There’s so many cloth napkins this lady’s bringing with her to her spouse’s home. They must be super rich people who host extravagant dinners and parties.
“I’m done with embroidery work,” I mumbled.
All that was left to do was to visit the greenhouse tomorrow morning, then wait for Mary to come get me.
I can’t wait to go home. I’m definitely going to eat lunch at home with my angels! Hopefully Aunt Lilianna is a bit less anxious this time, since it’ll be the second study session.
The next morning, I headed to the greenhouse and took care of my greater and antidotal herbs. After that, I returned to my dorm and sat in front of the fireplace. As I was warming up, Mary arrived around the usual time.
“I have a letter from Countess Northcourt for you, my lady,” Mary reported.
Again? Just do the same thing you did last week! I know Eva taught her chef how to make pancakes, so why can’t she just serve those again?
In an effort to maximize my time with my angels, I read the letter during the carriage ride home.
“I’d like to pass on eating lunch with her,” I mumbled. “Wait, she wants something other than pancakes? How troublesome. I think the other treat Prince Keith enjoyed was cookies. He was scarfing them down.”
I guess we’ll have to send Eva over again. Wait, baked goods like cookies and pound cake can just be made at our house. We’d just need to get the ingredients, then we could bring them over.
I detailed my plans in a letter, and I also informed my aunt that I would be eating lunch at home. Then I handed the letter to Mary to deliver. While she was doing that, I was going to spend time with Nassius and Henry.
“The countess sent a response, my lady,” Mary announced upon returning.
It looks like I won’t be getting my way.
My aunt insisted that I eat lunch at her home and wait for the prince’s arrival with her. Also, she wanted Eva to teach the recipes to her chef, so Eva had to go over to the Northcourt home as well.
What a hassle.
I felt like a child being dragged away from the playground as I boarded the carriage with Mary.
I’m going to make sure this is the last study session! I’m going to become someone who can say no!
The study session went smoothly. Prince Keith’s disdain for classical literature was fading, and he appeared to have spent the past week diligently studying. At this rate, he was going to have no problem accelerating the class. Samuel had also studied quite a bit, and though he wasn’t quite ready to skip ahead in classical literature, it was definitely not going to hold him back. He would have no problem remaining in Class A.
“I believe you are both doing well enough for classical literature now,” I said.
With this, the initial objective of this study session had been fulfilled. Next was looking over Prince Keith’s history studies and Samuel’s math.
I have no intention of making these study sessions a regular thing. I’m going to pull out all the stops!
“For history, please study using these with Sir Hugo,” I said to Prince Keith. “If you memorize these, you should be able to receive a certificate of completion.”
I handed him some flashcards I’d prepared. A historical event was written on one side, and the year it took place and details were on the other. They had holes punched through them and were tied together instead of being attached to a metal ring like I would’ve used during my previous life.
“I have to memorize all of these?” Prince Keith asked.
“Yes. Please work together with Sir Hugo. Quizzing each other is a very effective way to study. Go on, try it.”
There’s no time for slacking off!
Ralph was twiddling his thumbs, so I had him help Samuel with math. I wanted to spend this free time on leisure reading, but instead I read through my law textbook. I really wanted this to be the last study session, so I wasn’t holding anything back.
“Have you finished your first round of studying?” I asked Prince Keith and Hugo. “I’m going to test you now.”
I retrieved the flashcards from Hugo and quizzed the boys, making them compete to see who would get the most answers correct. Looks like they’ve done a good job memorizing these.
“I’m going to mark the cards that you got incorrect. For your second pass, you only need to go over these ones.”
The boys whined about how they couldn’t do it, but I needed to push them. It was retribution for stealing my precious time with my angels. I had Ralph switch to history and quiz the boys, and I went to help Samuel with math.
Samuel was working on multiplying and dividing fractions, and his work was a complete mess.
I understand. I also got confused about why you had to flip the numerators and denominators.
I went over how fractions were just division several times with Samuel, then I had him try solving some problems on his own. After repeating this process, it finally seemed to click.
“Oh, I see now!”
“If you keep solving these problems, you’ll master fractions!” I cheered.
Yay! Now I can say goodbye to these study sessions!
Just as that thought crossed my mind, there was a reserved knock on the door.
“Countess Northcourt would like you to know it is time for tea, my lady,” Mary reported.
Aunt Lilianna had probably sent Mary to call for me instead of having her staff summon the prince to the drawing room.
Whatever. It’s fine. I’ve finished what I came to do.
The boys were so exhausted that it felt as if I were having tea with corpses. I, on the other hand, felt refreshed as I sipped my tea.
“Can’t you go easier on us, Patience?” Prince Keith grumbled. He seemed to have regained enough energy to complain after eating some pound cake and cookies.
Ralph and Hugo also seemed reinvigorated. The young have so much energy.
“Since today will be the last study session, I simply wanted to do everything I could,” I replied. I’m never doing this again!
Samuel’s head still seemed to be jumbled by fractions. You can get through this, Samuel!
Prince Keith looked like he wanted to refute my claim that this was the last study session.
I really don’t want to do this again. I won’t refuse helping Samuel. I don’t mind helping a shota, and he’s my cousin. He’s also been a good friend to my brothers.
I managed to make it to the send-off of Prince Keith and his friends, and the study session came to an end. Samuel seemed to have picked up on the fact that I was trying to avoid more study sessions with Prince Keith.
“If I have any trouble with my studies again, would you still help me, Patience?”
Of course I’ll help you, Samuel.
“Yes, I can help you when you visit us if you’d like,” I replied.
That put a smile on Samuel’s face. Seems like this pouty boy’s gotten pretty soft around the edges.
“In return, I shall help you with horse riding!”
I’d like to politely decline your offer.
“I won’t be home tomorrow,” I shared. “I will be visiting the home of an upperclassman from the academy.”
I figured it was best to let him know my plans because I didn’t want him to get upset thinking that I was avoiding the riding lesson.
Before I boarded the carriage to head home, Aunt Lilianna sneaked an envelope into my hand.
“Thank you so much for helping Samuel with his studies, Patience,” she said. “This is just a small token of my gratitude.”
Judging from how thin the envelope was, it likely contained a check.
Yay! I hope we can use this to buy things for Nassius’s upcoming enrollment in the academy. We have hand-me-down uniforms, but I’d love to get him new shirts and underwear.
Apparently the fabric that I’d received from Aunt Charlotta was no good for dress shirts. I’d learned that they needed to be made out of a sturdier fabric, so I’d been wanting to buy some.
The uniforms for the academy came in two versions: one for summer and one for winter. The designs were the same—the summer version was just made with a thinner fabric. The difference was more apparent in the boys’ uniform, since the jackets were clearly made out of different materials.
Students from upper-ranking noble families wore jackets that looked quite warm. The material seemed similar to cashmere. They also had separate dress shirts for summer and winter.
“I’ll give this to Wyatt and ask him to buy some fabric that I can use to make Nassius’s dress shirts!” I excitedly told Mary.
“While that is a good idea, you should use some of it for yourself, my lady. You could purchase some bows or other hair accessories.”
Oh, this might be my chance!
“I agree. I’ve actually been wanting a new hair accessory. Tomorrow, on the way home from my upperclassman’s house, I’d like to stop by some shops.”
I think this will work! Wait, why is she staring at me like that? I’m kind of scared... What’s happening?
“My lady, when was this visit to your upperclassman’s house decided? Have you gotten permission from your father? Also, who is this upperclassman?”
Oh, shoot. I’ve been so busy that I forgot to tell Mary and my father about it.
“I’ll get permission from father when we get home,” I assured her. “I was invited to the home of Sir Caesar Burns, my upperclassman from alchemy club.”
Mary anxiously clasped her hands together.
“You are going to visit Duke Burns’s home?” She seemed oddly tense.
“Yes...? Oh, please don’t get the wrong idea, Mary. I’m visiting because we’re going to discuss selling my hot water bottles. I’ve told Wyatt about it, but I forgot to let father know.”
Once she heard that this was a business meeting, Mary finally relaxed.
Did she think we were going to discuss marriage or something? That’s so ridiculous.
We arrived home, and I headed to my father’s study. I’d been discussing my plans with Wyatt, but I’d forgotten to inform my father of them as well. I knocked on his door and waited for a response before entering.
“I will be visiting Duke Burns’s home tomorrow to discuss selling the hot water bottles,” I announced.
My father put the book he was reading down and smiled.
“Those hot water bottles are a wonderful tool. I’ve heard from Wyatt that you’re interested in sharing them with the world. I wish you luck.”
It seemed Wyatt had passed the information along. Though my father had been kept in the loop, I wanted to remember to tell him these things myself moving forward.