Chapter 23
The card had two bright red apples boldly drawn on it, and letters were written underneath. Alice showed the cards one by one, prompting Grace to read the letters with the help of the pictures.
“Be… bed. Hand. Tr…ee.”
“Yes, very good. Next one.”
“Wa…lk. Sit. E-eat.”
Grace could read words for familiar objects or actions easily with the help of the pictures. But there were also unfamiliar ones.
“Sh…ip?”
Grace tilted her head as she looked at the object drawn in the center of the card. It showed a thick, three-story ship with masts and cabins.
“Yes. It floats on water and moves forward.”
“Ship… ship.”
Grace repeated the word. It shared the floating aspect with the “ship” she knew, but the shape was different.
The only ship Grace had seen before was a small rowboat floating on the Reinhardt estate’s lake. It amazed her that something this bulky and strange-looking could also be called a “ship.”
“People ride it to travel across the sea.”
“S…ea?”
Grace had never once left land in her life. She didn’t know the word “sea.”
“What… is that?”
“Hmm… it’s a very wide area filled with water.”
Grace’s eyes, full of curiosity, turned to Alice. Alice spread her arms wide.
“Actually, it’s so wide I can’t even show it with my arms. This is the best I can do with words. But once you see it, you’ll understand.”
“Te…teacher, have you ever been on a ship?”
“Of course. I came to this land by crossing the sea on a ship.”
“Wow…”
Grace looked down at the picture card again. It was amazing to think that this oddly shaped thing could float—and that Alice had actually ridden one.
“Was… was it fun?”
“It has its moments. There are many beautiful sights to see out at sea.”
“Wh…when?”
“I came here six years ago. I’m originally from an island.”
“I…sland?”
“It’s another land, far away from here. People live there too, just like here. Of course, it’s much smaller. People there call this land a ‘continent.’”
As Grace listened to Alice’s story, she became curious about the places called the “sea” and the “island.” She heard they had a different kind of beauty from the land.
“I… I want to go there.”
“How about going with His Grace the Duke someday? I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.”
“H-His Grace?”
Grace’s eyes widened.
Had Frederick ever been to the sea or an island? She’d heard that he’d traveled far and wide during his time in the military.
Unlike her, who had never left the Reinhardt estate, it seemed likely he had.
“Y-yes…”
Grace nodded, her face flushed with excitement.
The idea of going somewhere with Frederick still felt unfamiliar—but maybe, one day, it could happen. She found herself hoping it would.
“Um…”
About a month and a half into learning to read, Grace carefully called out to Frederick just before going to bed.
“Do you have something to say?”
“P-please look at this.”
Grace opened her clenched hand. Inside was a piece of paper, folded into a square. She unfolded it and held it out to Frederick.
“I… wrote this.”
Frederick took the paper she handed him. Two lines of writing were on it.
“You wrote your name.”
“Yes. Gr…ace Lin Winst…aine. Frederick… Leon Win…staine.”
Grace slowly read out what she had written.
“…Not bad at all.”
Frederick nodded absently as he looked at the paper.
He had expected something messy, like a child’s scrawl, given she was just starting to learn. But her handwriting was neat and clean. It didn’t look like it came from someone who hadn’t even known the alphabet until recently.
“You must have practiced a lot. Writing letters this neatly is no easy task. It’s better than most people’s handwriting.”
“Really?”
Grace’s face lit up at his compliment.
“Do… do you want to see more? I have more.”
“You mean more writing?”
“W-wait just a moment! I’ll go get it.”
Excited, Grace jumped out of bed and left the room.
‘What now?’
Frederick stared blankly at the door she’d just exited. He’d just praised her more than he usually would. It was just neat handwriting, after all.
Maybe it was her reaction. She was so genuinely happy, even at his brief and blunt praise—it was oddly endearing.
While Frederick questioned himself, Grace returned from the room next door with a small notebook.
“L-look at this.”
She opened the front of the notebook and placed it on Frederick’s hand.
January 27, 865 – Today’s afternoon tea time was the best. The meringue cookies were so delicious. Annie, Rena, and Sally liked them a lot too.
January 28, 865 – It’s not that cold anymore. I went for a walk, and the wind wasn’t too strong. Annie said spring is coming soon.
January 29, 865 – Today, Alice said I’m learning fast again. That made me happy. I want to keep studying hard.
Frederick flipped through the notebook, reading the entries inside.
Each page had a date written on it, followed by a few simple sentences.
‘She’s picking up full sentences fast.’
Frederick was surprised, forgetting his earlier thoughts. She hadn’t known any letters at all just over a month ago—and now, she was writing like this.
He recalled Dorota’s report.
“Madam is learning incredibly fast. She picked up numbers quickly too, and the tutor says she seems to have a natural talent for arithmetic.”
At the time, Frederick had brushed it off, thinking the tutor was just being kind. But seeing it with his own eyes left him stunned.
The sentences were simple, but clearly showed that she had grasped basic grammar.
“How can you already write sentences like this? It’s hard to believe. Is this even possible?”
“N-no… It’s all because Teacher Alice teaches me so well. I… really like her.”
Come to think of it, her speech had also improved. Though she still stammered or stretched her words sometimes, it happened far less now, and she often formed full sentences.
“What are you learning these days?”
“I’m… reading books.”
Grace answered proudly.
“Sir Alfredo’s fairy tale collection…! I’m… reading it now.”
“Oh, that one.”
Frederick recognized the book too.
Sir Alfredo’s fairy tale collection was a compilation of folktales and legends from around the country. Frederick had read it when he was a child as well.
“You’re really working hard.”
Considering that most children start learning letters at age four and begin reading easy books around age six, this was a remarkable achievement.
Even accounting for the fact that Grace was older and had better comprehension, her progress was amazing.
“I’m glad studying doesn’t seem boring to you—uh, I mean, that’s good.”
Frederick cleared his throat softly. He had been the one to assign her a tutor, so saying he was glad felt oddly embarrassing.
“It’s not boring. I… like it. I like Alice very much.”
Grace blushed shyly and began praising her tutor.
“Do you like arithmetic too?”
“Y-yes! I learned how to count numbers.”
Grace spread her palms wide.
“She said I could count using these. One, two, three…”
Her pale fingers folded down one by one.
“…Ten.”
Grace smiled brightly.
“Alright. It’s getting late, so let’s get to sleep.”
Seeing her innocent smile, Frederick suddenly felt an unfamiliar emotion rising, so he decided to end the conversation and lie down.
Grace wasn’t sure why he was acting like that all of a sudden, but she followed his lead and lay down to sleep.
