The Male Lead Knelt Before Me

“Are you certain you couldn’t do it?”

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As soon as Lord Vessel saw me, he spoke to me.

It was a random, unprovoked question, but I noticed it was a series of conversations he asked me yesterday.
In fact, I had no choice but to notice.

Otherwise, there’s no need for him to stand in the corridor waiting for me.

“I believe I told you for certain yesterday.”

“…why not? Can you at least explain why?”

He’s a lot more persistent than I expected.

“Why would Lord Vessel want to learn from me, then?”

“Because I’m eager to learn.”

“How come?”

“Everything is determined by one’s will to learn.
Do you require another reason?

“Well, it’s not really necessary…”

“That’s exactly what it is.”

Yes, I see.

 

It was when I spontaneously nodded my head.

Ugh.
No way, Lena, get a grip on yourself!

That was not the response I was asking for!

I was almost taken in by it.

“I completely understand how you feel.
But my question is, why do you have to ask me? Lord Vessel, you may recruit as many skilled teachers as you want, right?”

I recall Herschel telling me earlier that he was the Marquis’s successor.

He was the famed successor of a Marquis’ family.
There was no way he didn’t have money.

In addition, Lord Vessel was also a Vice-Commander of the Royal Knights.

He could choose any teacher he desired.

There must be a slew of job candidates eager to work for him.

“I couldn’t afford to hire a teacher.”

Lord Vessel, unexpectedly, was adamant.

“Why? Is there any other explanation?”

“I am now 25 years old.”

I’m not sure why he was suddenly exposing his age, but I felt compelled to reply.

 

“What is the relation between Lord Vessel’s age and the inability to hire a teacher?”

“Are you sure you’re not aware?”

“I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t know.”

Lord Vessel fixed his gaze on me and started reciting.

“……So you don’t know for sure.”

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Did I look like I was lying?

Lord Vessel groaned and began to explain his problem while I kept my lips shut since I didn’t even consider responding.

“I will be the next head of Marquis Vessel.
I have a younger sister, but she has no desire to be the successor, therefore I’m the only one who can.”

“And what’s the relationship between being the sole heir and hiring a teacher?”

“Lady Oreu must be aware of this because you participated in a successor class.
However, the Head of a Family must be skilled in paperwork processing.”

I agreed with a nod of my head.

Surely, the Family’s Head should be well-versed in finance and accounting.

Of course, that is not the sole requirement.
Because a Family’s Head must continuously research and think about ways to properly govern the family and territory.

“But I…I can’t even perform the fundamentals.”

“Fundamental?”

“Aristocrats often complete their education around the age of adulthood, right? So, as soon as I reached adulthood, I finished my education, but my brain couldn’t keep up with the course.”

That’s why he couldn’t figure out how to process the paperwork.

After hearing the story, I had a better understanding of the present discourse and Lord Vessel’s predicament.

“What is it that you are concerned about? You just need to retrain.
There is no age limit for learning.
Everyone cannot be the same.”

“However, it is incompetent to be unable to process paperwork at this age.”

“Hey, it’s natural for someone who couldn’t do some aspects well.
How can one individual excel at everything?”

“It would have been wonderful if everyone thought so, or if I hadn’t been chosen as the heir.
But I’m a future Marquis, and I have to know how to do it.”

Lord Vessel gave a sour grin.

“When I found a teacher in this circumstance, I freely acknowledged my incompetence.
The reputation of our family will suffer the consequences.”

I felt comforted after hearing Lord Vessel’s account.

I was sorry for the original Lena, but I was relieved for the fact that she is without a family and the dignity that comes with it.

If a noblewoman was born into a good and strong family, she would be bound by many things.

“If Lord Vessel is having difficulty finding a teacher, why don’t you ask Lord Egon to teach you? Lord Egon, I believe, will be a far greater teacher than I am.”

“Commander is obviously too preoccupied.
How can I ask such a person to do it?”

That made me feel awful.

Was he under the impression that I was unoccupied?

…I’m not that busy, to be sure.

But being slammed with such comments while standing there and doing nothing irritated me.

“I understand your predicament.
But I don’t believe I could.
I’ve never before taught someone.
And, to be honest, I don’t want to help you.”

“Why?”

“Lord Vessel did not like me until a few days ago.”

Aside from Lord Vessel’s miserable circumstances, I vividly recall how he treated me.

I was not generous enough to accept a request from someone who despised me simply because his attitude toward me had softened slightly.

“If you want a certain amount of pay, I’ll strive to meet it as much as possible.”

Don’t people typically apologize first?

“If I wanted money, I would have mentioned it from the beginning.”

“What the heck am I meant to do, Lady Oreu, so you can teach me?”

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Ugh, he’s so persistent.

Because it appears like we’re just going to wind up bickering like this, it’s best if I state it simply.

“For the time being, Lord, I don’t wish to teach you anything.
I may have reconsidered if the Lord had been good to me from the start.”

“Does it mean that if I like you and treat you nicely from now on, Lady Oreu will reconsider?”

“What?”

No, why does he see it that way?

Lord Vessel said as I stared at him, perplexed.

“Didn’t you mention that you didn’t want to educate me because I despise you? Then, if I like you, you’ll…… ”

“No, hold on a second.
I never stated anything like that.
And it’s typically the other way around!”

“Then what about the other way around? How do I make that work?”

“Shouldn’t you make me feel better first, because I’m offended?”

“I’m not sure what you’re on about, Lady Oreu.”

“Um, I mean, make me like you.
I’m not sure, but perhaps I’ll change my mind and teach you.”

Of course, I was only providing an example.

I’m not going to change my mind!

“Anyway, I’m off to work.”

Passing by Lord Vessel quickly, I grabbed the doorknob in the office and turned it around.

Lord Vessel would understand and give up now that I’ve spoken so firmly, right?

Furthermore, I felt I was already late because of Lord Vessel……

“Ugh!”

I hit something solid as soon as I opened the door and took off.

Caleb’s voice came over my head, astonished, as I covered my nose with my hands.

“Are you all right?”

“Oh, yes.
It’s fine.”

My nose was tingling, but I was going to tell him not to worry because it wasn’t too painful.

In addition, I could see the cremation of my make-up on Caleb’s uniform coat.

Whoa, look at that!

The makeup on the part was little, but the outfit was navy blue, so it stood out.

“Ah, your coat…my makeup…”

Caleb’s gaze was drawn to the spot when I pointed to it.

I’m really embarrassed.
What am I supposed to do?

“I’m sorry, I should have been more cautious when I entered…”

“No, I was careless.”

“Lord, your coat…”

“You don’t have to be bothered about it.
When I take it off on the training ground, it sometimes becomes dirtier than this.”

I’m relieved to hear that.

“However, please accept my apologies.
Please, Lord, go on your path.”

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Having stated that, I slid out the door to allow Caleb to leave.

I ran into him as soon as I opened the door, which indicates he was getting ready to come out.

Caleb, on the other hand, called me instead of just passing by.

“Lady Oreu.”

“Yes?”

“I suppose I’ll be gone all morning, is that okay?”

“It doesn’t matter, but may I know your destination?”

“On the training ground.
I’m heading to the training ground.”

I was intrigued by the unexpected destination.

I assumed he was only going there in the afternoon, but apparently not.

“I get what you mean.
Have a safe trip.”

“…Yes.”

Caleb only moved after that.

Anyway, I believe he had been responding abnormally slowly for some time.

‘It’s most likely due to my current state of mind.
It was perhaps due to Lord Vessel that I grew too sensitive.’

I walked inside the office and shut the door, softly shaking my head.

* * * * *****

Edmund Vessel has never felt more embarrassed in his life as he does today.

It was because of the woman who said something to him and then walked away.

“Um, I mean, make me like you.
I’m not sure, but perhaps I’ll change my mind and teach you.”

In truth, Edmund hadn’t expected Elena to be so adamantly opposed to his proposal.

‘I even begged her for a favour.’

Edmund, the future Marquis Vessel’s heir, has grown accustomed to being held up by people since he was a youngster.

If he asked for it, it was natural for people to do so.

As a result, he assumed Elena would actually listen to his proposal.

But all she gave him was a denial and those thoughts.

‘Making her like me, huh?’

Edmund didn’t understand Elena’s request, but he felt obligated to comply.

This was his one and only chance to repair his complex.

Of fact, Elena may be unable to resolve his complex.

Still, the prospect of triumph lingered in his mind.

Furthermore, Edmund was fed up with his recent incompetence.

The powerlessness of being unable to act in advance of a crucial document.

‘I don’t want to go through that all over again.’

This was undoubtedly going to occur in the future.

He was able to go through it nicely the last time because of Elena.

But he realized he couldn’t do it all the time.

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And, as he informed Elena, he was Marquis Vessel’s successor.

Even after becoming a Marquis, he couldn’t rely on anybody.

So Edmund was determined to make sure that at least Elena taught him no matter what, and that he took use of this opportunity to learn.

But there was a problem.

That he must get her to like him.

‘How can I get her to like me?’

Edmund struggled even after Elena entered the office, standing in the hallway with his back to the wall.

Ignoring the idea that he needed to return to his office.

“Lord Vessel.”

Edmund instantly lifted his head in response to the familiar voice calling for him.

He straightened up as soon as he saw it was Caleb.

“Greetings, Commander.”

“What exactly are you doing here?”

Only then did Edmund remind himself that he was supposed to be in the office, not the hallway.

“I apologize.
I’ll return as soon as possible.”

“You’re not required to.
We have a destination to which we must absolutely go together.”

“Yes? Where should we go?”

“I haven’t been to the weapons storage on the training grounds in a long time to examine the weaponry.”

“Now?”

“Yes.”

When he heard Caleb’s response, Edmund’s mind was racing with questions.

They’ve obviously checked weapons together before, but never in the morning.

But Caleb stated that he wants to do it right away?

The question, however, did not last long.

It’s unprecedented, but it’s not a strange thing to do, and he was perplexed by Elena’s words that he couldn’t afford to think about anything.

“Do you not want to?”

“There isn’t a possibility, Commander.
I’ll be there.”

Edmund eagerly followed Caleb.

Edmund was thinking casually at the same moment.

‘I need to exercise my body so that I can think of a solution.’

Of course, the technique focused on what Elena stated.

He was, in fact, correct.

After studying the weapons and practising on the training ground, he devised a basic plan for how he would act in order to win Elena’s approval.

Edmund walked out into the streets as soon as he finished his training to explore all the shops linked to ladies, such as flower shops, clothing shops, clothes shops, and jewellery shops.

After purchasing all of the most popular and expensive things, he instructed merchants to have them delivered to the Royal Knights’ office early the next morning.

Edmund’s expression was filled with confidence as he returned to the Marquis’ estate.

‘I am certain that this is enough to pique her interest in teaching me.’

Edmund smiled as he thought about Elena, who would be astonished and thrilled to receive his gifts the next day.