Chapter 201 What kind of prince does he like?! ...
“Starting today, you will have two hours to study with me.”
Before Asmin could understand what was going on, the nanny said, "Princess Lana, this is against the rules. A mother cannot personally teach her illegitimate daughter."
“Here, I am the rule,” I said calmly.
Seeing my serious expression and resolute determination, the nanny dared not say anything more.
Since Asmin was still young, I started by teaching her not to hit people randomly. If she hit someone, I would hit her. She would cry loudly and run to the nanny, so I would make the nanny leave. She understood that when she had no one to rely on, she had to obey my instructions. I told her, "You can't hit people randomly, and you can't let anyone hit you randomly."
I first demonstrated to a maid what it means to "not offend others unless they offend me." I don't hit people randomly, and others won't hit me randomly. If someone bullies me without cause, I will definitely retaliate.
After demonstrating a few times, I started practicing with Asmin. It was like a game to her. She was a little resistant at first, but then she enjoyed it and eventually figured out the rules.
I would occasionally observe her playing with the maids in secret. If she started hitting people again, I would immediately appear and hit her in the same way she hit others. She would cry loudly, and I would say, "Hitting people is wrong. If I find out, I will hit you."
After this happened several times, she improved significantly. When she wanted to hit someone, she paused, thought about it, and then put her little hand down.
The nanny complained about me, saying privately that I didn't understand aristocratic etiquette, and that it was unacceptable for a master not to discipline his servants, otherwise I would be bullied by unruly servants. I was displeased by this and instructed the head maid to intentionally isolate the nanny and Asmin, reducing the time they spent together.
I later had Hero find a well-built bodyguard to keep the nanny occupied.
Sure enough, from then on, the nanny and Asumi spent much less time together. The nanny was busy dating and dressing up, and had no time for Asumi.
I hired professional etiquette and grammar teachers to give Asmin lessons in the morning, and the afternoons focused on sports, such as horseback riding, archery, and swimming.
“But I know that even if I give her lessons like this, it might not help her,” I said to Hero. “Back when I was Iani’s tutor, how much did Iani actually learn?”
“What’s important for a noble lady isn’t what she learns from books, but how she socializes,” Hero said. “The most popular noble ladies in the court are the best at socializing, and even if their parents aren’t well-off, they can still find a good husband.”
I remained noncommittal. "Is choosing a good husband the most important thing in her life?"
“She can choose a good husband and then pursue a career like a man. A good husband is a great stepping stone,” Helo chuckled.
“We are already in a very good position,” I said dismissively. “Asimin’s father is the Grand Master of the North. We don’t need a son-in-law as a stepping stone.”
“Mountains may crumble, but having more options means having more paths,” Hero said with a smile. “But most importantly, if Miss Asmin is good at socializing, she can choose a husband she likes and be with the person she loves, which is also good.”
I thought about it for a moment, then remained silent.
Being good at socializing is indeed a skill, but it's not about finding a good husband.
I started taking Asmin to tea parties for ladies, where there were often many children. The ladies would drink tea and chat together, while the children would play with toys and games.
After attending for a while, the social event ended in failure. The noblewomen's children were simply too fierce. As the youngest, Asumi was frequently bullied; her toys were snatched, she was pushed to the ground, and other children would hit her, causing her to cry loudly. The maids were helpless. Although they stayed by her side, they dared not retaliate when the other children reached out to hit, snatch, or push her. At most, they could only carry Asumi away, but some of the fiercer children would chase after her and beat her.
I was furious and shouted loudly about who the children's mother was, when several noble ladies covered their mouths and smiled elegantly, "It's just children playing around, why is Princess Lana taking it so seriously?"
"Yes, it's better for children to experience some setbacks when they're young, so they won't overreact to every little thing when they grow up."
“My daughter was often beaten when she was little, but she’s very strong now. It’s all thanks to the hard work she’s put in.”
I tolerated it the first few times, but then one time I saw Asumi being tripped and knocked to the ground by a big girl, hitting her head on the table and bleeding from her forehead. I couldn't take it anymore and rushed over, but the big girl's mother was faster and immediately pulled the big girl away. Several tall maids blocked me. I angrily demanded that the big girl apologize, but the big girl's mother was arrogant and sneered, "Just a bastard daughter, and she wants my daughter to apologize?"
I grabbed a vase and threw it at her. She dodged it, but then pretended to fall down in fright and cried out, "Murder!"
The vase shattered on the ground with a bang, and her cries, the big girl's cries, and Asmin's cries all mingled together, creating chaos at the scene.
Late at night, I sat by Asmin's bedside, looking at her who was already fast asleep, stroking the bandage on her forehead, and sighed softly.
Hero advised me to go to bed early, so I slowly got up and walked to my room across the street.
"How do Prince Dessen and Prince Bernard's illegitimate children practice social skills?" I asked.
“They have special social gatherings,” Hero said. “Each child has two maids to watch over them and prevent them from fighting or bickering. If anyone gets into a fight, a servant will take the child who started it away. The children’s mothers are not allowed to stay there to prevent them from protecting their own.”
"Tell me how their illegitimate children study?"
Hero opened the door for me and told me that they had both public and private lessons. The public lessons were taught by a common teacher in a large stone hall, where they studied grammar, mathematics, and other languages together. The private lessons were taught by their own private tutors, such as finance, housekeeping, dancing, etiquette, etc., depending on their individual needs.
“Prince Dessen and Prince Bernard spend a lot of money every year on the education of their illegitimate children,” Helos clicked his tongue. “Many nobles are amazed at how much they will spend on the education of their legitimate children in the future.”
“These are their own children, shouldn’t they spend more money on their education?” I said.
“That’s not necessarily true. Many nobles are reluctant to spend money and just send their illegitimate children to any school.” Hero said as he drew the bed curtains for me. “Not the palace school you manage. That palace school is for the illegitimate children of middle and lower-ranking nobles. There’s also a higher-ranking palace school for the illegitimate children of high-ranking nobles. Of course, the fees are much higher, but it’s still cheaper than public or private schools.”
I chuckled. "No matter where you are, tuition fees are always expensive."
I meant that tuition fees are not cheap in the modern world either, and many students have gone gray worrying about tuition fees. It turns out that it is the same in this other world. But Hailuo heard it as another meaning. "Yes, it is expensive in other countries as well. It is said that tuition fees in the North, South and West are not cheap either. But learning is something that only nobles can afford to do. The cost must be high."
Before we knew it, summer had arrived. Summer is rainy, and when it's hot and humid, the rain pours down, covering the ground.
I've fallen silent, refusing to participate in any activities. Aside from tea parties, I've stopped going to dances. I can't be bothered. What does any of this have to do with me? The struggle for fame and fortune is none of my concern. I'm just waiting for an opportunity to leave.
I devoted most of my energy to Asumi, and basically ignored everything else.
Desen often tried to please me, ordering beautiful clothes and jewelry for me, but I still didn't pay much attention to him. His weighing of pros and cons during our honeymoon period only made me feel bored.
His mysterious and beautiful face, pale and alluring skin, and elegant and noble temperament were quite attractive to me at first, but the way he was led by the nose by profit made me feel that he was nothing special, and all the attractive points disappeared without a trace.
As time went on, Desen became somewhat unhappy with me. One day, after getting drunk, he leaned back in his comfortable armchair and boasted to the other nobles, "What's so great about her? Does she really think she's some princess descended from some country? Does she need men to fuck her?"
The other nobles laughed heartily, with one saying, "Her arrogance is only because of the confidence she receives from you and Prince Bernard."
Desen, displeased, drunkenly said, "If it weren't for the fact that she used to have some skills, who would pay any attention to her? As for Bernard, my brother ignored her a long time ago and is probably sleeping with some beautiful women right now."
The nobles burst into laughter again. "Prince Bernard has been attending balls frequently lately, indulging in nightly revelry."
"He and Crown Prince Ivanhoe reportedly participated in those private beauty pageants and selected quite a few beauties."
"Prince Bernard likes big butts, while Crown Prince Ivanhoe likes big breasts."
Somehow, the conversation went off track from the point where Desen was supposed to be badmouthing me.
I heard it from Aya. Aya has no other hobbies but gossip and listening to others gossip. She's short and a master eavesdropper, so she always manages to find out things others can't. Of course, others might find out the same things, but they might not tell me, but Aya always does.
Aya sometimes sneaks off to dances or aristocratic parties to join in the fun, and this time she overheard it while she was there.
"Sis, I heard Prince Bernard has been going wild lately, sleeping with several beauty pageant contestants," Aya told me. "Even his chief mistress can't keep him in check."
"How many women can truly hold onto a man?" I was a little tired after finally putting Asmin to sleep.
"He and Crown Prince Ivanhoe got into a fight yesterday over a woman."
"Really? He's so boring."
"Prince Bernard was struck on the forehead by Crown Prince Ivanhoe and wanted to fight him, but Prince Desen stopped him."
"And then what?"
"Later? I don't know what happened after that." Aya shrugged, looking regretful.
"Why don't we ask around?" I joked.
"Okay." Aya dashed off in a flash.
Before Aya could even find out, I heard shocking news: Crown Prince Ivankh was dead! Died from group sex! A violent storm raged that night, and it was just as violent inside. The next morning, after the rain stopped, a terrified scream erupted from inside: "Help! Help! The Crown Prince is dead!"
Several naked women, their breasts jiggling, rushed out screaming, "Help! Help!"
There were also sharp, fluctuating cries.
The guards rushed in, only to find the Crown Prince's naked body lying on the bed, his face deathly pale, his lips a horribly bluish-purple, and he was not breathing. Sunlight shone on his still-open eyes, casting a chilling, deathly light…
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