1 The Imperial Mentor Arrives

NOTE: If you are familiar with the 12 anime episodes or the manga series of THE ROYAL TUTOR, then you may skip onto Chapter 18 or Chapter 19, as the story completely changes from there. The first seventeen chapters are basically what happens in the first twelve episodes of the royal tutor anime. But instead of princes and a male royal tutor, there are princesses and a female imperial mentor. Chapter 19 indicates when the Princesses of Vermillion come all the way to Granzreich to meet with the Princes, the royal tutor and their King.

"The royal palace employs a mentor dedicated to give its young princesses an exhaustive education to prepare them for the immense responsibility of the throne. This position is bestowed only upon the best and brightest educators hand-selected from within the kingdom. Those awarded this honor are known as, "The Imperial Mentor."

The carriage traverses along the dusty roads, making its way to the prestigious palace in the capital city of Cumsta. Inside, a woman with fake blonde hair, grey eyes, spectacles and a black cap with white lining at the bottom and a white tassel takes a letter out of her pocket and examines it once more.

"Herr Heidi Witzenberg,

I, Queen of Vermillion, wish to offer you the esteemed position of the imperial mentor. Happy as I am, I was blessed with one prince and five princesses; my youngest child is obviously the most qualified candidate for the throne, considering that he's a male. For personal reasons, I will be resigning from my duties, and therefore, I am looking for the most competent solicitor among my descendants to replace me. Despite being a male, my son is nevertheless a juvenile child, but my daughters have come of age quite a bit. My eldest daughter, Eina, is next in line for the throne. However, I cannot neglect the possibility that some unexpected tragedy might befall her.

Therefore, I would like to install you as an imperial mentor for these younger sisters. I ask that you groom them for the throne and sharpen their cordial etiquettes. Burdens of royal leadership are immense; I feel that my four younger daughters are unfit for these responsibilities. To prevent their teacher's abilities from causing inequality in their progress, it is vital that they each receive equal attention.

If the four of them mature into worthy candidates, then at that time..."

*AT THE PALACE GATES*

"God! This post is so dull, what I wouldn't give for a little taste of adventure--" said one of the palace guards named Maximilia with Ludhiana, another guard interrupting by saying, "You fool! We own this sacred peace to her majesty, Queen of Vermillion herself, and we're entrusted with guarding the gates for her! Hold your head high! Besides, today's quite distinctive; we're to welcome a distinguished guest of her majesty." Maximilia remembered about her majesty mentioning about the guest arriving and said, "Oh! You're absolutely right! Do you happen to know who this guest is?" Ludhiana scoffed and replied, "The imperial mentor, of course!" Just then, the royal carriage stopped right in front of the palace gates, and a woman with a black cape descended from the vehicle.

With the scenery of the palace before her, she said the following words in her mind,

"At long last, I've arrived at the residence of the royal family; The White Manor. From this day forward, I will live in their service as the Imperial mentor, for the sake of my personal goals. All I have to do is now step inside."

As she approaches the palace gates, the guards stopped her by saying, "Wait, girl! I'm afraid this is as far as you go!" The woman turned around and responded, "Girl? I'm sure you don't mean me." Ludhiana, one of the guards, replied, "Yes, I mean you, lad! You cannot venture around the castle without the permission of the Queen." The lady replied, "I have already secured her permission. I've been summoned by Queen Vermillion herself, have no fear my friends, I'm Heidi Witzenberg, the new Imperial mentor appointed by the Queen."

Maximilia said, "Oh! You mean to say that you're Heidi, the new Imperial mentor's daughter. Did your mama bring you along? You look so cute!" Ludhiana continued, "Aww! Isn't that sweet? Now, why don't you tell us where your mother is?" Heidi screamed real loud in her mind, "Why must I suffer such indignities?!" Just then, the Queen Mother of Vermillion, Marie Von Vermillion (Viktoria's mother), arrived at the gates and asked in confusion, "What is the meaning of this?" She saw Heidi caught between the guards and comprehended the ongoing situation, almost immediately. She continued, "Oh my goodness! You're here at last! Professor Heidi!" Maximilia and Ludhiana were shocked to hear this.

Heidi greeted the Queen Mother. The Queen Mother replied with a smile, "Let's get rid of the stuffy hellos and get right down to business. Please come in! I would be happy to show you the way myself!" Heidi answered, "I would be deeply honored, your majesty." As she gets up and heads for the palace, Ludhiana asked in shock, "This kid is the Imperial Mentor?" Maximilia responded in astonishment, "No way! it can't be!" Heidi whirled around and clarified, "I am, I assure you. As of today, I will be serving as the imperial mentor for the Vermillion family. I'm Heidi Witzenberg, and by the way, I might look like a child, but I promise you, I'm a full-grown adult!" Ludhiana and Maximilia scream together in apology, "Please forgive us, Professor!"

*INSIDE THE PALACE*

As Queen Mother lead the way, she said, "I'm incredibly sorry, Ms. Witzenberg, I should have informed them about your stature." Heidi replied, "There's nothing to forgive, your majesty. I am quite accustomed to being mistaken for a child. I must admit Queen Mother, I was quite surprised when I received Queen Vermillion's invitation for this position, considering that I'm not a noble. Never in my wildest dreams, I imagined that a commoner like me would be given a post like this." Queen Mother replied politely, "Nonsense! Your gifts are considerable! The Queen told me about all your expertise, Professor Witzenberg. If you weren't qualified for the post, Queen Viktoria wouldn't have offered you the position herself." Heidi frowned and spoke in my mind, "This is interesting."

Queen Mother clasped Ms. Witzenberg hands and pleaded, "Professor, I beg you with all my heart, do everything in your power to take care of the young women. Many other imperial mentors have tried and failed, and in truth, most have resigned from the position almost immediately. Though for the life of me, I can't figure out why." Heidi asked politely, "Pardon me, but could there be a possibility that something might be wrong with the princesses?" Queen Mother responded with a genuine grin, "Oh, no! Not at all! They're perfect angels in every way. Perhaps the princesses were so well-behaved, the mentors realized that they have nothing left to teach them. Yes... that surely must be the reason." Heidi thought, "The love of a grandparent is blind."

They arrived at the common hall where the four princesses were waiting for their new imperial mentor. Ms. Witzenberg was saying the following words in thoughts,

"I have an inkling that a problem has been foisted upon me. Well, so be it. All that matters to me that I fulfill this duty. Whatever their natures may be, as a professional educator, I will teach them in the best way I know."

Queen Mother stated, "As a professional educator, please take your time, be gentle and give them the best of care." The door is creaked open, with all the princesses waiting inside. As she entered, Heidi knelt and said, "I'm honored to meet you, Your Highnesses. My name is Heidi Witzenberg, As of today, I will serve as your imperial mentor. I will not fail you." Suddenly, the window opens with a strong wind and sunlight filling the room. The light was so bright that Heidi had to cover her eyes.

As the light faded, Heidi was impressed to see the four young women who stood before her. "How beautiful! Perfect, princesses; noble; steadfast; as though they stepped out of a painting! One of them stepped forward and greeted, "Greetings, Professor! We're so thrilled to have you with us." Then suddenly, everything turned black, the gorgeousness and bright light in the room faded away. Unexpectedly came the response from that girl, "Oh please! Do you think we're gonna make it that easy for you!?" Professor Heidi was shocked to hear this, given her initial impression of the princesses. The girl then continued, "Let me set the record straight! Mother's orders or not! You're just a mentor! A commoner; a peasant in our eyes! I am the fourth princess of the Vermillion Kingdom, Leonora Von Vermillion and you will never order me around! Understood?!" Heidi thought, "She's beautiful, but her arrogance is revealed whenever she opens her mouth. She has pride as tall as Mount Everest. "THE EVEREST-PROUD PRINCESS."

Leonora continued, "Well, now that you have been put in your place, you may take your belongings and--" Another girl came by and started carrying the Professor around, thereby interrupting Leonora by chirping, "Oh my God! What a petite professor! Hey, are you an adult for real? I bet I could fit you in my pocket if I really tried! I've seen babies bigger that you, hehe!" Leonora responded angrily, "Dammit Licha! How dare you interrupt me!?" Licha scoffed and replied, "Oh, come on, I got just as much as a right to talk to the little professor as much as you do, Leo!" she turned to the Professor and introduced herself, "Hi Professor! I'm Licha Von Ver. Well, saying my full name is too long, don't you think? Hehe! You can call me Lia! YAY!" Professor Heidi thought, "Hmm.. this would be the fifth princess, she's lighthearted, or as I have heard, "THE PLAYGIRL PRINCESS." Licha caught Professor Heidi staring at her, she smirked and said, "Now, tell me the truth, do you find me gorgeous? You're dizzied by my sex appeal! Oh boy, I'm so seductive, they should lock me up and have their way with me! Ha!"

Suddenly, another girl came, slapped Licha on her back and yelled, "Seductive, my foot! Obscene is the word for you, imbecile! They should lock you up for the sake of boys everywhere!" The girl composed herself and responded, "Please neglect my younger sister's outburst. As her older sister and the third princess of the Vermillion Kingdom, Brunia, I sincerely apologize. If I may, I took the liberty of reading some materials about you, prior to your arrival, though I must say, information about your past is quite scarce. Would you please tell us where did you go to school?" Professor Heidi replied, "Nowhere. That is to say, I never attended university." As she said this, Brunia gaze turned deathly cold, and she responded, "You don't say," and she walked away. Heidi thought, "A very polite girl, but when she heard about my lack of education, her gaze turned cold. I think she's THE BRAINIAC PRINCESS."

Brunia walked over to the other young woman in the room and said, "This is the second princess, Kaira." She then continued, "Kaira, aren't you going to greet our new imperial mentor?" Kaira walked over to Professor Heidi and glared at her. Without a word, she distanced herself from her. Professor Heidi thought, "That's quite an impressive scowl. Princess Kaira; THE GLARING PRINCESS. Now that I have greeted all the four princesses, now let's see how they respond to an exercise."

"Now, I will be interviewing each one of you. I do have some information about Your Highnesses already," Professor Heidi announced. Leonora glared at the teacher and asked, "What do you mean information?" Heidi continued, "Your reputation in the city, newspaper clippings, the marks you've earned at school. etc."

Licha asked the Professor, "What about me? Lemme guess, all the boys are obsessed with me and want to kiss me on the mouth." Disgusted, Heidi merely walks away from her. Heidi continued, "Before I plan these lessons, I feel that if I'd get to know you all a little better, it would be most helpful." Leonora stepped forward and responded, "Yeah, well, I don't think this is necessary. I despise all mentors, and I believe that the world would be a better place without you! Hear me now, let's skip the part where you actually care and leave the palace now, instead." Brunia added, "Absolutely right! Don't waste our time! We have no use for an educator without a college degree." Licha appended, "Well, if that's how they feel, then I am against you too. Either way, I couldn't care less."

Heidi thought, "So this is why all of my predecessors have run away. They took upon the title of the imperial mentor and were utterly shunned by these girls." "I see where your highnesses stand on this matter. Now, which one of you would like to go first?" Heidi said, ignoring whatever the princesses told about her.

Leonora got aggravated and yelled, "Wait! were you even listening to me?!" Expressionless, Professor Heidi replied, "I assure you, I was. The attitude you and the rest of your sisters have towards me is STUPID INSECT; SCREW YOU; GO DIE." Leonora snapped back, "Well... I didn't take it that far!"

Professor Heidi took out her teacher's pointer and pointed at the four princesses, "It's time for a lesson! I am never going to run. Fulfilling my duties as the imperial mentor is m only concern. I am here to teach you; trying to win you over is not a part of my job."

Leonora's expression hardened as she said, "So you refuse to leave, come what may?" Professor Heidi nodded in approval with sternness present in her grey eyes. Leonora continued, "Well... if we boycott your lessons, our mother will be forced to hear our complaints. With the four of us working against you to drive you out of the palace, within a week you'll be nothing but a distant memory." She said the last statement with an evil grin spread across her face.

Licha remembered about her schedule and said, "Oh right! I almost forgot!" She sprinted towards the door and continued, "Gotta go, Leo! A special someone is waiting in my room! Hey, little Professor, if you want to interview me, you can drop by my chambers after my guest leaves. This is a special one-on-one time, so don't interrupt; by the way, nice to meet you, ma'am!" As she said those words, the white entrance closed behind her like the wind.

"Agh! Sometimes, I just want to strangle that imbecile!" said Leonora with an enraged look on her facial expression. Brunia added, "Well... she's with another guy, I'm sure. How indecent for a royal princess!" Leonora proceeded, "Well... I wasn't counting on Licha's help in the first place. My dearest sister Brunia, let's drive out that cocky and arrogant mentor together!" Brunia approached the Professor and spoke with an indignant look on her face, "I don't have the time to deal with you, but I'm a good daughter, my mother did appoint you for this position so I will grant you your interview. Come to my room when the clock strikes noon, even a moment late Professor, you've missed your chance." She walked away, arrogantly without even turning back. "Damn! My dearest sister, Brunia, betrayed me!" screamed Leonora with her hands on her head.

Kaira stepped forward and uttered a bunch of incomplete words, "Get.. lo... Get..lo." Professor Heidi assumed that Kaira was telling her to "GET LOST." Kaira departed from the place without uttering another term. Leonora stares at her angrily as she is left all alone. Professor Heidi looked at her and spoke, "Abandoned by all your sisters? You poor thing, Princess Leonora." Leonora got exasperated, turned around, and replied, "Shut up! I don't need your sympathy!" Professor Heidi didn't lose her composure at all; instead, she softly responded, "It's alright, you don't have to be alone; join me for an interview instead." Leonora turned towards Heidi and answered, "I told you already that I don't want to do an interview! And I don't need an imperial mentor! Not now and not ever!!" "Yes, yes, understood. Now let's continue this discussion in your bedroom, shall we?" told Professor Heidi as she forcefully dragged Leonora to her room.