blogombal Chapter 49 Home Tutor
Chapter 49 Home Tutor
It's the first snow.
It rarely snows in Mondstadt, and the rare sight made Cecilia put down her harp and look out the window.
Today was just another ordinary day. The schedule, crammed with all sorts of classes, was still posted on the wall, and just looking at it made me feel suffocated.
However, Cecilia was already used to it, and the delightful snow scene outside the window was enough to alleviate her gloom, allowing her to immerse herself in the tranquility before her.
Unfortunately, this leisure time did not last long.
There was a knock on the door.
The timing was perfect, just as scheduled on the timetable.
Cecilia hugged the violin tightly again, preparing herself to welcome her new tutor, before saying, "Please come in."
The door opened with a click, and the old butler of the Laurent family walked in with a young man with black hair.
"Miss Cecilia, this is the new vocal coach that the master has hired for you," the butler introduced in a deep voice.
"Hello." Cecilia stood up from behind the table and stepped forward, humbly lifting her skirt in a curtsy. "I am Cecilia Lawrence, and I extend my greetings to you."
The young man, overwhelmed by the formalities, seemed a little uncomfortable in this situation and gave an awkward smile: "Hello, I'm Wendy."
He reached out his hand, wanting to shake hers.
This is common etiquette—or perhaps it shouldn't even be described as etiquette; it's simply a way of greeting someone upon first meeting them.
The butler frowned, his already stern face stretching even further: "Mr. Wendy, please note that you are facing a young lady from the Lawrence family, not one of your friends."
He emphasized the last two words, stressing the difference between the two. I believe that if it weren't for his upbringing, he would never have used such light and casual words.
Wendy scratched her head awkwardly.
Although he disliked him, the butler was, after all, someone appointed by Lord Lawrence, so he didn't say anything more and left after explaining the precautions.
As he closed the door, he couldn't help but mutter something. Although Cecilia couldn't hear what he said, she could guess from the thought that the old man was complaining about how her father could have found such a person.
Actually, she didn't quite understand either.
After all, the Lawrence family's attitude towards commoners was far from friendly, and could even be described as contemptuous. Her father's choice of a commoner he had never heard of as his tutor was completely beyond her expectations.
However, she did not show her surprise, maintaining the gentle smile befitting a noble lady, and offered a way out to the still somewhat awkward person in front of her: "I'm sorry, Teacher Wendy, the butler is just a bit too old-fashioned at times."
Wendy chuckled, "It's alright, it's alright. I can understand. After all, I inquired about the Lawrence family's situation when I agreed to take on this job."
"Asking?" Cecilia tilted her head, her light blue hair falling from her ears to her chest with the movement. "Isn't Teacher Wendy from Mondstadt?"
Cecilia didn't want to describe her family like that, but in fact, the Lawrence family was the largest noble family in Mondstadt, and could even be said to be a powerful force that controlled the entire city. It was hard to imagine that anyone would be completely unaware of this.
Unless he is not a Mondstadt person.
Wendy pondered, "Hmm... I am indeed a true Mondstadt native, but I've been away from here for quite some time and only recently returned, so it's normal that I'm not aware of the situation."
Cecilia nodded knowingly, and after a moment of silence, she looked back at the snow outside the window: "Leave... Actually, sometimes I also want to go outside and see the world."
Unlike her previous tutors, this young woman named Wendy didn't mind these kinds of conversations that were irrelevant to the lesson.
He agreed, saying, "The outside world is incredibly beautiful, and everyone should go see it for themselves!"
Perhaps because it was the first time Cecilia had met someone like Wendy, both her commoner status and her past experiences in other places made Cecilia unable to stop talking.
She rested her chin on her hand and asked, "Where has Ms. Wendy been?"
Wendy stroked his chin thoughtfully: "The bountiful Liyue, the simple and honest Inazuma, the frigid Midwinter... Come to think of it, it seems there's no place I haven't been to."
Cecilia's eyes lit up, and her voice rose a few decibels, filled with surprise and admiration: "Teacher Wendy has actually been to so many places!"
The next second, as if realizing her rudeness, she coughed lightly and said, "Excuse me, Mr. Wendy."
"Hmm? Why are you apologizing? I really liked how you were just now~" Wendy's eyes crinkled into crescents, her emerald green eyes looking at her kindly. "Everyone has things they're interested in, so isn't it normal to act like that when talking about those things? On the contrary, the way you were before, I felt more like—" a flawlessly decorated doll displayed in a shop window.
He couldn't finish the sentence because there was another knock on the door.
Wendy looked at Cecilia with a puzzled expression, while Cecilia also looked bewildered, clearly wondering who would suddenly visit during her scheduled vocal lesson.
After waiting for a long time without receiving a reply from the master, the person outside simply opened the door himself, revealing the butler's still angry face.
He held a cup of black tea in his hand and said curtly, "Mr. Wendy, please don't say irrelevant things during class time. Miss Cecilia's time is very precious and shouldn't be wasted on this."
Clearly, he hadn't just appeared; he had been listening outside for a while and was quite dissatisfied with Wendy's teaching progress, which hadn't even started yet.
Cecilia opened her mouth helplessly, wanting to defend Wendy, but the butler seemed to have already seen through her thoughts and said sternly before she could speak, "Miss Cecilia, you don't need to say anything more. I will report this matter to Master Lawrence, and he will naturally decide whether this new vocal teacher stays or goes!"
"..." After a suffocating silence, Cecilia lowered her head. "Yes, I understand."
"Oh dear, is this how you speak to the daughter of the Lawrence family, the incomparably noble Miss Cecilia you speak of? Your manners are truly astounding."
The boy's voice was soft and clear, but his words were laced with a sharp sarcasm, causing the butler, who had been reprimanding Cecilia with the help of Lord Lawrence, to freeze in his tracks.
"You—!" His face turned ashen, but he was stunned by Wendy's words and couldn't find any words to refute her. He could only point at her nose and keep yelling at her.
Wendy smiled, but her movements were anything but polite as she slapped his hand away: "Excuse my bluntness, butler, it's class time now. Please don't linger here and waste my precious time teaching Miss Cecilia."
"What you just did didn't seem like something a leader would do—"
"We're in class!" Wendy interrupted him decisively, then secretly turned to Cecilia and winked, signaling her to leave everything to her.
He said righteously, "Excellent music should resonate with the emotions of its creator. To learn vocal music well, one must first understand Ms. Cecilia's preferences. Only by combining music with interest can one play beautiful music that touches people's hearts."
"If you still don't understand, would you like me to explain it again?"
The butler was so angry he almost wanted to take action, but he didn't dare to when his gaze swept over the blue divine eye hanging at his waist.
After all, whether in terms of reason or combat strength, he was no match for the young man in front of him.
Finally, he could only snort coldly, slam the tray of black tea on the table, and storm off in a huff.
Wendy also hummed, but this hum was full of the pride and satisfaction of a victor.
He turned his head and happened to meet Cecilia's bright golden eyes, which clearly admired his outburst at the butler.
But she quickly became dejected again: "I'm sorry, Ms. Wendy, it's all my fault for asking that question. It's caused you to be punished by the housekeeper, and you might even be punished by your father later..."
Wendy waved her hand dismissively, even leisurely pouring her a cup of black tea: "Hey, don't worry, at least not in the short term, Mr. Lawrence won't replace me."
After drinking the warm tea, Cecilia felt a little more at ease, but she couldn't help but become curious about his confident attitude.
She asked, bewildered, "Why?"
"Because—I am the best bard in the world!"
With her index finger to her lips, Wendy smiled and winked. "Miss Cecilia, would you like to hear me sing you about the scenery outside Mondstadt?"
Wendy had expected Cecilia to be as excited as she had been when the outside world was mentioned before, but this time, for some reason, the girl's cheeks were flushed, she lowered her head and was lost in thought, and after a long while she finally hummed in agreement.
Cecilia handed him her violin.
Wendy tried plucking the strings, and the clear, ethereal sound made his brows and eyes relax a bit: "Wow, as expected of the Lawrence family, even a practice piano can have such a beautiful tone."
Fingers danced and twirled, and soon, a melodious tune echoed in the room, accompanied by the young man's soft singing.
Cecilia gradually forgot everything else and listened intently.
The scenery before my eyes seemed to have changed, becoming unreal and ethereal.
She saw countless flowers in this dazzling, dreamlike realm.
There is Cecilia, the poet with a pure white hat brim; there is a bright red dress outside the inn; there is the alluring Vipaja in the dense forest; and there are soft lanterns swaying on the plain.
Even she herself turned into a flower.
An ordinary, small, and inconspicuous dandelion.
The poet's song still echoed in her ears, transforming into a gentle breeze that cradled her in its palm, carrying her away to distant lands—
*
When the music ended, Wendy looked up again, only to find that the girl in front of her had fallen into a deep sleep.
What happened? Has my piano skill deteriorated?
He scratched his head in puzzlement, glanced down at the piano, but when he caught a glimpse of the packed schedule on the wall, he sighed knowingly: "The Lawrence family's aristocratic education is truly rigorous."
"Looks like it's been a long time since I've had a proper rest—oh well, at least it's a good thing that someone who's exhausted can relax and get a good night's sleep!"
Wendy took a blanket from the side and draped it over her, her gaze tender.
"Well, once in a while is fine. Have a good dream, Cecilia."
(End of this chapter)
The author said: I tried another way of writing. Poets are more suited to using imagery to convey subtle emotions. I hope I can write in that way!
It's worth mentioning that this story is set in Mondstadt more than a thousand years ago, during the Dark Ages of aristocratic rule, which is the timeline of the Genshin Impact manga.
However, there is relatively little relevant information, and there may be many arbitrary assumptions and areas where clear research has not yet been found. If any outrageous errors are found, please feel free to point them out.
Also, today is a long-awaited, normal update time, isn't it? (?)