Chapter 9

A maid nearby began to prepare a new pot of tea. Rebecca turned to look back at the house. It seemed that Robert, who had just finished his late breakfast, was making his way over to Sarah and Rebecca.

"Hey Levi, it's been a while. You look well."

"Robert looks well too."

"No, I've really been feeling my age lately. Levi, you still look so young. I wonder if a fairy will come to me too."

"Probably not. If you made a contract with a fairy, you'd probably make them do paperwork too. No fairy would want that."

"True, true."

As childhood friends, they exchanged light-hearted banter. However, upon closer inspection, there were clear dark circles under Robert's eyes. He seemed to have had little sleep.

"Uncle, haven't you been getting much rest?"

"Hmm, a lot has been happening."

"Is your work keeping you busy?"

"To be honest, I've always been bad at keeping accounts."

"Really? You keep the accounts yourself? Don't you have an accountant?"

"There used to be one, but he was caught embezzling. Since then, my father has been saying, 'We can't trust the accounting to anyone who isn't from Granchester!' So, I have to do it."

"Really? That's so extreme. Managing money is difficult even for experts!"

Rebecca then looked a bit troubled and told Sarah:

"Sarah, I understand how you feel, but a lady doesn't talk about money."

"Really?"

"Talking about money is considered improper."

"But it's important, isn't it?"

"Of course it's important. However, as a lady, it's proper to leave financial matters to the men."

"Do you mean that ladies should live without knowing their financial situation?"

"Some do have a general idea, but few know the details."

"That's ridiculous!"

"I agree. However, if a lady talks about money, it might be interpreted as a lack of ability in her father or husband. In your case, it would be your grandfather."

"That's... that's..."

Seeing Sarah's shock, Robert looked puzzled.

"Is it different for commoners?"

"If a husband doesn't work or drinks all the time, it's normal for the wife to say, 'We have no money! Work!' In the shop where I grew up, the person who sold items to customers recorded the sales in a ledger. My mother and I also did this. Of course, my father was the one who kept the final accounts and handled monthly and annual settlements, but my mother and I helped too. If the numbers were off by even one dollar, we had to start over. I never thought there was a difference between men and women in this."

In reality, it's rare for a child, whether noble or commoner, to be able to read, write, and calculate at the age of five. Commoners often have low literacy rates, and many never learn to read or write. Being able to perform basic arithmetic is enough to become an apprentice in a large store.

However, Sarah could read and write by the age of three and was already good at calculations. She probably unconsciously carried over her abilities from her previous life. Of course, if this world didn't use a decimal system, she might not have learned so easily.

In fact, Sarah's parents thought she was a genius. The neighbors, aware that Arthur was from a noble family, assumed it was due to his noble blood.

"So, Sarah, you can keep accounts?"

"Complex ones might be difficult, but I can handle basic shop-level accounts."

"But you can do calculations, right?"

"Simple ones, yes."

‘Oh no, I need to be careful. I don’t know the math level in this world.’

Sarah had graduated from a liberal arts university but was also good at science and math.

"True to Arthur's daughter. He was good at math too."

"Father was indeed quick at calculations."

"Wait a minute, Robert. Can Sarah really do calculations?"

"Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and simple division."

Rebecca seemed genuinely surprised. She took out a slate and a stylus and wrote some numbers.

"Then, what is 126 plus 87?"

"213."

"What about 126 minus 87?"

"39."

"8 times 9?"

"72."

"86 divided by 5?"

"17 with a remainder of 1. Should I give the decimal?"

"No, that's fine. You know decimals too? That's something you learn at the Academy..."

Robert and Rebecca were both wide-eyed and speechless.

"Sarah, you..."

"You're a genius."

‘What? Just being able to do basic arithmetic is considered a genius? In my previous life, that would be around the age when you learn the multiplication table. Division and decimals might come a bit later, but it’s not genius level.’

Sarah felt a moment of doubt about the math level in this world. However, she remembered that in her family's shop, customers would normally add up the prices of the items they were buying, multiply the unit price by the quantity, and do subtraction to calculate change. She was probably considered excellent for her age.

"Sarah, if you were a boy, I would have sent you to the Academy early."

Sarah was taken aback by Robert's comment.

"Uncle, can girls not attend the Academy?"

"No, the Academy only accepts male students."

"Then, what do girls do if they want to study?"

"Hire a governess like Levi."

"Is that just basic education? What if they want to learn more specialized knowledge?"

"Basically, noble women don't need to acquire that level of specialized knowledge."

"So, girls don't have the same learning opportunities as boys?"

"Yes, that's the case."

"That's... that's..."

Rebecca then gave a sad smile and patted Sarah's head.

"I used to think the same thing."

"Even you, Miss Rebecca?"

"Yes, I loved learning. Math, history, reading, and even alchemy. I begged my father to let me go to the Academy. He locked me in a tower and withheld food for two days."

"That's terrible!"

It was shocking. The lack of educational opportunities for women was so unjust.

"Robert and Arthur helped me."

"Uncle and Father?"

"Yes, they showed me their Academy textbooks and notes and taught me what they learned."

"Arthur did most of the teaching. I reviewed with Levi, which helped me avoid failing."

"Arthur was really dedicated to tutoring Robert."

"But isn't Father much younger than Uncle?"

"Arthur entered the Academy early. So, even though we're brothers, we were in the same grade. And despite being the younger brother, Arthur was always at the top of the class, while I was always on the verge of failing."

"Robert probably focused too much on sword training and neglected his studies."

"True."

Robert and Rebecca smiled at each other, reminiscing about the past.

‘Hmm, these two seem to have a good relationship, don’t they?’

Since Sarah would be living in, a governess is a job for an unmarried woman. Some widows also work as governesses, but they are always unmarried.

However, it would be rude to ask if they were dating, so Sarah just smiled to herself.

"So, Miss Rebecca, will you teach me the Academy curriculum too?"

"Sarah, you're eager. I think you can handle the Academy-level math, but let's assess your level in other subjects and plan your studies."

"Okay, thank you!"

"Arthur and I still have our old textbooks. I can get them for you if you need them."

"Thank you, Uncle!"

Even if she couldn't attend the Academy, it seemed she could still receive equivalent education. It looked like she had drawn a very good governess.