Chapter 139: Early Childhood Lessons
While Anna was still wondering if Armand could really be a reliable and responsible father, the so-called "daughter" Rachel was already thinking about whether she could switch to a better dad.
Right now, the main reason Rachel was staying with Armand was because she felt like she had nowhere else to go and didn’t have a better option. She had believed that, as the captain of the Royal Knights, Armand was the best choice when it came to status and money. But after meeting Carle, she finally realized, ‘Wait a minute, wasn’t the super-rich vice-captain also an option?!’
Back when she first woke up in Armand’s mansion, she had even mistaken it for Carle’s home. She knew Carle could afford to live in a manor as big as one gifted by the royal family, but she didn’t expect him to be that rich.
What kind of man is the most charming? Obviously, the rich one!
That one sentence, “My family’s fortune is enough for her to waste for several generations” went straight to the heart of money-loving Rachel.
“Being rich is the best...”
It was actually Armand who said that out loud.
He wasn’t the type to hide his feelings of envy. Armand wasn’t some noble saint who loved a simple life. He had been saving up a lot of money himself, hoping to one day retire peacefully in the countryside.
After all, as the Royal Knights’ captain, even without any family business behind him, his salary and benefits were many times higher than normal. The money he’d saved should be more than enough for him to live comfortably for the rest of his life.
“Didn’t I tell you? If you ever need money, just let me know. I already gave you a card, didn’t I?”
Carle, being a close friend who had once risked his life with Armand, never hesitated to share his wealth. His family was rich enough to raise another Armand entirely. Even if Armand moved in with his whole extended family, Carle could still afford to support them all.
“I’m not that desperate. I can still handle my own expenses.”
Faced with this "rich CEO" style Carle, Armand laughed and casually leaned on the desk again, his heels tapping lightly against the wood.
—So, that means... Armand is also pretty rich?
As for Rachel, her mind was now completely filled with the word “money.” That was all she cared about right now. After all, she was an alchemist. What kind of alchemist doesn’t need money?
Sure, Rachel could make fake coins that were hard to tell apart from the real thing using certain materials, but honestly, it was a lot of work. And because of how market prices changed, sometimes the cost of making the fake coin was higher than the coin’s actual value. It was a lose-lose business that wasn’t worth the effort.
If Armand was also rich... then overall, it seemed like staying in Armand’s home was still the best option for her.
Even though that terrifying “Red Crow” woman was there too, at least Carle already had a wife and a child. It wouldn’t make sense for Rachel to try to get involved with a family like that.
Besides, even if she did somehow get involved, she figured her treatment would never match his real daughter’s. So she might as well take advantage of the situation while she was still Armand’s only “child” and use his feelings to her benefit. Later on, if Armand really decided to settle down with someone else, she’d probably already have found a way to run off on her own by then. Whatever he chose to do afterward wouldn’t matter to her.
“Armand, I think...”
Carle looked at Rachel thoughtfully, scanning her up and down. His focused gaze made Rachel nervous again, was he about to circle back and start asking about her background again?
“I think you should take this child out to explore a bit more.”
Carle said calmly, “If you really want to raise her well, it’s important to broaden her view of the world now. Besides, kids grow up fast. Once this stage of her life passes, it’s gone forever. So it’s better to spend this time with her seriously, and let her have a real childhood.”
When it came to raising children, Carle seemed especially serious. Although he was usually strict and by-the-book, he often said odd things. So seeing him this focused actually made Armand feel a little uncomfortable.
Still, Armand thought what he said made sense. After all, Armand himself had never been a fan of studying.
But after Carle finished speaking, Armand looked toward Rachel, who was sitting on the couch, as if asking for her opinion. Judging by her earlier reaction, she seemed very eager to have a teacher.
“......”
Rachel noticed his gaze, and nervously twisted her fingers.
“I just... I just want... to get more things,” she said, choosing a vague answer after some hesitation.
“What kind of things?”
Armand got down from the table and plopped down next to her.
“...I want everything.”
“You’re a greedy little one,” he said, stretching his arm behind her on the sofa and letting his hand hang down beside her. Then he playfully flicked his fingers, lightly tapping her childish cheek.
“Well, if you insist, then fine.”
Hearing Rachel’s words, Carle uncapped his fountain pen, pulled out a blank piece of paper, and started writing as he spoke.
“First, etiquette classes. They’re not the most important, but you still need some basic manners. Like they say, when the time comes, even if you’re faking it, you need to make it look good.”
“Next are academic lessons. This includes things like math and science, as well as literature and theory. If you’re going to study, you need to really understand what you learn.”
“Then there are the arts. You don’t need to master everything, music, painting, writing, calligraphy. But you should know a little of each.”
“Lastly, physical training. Without enough strength, you won’t make it through all the classes. If you want, you can come and train with the knight squad.”
After finishing the four parts, Carle stood up and walked over to Rachel. He handed the paper, which was way more detailed than his short explanation, to Armand and Rachel.
Rachel already had a headache just from listening to all of that, and when she saw the paper full of tiny writing, she felt even more overwhelmed.
“Whoa, this is a lot...”
Armand took the note and looked at the endless list of classes with surprise.
“Studying is always like this. This is already the simplified version,” Carle replied.
“Your daughter’s going to learn all this too?”
“She just needs to know how to count money and bargain.”
“Eh~~ That’s favoritism.”
“No, I just noticed that this little girl seems eager to learn, so I told her the truth.”
As he said that, Carle looked at Rachel again. Standing above her, the way the light cast a shadow made Rachel feel a lot of pressure.
Carle lowered his head and seemed to pick up something from the way Rachel’s small, tense hands were slightly trembling.
“It looks like... you’re not that interested in all this, are you?” He gently placed his hand on Rachel’s head.
“Or could it be... that you have something else in mind?”