The Red-Haired Young Lady Wasn't an Incorrigible Beast

Alice stared blankly at the little stones on the table, which she had been moving around again and again.

Then she looked at the numbers on her paper, written like illegible scribbles. Her little mouth puckered, and she seemed somewhat aggrieved.

"Hey! Pretty boy!"

She suddenly raised her head and looked at Cui Ciyou, her voice filled with obvious frustration and deep grievance.

"Am... am I really stupid? Something this simple... and I'm learning it so slowly..."

She lowered her head, her voice growing quieter and quieter until it even carried a faint, barely noticeable sob.

"I can never remember the noble etiquette Edna taught me either... I always step on the wrong beats when dancing... Is it... is it that I just... can't learn these things at all?"

This sudden outpouring of self-doubt and vulnerability made Cui Ciyou pause slightly.

So Alice has a side like this too?

He looked at the red-haired girl before him, her head lowered and shoulders trembling faintly, looking as helpless and dejected as if she had done something wrong. He was somewhat surprised.

So beneath that fierce, hot-tempered exterior...

She was only an ordinary little girl who felt frustrated and anxious over difficulties in learning?

"No, Lady Alice."

Cui Ciyou fell silent for a moment, then spoke in an exceptionally serious tone, one he had not expected even from himself.

Alice abruptly lifted her head. Her red eyes were filled with surprise and incredulous confusion.

It was as though she could not believe what she had just heard.

"You asked whether you were stupid?"

Cui Ciyou met her gaze, his expression calm yet remarkably resolute. "My answer is—no. You are not stupid at all."

"But... but I learn so slowly..." Alice refuted softly, her voice full of uncertainty.

"Learning slowly does not mean you are stupid." Cui Ciyou shook his head and patiently explained.

"Everyone excels in different areas, so naturally, everyone learns new knowledge at different speeds and in different ways."

"You possess unparalleled talent in swordsmanship, talent that others could never hope to match."

"That alone proves that your instincts, reaction speed, and physical coordination are all far beyond those of ordinary people."

"As for arithmetic and reading and writing, perhaps... it is simply because you have never systematically encountered this knowledge before."

"Or perhaps... you simply have not yet found a learning method that truly suits you."

Seeing Alice's eyes full of doubt and unease, Cui Ciyou's tone became even more sincere.

"Alice, learning any new knowledge requires enough time and enough patience."

"Today, you were able to sit here quietly, try to count these little stones, and work hard to write these numbers."

"That in itself is already an incredibly significant step forward."

"It proves that it is not that you 'cannot learn.' You simply need more time and... perhaps, a teacher who better understands how to guide you properly."

Cui Ciyou paused. Alice's eyes had widened slightly at his words, and a trace of emotion appeared on her face.

He continued.

"So this is not your problem."

"If you feel that you learn slowly, that can only mean... it is my problem as a teacher."

"My teaching methods are not good enough yet. I have failed to make it easier for you to understand and accept this knowledge."

"You are not an idiot, Alice," Cui Ciyou emphasized solemnly once more.

"On the contrary, I think you are very smart. It is simply that your intelligence needs to be guided and uncovered in the right way."

"You will improve. As long as you are willing to try, as long as we work hard together. I... believe in you."

Those black eyes are so bright. I can see myself reflected in them, Alice thought blankly.

Those words seemed to strike directly at the softest, most defenseless part of Alice's heart.

She looked at Cui Ciyou's face, which held little expression and could even be called somewhat cold.

Yet within those deep, calm black eyes, she could clearly see something she had never seen in anyone else's gaze before... sincerity, affirmation, and unconditional trust.

Not because she was the esteemed young lady of House Boreas, but simply... because of who she was.

Alice suddenly felt a sting in her nose, and for some reason, tears began to stream down her face.

Like pearls from a broken string, they fell with soft patters.

Yet these tears were not born of grievance or frustration, but of the complicated feeling of being believed in.

It was something she had never experienced in her life before.

Alice abruptly lowered her head and wiped at the constantly flowing tears with the back of her hand.

Her voice became slightly choked because of the tears.

"Then... then... I... I'll... work hard... and try... to learn..."

"I... I won't... skip class anymore... okay?"

Her promise came in halting fragments, yet it was filled with an unusual resolve.

Cui Ciyou looked at her pitiful yet adorable appearance, and a rare softness stirred within him.

He reached out, instinctively wanting to ruffle her fluffy red hair.

But after thinking about it, he ultimately restrained himself from making such an overly intimate gesture.

He merely nodded gently, but with certainty.

The corners of his mouth curved into an exceedingly faint smile.

"All right. I believe you can do it."

"You are a smart child. As long as you put your heart into it, you will definitely learn quickly."

Hearing Cui Ciyou's encouraging and expectant words, Alice finally seemed to cast off all the defenses and grievances in her heart.

She raised her little face, still streaked with tears, and looked at Cui Ciyou.

An extremely rare smile appeared on her face... a smile mixed with shyness, embarrassment, and... perhaps, a small measure of relieved happiness.

"W-What are you saying... y-you're just a pretty boy..."

She quickly lowered her head, her cheeks red as ripe apples, her voice so quiet it was nearly inaudible.

"Then... then... I'll leave it to you... and th-thank you..."

After uttering that final, faint "thank you"...

She could no longer bear the atmosphere, which made her feel strange and at a loss. She sprang up from her chair and rushed out of the study without looking back, leaving only the figure of someone fleeing in panic.

Cui Ciyou quietly watched her disappear through the doorway.

Then he lowered his head and looked at the somewhat disordered little stones on the table, as well as the crooked numbers on the paper...

The room returned to silence.

Only the sunlight outside continued to spill in as it always had, warm and gentle.

Cui Ciyou slowly let out a breath and thought to himself.

The red-haired young lady... it seemed she was not an incorrigible beast after all.

At the very least, she understood... what sincerity was, and she also understood... how to respond to kindness.

Perhaps this job of mine as a "tutor" would not be as... headache-inducing as I had first imagined?