The ball was not over.
At least, the music was still playing.
The nobles were still laughing, the servants were refilling glasses, and the chandeliers shone tirelessly.
But for me, something had already ended once.
Eveline Rosette’s first ruin route.
The duel incident.
That route had just collapsed.
`Ruin Route: Duel Incident — Cleared`
It felt as though that line from the system window still lingered before my eyes.
When I first fell into this world, I had been a tutorial teacher destined to die in a week.
Eveline had been the villainess who would push me to my death.
Yet now, in the middle of the grand ballroom, she had performed a swordsmanship demonstration without holding a sword.
She had received applause.
She had smiled.
And she had asked to resume our lessons.
Even having cleared the original game seven times, I had never seen a scene like this.
Of course not.
It had never existed in the original story.
"Leon."
Eveline called to me quietly.
"Yes."
"People keep staring."
"Yes."
"It feels awful."
"Because you won."
Eveline turned her eyes toward me.
"Why would they look at me like that when I won?"
"They expected you to lose, and you did not."
She fell silent for a moment.
Then she gave a very small laugh.
"That does feel nice."
"Save your smiles."
"Why?"
"You still have to make your exit."
Eveline’s expression immediately soured.
"Is leaving part of the lesson too?"
"Yes."
"You really make me do everything."
"At an aristocratic ball, everything is remembered—from the entrance, conversation, dance, and demonstration, to the exit."
I looked toward the inner part of the grand ballroom.
Arsene Berhardt was watching us from afar.
Seria Blanc was smiling behind her fan, while Liana Bell was still glancing at Eveline.
Kaiden Astrea had disappeared from the second-floor balcony.
The fact that he had disappeared bothered me more.
An observer you cannot see is the most exhausting kind.
"You cannot leave right away as if you are running away."
I said.
"Running away?"
Eveline frowned.
"Why would I run away?"
"Exactly. You must not make it look like you are running away."
"Then how am I supposed to leave?"
"Say your farewells, give them a reason, and leave with a smile at the end."
"Smile again?"
"You need to put what you learned today to use."
"I came here to learn swordsmanship."
"Today, you performed a swordsmanship demonstration with a handkerchief."
"You were the one who made me do it."
"You did well."
Eveline’s lips stilled for a moment.
"…Say it again."
"You did well."
"All right."
She turned her head away.
The tips of her ears were red.
She really was difficult to handle.
She liked being praised, yet the moment anyone noticed that she liked it, she wanted to bite their head off.
Still, she was better than before.
The old Eveline would have craved praise while suspecting the person who gave it to her.
Now, at least, she asked to hear it one more time.
That was tremendous progress.
"Who do we greet first?"
Eveline asked.
"The host of the event."
"Arsene?"
"Yes."
Her face immediately stiffened.
"I don’t want to."
"Then you lose."
"You said I won today."
"You need to leave while you are winning."
"This is really irritating."
But she did not refuse.
We walked toward Arsene.
The path opened naturally before us.
It was different from when we had first entered the grand ballroom.
Back then, people had seen us as a spectacle.
Now, they saw us as an uncertain variable.
The wayward young lady had not suddenly fallen apart.
The commoner teacher had somehow survived.
When the two were together, events went off course.
It was the kind of rumor nobles hated most—and loved at the same time.
Arsene smiled when we approached.
A perfectly composed smile.
As if he did not know that three of his cards had just been ruined.
"Eveline."
He spoke.
"You were truly remarkable tonight."
"Thank you."
Eveline’s answer was brief.
Cold and composed.
"I never thought you would demonstrate swordsmanship without a sword."
"Neither did I."
I flinched inwardly.
Eveline continued.
"I learned it today."
Good.
Honest, but not weak.
Arsene’s gaze shifted to me.
"From Teacher Cart?"
"Yes."
Eveline did not shy away.
"He is my private tutor."
Arsene’s eyes turned cold for the briefest moment.
Then he smiled.
"I see. You have an excellent teacher."
It was not a compliment.
He was confirming whether I intended to remain at Eveline’s side.
I bowed my head.
"You flatter me."
Arsene addressed me.
"Tonight must have been memorable for you as well, Teacher Cart."
"It was."
"A ball, a duel verification, even a conversation with His Highness the Prince."
He spoke gently.
"That is quite a lot for a commoner private tutor to experience in a single day."
It was a blade.
`You are too much.`
`You do not belong here.`
`Everyone will question why you are here.`
That was what he had said, politely.
Eveline’s hand began to move.
I spoke first.
"That is right."
Arsene’s smile stopped.
"It was quite a lot."
I said,
"That is why I learned so much more today."
"You learned?"
"Yes. How to fight at an aristocratic ball without hurting anyone."
Several nobles nearby turned their gazes toward us.
Arsene’s eyes narrowed.
I added,
"House Berhardt’s ball was an excellent lesson."
Beside me, Eveline drew in a tiny breath.
She seemed to be holding back laughter.
Arsene watched me for a while.
Then he said,
"Teacher Cart, you speak dangerously."
"I learned to, in order to survive."
"I believe I have heard you say that several times tonight."
"It is a phrase I often need."
Arsene laughed.
But his smile had grown a little thinner.
Eveline stepped half a pace forward.
"Lord Berhardt."
"Yes, Eveline?"
"Thank you for inviting me tonight."
Her words were polite.
Yet somehow, they were sharp.
"Thanks to you, I learned many good things."
Arsene was silent for a moment.
Eveline smiled one last time.
The smile she had practiced.
And the smile she had completed by her own will for the first time today.
"I will do even better next time."
It was not a simple farewell.
It was a declaration of war.
Arsene understood it too.
He inclined his head slightly.
"I look forward to it."
We passed by him.
Eveline did not turn her back to him. She turned at an appropriate angle and walked away.
Beatrice Morgan would have praised her if she had seen it.
I spoke quietly.
"That was good."
"I know."
"You admit it right away this time?"
"I think I did pretty well today."
That was a surprising thing to hear.
Eveline Rosette had stated her accomplishment as fact, not bravado.
I nodded.
"Yes. You did well."
She did not answer.
But her handkerchief was not crumpled.
On our way to the exit of the grand ballroom, Liana followed us.
"Lady Rosette."
Eveline turned around.
"What is it?"
Her voice was cold, but it did not sting as it once had.
Liana clasped her hands together.
"Thank you so much for today."
"You already said that earlier."
"Even so, I wanted to say it again."
Liana glanced at me once, then looked back at Eveline.
"I think I did not understand anything at all."
"That is true."
"My lady."
I said quietly.
Eveline closed her mouth.
Liana, on the contrary, gave a faint smile.
"It is all right. She is right."
Eveline looked flustered.
Apparently, she was not accustomed to people accepting her bluntness.
Liana spoke carefully.
"If it would not be presumptuous, could we talk more about what happened today sometime?"
Eveline looked at me.
Those were eyes asking for help again.
I did not answer.
She needed to do this herself too.
After considering it for a moment, Eveline spoke.
"You are coming to Lady Blanc’s tea party, aren’t you?"
"If I am invited."
"Then do it then."
"Really?"
"But do not get any strange ideas."
Eveline lifted her chin.
"I am not inviting you because I like you."
Liana paused for a moment, then smiled.
"Yes. I am still happy."
Eveline’s face hardened.
She had clearly not expected that reaction.
"You are strange."
"Me?"
"Yes."
"Lady Rosette is a little…"
Liana stopped herself.
Eveline’s eyes narrowed.
"A little what?"
As though gathering her courage, Liana said,
"A little strange too, but I think you are kinder than you seem."
Silence.
I held my breath.
Eveline stared at Liana for a long time.
Then she spoke lowly.
"Do not say things like that to just anyone."
"Pardon?"
"You will attract strange people."
Liana tilted her head.
Eveline pointed in my direction.
"People like that one."
"Why am I being brought into this?"
"Because you are the strangest one of all."
Liana gave a small laugh.
It was very small, but she laughed.
It seemed to be the first time Liana had laughed comfortably in the grand ballroom.
A system window appeared.
`Liana Bell’s tension level has decreased.`
`Eveline Rosette - Liana Bell Relationship: Cautious Curiosity`
Good.
This was enough.
They were not friends yet.
They did not need to be.
It was enough that they were not enemies.
For now, that was significant.
After Liana stepped away, Seria Blanc appeared as though she had been waiting for the moment.
Her timing was truly impeccable.
She covered her mouth with her fan.
"Are you leaving?"
"Yes."
Eveline answered.
"I have seen enough now."
"I would like to see more."
"That is Lady Blanc’s business."
Seria smiled.
"All right. Let us leave it at this for today."
She took out a small envelope.
Blue wax.
The white swan crest of the Ducal House of Blanc.
"This is a formal invitation."
Fast.
Truly fast.
She had likely prepared for several possibilities before she had even come to the ball.
Or perhaps she had made it right here on the spot.
Either was possible.
Seria handed the envelope to Eveline.
"Three days from now, in the afternoon. I am holding a small tea party in the greenhouse of the Blanc family’s annex."
Eveline accepted the invitation.
"Small?"
"Yes. Very small."
Seria’s eyes smiled.
"Lady Rosette, Miss Liana Bell, Teacher Cart, and me."
"That is small, I suppose."
"Though the scale of the incident may not be small."
I looked at Seria.
"Do you say things like that in an invitation?"
"If I tell you beforehand, you will be less surprised."
"That does not make me feel reassured."
"I was not trying to reassure you."
As expected, she was exhausting.
Seria looked back and forth between us.
"Lady Rosette betrayed people’s expectations tonight."
Eveline raised a brow.
"Do you mean that in a good way?"
"This time, yes."
Seria folded her fan.
"Then next time, it will be my turn to betray people’s expectations."
Those words caught strangely in my mind.
Betray expectations.
Seria Blanc’s ruin in the original story was being framed for attempted poisoning.
An incident that destroyed her because everyone thought she might have done it.
If she wanted to betray expectations, it was not merely a simple prank.
It was probably related to her reputation itself.
Seria turned her gaze to me.
"Teacher Cart."
"Yes."
"You said you disliked tea, did you not?"
"I said it depended on the circumstances."
"Then try to like it three days from now."
"I will make an effort."
"And be sure to check its scent before you drink it."
She said that, then smiled.
As if it were a joke.
But it did not feel like a joke at all.
The warning from the walkthrough board surfaced in my mind again.
`Do not drink the tea.`
Seria Blanc had given me a warning along with the invitation.
But why?
Did she instinctively know that her ruin route was tied to tea and poison?
Or was she simply testing me?
I could not tell.
That was what made Seria frightening.
Seria left after offering her farewell.
Eveline looked down at the envelope.
"That woman is really strange."
"Yes."
"Stranger than you."
"That is a rather harsh assessment."
"It was not a compliment."
"I know."
At last, we left the grand ballroom.
This time, it did not look like we were running away.
We had said our farewells, given them a reason, and smiled at the end.
It was not perfect, but it was enough.
The instant we boarded the carriage, Eveline leaned against the seatback.
Her face was one of released tension.
Some of her usual fierceness had faded.
A tired seventeen-year-old young lady.
Her dress was heavy, her feet hurt, and she had fought herself all day.
That was how she looked.
"I’m dying."
She said.
"You are alive."
"Don’t talk back."
"Yes."
The carriage began to move.
The lights of the Berhardt Palace receded behind us.
The capital’s nighttime streets flowed past outside the window.
Eveline was silent for a long while.
Then she spoke softly.
"Today, I…"
"Yes."
"I really didn’t ruin everything?"
I looked at her.
It was not a light question.
Tonight, she had received applause.
She had made Arsene back down, defeated Klaus, avoided becoming enemies with Liana, and even successfully performed a swordsmanship demonstration without a sword.
And yet she asked.
Whether she had really not ruined everything.
She had heard for that long that she was destined to ruin things.
Wayward child.
Defective.
Destined to have her engagement broken off.
The troublemaker of House Rosette.
Those words had been lodged inside Eveline for far too long.
I answered.
"You did not ruin anything."
Eveline lowered her eyes.
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Then…"
She took out her handkerchief.
The handkerchief she had held all day.
The edge was folded a little, but it was not crumpled.
"This isn’t ruined either."
"Yes."
"What about me?"
I was silent for a moment.
Then I said,
"You are not ruined either."
Eveline did not say anything.
She turned her head as if to look out the window.
But her face reflected in the glass looked as if she might cry.
She did not cry.
Instead, she folded the handkerchief very carefully.
Like someone ending a day without breaking something for the first time.
A system window quietly appeared.
`Eveline Rosette’s first private tutoring result has been confirmed.`
`Duel Incident Route: Cleared`
`Eveline Rosette’s Core Changes:`
`1. Developed tolerance for defeat`
`2. Acquired the foundations of self-control`
`3. Formed trust in Leon Cart`
`4. Created a goal beyond the ruin route: Pass the academy entrance exam`
I stared at those words for a long time.
Finally, one.
I had really changed one thing.
But the next lines soon appeared.
`Next Private Tutoring Candidate: Seria Blanc`
`Danger Types: Information warfare / Framed for poisoning / Collapse of trust`
`Recommended Preparations: Record evidence, inspect food and tea, secure conversation logs`
I swallowed a sigh.
I had blocked a sword, and now I had to suspect tea.
The educational environment in this world was truly the worst.
"Leon."
Eveline called.
"Yes."
"The tea party."
"Yes."
"You are going, right?"
"We have to go."
"I don’t want to."
"Neither do I."
"But we have to go?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
I thought for a moment.
Seria’s ruin route.
Being framed for attempted poisoning.
A villainess whom no one believed because she had failed to earn anyone’s trust.
I could not tell Eveline all that yet.
So I said this instead.
"I think Lady Blanc has been taught the wrong things too."
Eveline looked at me.
"Are you really trying to teach anyone and everyone?"
"Not just anyone."
"Then who?"
"Only people who look like they are going to ruin themselves."
Eveline looked at me for a long time.
Then she gave a snort of laughter.
"So you taught me because I looked like I was going to ruin myself too?"
"Yes."
"You really are honest."
"I thought you would see through me if I lied."
"That’s right. I would have."
She looked out the window again.
After a while, she spoke very softly.
"Still."
"Yes."
"I’m glad you taught me."
I did not answer.
Those were words meant for me, but also words she was saying to herself.
The carriage raced toward the Rosette Estate.
And I understood.
The first villainess’s story was not over yet.
Eveline Rosette would grow angry again, make mistakes, and try to crumple another handkerchief.
But now, she knew how to rise again.
That was enough.
The problem was the second one.
Seria Blanc.
She would bring not a handkerchief, but a teacup.
And probably—
She would ask with a smile.
`Teacher, where should one begin to suspect poison?`
My head already hurt.
Late that night, when we arrived at the Rosette Estate, the butler was waiting to greet us.
He looked at Eveline, then at me, and finally at the intact handkerchief in her hand.
After a very brief silence,
the butler bowed his head.
"I am glad you returned safely, my lady."
Eveline answered.
"Yeah."
Normally, she would have said, `Don’t state the obvious.`
Today, she simply said yeah.
The butler’s eyes wavered ever so slightly.
I was not the only one who had noticed.
The people of the estate were watching too.
They were watching Eveline slowly change.
And how that change was altering the very atmosphere inside the estate.
The moment I returned to my room, I collapsed onto my bed.
The last thing I saw before falling asleep was the system window.
`Part 1 Private Tutoring Arc: Eveline Rosette’s First Correction Complete`
`Time Remaining Until the Next Event: 3 Days`
`Ducal House of Blanc Tea Party`
`Warning: Check the scent before drinking tea.`
I closed my eyes.
Honestly.
The next lesson was going to be far more exhausting than a sword.
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