CONGRATULATIONS!
Sophia has become Duke Eristirol's private tutor and household servant!
if this was a game, wouldn't this popup appear?
yes, I just got a permanent job where I can work for at least another five years and earn a high salary.
this is a workplace with a very good social perception.
to be honest, I probably got this job because of the permission of the eldest son who I will teach.
if the eldest son says no, I will going back to hunting monsters.
I can't use magic, but have enough mana to reach gold rank, although it's very difficult.
honestly, it's better if I go back to my parent house and live alone.
"by the way, a servant..."
a simple servant role.
just follow the eldest son and prevent him from danger or help him.
a bit annoying, but not difficult.
my clothes are also prepared.
white shirt and vest black.
luckily, unlike the dorms which force you to wear skirts, they give you the choice of trousers and skirts.
because the skirt might be too revealing, I chose trousers.
so after wearing trousers, I came out of my private room.
I needed to give a formal greeting to the eldest son.
I walked down the hall which seemed to have no end.
this was not an ordinary house, but a castle, so it was natural that it was long.
and I arrived in front of the room of the duke's first son, Kyle Eristirol.
more precisely his bedroom.
- knock knock
"excuse me, may I come in?"
I knocked on the door.
barging into a noble's room is a dangerous act.
it's not the eldest son who's dangerous, but the people around him.
opening the door isn't the problem, but because of the difference in status between nobles and commoners, it could be a problem.
"yes, come in"
I heard a child's voice from inside.
I quietly opened the door and stepped inside, then closed the door quietly behind me.
Slamming the door is also not polite, however.
"Good afternoon, young master. I am Sophia, your private tutor and personal maid from today. Please call me whatever you want."
I said while bowing almost 90 degree.
should I call him 'young master' or 'young duke'?
at least better than 'miss' or 'sir' because it's grammatically incorrect.
"...hello..I'm Kyle Eristirol, Eristirol's eldest son."
he introduced himself while bowing his head.
that's the right greeting.
but because my status is lower than him, he doesn't need to bow his head like that I did.
if only he was wearing a hat, maybe he would take it off while nodding lightly.
"May I call you 'young master'...?"
if the title bothers him, I should change it.
however, the 12 year old young master in front of me seemed too polite to speak if he felt uncomfortable.
so I asked first.
"no problem, miss Sophia"
Miss Sophia.
quite a common title.
most nobles I meet have pretty bad manners, but it seems that sir young man has good etiquette.
and we didn't chat anymore.
because I only came to greet him today.
"classes will start tomorrow"
after hearing Kyle's answer, I left the room.
I haven't decided exactly what to teach or which direction to take in education, I'm not ready yet.
I then moved to the servant area where the butler is.
of course because the residences of the main family and the servants are separate.
the number of servants is very large, and there are also the difference in rank was the reason.
"Head butler, I'm coming in"
I entered the private room where the head butler lived.
suddenly he was wearing glasses that he had never worn before, trying to look busy.
maybe he didn't recognize me?
"I came to discuss the young master's education. do you have a moment?"
"yes, of course I do"
I sat in the chair in front of his desk.
the table and chairs looked luxurious.
it shows that he's not an ordinary servant.
"first, what aspects should I teach the young master?"
"first, what we need to discuss is etiquette"
"don't they teach it before?"
it's standard for nobles to be taught basic etiquette to a certain extent.
but, to mention etiquette first is a little unexpected.
"yes, the young master isn't old enough to make his debut in social circles, and there aren't many guests in Eristirol yet. basic etiquette isn't a problem. however, in five years the young master should make his debut"
"so that's why we're starting now"
"then, for dancing and other, you'll be the one to teach him"
"... there's not any more specific details or instructions?"
"yes"
...
isn't it the norm for nobles to be very passionate about their children's education?
why doesn't the duke have any special instructions?
for now, I leave the head butler's room and return to my private room.
outside the window, I can see the Northern city covered in snow.
it's quieter than the capital or other cities, but it's still bustling.
"etiquette..."
teaching etiquette isn't that difficult.
what I need to teach is basic etiquette, for example table manners which are important for nobles.
after discussing etiquette to a certain extent, there's no harm in teaching various other subjects such as dance or magic.
Kyle is the eldest son of duke Eristirol, the duke has no other children and besides him only one daughter.
so it's natural that Kyle inherits the duke's title.
what if Kyle only knows manners but not for other subjects?
this region will probably be destroyed.
teaching Kyle right now isn't difficult, but it will probably start to become challenging as he enters teens.
because he's twelve now... maybe in about three years later.
right now he might be quiet, but since he's a boy, he'll probably enjoy playing around.
I was like that in my previous life too.
I heard that an important cultural aspect in the North is hunting.
it might be a good idea for Kyle to play around once in a while. take hunting lessons if you get permission.
in fact, hunting is considered a sport by the nobles.
they even hold competitions between each other.
of course, not as good as gold rank adventurers.
learning from gold rank adventurers is probably much better than the average person.
sometimes there are stupid people who talk about hunting without ever trying it themselves and many of them end up being part of nature or nutrition for monsters.
I feel it's a bit unfortunate that Kyle's body is smaller than people his age, but that's how it should be so it's not a problem.
he should at least reach the mid-170s tall in future.
**********
the next day, I woke Kyle up after the sun rose.
this was one of my duties as a servant.
after waking him up, I waited, while the maids helped him bathe.
thank goodness, unlike the medieval times I know, this world cares about cleanliness.
if this was the middle ages of the earth, it would be common to see dirt falling from the window or stepping on it while walking on the public road.
after Kyle was bathed and changed clothes, we started having breakfast.
somehow, I have never met Duke Eristirol even once.
is he outside the territory?
or maybe he is so busy that he can't eat together?
"Young master"
"yes, miss Sophia"
As Kyle look at me.
I started our lesson together.
"Today we will start the first lesson, as the head butler said, we will start with etiquette"
"okay"
we moved to the study room.
inside there were lots of books and it was a place that was rarely entered by maids or other servants.
a perfect place to study.
"the most basic etiquette to know is don't point at people, take off your hat when greeting and about give sharp objects to other people"
"sure"
right, Kyle already understands etiquette basic.
then, it's no problem to go into the next discussion.
parties, salons, debuts, and women.
these things must be known by nobles.
nobles debuted when they were 17 or 18 years old, met women, and also expanded their relationships with other nobles.
They showed themselves while building their social status.
however, what happens if someone can't maintain their ethics ends up being gossiped about in the circle.
there's a big possibility the prospect of marriage is cut off. and maybe in 30 years, he will marry the daughter of a fallen noble family.
the example above is not a solution.
so making people aware of one's politeness, nobility and prowess upon debut is the purpose of entering the social circle.
with them showing off their abilities, pride, and sometimes exchanging information.
social circles are not just for mingling, they are also for political use.
so naturally, for individuals who are impolite and stupid when they enter it, they will be ostracized.
I don't I would let Kyle Eristirol, be in a position like that.
only the first day, he became my student.
my first student.
is this how a new teacher feels?
I may not be confident, but I'm starting to renew my determination.