The Scholar and The Crown

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I stared intensely at my father, who was sitting across from me. His eyes were stern, but a hint of weariness flickered in them.

"Don't forget to breathe, Maude," he uttered, his voice a blend of command and concern.

"Pwuah!" I suddenly caught my breath and snapped back to reality, realizing I had been holding it in.

"Can't they just hire another tutor?" I groaned, frustration bubbling up. This whole scenario was making me sick.

My father sighed deeply, the sound heavy with the weight of responsibility. "Maeve's actions were embarrassing enough. The only way we can counter that is to send another Robinson to compensate for them."

That woman...

"Why me? Of all your available children, why me?" I demanded, my voice edging on desperation.

He rubbed his forehead, likely aching from my repetitive questions. "Your older brother Marius is expecting a child; he can't be away from his wife right now. Magnus is in another country and won't leave until his studies are finished."

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. "What about older sister Mavis? She was free," I argued, searching for any escape.

"History wasn't her subject, and History is the subject to be filled in," he stated firmly.

I leaned my head against the wall of the carriage, the vibrations of the road seeping into my skull.

I'm done for.

I stared blankly out the window, watching the scenery blur by.

Being a tutor to spoiled noble ladies isn't even on my bingo card this year!

A month ago...

Sweat dripped onto the soil as I heaved the hoe into the ground again. I looked up, squinting against the sun, and grabbed the white towel hanging around my neck to wipe my sweat.

Five lanes plowed today. Haha, good job, Maude.

Then I looked to my left and saw a large, undisturbed piece of land. It stretched endlessly, a daunting reminder of the work yet to be done.

I started to contemplate my life decisions.

"Regretting your decisions?" my older sister Mavis shouted from the fence she was perched on, her voice carrying a teasing lilt.

"No, I'm not!" I quickly straightened my body, defiantly throwing back my shoulders. "Good for you!" she shouted back, laughing.

I was about to plow again when I heard our head maid's voice, stopping my hoe mid-air. "Maude, Mavis, go home! Count Maven has arrived!"

Father? But it's only the middle of the month.

I slung my hoe over my shoulder and walked towards my sister, who had just gotten down from the fence.

"Why is Father home already?" I asked as we headed towards the manor.

Our father is the royal secretary to the king himself. He only comes home on the last two days of the month. That's why I'm wondering.

It's not like there's an emergency in the manor right now.

"Isn't it almost time?" Mavis asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Time for what?" I looked at her, puzzled. "The crown prin—"

"Oh good heavens! Look at yourself, Lady Maude!" We were stopped by the head maid at the kitchen door, her hands on her hips.

I glanced down. My clothes were covered in dirt and mud, from my head to my shoes, my fingers caked with soil.

"Those stains are hard to remove," Mavis remarked before waving and leaving me to face the head maid's disapproval alone.

The head maid sighed in disbelief. "The Count is here already. You don't have time to change. Just give me your hoe and proceed to the main hall." She instructed, and I obeyed, feeling her stern gaze on my back.

"Father?" I called when I saw a familiar figure sitting on the couch alongside my mother in the grand hall.

He turned his head, and his deep blue eyes behind his glasses greeted me first, filled with a mix of exhaustion and determination.

It's really him.

"What happened to you?" my mother asked, concerned, her eyes scanning my disheveled appearance.

"She's been out in the fields all day again," Mavis answered nonchalantly, plopping down on a chair.

Another sigh. All day, all I heard was sighing.

"Honey, can you escort her to a party in the capital sometimes? Just look at her; she needs to settle down and learn some etiquette," Mother whined to Father, her voice tinged with worry.

"Why me? Mavis is older," I suggested, sitting on the couch beside Maeve.

"Hey!" Maeve protested, but I ignored her.

"Anyway, Father, why did you come back so soon?" my older brother Marius asked, his brow furrowed with concern.

"I need to escort Maeve to the royal palace," he revealed, his tone grave.

"Honey, you said we didn't participate in the Crown Princess selection," my mother said, her voice rising in pitch.

Ah, so this is what Mavis meant earlier. It's almost time for the half-year-long crown princess selection. It happens when the crown prince is of marriageable age, but there's been a delay. I'm 25, the same age as the prince. Usually, the selection starts when the prince is 18.

Odd.

"Of course not, Honey," Father retorted immediately, his expression firm.

"Then what is it, Father?" Maeve asked, her voice small.

"You are tasked with tutoring the ladies participating in the selection," Father announced, his words sending shockwaves through the room.

"But Father, isn't the eldest always sent?" my youngest brother asked, his voice wavering.

"Yes, that's the rule, but given Marius's circumstances, he can't be away since he and his wife are expecting a child," Father explained, looking at Marius, who nodded apologetically.

"Sorry, Father, Maeve," Marius apologized, his voice filled with regret.

"It's okay, son. I could send Magnus, but he's abroad. And Mavis... I could send you, but the subject to be taught is History."

"Thank God, I wasn't good at History!" Mavis whispered, her relief palpable.

"Maeve, are you going to be alright?" Mother asked, holding Maeve's hands tightly, her eyes searching Maeve's face for any sign of distress.

"Why wouldn't she be? She basically grew up in the capital," I butted in, leaning back on the couch and staring at the ornate ceiling.

"Her only problem will be teaching those spoiled noble ladies," I added, returning my gaze to them, my tone dripping with irony.

After that first meeting, my father held another one and then another. This time, it was just him and Maeve. They stayed for two more days before it was time to return to the palace.

But the whole manor was shaken when my sister returned home after one month.

"What did you just say?" Mavis asked again, shocked, her eyes wide.

Maeve hesitantly lifted her head and looked at us, her eyes filled with a mixture of defiance and fear.

"I quit being a tutor," she declared, her voice trembling but resolute.

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