Guide to the Education and Training of Girls with Mentally Abnormalities

Chapter 3 The worst of the worst

The line between life and death is separated by only a wall.

Outside the wall, the cold wind howled and snow fell heavily, while inside, it was warm as spring.

The walls, gleaming with mahogany lacquer, were adorned with gold and red brocade embroidered with intricate patterns. Directly opposite the living room sofa was a fireplace burning with ash wood, the orange flames and crackling sounds emphasizing the tranquility of the night. Beside the fireplace sat a set of jet-black swords, their style suggesting they were artifacts from an ancient era.

On the ceiling, a glass chandelier inlaid with luminous crystals emits a charming, gentle glow, while the cashmere carpet underfoot is soft, thick, and reaches up to the instep.

On the shelf beside the door, a dark, well-fitting dress hung quietly. Judging from the heavy fabric and the perfect cut, even someone as unsophisticated as Esther would know that it was definitely a high-end custom-made item.

Just as Esther was about to go inside, Edmund pointed at her.

She looked down at her dirty cloak, from which melted snow was trickling down the hem.

Visible drops of black water fell on the edge of the door, quickly forming a small muddy puddle.

"Dirty cars are not allowed into the city, and dirty clothes are not allowed into the house."

"You mean I should strip naked, right, sir?"

"Yes, hat, clothes, and shoes—basically, either your dirty clothes or you can only be in the house at one time."

Esther blinked, her cheeks turning even redder. She looked at Edmund, thought for a moment, and gritted her teeth to take off her clothes. But because she was afraid of the cold, she could only carefully push open a crack in the door and stuff them out.

Edmund pulled a tapestry from a basket nearby—one that had been taken down a few days ago but hadn't had time to be washed—and tossed it to Esther.

"The bathroom is over there, and there's hot water in the bucket."

"What, what are you going to do?" Esther asked, wrapped in a tapestry.

Edmund glanced at the girl, picked up his dirty clothes from the ground, and went out the door.

The door slammed shut with a thud, and the cold wind that rushed into the living room made Esther shiver, and even the ahoge on her head jumped.

She touched the towel on her body; its soft, fluffy texture was irresistible, a stark contrast to her rough, canvas-like outer garment.

The bathroom, the bathroom is over here.

Following the direction Edmund had pointed, Esther carefully pushed open the varnished wooden door with her fingertips. Warm, misty steam, like the humid breeze of the summer ocean, rushed towards her, and in the center of the white mist sat a stone pool filled with hot water.

So this is how rich people take baths.

She tentatively touched the water with her toes, then used her hands to push herself in little by little. Perhaps because she hadn't eaten for a long time, her arms suddenly gave way, and with a "whoa!", Esther fell into the pool, which was big enough for several of her to sit in.

The feeling of being enveloped in warmth.

It's like, it's like falling into...

The girl's limited vocabulary left her unable to find any words to describe it. She simply immersed herself in the warm water, leaving only her nose exposed, letting the warmth, gentler and more comforting than the sun, envelop her.

Blessed…

Knock, knock, the bathroom door suddenly rang twice. Esther sat up abruptly, splashing water everywhere.

Then, the door opened a crack, and a few pieces of clothing were thrown in through the gap, like squeezing out ointment.

"Come to the living room after you've finished washing up, and we'll talk about what to do next."

What happened next?

Didn't you say you wanted me to be a student?

Besides this, is there anything else we need to do?

As she pondered this, she glanced at the bath towel beside her, then at herself, and unconsciously brought her legs together.

Edmund sat at the table in the living room, with six or seven books he had taken from the study scattered haphazardly on the sofa.

In the past, when Edmund taught noble children like Alicia and Eyarwen, who came from prominent families and had excellent upbringing, he was always worried that they would see through his identity. Therefore, he was always troubled about what to teach them.

Now, facing a blank slate like Esther, Edmund has too many options, making it difficult for him to distinguish the priorities of different fields of study and unsure where to begin.

A girl like Esther, who didn't even know basic etiquette, suddenly appearing in a community inhabited by lower-ranking nobles and wealthy citizens was as conspicuous as a night heron thrown into a flock of red-crowned cranes.

Even if Edmund could hide her in the house for a week, two weeks, or even longer.

There will always be opportunities for her to come into contact with the outside world: perhaps it's the landlord coming to collect rent, perhaps it's a neighbor who happens to drop by while Edmund is out, or perhaps it's her attempt to escape Edmund's 'control'.

If Edmund wants to acquire this wealth long-term, he first needs to make her willing to stay.

Then, she uses some "reasonable" excuse to get others in the community to accept her existence.

Just like Edmund did to himself.

Packaging, packaging, and more packaging.

The moment people see Edmund's impeccably tailored suit, his confident yet world-weary eyes, and the numerous scars on his arms and hands, they know he must be a successful adventurer with a wealth of experience. Whether these scars were actually left from his adventures in the dungeons is irrelevant.

After much deliberation, Edmund chose the textbook with the words "Basic Etiquette" written on the cover from the books he had placed on the sofa.

Click.

The bathroom door was gently pushed open, revealing Estée with a towel wrapped around her wet hair and wearing clothes Edmund had temporarily found for her.

The ordinary shirt was so loose it looked like a sack over the girl's petite, even malnourished, body, making her look both lazy and comical.

"Come here." Edmund didn't even look up, patting the sofa next to him.

Estée kept her head down, her cheeks still flushed as if she had a fever.

"Now I'm going to give you your first lesson." Edmund cleared his throat and opened the book.

"Okay, okay... sir." The girl nodded.

"First..." Edmund was about to begin when he suddenly heard a rustling sound. "Hey, hey! What are you doing?! I'm here to give you a lesson! Put your clothes on!"

Esther blinked innocently at Edmund.

"Huh? You, the class you were talking about wasn't...?"

"Why do you think that?" Edmund looked at the girl in front of him with a forced smile. Her cheeks were almost flushed, and she seemed to want to bury her head in her chest.

"Because I'm a useless idiot who can't do anything, I think that this is the only thing you need from me..." Esther's voice trailed off.

Edmund turned the book in his hand and placed it in Esther's hand.

"Look at this first."

Esther carefully picked up the book, glanced at it, and then weakly raised her head.

"Sir, I... I can't read."