were the case, wouldn’t it make sense to start with simple problems that even a child could solve and gradually increase in difficulty?
However, all ten of the questions that Julia had given were ridiculously challenging.
“Ten minutes. Time’s up.”
“Ahhh!”
In reality, the problems weren’t all that difficult.
They were just messy and complicated, with a lot of calculations.
To be told to solve this within ten minutes was absurd.
How was it possible to assess one’s skills with such ridiculous questions?
“What the hell is this! Do you really intend to teach me?”
“Please sit down. I’ll explain now. We don’t have much time left.”
“…………”
At Julia’s cold voice, Nikolai’s body instinctively shrank back.
Her tone sounded incredibly angry.
Just a moment ago, she seemed warm and kind, but at some point, her attitude had turned utterly different.
Nikolai tried to recall when exactly that had happened.
When he saw the picture inside the pendant that Julia had dropped.
Yes. It must have been right then.
He had merely asked her to introduce him to a girl who perfectly matched his taste.
But ever since that moment, Julia had been giving him a cold, murderous glare that hadn’t faltered up to this moment.
“Why did you solve this problem like this? The middle of your solution is missing.”
“I skipped it because I thought the problem wasn’t worth solving.”
“That way, you haven’t solved a single problem properly. Zero points. If you had tackled just one problem thoroughly, you might have received some points.”
“It’s your fault for only giving me these kinds of problems and only allowing ten minutes!”
“Time is not the issue. The approach to the problem was incorrect from the start. Since you’re calculating each one individually, it’s only natural that it takes time. If you arrange the equations like this, it’s a simple problem that can be solved in ten seconds.”
“What, what are you talking about?! How did you just do that?!”
Nikolai’s eyes widened in astonishment.
The formulas that had seemed dirty and lengthy were suddenly simplified and neatly grouped by Julia’s hands.
It was basic factoring, but for Nikolai, who hadn’t learned it properly, it was beyond his understanding.
“Explain! How did you do that?”
“To understand factoring, you need to know how multiplication works first…”
“I’m not interested in that! Quickly explain how to simplify it! There are only five minutes left until the next class! Hurry up!”
“…………”
Julia felt her patience waning.
She had thought that if she set a goal, he would follow suit, but in her view, Nikolai still had a poor attitude.
This couldn’t continue.
Discipline needed to be established properly.
Julia made that judgment.
“Your Highness. It seems that during class, I need to be given more discretion to improve learning efficiency.”
“I agree. If you’re going to cower just because you’re facing a prince, there’s nothing I can teach you.”
“Then, for the sake of the class, may I dare use informal language?”
“You want to speak informally? Hmm. That’s a request I’ve never heard before. Go ahead and try.”
“Then from now on, I’ll speak informally? Hey. Look at this problem again.”
“…………?!”
The corners of the prince’s eyes twitched.
For a moment, he wondered if this woman had gone mad.
“What are you doing?!”
“What do you mean what? I’m explaining. Aren’t you focusing quickly? If you keep this up, I won’t let you meet Duke anymore!”
“What does using informal language have to do with learning efficiency! Show some respect again!”
“Are you getting heated? You said you’d give me discretion!”
“Who said giving discretion means I’m allowing unrestrained behavior!”
“This is disrespectful? Disrespectful is how you solved this sacred math problem like this!”
“Ugh…”
The prince momentarily lost his words.
At the time of hiring, he had thought this woman was timid and meek, perfect for exploiting.
But once the class began, a completely different woman had emerged.
There was no way she could act like this unless she wanted to die.
“Ah. Time’s up. Thank you for your hard work, Your Highness. I have assessed your skills to a certain extent, so I will prepare a class suited to that starting next week. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
“…………”
Julia glanced at the clock, quickly changed her tone, stood up abruptly, and left the classroom.
Without even looking back.
How have I gotten myself involved with a madwoman?
Nikolai let out a deep sigh.
*
“This is a disaster…”
He wanted to cry.
What on earth have I done?
As he climbed into the carriage, everything that had just happened flashed through his mind, causing his legs to go weak.
No matter how much of a brat that little girl was, he should have endured it.
Thinking of Tia, he was slightly, no, actually quite angered, but he should have held back.
He was an adult, and Nikolai was a child after all.
But not being able to hold back…
“Ah…”
Sighs kept escaping him.
He worried that he might get fired.
No, just getting fired would be a relief.
He could get arrested for disrespect.
Would the duke protect me then?
He didn’t know.
“Ugh, I really don’t want to…”
I have to go to the palace again next week.
He already didn’t want to go, but now he was more resolute in his aversion.
He needed to fix his hot temper.
This is frustrating.
“Mm?”
The carriage jolted to a stop.
In the midst of his thoughts, they had already arrived.
Usually, the coachman would let him know upon arrival, but when there was no announcement, he sensed something was off.
The door opened, revealing a familiar uncomfortable face.
“I heard the news. You sold my name to the prince.”
“Ah.”
Why did this come to light?
The moment he heard the mocking voice, everything before his eyes went dark.
The duke was clearly smiling, but that smile twisted at times, as if it might explode at any second.
This is a disaster.
He had never seen that man angry before.
That only made him all the more afraid, and his body froze up.
“Come down. It’s all right.”
“…………”
He cautiously grabbed the hand that the duke extended.
However, the moment he stepped on the platform, he was suddenly yanked forward.
His shoes came off, and he lost his balance.
“Ugh?!”
“I told you that I had to ask a favor because I owe you one, and that’s how you told the prince?”
He nearly fell forward, colliding with the duke’s chest.
Fortunately, he didn’t fall thanks to being caught by the shoulder.
But the problem was that the duke wouldn’t let go of his shoulder, making it impossible for him to escape.
Suddenly, he felt constricted in his chest, and his breathing intensified.
“How did you plan to deceive both the prince and me? I knew you were a bold woman, but I didn’t expect this much.”
“Please let go…”
The pressure on his shoulder increased.
Or perhaps it was just his misunderstanding.
The duke was probably applying just the right amount of strength.
As always.
If one listened closely, one could hear the suppressed laughter mingling with his seemingly angry voice.
But in his current state, he had no room to notice such things.
He was just sinking endlessly into the trauma he still hadn’t escaped from.
“This is problematic. I never imagined my employer would betray me like this. What kind of punishment do you wish for, Julia? Go ahead and choose. First, you swear to become mine forever. Second…”
“Please let go…”
“Why would I let you go?”
“Please, please… Ugh. L-Let me go…”
“…………”
Suddenly, the strength faded from the duke’s grip.
Stepping back slightly, he looked at the duke’s flustered face and finally noticed.
Tears were streaming down his cheek.
He was stunned.
It had become increasingly common for him to cry since the moment he had changed bodies, but he never cried in front of others.
Why was he like this?
It seemed like his tear ducts had broken.
“Ugh…”
Wiping his eyes, he turned around.
No matter how hard he tried, the tears wouldn’t stop but continued to flow uncontrollably, preventing him from facing the duke.
A man should only cry three times in his life.
It was a rule he held that, no matter how many times he might cry in private, he should not show his tears more than three times publicly.
He felt uneasy, as though he were masking the situation with tears.
“Ugh, excuse me.”
“Ah, ah. It was a joke. I’m sure you took precautions so that I wouldn’t suffer any trouble. I trust you, Julia.”
The duke continued to follow him, pestering him.
It was as though he was saying he wanted to be alone.
He seemed completely oblivious to his lack of understanding.
He didn’t care at all; he wanted him to leave…
“I’m not angry just because you sold my name.”
“I understand, so please let me be alone now.”
“Ahaha. Was my tone so threatening that you cried? It was just a joke…”
“It might have been a joke to you!”
He unknowingly shouted, letting his anger explode.
He must have truly lost it today.
But since he had shouted, he decided to say what he needed to say.
If he didn’t, it felt like he’d get sick with suppressed feelings.
“That was terrifying for me! You grabbed my shoulder tightly like when you assaulted me! Just hearing your breath so close makes me feel like I’m going to die! Just recalling that memory is hard enough to breathe! Do you understand?!”
It wasn’t only the fear from that day at the banquet.
The even more vivid pain from before, when he had been torn apart and crushed, resurfaced alongside it.
Did the duke have any idea just how big of a trauma he had left behind?
No, he probably didn’t.
There must have been many women who had gotten drunk like this, but clearly, none had shown their dislike in front of the duke.
After all, it was only natural for someone in a position that could erase the traces of a powerless commoner like him.
“It hurts… The wounds you left on me…”
“…………”
Overwhelmed with emotion, his voice trailed off.
The duke reached out his hand towards him, hesitated, and then withdrew it.
He stumbled back, sobbing as he headed towards his accommodation.
There would be no further pursuit from the duke, no more pestering.
It seemed he was somewhat flustered.
Indeed, from the duke’s perspective, it must have been baffling to have a toy he picked up for fun insist that it had a heart.
He would probably get fired like this.
So be it. That was fine.
At least he had the three hundred million set aside as severance pay, so he could live without worries for a while.
The thought of escaping this dreadful villa almost brought him joy.
“What a truly terrible bastard…”
Consistently a terrible bastard.
Yet he wasn’t all bad, which was the most irritating part.
Where did this belief come from that he might change?
Why did he expect and then feel betrayed all by himself?
He felt like a fool.
