The Northern Duke’s Eldest Son’s Tutor

It had been about a year since I first started teaching Kyle dance and etiquette lessons, and as we reviewed them again, I noticed something.
Kyle really was smart.
Unlike the stereotype that physically gifted people tend to be less intelligent, he was genuinely bright. I suppose that’s why he was studying magic in the first place.
While most people would have forgotten what they learned several years ago, Kyle was different. He still remembered enough of what he’d learned years before.
Thanks to that, we could finish lessons quickly and spend more time practicing dancing. Since dancing is the flower of social gatherings, we focused intensively on it.
With each passing day, Kyle improved his lead, making dancing together more enjoyable. His future partners would surely enjoy it too.
After all, dancing is really no fun when your partner can’t lead properly.
“Young Master, ease your grip.”
But for some reason, he always held my hand too tightly, which worried me.
If he squeezed this hard during an actual dance, his partner would definitely struggle. Since I was just his practice partner and he was only holding my wrist, it wasn’t a big issue, but any harder and he’d surely leave marks.
“Sigh… Young Master, if you do this to other young ladies, it will certainly cause problems.”
“Then I just won’t do it with other women…”
“Young Master!”
I raised my voice when Kyle suddenly said something absurd.
For the eldest son of the Eristirol family, the heir, to say such a thing—it wasn’t right.
To make such statements when he didn’t even have a girlfriend, unlike some noble sons.
Was he looking to get scolded?
I used to theorize that Kyle wasn’t interested in women but in men, but I now know that’s not the case.
The evidence: when cleaning his room, I’d find tissues used for certain purposes. And sometimes, clothing belonging to someone nearby.
It was natural for him to engage in such activities, since he was almost an adult and going through adolescence.
I wasn’t crazy enough to scold him for that. It was normal for a boy to discover his sexuality, and I’d even given him sex education during our lessons.
“Young Master, you are the heir. You absolutely cannot say things like you’ll live alone forever. Your sister hasn’t even returned yet, and even if she did, it’s unlikely she’d become the heir now…”
“…I’m sorry.”
Only after I said all that did he finally understand.
His body had grown, but he was still just a kid.
“Let’s end today’s dance lesson here.”
The atmosphere was no longer conducive to teaching.
We’d both worked up a sweat, so I needed to bathe anyway.
“Young Master, your next lesson is magic, correct? I’ll escort you there.”
He’d obviously know his schedule after years of lessons, but this was just our routine.
After sending Kyle to his lesson, I’d quickly wash up and spend time with Elin.

“Young Master, have you decided what to wear for your debutante ball?”
“No, not yet. Would you help me choose?”
“Of course.”
The debutante ball was now just around the corner.
Next month, on the first day of April, Kyle would make his first appearance in high society at the debutante ball.
Is this how parents feel watching their children leave home?
I believe Kyle will do well. He’s learned to dance well and has mastered etiquette.
Though I’ll be accompanying him, there isn’t much I can do once we’re there.
At most, I’ll follow behind Kyle and offer a few words of advice.
“Let’s go right now.”
As it happened, Louise had canceled today’s lesson, saying she had something to do.
It was rare for her to cancel, but I let it slide because, well, it’s Louise.
It was already surprising that she’d been diligently teaching for years.
Wait, come to think of it, is she still gambling…?
“…”
Anyway, what’s more important now is choosing Kyle’s outfit.
Though they would all be formal attire, the details would differ, making it important to try each one on.
Although he’d never worn them, the castle had prepared all the clothes Kyle might someday need.
“Oh.”
And there were so many.
Kyle had an enormous collection of clothes he’d never worn.
There were many types, including the latest fashionable styles.
Thanks to this, we wouldn’t need to worry too much about style choices.
“Uh….”
Perhaps due to the unexpected number of clothes, Kyle stood there in shock.
Since his clothes were always brought to him by me and other maids, he probably had no idea there were so many.
Even I was surprised, since I rarely came to this part of the castle, so his reaction was natural.
“Young Master, which outfit would you like to try on first?”
Personally, I recommended black.
White would suit him too, but black was the most versatile and looked the most handsome when worn.
Of course… with Kyle’s physique, anything would look good on him.
“Please choose one for me. There are too many for me to decide.”
“Ah, then I’ll choose for you. Something worthy of our handsome Young Master.”
I smiled at Kyle and began browsing through the clothes.
With so many options, it took some time to choose.
Kyle waited quietly behind me, watching.
For some reason, he was sitting in a chair.
Normally, he would have stood and waited quietly—he must have been quite bored.
Well, just as some people enjoy shopping and others don’t, it must be something like that.
Personally, I enjoyed shopping.
There weren’t many places to shop here, but Oldenburg would be nice to visit later.
As Catherine said, that place was better than Eristirol.
Speaking of which, I wonder if Catherine will come to this debutante ball?
In a way, Catherine could be considered my friend.
Despite our brief time together and age difference, we became very close, so I think we could call each other friends.
Elin, Louise, and Catherine—these were my current relationships.
And Kyle was like my little brother.
“Hmm… shall we try this one first? If you don’t know how to put it on, I’ll help you.”
“….hmm…”
Kyle suddenly seemed deep in thought.
Did something suddenly come to mind?
“I’m not sure. I would appreciate your help.”
“Yes.”
Whether he appreciated it or not, helping Kyle when he asked was my job.
I helped him remove the cotton clothes he was wearing.
They didn’t come off very easily, perhaps because he’d sweated a little during daily activities.
After removing his pants, I told Kyle to put on the new trousers.
Pants were just pants, after all.
“Hmm… now let’s put on this shirt.”
I helped Kyle, who was wearing only trousers, put on the shirt.
Unlike the ordinary shirts he usually wore, this one had some frills.
It completed the aristocratic fashion.
Regular formal trousers with a frilled shirt on top.
Finally, I picked up the coat.
A black tailcoat reflecting my taste.
Men always look best in black.
I helped him put it on from behind.
“Wow…”
Men really do look best in black.
It suited him perfectly.
We still had many outfits left to try, but this one already looked amazing.
His appearance and physique were truly unfair advantages.
If he went outside like this, wouldn’t he charm all the maids in our castle?
It seemed entirely possible.
That’s how handsome Kyle looked right now.
“It suits you so well!”
I blurted out a bit loudly in my excitement, but I didn’t mind.
It was just my honest opinion, so there was no need to worry about it.
“Does it suit me that well?”
“Yes, I think this is the most handsome you’ve ever looked, Young Master.”
“…I see…”
I immediately stood on tiptoe to reach clothes that were above my height.
Normally I wouldn’t have bothered, but since the first outfit suited Kyle so well, I felt like having him try on more.
“Young Master! Let’s try the next outfit right away.”
“…What?”
“Since we need to prepare several outfits anyway, it would be good to try on many now.”
Kyle would be making many appearances in society after his debut, so we needed to select at least several outfits from the castle’s collection.
Of course, after trying them all on, we’d have to make our final selections.
And so I continued changing Kyle’s clothes.
Each time he changed pants, he tried to hide himself as if embarrassed, but I simply turned around to help him.
There was really no need to be embarrassed.
After all, our relationship was like that of an older sister and younger brother.
He’d only be showing his underwear anyway… what was there to be embarrassed about?
I was starting to worry about how he’d handle his wedding night.
What if his future wife divorced him because he couldn’t show his body to her?
“…”
That was too extreme a thought.
No matter how shy Kyle seemed now, that wouldn’t happen.
I didn’t raise our Kyle that way!
Well, even if he couldn’t show his body, there shouldn’t be a problem with the act itself, right?
Though I’ve never experienced it as a woman, so I’m not entirely sure, but it should be fine.
“Young Master, which do you prefer between these two outfits?”
Anyway, changing Kyle’s clothes was more fun.
I smiled and began changing Kyle’s outfit once again.
**
“So… the reason you couldn’t teach today…”
“…..”
“Was because you were gambling again…?”
“…..”
Yes, well, I knew she gambled.
It was natural that the amounts would be large, and it was natural that she’d get caught by me and be scolded.
I’d expected this from before.
If the child could have easily stopped gambling, she wouldn’t have lost all her possessions before coming here.
“Hey.”
I decided to use a method to properly utilize this girl.
The most effective way to use Louise while also making things comfortable for her.
“Sign this.”
“…What is this…?”
“A contract.”
It was a very ordinary contract.
Just an employment contract with a small addition.
Louise had already signed one before, but this one was slightly different.
“You’re going to keep losing money anyway, right? So let’s just make a new contract.”
Mages tended to take contracts quite seriously.
The crazy woman I call Louise was no exception.
“…Is this… correct?”
“Yes.”
There shouldn’t be anything wrong with it.
I’ve checked it many times.
“…A 7-year extension of the contract… is this right?”
“Yes.”
Until now, Louise’s contract was renewed yearly.
But this time I changed it.
I decided to pay her seven years’ salary upfront and use her as an unpaid magic slave.
Seven years’ salary was certainly a significant amount.
It was enough money to hire a skilled magic instructor on a long-term contract.
However… this money wasn’t for a magic instructor’s contract.
It was money that would soon be spent by a sucker at one of Eristirol domain’s gambling houses.
Louise always went to the same gambling house.
So I used my head.
While gambling houses weren’t illegal, they certainly had a negative image in the domain.
So I secretly made a deal with them.
I’d provide them with a sucker for seven years, and they’d give me half of that money back.
With confidentiality as a bonus.
Surely… Louise would blow through those seven years’ worth of wages.
And when she spent all that money?
A slave would be born who would have to teach magic and use it wherever Eristirol’s power reached—be it the castle or the domain—for seven years.
“What is this? Just an ordinary contract? It’s just a 7-year long-term contract with room and board provided, plus a clause that says I need to come work when called?”
“Of course it’s an ordinary contract. How could a mere servant like me do anything strange?”
I replied to Louise with a bright smile.
Unaware of the circumstances, Louise smiled and signed.
“Thank you, Louise.”
Thanks to this, money that would have been wasted will now be half returned, and I’ve gained a slave too.