Guide to the Education and Training of Girls with Mentally Abnormalities

Chapter 32 Doubt

"I don't want to be treated as a burden by my family like I used to."

"I want to do more for you and Willow, even if it's just a small thing, it's better than doing nothing."

Edith had a smile on her face.

"Because I'm no longer the second daughter of the Enfield family."

I don't want to be seen as a burden.

I want to do more.

Just because of a fleeting glance, would you spend money to buy this small bag of popcorn?

Edmund looked at him expectantly, like a child eager to be praised after telling his family about his day at school.

He ruffled Edith's hair.

The girl, whose wish had been fulfilled, revealed a cat-like expression =w=, as if one could see a non-existent cat tail swaying in the air with her joyful mood.

Esther remained silent and followed behind Edmund.

"Next time you encounter a similar situation, don't so easily reveal your 'desire' like you did just now."

"These itinerant merchants who travel around are as adept at reading people as if they were trying to find the shadow of a monastery under the sun. Even if the midday sun is flawless at first and there is no shadow at all, they only need to wait a little while and change the angle to find what they want."

Edith blinked, looking surprised.

"Is that so?"

Edmund explained patiently.

"Miss Edith, recall, from the very first conversation he made, it was a pre-planned script."

"First, they pretend to be familiar with you and approach you. Then, when they realize they've mistaken you for someone else, they use the excuse of 'having seen a princess before' to praise you."

"Faced with praise and flattery, almost everyone will naturally develop a favorable impression of the person speaking to them. At this point, if he makes a friendly invitation that is not too much, perhaps saying, 'Could you please invite this beautiful lady to stop for a few minutes and listen to the epic poem I am about to perform?', or as just now, suggesting that you take a look at 'a rare and sought-after item on the train.'"

"If it's an ordinary citizen who isn't well-off, they'll just wave their hand and leave as soon as they hear the sales pitch."

"But a young lady like you, who is full of curiosity about the unknown and comes from a noble family with little contact with the outside world, would probably think, 'It won't take long anyway,' and then stop."

"If that were a bard, as long as a woman of such extraordinary bearing as you stopped, people would soon follow suit and stop to see 'what kind of poetry and folk songs could make even nobles stop in their tracks'."

"If he were a traveling merchant, he would have earned 1 silver coin from you just now—an amount that is insignificant to a nobleman but a small windfall for an ordinary person."

"So that's how it is?" Her tone was somewhat regretful. "I really thought it was made from elven rice, going through all sorts of messy processes from dwarven and elven craftsmen before being spewed out by a dragon's breath."

"Was I scammed?"

Edith moved closer, almost staring up at Edmund who was right in front of her.

"Not really—" Edmund didn't want to dampen the girl's enthusiasm for taking responsibility and doing something, so he gently comforted her.

"After all, this kind of snack is indeed something that is hard to find in Karenbel City."

"Let's just consider it a taste of something new."

"However, next time, I suggest you be more careful."

Edith bit her lip.

"I see."

"No one taught me these things at home before; they just called me a disobedient and bad child."

"Besides Willow, there's no one else." She looked up, staring directly at Edmund. "Sometimes I really envy my sister; she met you before I did."

"But now, you're by my side, hehe."

The girl's affection seemed genuine; her personal maid stood calmly and solemnly as always, as if she had grown accustomed to her mistress's sweet and gentle demeanor in front of Edmund.

Edmund smiled.

And what about me, a wandering poet and a traveling merchant?

They achieved their current status through exaggerated storytelling—perhaps the only difference between me and them is that I genuinely taught those students from the past, allowing them to truly learn what they wanted from me.

But looking at Edith's clear smile and her hair gently swaying in the warm spring breeze, he suddenly thought of Alicia.

He doesn't like to let emotions get mixed up when it comes to matters of interest.

That would only result in both sides losing.

The smile on the young man's face gradually faded.

As if he couldn't bear to face the girl's blazing sunlight, he turned around to look at the silent white cat following behind him.

At least, this "fallen nobleman" who followed him in a foreign land was the one who was truly closer to him.

He patted Esther gently.

"Estelle, remember this too: if anything asks you to spend money, think about whether it's really necessary before you do it."

Seeing that the girl didn't move, Edmund poked Esther's head again.

"Are you daydreaming again?"

"~?" The cat, who was suddenly called out, was stunned for a moment.

Her ahoge (a stray hair on her head) swayed, and her lake-blue eyes reflected the sky and the young man's face before she softly hummed in agreement.

"I will remember that."

Esther spoke with her head down.

To her, Edmund was like that excessively scorching sun.

The blazing sun, while casting its light and heat upon the earth, upon mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas, upon the towering trees in the forest, incidentally casts a ray of light upon me, a small blade of grass that has never seen the sun before.

The owner doesn't need me to do anything.

I shouldn't expect the owner to treat me the way he treated Miss Edith. Demanding things... that's not something someone who owes a debt should do.

All I need to do is study hard.

As long as I don't cause trouble for my husband, that's fine.

She silently repeated in her mind what Edmund had just said.

[Estée's "Daily Life Guidelines - Scam Prevention" progress +1, course points +1. The amount is not yet enough to be exchanged for gold coins, but has been automatically accumulated for you.]

"Wow, this bread smells so good! Edmund!"

"Can I buy this?!" Edith peered out from the bakery.

"As long as it's something you want to do based on your own will, of course, no problem—I'm just your housekeeper, your employee."

"You are my boss."

"I'll take it!" Edith exclaimed excitedly, taking the paper-wrapped bread from the vendor and breaking off half to reveal its steaming, soft interior. "Here you go!"

He took the bread from the girl, took a bite, and exclaimed, "It's delicious!"

"You should try some too!"

"Um, thank you." Esther glanced at Edmund, bewildered, as the bread was shoved into her hand. Seeing that the young man wasn't looking at her, she took a small bite.

Edmund watched Edith wander among the vendors and markets ahead, like a country bumpkin visiting the Grand View Garden.

Although he knew that his system was not perfect and would often swallow messages without his knowledge.

But when he is conscious, the system will never fail him.

Estée, who had remained silent and seemed not to have listened at all, was prompted by the system with a "learning progress" notification.

But Edith, who was proactive and eager to learn, had nothing.

Edmund recalled the initial "tracking teaching progress prompts".

Thinking about how he, as the landlord, tried to persuade the tenant to stay when she wanted to leave, and recalling the girl's seemingly genuine joy and happiness just now.

He watched the girl's back as her ponytail bounced.

There is no love for no reason, and no hate for no reason.

Edith.

Why are you approaching me?