Guide to the Education and Training of Girls with Mentally Abnormalities

Chapter 8 "Forbidden Love"

"Good day, Mr. Clemens, it's another beautiful sunny day!"

"Good day, Sir Ortega, and Lady Ortega," Edmund said with a gentle smile, offering a slight nod to the passing knight. "May the Holy Light be with you."

The two had just passed Edmund when the lady of the house suddenly stopped, belatedly realizing what was happening.

"Mr. Clemens."

"Um?"

"Do you have time next Sunday?" the lady asked, gesturing lightly to the knight beside her with her elbow.

Sir Ortega snapped out of his reverie and nodded solemnly.

"Mr. Edmund Clemens, I cordially invite you to a tea party next Sunday—this is at the behest of the Enfield family butler, who is usually very busy and has specially entrusted me to deliver the invitation to you."

"If an adventurer like yourself were to attend," his face suddenly brightened as if radiating light in the sun. "I imagine the entire tea party would be absolutely wonderful—you know, many ladies are interested in a young, talented adventurer like yourself, with a story to tell."

The lady wore a smile that was hard to decipher. Her heavily made-up face was all kneaded into a ball by her overly sweet, sugary smile, so much so that even Edmund, who had seen monsters and mutilated human corpses, felt a brief discomfort.

"However, some people might be heartbroken if they knew you would be bringing a female companion to the tea party with you."

"A female companion?" Sir Ortega belatedly turned his head, his gaze falling on Edmund.

"Oh, my dear, have you forgotten what I just told you?" The lady gave him a reproachful look. "When I passed by Mr. Clemens' house with freshly baked biscuits, a ray of light shone through the closed window, and I merely glanced in the direction of the light and saw the splendor of the world."

"A magnificent sight? Mrs. Ortega, may I deny that you are praising my meticulously maintained lawn, covered with fluffy, pure white snow?"

"A lawn! Oh! Yes, if that's a lawn, then Mr. Clemens must be the gardener diligently tending it." The lady became even more animated, whispering a few words in her husband's ear before looking at Edmund with an even more unrestrained and gentle aunt's smile.

Edmund felt a chill run down his spine under that gaze, as if the person in front of him wasn't a noblewoman from another world but one of those aunts and uncles on Earth who would excessively concern themselves with his single status every New Year.

"Even the winter sun couldn't outshine her youthful and radiant appearance—I swear I've never seen such pure and pristine hair color in my entire life."

"No wonder our Mr. Clemons rejected the young lady of the Enfield family. It turns out that you, the wooden-headed adventurer, already have someone you love?"

Even Sir Ortega joined in the commotion: "What's that saying again? 'The iron tree blooms!' Oh! Yes, the iron tree blooms!"

"If it's possible, Mr. Clemens, could you tell us about your wonderful past with that lady? The girl who entered your heart and held a place in your soul must have had a more unique or untold story than any other noble lady you've ever met, right?"

Lady?

Which lady?

How come I didn't know a lady had entered my house?

A ray of light shone through the tightly closed window? Pure and holy hair color?

Oh, damn it.

How could I have forgotten about the cat at home?

If the breeze weren't so gentle and slipped into the inner room through the window cracks, the drawn curtains would allow sunlight to fall into the living room and illuminate the girl's snow-white hair.

If it were known that Mr. Edmund Clemons, the Sigma man who is as hard as a rock in front of ladies, was so "desperate" that he "coerced" a homeless woman who broke into a wealthy neighborhood, and even more depravedly kept her in his long-term rental house and "trained" her without the landlord's knowledge...

His career as a seasoned adventurer should come to an end.

"Why are you blushing?" Lady Ortega's auntly smile grew even brighter, and even Sir Ortega, who had always been serious beside her, began to smile slightly. "Did I guess right?"

"So... our community's renowned adventurer is actually such a pure-hearted man in private? He wouldn't even let outsiders see the face of his beloved, letting her quietly receive the worship of his only believer in that room, like a holy icon in a monastery?"

"Mrs. Ortega, you...you really...how did you know?"

"How did you know? Oh, Mr. Clemens, when I was your age, although I didn't write any grand adventures like you did in the Utumno dungeons and the Holy Kingdom," the lady glanced affectionately at Sir Ortega beside her, "I did have a gentleman as handsome, excellent, and charming as you back then, who was captivated by me like a moth to a flame."

"Ahem—" Sir Ortega coughed quickly, seeing his wife about to expose his past. "When did this happen?"

"The day before yesterday," Edmund sighed, speaking frankly.

"Only two days have passed. Could it be love at first sight? Or... is it a brave elopement by the young lady in pursuit of love?" The lady asked with increasing curiosity.

"Actually, it's more than two days. If I had to say, it's related to an adventure I had in the past." Edmund raised his head slightly and looked into the distance. The sunlight fell perfectly on his angular face, and a dazzling golden light quietly shimmered in his deep eyes.

"Oh? An adventure story?!" The knight and his wife gasped in unison.

Following the principle of "the less you say, the less likely you are to be exposed," Edmund slowly nodded, letting the two noblemen in front of him freely imagine the romantic story between him and his female companion.

"Could it be that your female companion is actually a descendant of some important figure you met during your past adventures?"

"For example, a princess from a faraway kingdom? Because she was always thinking about the adventurer who once saved her, she eloped from her kingdom against her father's wishes and traveled thousands of miles to this cold, snowy city, all for the sake of that unforgettable handsome figure in her heart?"

The lady's voice rose higher and higher, sounding almost like that of an opera singer performing an aria.

Perhaps because she was gripping the jazz's arm tightly as she spoke, the jazz, wincing slightly, quickly shrugged and said, "Oh my goodness, darling, how many cheesy romantic comedies by writers from the capital have you been reading?!"

“But it’s so romantic…” The lady was still lost in her daydream, glancing at Edmund. “Is that really how the story goes, Mr. Clemens?”

"That's true..."

"So when are you getting married?"

"Marriage, oh, Mrs. Ortega, you're getting off-topic." Edmund continued his rambling without batting an eye. "My relationship with her is like that of a teacher to a student. Caring for and educating her is a promise I made to my deceased loved one, it is my duty. When she has enough ability and insight to decide where she will go in the future, I will give her the power of choice."

"How can you bear to let her go?" the lady asked with a pained expression, as if she cared more about this "forbidden love" than Edmund himself.

"Why not, madam? Some birds cannot be caged. Her feathers, wings, and everything about her radiate the light of freedom. All I can do is let this fledgling grow up under my protection and then wish her a speedy flight to that lush land that belongs only to her in the sunset."

"Oh..." The lady looked at her husband beside her, sighed, and leaned on his shoulder, swallowing and wiping away her tears. "Mr. Clemens, I believe she will stay."

"Whether she decides to leave or stay is her prerogative," Edmund said with a smile. Seeing that the two were still immersed in the atmosphere of their "forbidden love story," he asked, "Gentlemen, if it's convenient, could you tell me where I can buy literacy textbooks?"

"A literacy reader? What do you need this for?"

"Um, her background..." Edmund paused, seemingly hesitant to continue. "She's not very good at reading the Holy Kingdom's script."

The knight had clearly already labeled Edmund's "forbidden lover" as an "exotic nobleman," and then made the suggestion.

"If you don't mind, I'm willing to sell you the literacy reader at a low price. This way, you can save some money, and mine can move from the dusty corner of the bookshelf to a place where it can play a more valuable role."

"I still have quite a few biscuits I baked earlier. If you're not in a hurry, why don't you sit down and have a cup of tea with me? Then you can take some biscuits with you while you take your book," the lady of the house warmly invited. "Consider it a way for your husband to try some local specialties from Karenbel."

Edmund smiled and bowed his head in acknowledgment: "Then I shall respectfully accept your offer."