A full week had passed since Ulrich's return. As anyone might have expected following his severe intervention, the general behavior of the three sisters had grown considerably less volatile and overtly violent.
They behaved, although their conduct was still far from perfect. Particularly with Airam and Hermione, there had been several glaring instances where they simply lost all patience, especially when dealing with the household staff.
They were quite petty, harboring deep, icy grudges against the very maids who had openly mocked and insulted them behind their backs during Ulrich's long absence. Their revenge was juvenile, yet highly effective. It basically consisted of Airam and Hermione making the maids' daily chores exponentially more difficult: casually sweeping trash onto the freshly polished floors and 'accidentally' shattering fragile objects whenever a servant's back was turned.
Indeed, it was petty. But they could easily forgive insults directed at themselves; however, making little Esther cry was a sin neither of the older sisters could ever forgive or forget.
Regardless of the ongoing quiet war with the staff, the overarching tension in the estate had smoothed out significantly over the last few days.
Ever since the confrontation upon Ulrich's return, and following Airam's decision to stay, the girls fully understood that the Count's protection was the only thing keeping them alive. They recognized the necessity of taking full advantage of the resources and high-class tutoring he was offering. Consequently, all three of them threw themselves entirely into their studies.
By now, they could read and write quite well.
Hermione constantly complained that she had already mastered basic reading and writing, loudly insisting she no longer needed to sit through Linnea's tedious classes. Obviously, Ulrich did not care in the slightest about her complaints.
His goal wasn't merely for the three girls to achieve basic literacy. He demanded perfection. He wanted them to master the elegant art of penmanship and comprehend complex texts with flawless accuracy. They were officially Ladies of the Rubenhart House now, and he would not allow three former peasants to stain his prestigious family name with mediocrity.
So, they were forced to continue their arduous daily lessons with Linnea. They aggressively tackled real literature and advanced writing techniques far beyond what children their age would normally study. But this was exactly how the harsh world of nobility operated for young women. From the moment they could speak, noble daughters were meticulously raised and groomed to become perfect, flawless Ladies. In the rigid hierarchy of the aristocracy, the demand for perfection was always placed far more heavily upon a woman's shoulders than a man's.
And although it was annoying, all three sisters deeply understood the underlying reality of their situation. They were the orphaned daughters of a despised witch. Because of their tainted bloodline, the societal pressure placed upon them would be heavier than on anyone else. They had to achieve perfection just to survive, leaving them no room to genuinely complain about the workload.
Ulrich was dead set on thrusting them directly into the spotlight of the noble world, much to the shock of everyone in the Kingdom. He had no intention of keeping them hidden away out of shame or fear. Hiding them, after all, would entirely defeat his purpose.
◊◊◊
The late afternoon sun cast long, golden shadows across Linnea's designated study room. She neatly gathered her teaching materials, officially concluding her schedule for the day.
"That is all for today," she said, flashing a warm smile at the three girls.
Esther let out a long sigh of pure exhaustion, dropping her head down to rest sideways on the wooden table.
Beside her, Airam remained completely silent, her dark eyes entirely focused on her paper as she diligently continued to drag her pen across the page, seemingly unbothered by the lesson's end.
Hermione, on the other hand, immediately crossed her arms over her chest and cast her gaze downward in a display of faux boredom.
"Hmph. Far too easy," she scoffed.
"You are a genius, after all, Lady Hermione," Linnea chuckled warmly.
At the compliment, Hermione's cheeks instantly flushed a faint shade of pink.
"T—There's no need to hear that from you! I already know it!" She stuttered defensively, turning her head away to hide her flustered expression.
Linnea smiled fondly. Over the past week, she had grown to care for all three of these difficult girls. She had even developed a strange fondness for Airam, despite the eldest sister threatening her with a painfully sharpened pencil almost every single day, demanding that the tutor confess whatever 'evil plans' Ulrich was supposedly plotting against them. Naturally, Linnea had no idea what Ulrich's plans were.
Dismissing the thought, she quickly began packing her satchel.
"Thank you for the lesson today, Lady Linnea!" Esther beamed, forcing herself to sit up straight and offering a bright smile.
"Thank you for listening so well, Esther," Linnea smiled back gently.
She just wanted to walk over and give the sweet young girl a hug. However, the last time she had attempted such a gesture, Airam had vaulted over the desk to intercept her. Wisely, she decided to hold back today.
Having securely packed her bag, Linnea reached out for the brass doorknob. But before her fingers could even brush the metal, the door suddenly swung inward, revealing Ulrich's towering figure in the threshold.
"Co—Co—Count Rubenhart!" Linnea gasped, instinctively taking a panicked step backward.
The gazes of all three sisters snapped simultaneously toward the doorway. Ulrich almost never made an appearance in the study room during their lesson hours.
"Have you finished your instruction?" Ulrich asked as he looked down at Linnea.
"I have," Linnea nodded rapidly, clutching her satchel to her chest. "I will be back tomorrow morning bright and early, please don't be concerned, My Lord!"
Ulrich stared at her for a long, silent moment, his red eyes unreadable.
"No. From now on, you will reside here," he said simply.
Linnea's face instantly went burning crimson at the sudden, unexpected demand.
"S—Stay here?" She squeaked.
Ulrich gave a short nod, shifting his gaze slightly toward Monika, who stood patiently in the hallway behind him.
"Prepare a suitable room for her, and provide any necessities she might require," he instructed her.
He had observed Linnea leaving late in the afternoon, sometimes even evening and arriving early each morning. Her personal residence was clearly not situated anywhere close to the estate, meaning she was wasting a significant amount of time and energy commuting. To ensure maximum efficiency, Ulrich offered her a temporary room within the manor for her own sake.
He was the one who had requested her to tutor the three girls, after all. To achieve the best results from the sisters, he inherently understood that he had to offer his tutors the best working conditions possible.
"Yes, My Lord," Monika nodded her head respectfully, before turning her calm gaze toward Linnea, who was still reeling in wide-eyed shock. "If you would follow me, Milady."
"U—Um… Count Rubenhart?"
At her sudden, timid call, Ulrich slowly shifted his gaze back to her.
"Do you need anything else?" He asked.
The moment his piercing red eyes fell directly upon her again, Linnea's flushed face turned a deep shade of scarlet. She quickly shook her head, overwhelmed.
"N—Not at all! Thank you very much, My Lord! I will gladly stay here!" She stuttered, before scrambling out of the room to follow Monika down the hall.
When she left, Ulrich turned his gaze toward the three sisters who looked at him wondering why was he here for.