The Reason I Keep Avoiding My Childhood Friend

I was delighted with the permission that was given before I even asked for it. Father was a man who had no interest in books, so he stood there dumbfounded. After looking around the whole house, Father opened his mouth.

“The place where Aren is staying is Teacher’s mansion.”

“Yes. Aren is still too young to be left alone. Don’t worry. I will take good care of her.”

Mr. Hafterry replied with a trustworthy, gentle, and friendly smile. Father’s eyes seemed to be questioning my intentions, so I expressed my joy.

“I really like the house.”

Perhaps it was because I was used to luxurious things after going in and out of the Grand Duke’s residence as if it were my own. The new house wasn’t too difficult or anything. But Father must have been terrified.

“Why did you become a tutor?”

Knowing that this mansion was Mr. Hafterry’s, my father was very stiff. He seemed to have come up with some misunderstanding.

Then, Mr. Hafterry gave an explanation, saying that this mansion was inherited from a distant relative who had passed away not long ago, and that he did not have a particularly large fortune.

And he explained to Father that it was rather good thing that he became a tutor in the principality and was able to meet me. Father’s expression finally relaxed after Mr. Haftery’s repeated explanations. Sweating out, Mr. Hafterry changed his words.

“Would you like to go to the place where Aren is studying?”

“Please.”

With Father’s polite tone, Mr. Hafterry checked the time and suggested rest first. As Mr. Hafterry suggested that we don’t need to go right away, but rest and go tomorrow, Father looked at me and said yes.

The trip was so tiring and exhausting that my once chubby and lovely cheeks were slightly slender. No matter how well you eat and sleep, being tired was tired.

That day, I ate dinner at Mr. Hafterry’s mansion and had a good rest. I liked the new room so much that I fell asleep as soon as I laid down on the bed.

And the next day we had breakfast and got back in the carriage. Now I hate carriages. Seeing my startled expression, Mr. Hafterry smiled and told me that we would arrive soon.

Like Mr. Hafterry said, we were able to get off the carriage right away. When I arrived, I was really surprised.

I have memories of living in Korea, and that too in Seoul. So, it wasn’t too surprising to see the construction technology here. No matter how magnificent the building here was, it should be as good as a modern high-rise building.

But what was in front of me was a tower. A round stone tower. It was far from looking sophisticated. Was this what it feels like to see the real Leaning Tower of Pisa in front of you? It’s not that it’s oblique, what surprised me was its height – it was even higher than the Grand Duke’s residence.

Of course, the height was far below the height of the buildings in my previous life. However, thinking that this was made without modern equipment, it suddenly made me want to learn architecture.

“It’s amazing!”

“I know. It’s awesome.”

Father, who was astonished, agreed too.

“Come this way.”

Mr. Hafterry lead me and father inside. What I saw inside the door was even more surprising. It was a stone tower without a single window, but once inside, it was bright and pleasant. The interior seemed bigger than it looked from the outside.

The people inside, who seemed like scholars, went on their own way carrying books and papers.

The movement of the people who moved busily was not bustling. Inside, the atmosphere was quiet and calm. It feels like stepping into the lobby of a large corporate building. While I was looking around, I looked at Mr. Hafterry and he introduced me with a smile.

“Welcome to the Sage’s study.”

He introduced it like a commercial, and I laughed. Then, after understanding Mr. Hafterry’s words, I stiffened.

“The Sage’s study?”

My eyes went wide.

“Yes.”

Father, who hadn’t yet noticed how great this place was, was as blunt as usual. But since I’ve been learning all this time, I was of course surprised by this situation.

“Are you from the Sage’s study?”

I was even more surprised to see Mr. Hafterry nodded his head with a deep smile. How in the world could he lie about his identity like this?

Wait. Come to think of it, we decided to come to the place where I will study in the future. No way?

“No, no way?”

I was so agitated that none of the questions came out of my mouth.