I'm Only a Stepmother, But my Daughter is Just so Cute

CHAPTER 11

Now, Duke Stork being here was nothing out of the ordinary, him being Blanche's grandfather and all, but... Sure enough, the thought of coming face-to-face with one of Abigail's likely murder suspects was rather uncomfortable. Unnoticed, I watched a safe distance away as Duke Stork conversed briefly with Miss Jeremie, who listened with her hands folded politely in front of her. A few pats on her shoulder signaled the end of the conversation and he took his leave. Hm... I wonder what they were talking about? The two looked pre~tty friendly with each other.

Miss Jeremie had gone back inside at this point so I waited a few seconds more before making my way over naturally. Blanche's maid standing by the door spotted my approach and greeted me nervously, "W-welcome, Lady Abigail. The princess is currently having her etiquette lessons. You will find her if you head straight inside."

"Is it fine for me to enter during her lesson?"

"Of course it is, ma'am." After a moment of consideration, I nodded.

Leaving Clara and Norma behind, I headed for Blanche and Miss Jeremie in the study. Today's lesson focus seemed to be on posture. I peeked in to see Blanche taking careful steps with a book balanced upon her head. Rather than looking noble, she's... c-cute...!! Why do they not have cameras in this era?! I need to take photos!!! Sob...well, it can't be helped...I can only attempt to burn the images onto my retinas...

As I silently cheered the girl on in my head, I heard something drop onto the ground. Mm? What's this? Ah, the book on Blanche's head fell, huh. It was just a book, but Blanche turned really pale for some reason. Something was a little off here...

Miss Jeremie walked over and picked up the fallen book, dusting it off with sharp, precise movements. Her unsmiling face was quite the study in chilly disapproval, as was her voice, "Let's try that again. Since you're Lady Miriam's child, I believe that you can do much better than that if you try. Proceed."

"Y-yes...!" Blanche took the book and moved back to her original position. Just like before, she began making her way across the room with the book perched atop her head. Unfortunately, she wasn't even able to make it halfway there this time.

Miss Jeremie's sigh was loud in the ensuing silence. She opened her mouth again, heralding another stern reprimand, "Walking to the end is important, but you need to put more effort into your posture. Beauty and posture are inextricably linked. It doesn't matter how lovely you look in your dress: if you do not carry yourself well, you have no beauty to speak of."

Woah, scary... Miss Jeremie is a total Spartan huh... Frankly, it wouldn't hurt her to be a little more caring since the girl's still young and all. In any case, Miss Jeremie's lecture ended with this resounding declaration: "Beauty is what's most important in a woman. Title and intelligence bedamned, without beauty to support her first and foremost, all else is meaningless."

As soon as I heard it, my mood took an immediate nosedive. There was an unpleasant feeling in my throat like I'd swallowed something foul. Several scenes from my previous life flashed across my mind—memories of the times I'd been told the exact same thing. The laughter and snickering that accompanied all those many instances of so-called well-meaning advice on what a woman's worth came down to: her beauty. The unwanted memories relentlessly battered my heart—bad memories that I'd much rather do without. Miss Jeremie's not right. She's not, but...

As I stood, quietly lost in thought, Miss Jeremie walked over to adjust Blanche's posture. "Straighten your back, tilt your chin down a little more. And your hips... Mm?" A strange look crossed Miss Jeremie's face as she felt around Blanche's hips for a bit. "....Princess Blanche, did you eat anything other than the foods that I approved of?"