There Are No Bad Young Ladies in the World

Diella (1)

– “What exactly does it mean to teach someone, Master?”

During the time when he was deeply engrossed in learning magic, Derek asked Katia.

They were inside a carriage returning from a mission to subdue the monsters at the frontier.

Derek had sustained some injuries, and Katia was tending to them, applying just the right amount of treatment.

– “Why do you ask such a question all of a sudden?”

– “…Just because.”

Having roamed the mercenary world from a young age, Derek had often seen warriors serving their masters under the guise of a master-disciple relationship.

He had frequently found it absurd how even those with tough and cruel dispositions would act so respectfully towards their own masters.

This sparked a rather significant curiosity within him.

– “I’ve seen people who wouldn’t hesitate to stab others in the back or shout at strangers suddenly suppress their nature in front of their master. Hmm… Perhaps it’s because you’re somewhat merciful, Master Katia, but is everyone like that?”

– “It would be problematic to think that everything in the harsh world of mercenaries applies here. Not all master-disciple relationships are like that.”

Katia spoke in a gentle voice as she wrapped a bandage around Derek’s arm.

– “And you, Derek, are relatively easy to teach. You have an excellent aptitude for magic and absorb it quickly, plus you’re always cooperative.”

– “Shouldn’t one naturally be cooperative if they’re trying to learn something?”

– “That would be the ideal, yes. But the world doesn’t always operate on ideals, does it? Sometimes there are those who scorn their masters, grinding their teeth, ready to fight at any provocation.”

Derek stroked his chin, lost in thought.

If a disciple is someone who bares their fangs against their master, can they truly be called a disciple? Is there even a need to teach such individuals?

However, as Katia said, the world doesn’t always follow the ideal path.

– “If you had to teach a disciple who is so tough and ungrateful, what would you do, Master?”

– “I would try to understand that child to the very end, embrace and nurture them.”

– “…That seems too idealistic.”

– “…Yes, you’re right. But ultimately, the essence of teaching lies in guiding the disciple towards a better path, embracing and leading them.”

Her tone was matter-of-fact.

– “If communication through understanding and embrace is not possible, then we must seek a different starting point, but we must never forget that essence.”

– “A different starting point? What is that?”

Katia quietly continued wrapping the bandage, her gaze lowered.

– “Instilling fear.”

Derek silently closed his mouth.

– “There are times when you must start from there.”

*

“Treat others with consideration and respect.”

Derek’s cold voice settled in the quiet room.

In Lady Diela’s room, dirtied with muddy water, Derek spoke again amidst the silence.

“Stand up.”

Lady Diela, with trembling eyes, quietly looked at Derek, then, as he commanded, she got to her feet.

And slowly approaching Derek, she raised her hand and slapped his cheek.

– Slap!

Derek’s head turned to one side.

Lady Diela, gasping for breath, said in a voice burning with rage,

“You… who are you to…? You…”

– Slap!

Before Lady Diela could finish, Derek’s hand flew again.

This time Lady Diela’s head turned to the side. The girl’s pupils dilated to their limits.

Looking up at Derek, his expression remained unmoved. His crimson eyes were just staring down at Diela.

The girl grew up like a flower in a greenhouse, and the boy like a weed by the roadside.

In the moment they felt the gap between them, an emotion they seemed to encounter for the first time overwhelmed them.

The framework of that emotion was fear, the fear of the unknown.

“As I said, when dealing with others, you must be considerate and respectful.”

“Shut your mouth!”

Diela, with her tiny hands, somehow grasped Derek’s collar.

No matter what she tried, it was meaningless. No matter how much the petite girl repeated her insulting words, Derek didn’t even snort.

“What is all this! What are you doing not stopping this!”

Hearing the commotion, the head butler Delron quickly pushed through the servants and ran out.

The old butler, shocked, scolded the bewildered servants and quickly stepped between Derek and Diela.

He was acquainted with Derek. He was the one who roamed with the mercenary group, searching for a master with Lady Aiselin.

“Let’s stop here. Any further would be truly dangerous.”

Dangerous.

That word seemed more a message for Derek than for Diela.

A mere commoner dares to lay a hand on the duke’s daughter; it’s a grave crime that could warrant losing limbs without surprise.

“If it ends here, you may live crippled for life, but your life could be spared.” That was what Head Butler Delron meant.

Yet, Derek nonchalantly pulled out a document bearing the duke’s seal from his coat and tossed it onto the tea table.

The content was not complicated.

“His Grace, the Grand Duke Duplain, has entrusted me with full authority over Miss Diela’s education. Whatever method I choose, please remember it is sanctioned by His Grace.”

“What… did you say?”

It was a document even the head butler was unaware of. He couldn’t help but be shocked.

It meant that the document wasn’t formally delivered through the butler; the Grand Duke had written it on the spot.

Head Butler Delron couldn’t help but doubt its authenticity. A commoner striking a noble is not merely a moral question of violence’s right or wrong. It’s a challenge to the nobility’s authority.

If word got out that such an act was permitted, it would be a great disgrace to the entire ducal house. Nobility must always remain lofty.

How could the Grand Duke Duplain, at the pinnacle of authority, allow such a thing?

As Head Butler Delron looked at Derek with such questions, Derek responded as if he understood his thoughts.

“Prince Leig asked you to look into something, didn’t he?”

“!”

The duke’s second son, Leig, had completely given up on Diela’s rehabilitation.

He had changed course, planning to confine her to a monastery in the borderlands. It was part of the plan he had instructed the head butler to investigate.

The Grand Duke Duplain had dismissed the suggestion, but he couldn’t help feeling burdened. The mere fact that such a proposal was boldly presented before the Grand Duke meant the situation had gone too far.

Already, not only the servants in the annex but also the retainers in the main house were becoming exhausted by her tantrums.

As the leader of the pack, he couldn’t turn a blind eye forever.

Thus, this decision was the last drastic remedy a father, loving his daughter, had to make with a firm heart.

If even this extreme measure fails, then it must be deemed incurable.

“Miss Diela, you don’t have many chances left.”

With such an implicit statement, Delron’s expression hardened.

Above all, Derek’s actions themselves were hard to believe.

A boy, a mercenary-turned-mage. Though he grew up wild, like in the wilderness, no ordinary human could possess such courage.

Even with the Grand Duke’s certificate on his back, it’s exceedingly rare for someone to dare slap a noble lady.

The Grand Duke Duplain has a keen ability to gauge a person’s capacity.

Whether he anticipated this far or not, Delron couldn’t know at this moment.

*

“Brother! Brother! Please, calm down for a moment, brother!”

– Bang!

That night, once the situation had settled, Derek was organizing his equipment in the guest room provided by the butler.

A man, filled with rage, kicked open the door to the room where Derek was staying.

“Are you the mercenary that Aislin brought? Yes, you’re the one I saw in front of the audience chamber earlier today.”

“Brother! No, let’s calm down first before we go! Brother!”

Valerian Leonard Duplain, the first son of the Duplain family.

A handsome man with long blonde hair and a tall stature, his face twisted in anger as he grabbed Derek by the collar.

He was the designated heir to the Duplain family, known for his gentle and affectionate demeanor.

However, there was no trace of that kindness on his face as he glared at Derek, holding him by the collar.

“You dare… dare…”

“Brother!”

Leigh, trying to pull him away, looked pitifully desperate.

Derek, still held by the collar, listened to him and then replied in a quiet voice.

“It is a matter permitted by His Grace.”

He stated the plain fact with utmost respect.

Hearing this, Valerian held his breath for a moment, then closed his eyes tightly and released Derek’s collar.

“…Huff.”

Valerian then let out a deep sigh, brushed his face as if washing it without water, and said,

“Follow me. Leigh, you go and train.”

“No, if I hadn’t followed, who knows what would have happened…”

“I won’t discuss it further.”

With that, Valerian glanced at Derek, signaling him to follow, and then walked out through the open door.

Leigh watched Valerian leave, sighed deeply, and patted Derek on the shoulder.

“Yeah. I heard about what happened earlier. I’m on your side. Diella needs a good beating to come to her senses. Does she think being a noble will protect her from every punch?”

“…No.”

“Anyway, you’ve had a hard time dealing with someone beyond redemption. Well, she’ll be sent to the convent soon, so just bear with it a little longer. Brother Valerian… he’s too kind-hearted, but he’s a good man. He won’t cause you any harm, so don’t be tense… Anyway, with things like this, I should go.”

Leigh, with his robust build and square jaw, sighed deeply and followed out the open door.

“Goodness… What’s the use of holding on to something hopeless… Brother, really.”

Leigh’s expression, full of lament as he left, did not look too pleased either.Already, it seemed he had let go of all hope for Diella.

*

The room Valerian took Derrick to was tucked away on the first floor of the mansion’s main building.

At a glance, it was a place long untouched by the comings and goings of people. Yet, despite this, there was not a speck of dust to be found, as if it were meticulously cleaned each time.

– Whoosh

With a surge of magic from Valerian, the candelabras scattered around the room lit up, revealing the interior at a glance.

It was a pretty and dainty room.

On one side, there was a bed adorned with cute laces and ribbons, and on the other, a bookshelf neatly displaying charming and petite dolls.

A wardrobe full of cute frilly dresses, and another bookshelf well-organized with various books, it was an old-fashioned yet girlish room. It was excessively spacious for a single girl, but considering her status, it wasn’t strange at all.

“This was Diella’s room when she stayed in the main building,” Valerian said in a low voice.

Now, she lived half-secluded in her own kingdom in the annex, but it seemed Diella had been different during her time here.

In one corner of the room, various canvases and painting supplies were laid out. As Derrick looked in that direction, Valerian added an explanation.

“Diella enjoyed painting. She mostly did landscapes. It started as part of her social education, but she took great interest in it and always came to show me her work with joy.”

“…”

“I often reminisce about how she used to bounce around asking me to look at her paintings.”

Wandering among the canvases, Derrick’s eyes fell upon one covered with a pristine white cloth.

Noticing Valerian’s cue, he unveiled it. A neatly painted sunset came into view.

A painting of a young girl perched on the back of her maid, gazing at the majestic sunset.

However, the edges of the painting were blank.

“This was the last painting she was working on. As you can see, it’s unfinished.”

“Unfinished?”

“Diella always loved to paint, but she rarely finished them. She would leave the margins blank and only paint the parts she liked.”

Looking again, it was clear that the landscapes were indeed only partially filled, with blank spaces here and there.

As they examined the paintings, Valerian sat on the edge of a desk in the corner of the room.

He then pressed his forehead, sighed, and said,

“…I apologize for grabbing you emotionally earlier. I offer my apologies.”

His expression bore a heavy heart. It was not easy for a noble of his stature to extend an apology to a mere commoner.

“I always vow to be rational, but I act emotionally when it matters most. Especially when family is involved. In that regard, I’m still far from being a competent ruler.”

“…May I ask why you showed me this room?”

“…I wanted to convince you. She wasn’t a child who deserved such disdain and rough handling.”

Valerian spoke with a heavy voice, calmly narrating.

“But at some point, she began to obsess over her lineage, looking down on those beneath her. I can’t fathom why… what triggered this change. She started to transform bit by bit, and lately, she’s become the person you know.”

“…”

“I just… I just don’t understand. Why she clings so fanatically to her bloodline, what made Diella so bitter. She was slow to acquire magic and not perfect in every aspect, but… she always lived brightly. She used to draw pictures she loved, and she was a lovely child who always enjoyed pleasant conversations with her family.”

Valerian rose from the desk where he had been sitting, straightened the formal attire that nobles wear, and bowed his head. Derrick couldn’t help but be greatly startled.

Although it would be a distant future event for him to seize power since the Duke was still in good health, he was still the next head of the Duplain ducal family.

His status did not permit him to bow casually to a commoner. Beyond a matter of pride, it was simply not allowed by noble etiquette.

“I’ve heard from my father. If things continue this way, Diella is indeed headed for the monastery.”

“This would be problematic.”

“If she can somehow master even one first-level spell, I could try to persuade my father. At the very least, she could be prepared for her debut in society. So please… I beg you… give Diella one more chance.”

Valerian lifted his head, his expression serious.

I understood his urgency, but from Derrick’s perspective, it was immediately headache-inducing.

According to the servants, when things go wrong, she beats people, breaks things out of annoyance, insults the retainers, and suppresses others by flaunting her status.

Valerian’s story was hard to believe; she was a ruffian, a failure, a person with a broken character.

To rehabilitate such a girl into a graceful lady and teach her magic as well. It was nothing short of asking for a miracle.

The record of burning through 20 teachers in 8 months suddenly made sense.

“…”

Despite this, Derrick decided to take a look around Diella’s room to gather his thoughts.

Canvases filled with various landscapes. A neatly arranged quilt. Delicate laces and ribbons.

As he quietly looked up at the bookshelf, there were plenty of books used for home education.

Books containing information on embroidery, flower arrangement, horse riding.

Even those expensive magic books were a few among them. It seems that being a child of a ducal family, she had a separate set of educational magic books.

“…Hmm.”

Derrick stroked his chin and slowly examined the bookshelf.

All were books of noble etiquette magic. Naturally. This is the Duplain family.

Taking one out and turning it over, the signs of diligent reading were evident. Notes and reflections on practice were written here and there.

It was clear. Diella hadn’t given up on everything from the start. Despite her grueling efforts, she had achieved no results.

The amount of effort is important, but equally important is the direction of that effort.

Looking at the bookshelf filled with etiquette theory books, Derrick couldn’t help but think so.

“Let’s give it a try.”

Derek placed the book he had taken out back on the shelf and said so to Valerian.

Then, once again, he donned his robe and hat and left the room.

His steps were not towards the bedroom but towards the annex of the mansion, surrounded by numerous rose vines.

The midnight darkness welcomed him as he quietly crossed the garden.