My teacher (6)

Max baffled in his seat. 

"Yeah, I want to have a good time with you too." Elizebeth picked her cookies, dusty the crumbs away before bit them. 

Elizebeth went to his inn personally the very next day. He had to leave his job as the inn owner to entertain the most loved lady in the whole kingdom. She'd arrived with the same cloak she wore when they met, the difference was she was not alone and the boorish knights guarded her left and right. 

"Would My Lady care for some tea?" That's the first question from Elijah as soon as she sat on the chair that she was familiar with. 

"Yes, please, Elijah." Her voice dripped with politeness despite her young age. 

"What a lovely lady." Elijah wanted to pinch the cheek but stop herself to do such. Elizebeth has the highest status in the entire people inside the inn and that's the last time they saw Elijah before she took off downstairs in the pretext served the visitors. 

They made conversation after that, but a little stilted by the location, the living arrangement upstairs where the owner resided was near empty. It was in the middle of the busy working hour where the travelers visited the inn either to eat or to check-in and Elizebeth assumed most of the workers working according to shift, eager to work and some ever lax around. 

She was thankful. The deal she was about to make couldn't be heard by anyone else.

Max wetted his lips. He wanted to know how Elizebeth found him because she easily treated him as he was a saint or something but Elizebeth treated every passing worker that passed by like they're judging her, was instead muddling through an anecdote about property price about the inn that even Max found boring.

How did Elizebeth even have an anecdote about property price and why she was so interested in his inn history? She was only five.

How he had an expression on the first line of the chapter?

Well, it's because Elizebeth offered him something out of his sound mind. He was aware of the taboo around here, though he well-versed with the taboo around the world as he had traveled around the world.

The young lady made an offer to help his inn in a sketchy manner in return he must tell her everything that he knew. 

"The young lady wants to learn my knowledge in exchange, you'll help my inn for several years?" 

"That's the plan. Wow. This is delicious." She bit the cookies. Waved towards the first and second knights. She fed the cookies to both of them and they both gladly accepted it, they returned while munching the cookies. 

Max scrutinized her. "You want to know about the world, specifically the dispute around the world between humans versus beast and beast versus beast?" 

She nodded, dangled her legs. 

"That's pretty much everything." 

She nodded again. 

"In exchange for your own labor?" 

"That's about right." She blinked. 

He scratched his head, couldn't understand her mind. "Why?" 

"Just because?" 

He moved his mouth, unable to form a word. Fluttered, the cicadas sounded ironically loud to him. It was supposed to be aromatic because those cicadas were his pride and life. He raised it himself. 

"Has anyone ever told you that you are the absolute spitting image of the duke? The resemblance is uncanny. Have you ever thought of that?" Max was struggling to find his words. 

"Yes, I know. I heard from the king, directly." 

"Right. Of course, you did." Max rubbed his face roughly. "Why do you need to know about- why do you need to trouble yourself? It's not beneficial in the slightest?" The question was correct but he almost took it back once he saw the reaction. 

The young lady looked on the edge of misery, her mouth tilted down and her eyes heavy as she avoided Max's gaze. She was onto something. The knights inside the space were only these two means they definitely were her trusted knights. 

Elizebeth looked at him, hurt flashing through her eyes. "I'm not planning to harm anyone. I still have something I need to do, still. My weak body may not be enough, so I need every help I can get." 

There's such pure conviction there, as she held Max's attention, every fiber of his being, every bone in the body, he felt it. She was different. Her request was not for naught nor to fulfill her own interest. She had her agenda. 

"If I agree…" 

"I will be grateful," she whispered. "The labor, I will do it too. My knights will do it too. Every lesson is essential for our survival skill in the future." 

"Future?" Max straightened up, pressing his fingers on his temple, massaging it. 

"A few years from now, 12 years to be precise." 

She was not in a rush but at the same time, she was like being chased. "12 years was far enough to plant all the knowledge inside you but it may not be enough depending on the question you may ask and what kind of skill you want to learn."

"I know."

"...The favor you ask me is heavy." He said after pondering.

"I am absolutely aware." 

"You may feel the burden. Taboos especially." 

"I'm ready." 

"You are only five. Why do you need to bear all the responsibilities?" Max didn't stop his mouth this time. He couldn't understand the reason Elizebeth willfully bore all the problems. She's the loveliest princess of the kingdom and came from the most powerful family. She had the power of her own. 

Contrary to what he'd expected, Elizebeth's lips curled into a smile. He had thought she'd be irritated with the stubborn question without a proper answer. Perhaps throw a tantrum like any other noble kid. But while her expression was hardly positive, there was not a single shred of hostility in the smile. 

"There's a time when you are vulnerable even if the world is beneath you, Max." She answered him, the tiny voice dripped with regret. Her eyes were solemn, carrying millions of tragedy within. 

Her words were cryptic, but Max understood. He understood far too well. Traveling around the world had matured him at a young age. He faced too much hardship, enough to call it an unimportant cliff-hanger if he faced any trouble in the future.

"I understand very well, Lady Elizebeth. This humble servant will gladly accept your offer." He gave in.

Her eyes flicked over him, icy cold and assessing. "I thought you will be steadfast with your 'no' syllabus." 

The surprise must have shown on Max's face because Elizebeth smirked. 

"To be honest, I laid down dozens of proposals on my bed yesterday. One of my proposals was to come clean. Seemed I don't have to tell you anything yet. You have been sold to me." Max's lips twisted at the slight affront but she continued, unconcerned. "Easy teacher. That's nearly unheard of in my society. My teachers were hardheaded and I am thankful for that to you." 

Max opened his mouth to defend himself, automatic and instinctual but the words still when he saw Elizebeth's mouth soften into a smile again.

"You will be the greatest teacher in my entire life. Please meet you, Max." She got down from the chair and stood. She bowed while spread her beautiful gown bent her knee and gave respect to her new teacher.

Max flabbergasted. Elizebeth was a unique individual. She was so grown-up while dealing with him. There's no trace of a child but the young lady in desperation. She was cunning like a fox though. Twisting the question, giving a sympathy look to him, nabbing his weakness. She's a tough opponent. 

The tensed atmosphere dissipated without Max knowing. Mostly it was released by the knights and now they relaxed. One of them went down to find food for themselves. 

"I wish not to hold your time for so long. I intend to return once we reach our agreement." She stood tall despite her small height. 

Derrick ambled towards her with the smaller cloak around his arms. 

"I wish to meet you tomorrow for the preparation." 

"Fine." Max was getting smarter in dealing with her. They'd discuss the cardinal agreement. The rest should have followed. 

"Thank you, teacher Max." She bowed after Derrick finished covering her entire body. "Well then, I hope our exchange will be beneficial for both parties." 

"The degree of the equivalent exchange will be determined by me." 

"Fair enough. As long as the labor is not more than 11 years, I concede." 

11 years? A couple of years should suffice. Oh well, he wasn't exactly a good man to tell her the truth. "Ditto." 

She waved him goodbye before turning around and receding downstairs without giving a second glance to him. 

"Honestly, what am I even doing?" He said alone as soon as it went relatively quiet while scratching his head. 

Elizebeth. There's a story behind the smile on the face. It was a mask to cover up the sad story. She was a noble lady, from a noble background. She had no dark secret like dark birth. Her father had no affair with another and was solely loyal to her mother. But the hardship that flashed from her face wasn't ordinary. 

The curiosity killed him. "Time will tell." He breathed.