Royal Tutor

WINIFRED

"Lady Winifred, please, can you put the knife away?"

"Where. is. Darryl?"

"He's in the back doing chores. Lady Winifred, you can hurt yourself with that knife. Please put it back."

"How could Darryl be doing chores when he's supposed to attend to me?!"

"I'm sorry, my lady but he insisted. He didn't like that he wasn't doing anything so he asked us to give him some chores. He's washing my lady's clothes by the river."

That dutiful little runt! Just imagine my shock waking up and going to breakfast and he wasn't there, only to find out he was washing clothes by the river, something that was not at all in his work description? He was just like a fresh graduate intern, eager to please everyone!

I dropped the knife and begin to navigate my way out of the dining room with my cane. The cane was a gift from the prince, an enchanted cane that protected me from falls and steered me in the right direction.

"Please stop, my lady. The river is slippery and you might fall, even with the cane."

"Darryl might fall too! He's a child as well."

"We will go and fetch him, my lady! Please just finish your breakfast. His Highness is coming today as well."

That explains why they're so frantic. It was hard to tell if they respected him or were frightened of him but it was clear they held him in high regard. I didn't want him to nag at me so I went back to the table to eat. I didn't have to wait long to hear Darryl's voice right beside me.

"Were you causing trouble again, Winifred?"

He sounded exasperated.

"Which one of us is causing trouble, Darryl? You're supposed to take care of me, not wash my clothes by the river. They said it's slippery! What if you fall and hit your head?!"

"I won't fall and eat my head. Don't talk while you eat and eat slowly so you won't choke. You talk like an adult but still act like a child."

I felt his hand on my head and he pet me like I was a cat. He really knew how to be annoying so early in the morning. But, since it was Darryl, I allowed it.

He joined me for breakfast and we are together silently, like we always did. We were moved to the Prince's mansion a month ago and have been living there ever since. Maids took over his role of bathing for me and dressing me up, the cane becoming my major navigation tool. So, I could understand why he was feeling useless. But he refused to act like a child and just frolic around this uselessly large building.

"Do you want to go to the library today again? I said I would read the other history books to you the next time we go there."

"The prince is coming today so we'll just take a book and go to the garden."

"I thought he asked you to call him father."

I could just tell he was teasing me.

"I'm not calling him father."

"That's very mean of you, Winifred."

They talked at the same time, saying the same thing so I knew the Prince had arrived, earlier than he normally did.

"Your highness!" Darryl scrambled to his feet, judging from the way the chair moved. I got out of my chair as well and bowed to the prince. The unsettling aura was still around him and I still did not have the desire to touch him.

"I'm normally very happy to see you both but your expression truly never changes, Winifred. It's like you're always dissatisfied with everything I do."

"Aren't you supposed to be busy, your highness? You normally don't come until later."

"So you already memorized the day and time I arrived. That's very smart. But yes, I have something urgent to discuss with you. I got you both a royal Tutor!"

"A..."

"Royal Tutor?"

"Yes. Why are you both not excited?"

"Why am I getting a royal Tutor, your highness?"

"Didn't you say you were interested in swordsmanship, Darryl? This tutor is a very good swordsman. He's also very good with the theory of magic and he's been studying it since he was a child. He's the youngest magic professor and also the youngest holy knight. I managed to convince him to become your royal Tutor."

"I appreciate your thoughtfulness, your highness but is this royal Tutor equipped to teach a blind child?"

"He should be? I mean, how hard could it possibly be?"

"I cannot read and I cannot write. I cannot also see and I cannot guarantee attentiveness if I cannot understand what I'm being taught. Can he handle that?"

"...I did not think this through. You have made very good points, Winifred so I will get back to you on them. But, it's a nice day. Why don't we go and play outsi-"

"Your highness, you have a letter from his Highness, the first prince. You have to attend to it urgently."

"Come on, Circe! I was about to bond with Winifred and Darryl!"

I liked Circe. She was the Prince's assistant and escort. She was the straight laced, serious type and she always had the most immaculate timing. She pulled the prince away so he could fulfil his duties as the prince and I could have time to hang out with Darryl.

"So, outside?"

"Let's pick up books from the library first. Since you will become the Saintess one day, you need to study. I'll teach you till the tutor comes."

"Fine."

"You're not contesting it?"

"I have no reason to. I was just asking if the prince was getting someone who has the patience to teach a blind girl. I don't want to be hit by a socially ignorant person because I'm blind."

"When you talk like that, it scares me."

"Are we going to the library or not? We can't keep standing like this."

"...let's go."

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The world outside the cemetery was bright. The sun bore down like a curse, stinging the skin of the man he had just possessed. The body wouldn't last long anyway, dark energy couldn't easily be contained like that. He had to find a new body.

"A dead one would do," he mumbled, pulling his rotting leg forward. He could sense a fresh dead body but it was still a fair distance away. This body would fall apart before he could get to the body and his soul couldn't exist outside of the body for too long as he hadn't regained much of his powers.

"Such poor magic quality. The gods have gotten stingier," he mumbled again as he kept moving forward. The leg fell off and he toppled over, planting his face in the dirt.

"What indignity. The other Saints would laugh if they saw me like this. Then again, they were the ones who sealed me."

His shadow moved from underneath him, worming through the earth like a serpent. It moved faster than the former body and was soon next to its goal, the freshly dead body. The body was lowered to the ground while the ground was being dug. He took his chance and inhabited the body.

"At least this one isn't disappointing."

The ones digging the grave suddenly stopped.

"Did you hear something?"

"It sounded like someone said something. But... we're the only ones here. You don't think the dead body spoke, did you?"

"That's insane. It couldn't possibly...AAARRRGHH! WHERE'S THE DEAD BODY?!"

His counterpart turned around and saw that the body was truly not there. He screamed and dropped the shovel, running away. The other one was right behind him, running like a headless chicken while screaming.

As they got closer to the gates of the cemetery, they bumped into someone. It was someone but it felt like they had hit a wall. They fell like dominoes, hitting their bums on the floor.

"Running and screaming in a cemetery is disrespectful to the dead. Did your parents not teach you anything?"

Hearing the voice of the person, they wanted to explain why they were running. However, they look one look at his face and started screaming again.

"D-Dead Man!"

"Hmm, I supposed that's one way to put it. But I'll need you two to stop screaming. Coming back to life is disorientating enough. I need you to tell me everything you know about me."

They fainted on the spot. He sighed, looking up. A dark cloud began to form only above him while he waited patiently. Lighting stroke once and he raised his arm. The clouds disappeared as quickly as they appeared, a single three legged crow landing on his outstretched arm.

"I'm glad you're safe, Samuel. I was afraid they might've hurt you."

(Your new body is weak, master)

"And that's why I need your help. I need to blend in before the other Saints and gods find me."

(I will lead the way. Follow me, Master.)

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"Winifred! I'm back!"

"Welcome back, your highness," she bowed unenthusiastically. It didn't deter the Prince's enthusiasm as he continued speaking.

"It took a while but I finally found you another royal Tutor! One just for you!"

"That's gre..." Winifred's words were held in her throat as the prince stepped aside to reveal her new tutor.

"Winifred, meet Lord Sebastian Silver, your new royal tutor."

All the colour drained from Winifred's face. Because she was dark, it wasn't that noticeable by others. But the reason why she was terrified was simple.

She could see this new 'Royal Tutor'.