governess: part two

Instead, she nodded silently, her expression tight with suppressed frustration. The governess continued, her voice sharp and commanding. "I do not tolerate disrespect, laziness, or inattentiveness. You will follow my instructions to the letter, and I expect you to listen carefully. I do not repeat myself."

Kat nodded again, her voice curt. "Understood," she said, trying to keep her tone level. The governess eyed her critically for a moment before nodding, apparently satisfied with her compliance.

"Very well," the governess said, turning away to retrieve a stack of books from a nearby table. "We'll begin with the basics: history, etiquette, and the essential customs of the court. Pay close attention, as I expect you to absorb this information quickly and thoroughly."

"These are your study materials," Lady Elara said, lifting one book and flipping through its pages with her fan. "You will read these thoroughly. Each contains vital information on our history, etiquette, and the expectations placed upon a young lady in court."

Kat sat, listening as Lady Elara rattled off instructions. It was clear she expected Kat to absorb a large amount of information in a short time. "You should read this book on court manners by tomorrow," Lady Elara added, her tone leaving no room for negotiation. "And this one on the kingdom's history by the end of the week. Your reading must be accompanied by detailed notes, which I will review."

Kat's irritation grew with each directive. ''you lady Elara'' she added. Elara's condescending attitude and constant jabs were exhausting. It was as if she was trying to crush any confidence Kat had. At one point, Elara paused, her eyes narrowing. "I don't know who you think you are," she said, her voice more cold, "but you should not let your situation get to your head. You may be living with the king, but do not think that gives you any special status. Here, you are just a student, and you will adhere to my rules."

'This woman is impossible, I seriously can't take this for much longer' Kat thought, frustrated, everything she did was a problem to the governess, even after Kat knew for a fact she was doing right. When Kat addressed her as "Miss," Elara quickly corrected her. "It's Lady Elara," she snapped, a pointed look in her eyes.

Kat took a deep breath. "Of course, Lady Elara," she said, her voice strained but controlled. She realized that arguing would only make things worse. She would have to endure this, at least for now, and find her own way to learn what she needed.

Elara continued to pile on the books and instructions, oblivious to Kat's growing irritation. She rattled off more expectations and schedules, each more demanding than the last. Kat's mind buzzed with the overload of information and the overbearing presence of the governess, Kat thought to herself, she would have to speak to Lucian to change the governess.

Throughout the rest of the afternoon Kat managed to hold her composure, despite Elara's relentless criticisms and demands. That night, she found herself more exhausted than she had been in a long time. Her mind railed with frustration and irritation, she couldn't endure this governess much longer, she was just too overbearing.

The next morning, during breakfast, Kat attempted to bring up the issue with Lucian, hoping he might consider replacing governess. she cleared her throat "umm, I really think you should consider finding a new governess," she said, catching Lucians attention. ''And why is that?'' he asked raising a brow. ''she's overbearing'' Kat said but Lucian dismissed her request with a wave of his hand. "the governess is highly recommended and experienced. She wont be changed" he said, not even looking up from his meal.

Kat's patience snapped, but she had to keep her response contained. She glared at Lucian and threw a small fit, but it was clear he wasn't going to change his mind. Resigned, she made her way to the study room, thinking of finding another way to handle the governess. it wasn't that Kats problem with the governess was her strictness, but it was the way she criticised her, looking down on her, she was arrogant and controlling. It was obvious the governess didn't like and threated her the same way the ladies at ladies Cecile's tea party had.

Upon Kat's arrival in the study room, Elara wasted no time launching into the day's lessons. They covered everything from curtsies and proper introductions to the intricate steps of formal dances. Elara seemed to take pleasure in pointing out every tiny flaw and oversight, her attitude increasingly condescending.

Even with Kats prior knowledge and training, she was from affluent background and most of the thing the governess taught aren't new to her, except the history of the kingdoms. but despite that the governess always tried to find a flaw even when there wasn't any. Making Kat increasingly frustrated. Elara's overbearing attitude made every lesson feel like a struggle for dominance.

During a particularly tedious session on the kingdom's various customs, Elara suddenly switched gears. She looked at Kat with a smug expression. "Can you write in Syllanthian, the formal script used in our kingdom's documents?" she asked, clearly expecting a negative answer. Kat blinked, momentarily thrown. She had never heard of Syllanthian before and had no idea what it looked like. "No, I'm not familiar with that," she admitted.

the governess sighed dramatically, rolling her eyes as if Kat's ignorance were a personal affront. "Of course, you wouldn't be," she said sarcastically. "You seem to have much to learn, don't you?" She picked up a book from the table and opened it, revealing a page filled with elaborate, flowing script that looked nothing like any language Kat had ever seen. To her, it was a jumble of unfamiliar symbols ''I wander what family you are from as...''

Kat was displeased. Elara's tone was more than just condescending—it was outright dismissive. "Correct me if I'm wrong, aren't you meant to be teaching the things I don't know, not discriminating? I think you're starting to loose sight of your job," Kat retorted irritably, her eyes narrowing in a threatening manner ''Also refrain from mentioning my family, less you want this to be were your career ends'' she added.

Elara paused, struggling to keep her composure ''are you threatening me?'' Elara asked with frowned brows. Kat smiles lightly shaking her head ''no, of course not, it's more of a friendly advise, take it as a gesture of goodwill if you will'' 

Kat saw the governess was finding it hard to respond and spoke "Maybe if we could go through it slowly, I could learn to write some sentences first," she switched back to the topic, trying to keep the conversation productive. Elara regained her composure and scoffed, clearly unimpressed. "There's no time for slow learning. You must catch up quickly, or you'll never be able to keep up with the expectations."

She flipped through the book rapidly, pointing out various sections as if expecting Kat to understand it all instantly. Kat could feel her patience wearing thin. The governess's relentless pace and demeaning attitude were becoming unbearable. "Slow down," Kat said, her voice strained, "we could go through this step by step. I can't learn everything in one hour."

Elara's eyes narrowed, and she gave a disdainful sniff. "Excuses," she snapped. "I don't tolerate laziness or incompetence. If you're not willing to put in the effort, perhaps you don't belong here after all." She huffed, folding her arms below her chest.

Kat sighed, 'melodramatic' Kat thought to herself rolling her eyes inwardly. The lessons dragged on close to the evening. By the end of it, she was exhausted, not from the lessons themselves but from the sheer effort of keeping her irritation in check.

That night, as she lay in bed, her mind was occupied with how to handle the governess. It was clear that Elara was not going to make this experience pleasant or easy. Though Kats little threat had put her at bay a bit, it still didn't change her attitude, and Lucian wouldn't take her request to change the governess. She made up her mind to get rid of her.

Given Elara's strict and condescending nature, Kat realized that direct confrontation wouldn't work. Instead, she decided to play a little game with the governess.

The next morning, Kat arrived at breakfast with an unusually peaceful expression. Unlike her usual grumpy mornings since the governess was assigned, she was calm and serene, making everyone glance at her every now and then. Sebastian, in particular, kept a close eye on her, as if waiting for some kind of outburst or complaint, but nothing happened. Kat just smiled and enjoyed her meal quietly.

"Miss Kat, how is the lesson with the governess going?" Sebastian asked while serving her tea.

Kat smiled. "It's going great, the governess is really delightful, I just misunderstood her at first," she said, taking a sip of her tea.

"I see," Sebastian said and nodded. "That is delightful to know."

As the day began, Kat made her way to the study room, her demeanor still pleasant. Upon entering, she greeted Elara with a graceful curtsey. "Good morning, lady Elara," Kat said with a small smile. "I hope you slept well."

The governess eyed her suspiciously, clearly taken aback by Kat's sudden change in attitude. "Good morning, Miss Kat," she responded waryly. And waited for Kat to take her seat, watching her closely.

Kat sat down, and Elara began the lesson, her voice sharp and authoritative as always. "Today, we'll be continuing with our study of Syllanthian script," she announced, placing a book in front of Kat.

"Of course," Kat responded, pulling the book forward and flipping through the pages with interest. "Umm,Lady Elara," Kat started, "we didn't start off on good terms, and I do hope I can change that. Thank you for taking the time to teach me."

Elara narrowed her eyes, clearly suspicious of Kat's unusually cooperative demeanor. "Hmm, about time," she said, kat wanted to roll her eyes at the arrogant response.

As they began the lesson, Elara occasionally making pointed remarks about Kat's previous lack of knowledge. "I trust you've studied the material I assigned yesterday," Elara asked.

Kat nodded, "yes I have, I found the script fascinating, although I still have a lot to learn." She replied, the small smile still on her lips.

The governess paused, as though searching for a fake, but when she found nothing, she nodded and continued with the lesson, but every now and then, she'd glance at Kat suspiciously. As the session went on, Elara tried to assert her usual strict control, pointing out minor errors in Kat's work, even though they really wasn't any errors.

"Your stroke here is too heavy," Elara critiqued, tapping Kat's page with her fan. "You must be more delicate."

Kat nodded, the smile still on her lips. " I'll be more careful on the next page," she said, adjusting her penmanship accordingly.

As the lesson progressed, Kat's overly polite responses and calm demeanor seemed to unsettle Elara more than any of her previous outbursts had. The governess continued to watch her, clearly trying to figure out if Kat was mocking her or if this sudden change was genuine.

At one point, Elara tested her patience further. "You seem to be catching on quickly today, Kat," she said. "Perhaps you could have shown this level of dedication from the start." Kat's smile didn't falter. "I'm doing my best to improve" she replied calmly, watching the Elara's face twitch.

Kat glanced at the clock on the was that was about to strike 12, and a subtle grin came up her lips as she got ready to put her plan into action. She began with subtle tricks. During the lesson, she deliberately moved a book while Elara's back was turned. When the governess turned around, she noticed the missing book and asked sharply, "Where did you put the book?" Kat frowned, her expression puzzled. "What book? I haven't touched anything," she replied calmly, enjoying the flicker of confusion on Elara's face.

The governess frowned, clearly unsettled. "It was right here," she insisted, pointing to the spot where the book had been. Kat shook her head. "I didn't see any book there. Maybe you moved it yourself and forgot?" she suggested, in a light and untroubled tone.

Elara's eyes narrowed, but she said nothing more. As the day progressed, Kat continued her subtle tricks. She would reposition objects when the governess wasn't looking, or knock things over with seemingly no explanation. Each time, she maintained her innocence, leaving Lady Elara increasingly bewildered.

Elara's eyes narrowed, her voice stern. "Miss Kat, I know you're behind these tricks. Quit it." She demanded, but Kat looked at her, puzzled. "Tricks? What do you mean?." Elara's face reddened. "Don't play dumb, girl. I have dealt with many like you, so none of your little tricks are going to work. I won't have you disrupting our lessons."

"I don't know what you mean. I've been paying attention in class and trying my best." Kat denied. Elara's gaze lingered on Kat, "I'm watching you" she warned and Kat nodded quietly.

But as the lesson continued, Elara paced back and forth while she explained to Kat how to pronounce certain words. Suddenly, she paused, her head cocked to the side. "What's that sound?" she asked, irritatedly. Kat looked around, confused. "What sound?" Elara's eyes snapped back to Kat. "Can't you hear that?" the screeching. Where is it coming from" Kat looked up, her face a picture of confusion. "Hear what?" she asked, tilting her head as if straining to catch a sound. "I don't hear anything."

The sound continued, a subtle, unsettling noise that wasn't immediately obvious. Elara paused mid-sentence, her eyes narrowing as she listened. Elara's frustration grew. "Miss Kat, stop it! The sound is irritable!"

Kat's face frowed seriously. "I'm not doing anything. What sounds do you keep going on about, if this is your idea of a joke it's not appreciated"