「AshaMaria。」
Together with high-pitched reprimand’s voice, the back of my hand was beaten with a thin pointy stick.
My tutor, Dorcie-sensei is looking at me with an angry face.
The young me couldn’t quite able to drink soup without making any noise. Until I am able to have a perfect table manners, I were to have meal under Dorcie-sensei’s supervision in the study room.
Dorcie-sensei…as a tutor for Thousand family, she was precisely able to be fair in her role.
Because of that, even if she was facing young children, her guidance was strict. Though I felt she was especially stern towards me.
In summary, dark brown hair, she wore a good quality and simple long skirt, she was older than my mother and Flore-sama, and had difficult to approach atmosphere.
Under her guidance, she only overlooked a mistake up to three times, if it’s more than that, somewhere around the body will be beaten with a pointy rod. However, it is not like after get beaten immediately become able to do it. Not to mention opposing is impossible impossible.
She grew up as a lady attendant, but I have heard the rumour about Dorcie-sensei as a daughter of collapsed baron family. Well, it does not matter to me.
When I am called to the mansion, I am to study「Education as a n.o.ble」in the study room. Without too much things, there was a s.p.a.cious room.
In a territory where there were four simple tables is the place of cla.s.sroom learning. The practice of tea time manners is at nekoashi sofa and table…the point is to memorise how to brew delicious black tea. In one part of vacant s.p.a.ce, on the wooden floor, dance steps could be done there.
(TN: nekoashi (猫足): carved table leg with “ball and claw” foot)
Despite being a place of cla.s.sroom learning, during the time I was in the mansion, I was having meal on the table of the study room until I was around 8 years old. After I turned around 5-year-old, elder brother and sisters were not around in this room.
If I think now, having meal here was the time where I could relax enough without reprimand from Dorcie-sensei. The lady attendant brought the meal by cart to the study room, next we serve by ourselves, sort the cutlery, deepen the knowledge about the ingredients, and taste it. With decent conversation and happy irrelevant gathering (団らんとは無縁であった), we properly tasted and felt the delicious meal.
Sensei is able to properly carry table manners and make a judgement, end up having meal with family and in dining hall, the food can still be enjoyed deliciously.
(Raw: 先生がちゃんと食事のマナーを身に付けたと判断されてからは、家族（？！）と食堂で食事を摂る羽目になってしまい、たいそう食事が美味しくなくなってしまった。)
No matter how high quality and under careful investigation ingredients, even if a first-cla.s.s chef is cooking it, I can almost ignore it.
(Raw: いくら高級食材や吟味された食材で一流のシェフが調理していても、私はほぼ無視されているから。)
The most delicious meal is eating with mum the food that she made. No matter how old I become, it will not change.
If I talk about the cla.s.sroom learning, the first thing I can remember is character. And then it is mainly dictation or writing down characters (書き取り) .
In order to become able to read character, it was no longer slightly scary to spend time alone in the mansion. It is because I borrowed picture books from the library room in the mansion which boasts splendid book collections. When I was 3-year-old, I all of sudden slept alone at night and it was scary and frightening, I covered my head with futon and sang a song. No matter how fluffy the bed, no matter how clean the bed, I’ve been always sleeping with my mum in the same bed. Longing for others, I want to cry, but if I cry I think surely I will get yelled awfully, I couldn’t do that. I used to really think obediently not showing true feelings is not these days trauma.
When compared to my elder brother and sisters, my cla.s.sroom learning time is not at all lesser, I was forced to thoroughly memorise one whole book of n.o.ble family almanac.
n.o.ble family almanac, in relation to aristocrats of this country, is completely similar to things that are recorded in dictionary. There are about 1000 pages. Regarding a person that is mentioned in aristocrat family registry, name is naturally there, hair and eyes colour, distinguished features, and until achievements are recorded. There is also a drawing portrait of the royalty. Furthermore, just genealogy of a royalty family takes 15 pages, the relationship diagram of royalty families’ relatives is also recorded.
By the way, I am also properly recorded. Name and brown blonde hair and eyes. Although it is only one line. I am angry that the name of my mother is left blank.
The latest one of this n.o.ble family almanac is issued annually, every time if I have spare time, I will be asked various questions by Dorcie-sensei, 「My favourite book is n.o.ble family almanac。」is to be said repeatedly. If I can’t answer, of course with a pointy rod…
I wonder why Dorcie-sensei asked me to read only this.
After study room, the most studied one is dance. The dance that common people do is completely different.
First, if the posture is not nice, then no good (ダメ). How many hours needed for standing and placing book on the head? When the book drops because of the malicious elder sisters, I got beaten by Dorcie-sensei with the pointy rod.
And then wearing hand down dress from my elder sisters, putting on high heels, and smilingly practicing steps.
I think I never received an invitation to a ball, but Dorcie-sensei is not opposing it (Raw: 私が舞踏会に招待されることなんて無いのにって思っていたけど、ドルシア先生には逆らえず). If the new step becomes popular, immediately I was taught to master it, well because I didn’t dislike dance, I properly memorised it. Incidentally, I also mastered forced smile. I think I myself have a light carriage.
Because the one who brewed tea was mostly me in the study room, it was also properly done skillfully. At least I can find employment as a maid for princess.
Living with mother, I rarely could drink things like tea and high grade luxury item. But, sometimes I also received deteriorated quality tea leaves and returned to make it delicious.
Education of n.o.ble, in what way is this useful?
Obligation as a n.o.ble…I did study. Govern a territory, it becomes a role model for the population of a fief. Serve for the sake of the country. I can’t really think to partic.i.p.ate in those things. Marriage? I can’t think I wish for it.
To me, I didn’t grow up having the pride of an aristocrat at all. Because I only carry half n.o.ble blood, I am being looked down by pure blood aristocrat family, I am also being alienated by workers in the mansion, there is no way to be raised having pride. Although I was raised up with only the self-awareness of a commoner, only the behaviour of aristocrat mismatched me.
(Raw: 庶民である自覚ばかりが育っているのに、貴族の振る舞いだけはできるちぐはぐな私。)
My commoner mother that I like very much didn’t show me the significance of n.o.bility.