NO MATTER WHICH world Alice was in, it seemed like mathematics was a universally hated subject in school. It was nothing advanced like her standard curriculum in high school but it was still enough to make her head throb at the mere sight of it.
To be specific, Charlie was in the middle of his arithmetic classes taught at home by a hired tutor. The questions weren't for Alice to deal with but she was permitted to linger around his study room as his lessons went on as long as she kept quiet. Peeking over his shoulder, she caught a quick glimpse of the questions and formulas in his textbook. They were simple enough that a boy half his age from Alice's world would've been able to solve on his own.
Unfortunately, it seemed like the education system wasn't as advanced in this world.
Charlie scratched at his head, his eyebrows crinkled and his nose wrinkled. He had been stuck on the same question for the last fifteen minutes or so, a question that his tutor had insisted he attempted without any help. The quill he had in hand could nearly be bent in half with frustration, the feather quivering as Charlie fidgeted around in his seat.
"Need some help?" Alice asked in a quiet whisper, leaning over to him when the tutor had his back turned, eyes and attention deeply submerged in the book he held in his hand.
"Yes. Please," Charlie begged, whining softly. "He never explains." The younger boy gestured over to his tutor with his chin, scowling. "My brother is the one that teaches me all these things properly after lessons. Mr. Dunford is useless. I'm not sure why Mother insists on hiring this man."
From the corner of her eye, Alice dared a quick peek at the stoic middle-aged man that stood at the other corner of Charlie's study. Mr. Dunford was a man well in his forties, a little bit of gray hair staining his jet black hair. On the bridge of his nose sat a pair of glasses, round and thick. Whenever he peered through them, Alice found him particularly like an owl, eyes wide like glass balls. However, whatever charm an owl had, Mr. Dunford did not. The man had a perpetual scowl on his lips, curved and always sneering in disdain. He was always looking down on Charlie, literally, and he never seemed impressed.
"If you have the luxury of time to chatter, then I assume you must be done." With a snap of the book, Mr. Dunford peered over his shoulder, glaring at the two youths.
Called out, both Alice and Charlie straightened, lips pursed as they stared at the approaching tutor. The older man simply glanced at the still-blank parchment that was spread out across the table in front of Charlie. A blotch of ink had already stained the paper, dripping from the writing tool that Charlie held up but never used.
"Empty still." Sighing with a shake of his head, the tutor pulled out his pocket watch. His eyes glazed over the ticking hands, smacking his lips together a couple of times before returning the watch back into the pockets of his jacket. Slowly, he started to pack up his tools, clipping the clasp of his briefcase shut once he was done. "I expect the question to be solved and understood by the next class, Young Master Charlie."
Curt with his words, Mr. Dunford was off right after, the heels of his shoes clicking all the way down the hallway. His departure was so loud that it could still be heard echoing even after the doors of the study slammed close. It seemed as though he couldn't get away fast enough.
"See," Charlie huffed. "Like I mentioned. Absolutely, utterly, completely useless as a tutor. He doesn't even teach!"
"I'll help you," Alice offered with a laugh.
Dipping a different quill in ink, she awkwardly held the feather in hand, fingers fumbling to get a proper grip. The memory of holding a normal pen from modern times flitted into her mind. All of a sudden, she missed the feeling of a good old ballpoint pen gripped between her fingers.
Shaking her head, she started to explain, "This question is pretty simple to solve. See, when you move the numbers here over to this side like so…"
While explaining, Alice began to scribble down her working on the parchment. Slowly, the blank slip of paper started to turn black with words, ink filling up the empty space as the equation that Mr. Dunford had posed for Charlie to solve started to unravel.
A question that had stumped Charlie for hours took only mere minutes for Alice to solve. She would've been faster too if she had an electronic calculator on hand but that was yet to be invented, if at all in this strange new world. Once she was done, she placed the quill back into the pot of ink, allowing it to rest against the edges.
"There." Grinning, she gestured to the final answer, marked with a hash symbol she had drawn right under the number out of habit. "That's not so hard now, is it?"
"Woah," Charlie gasped. "I didn't know that you were so good with arithmetic! You must be a genius, Alice."
Red crept onto Alice's cheeks. Although she humbly shook her head, she couldn't help herself but feel a gush of rising pride. She had never been confident about her mathematical skills in school but all of a sudden, she felt just as brilliant as Einstein himself. Everything Alice had known back home seemed so much simpler here. If she wasn't already so deeply entwined with the members of the noble circle, Alice might even dare to wish she could stay here forever.
However, she hadn't forgotten. Gladiolum wasn't her world to stay in despite all of its glory and beauty. Each day she lingered would be more dangerous than the last. The longer she stayed tangled with these blue-blooded humans draped in silks and diamonds, the more fragile her life would become.
"Oh, now." Waving Charlie's compliment off, she pulled a chair over, finally sitting down after solving the equation while hunched over the table. "It really isn't that hard. Once you have the basics down, all you have to do is just practice the rules and you'll be able to solve questions like this in seconds."
"Maybe if I was my older brother," Charlie mumbled. His head was downcast, eyes drooped as he lazily traced his finger all over the table surface. "My brother had always been skilled in the office. Ever since he was young, Father had him train in the palace and he soon started his work as the crown prince's closest confidant and assistant. Meanwhile, Mother had always said that I was better with the sword than with the pen. I agree, too."
"And what's so wrong with that?" Alice asked, a question which made Charlie's ears prick with attention. "Everyone has something they're good at. Wyatt might be good with politics and have a wide range of knowledge but he might not be as efficient on the battlefield like you are. You shouldn't judge your worth based on others'."
At her words, Charlie's eyes gleamed bright with hope. He didn't reply, simply content with staring into Alice's eyes to see if there was even a hint of a lie in her irises. When he found none, his lips slowly stretched. Youthful vibrancy colored his face once more, no longer darkened by the storm clouds that had hung over his head since Mr. Dunford started his class.
"Then will you tutor me instead?" Charlie pleaded.
"I… I'm not good with the other subjects. Like history, for example. I'm not from around here so I wouldn't know—"
"That's alright! Just arithmetic, then." He was insistent, hands clasped together almost as if in prayer. "Everything is so much clearer when you explain them. Well, since you do explain them. I'll let Mother know if you'll just agree?"
"Mn…" Alice hesitated. Unfortunately, all of her reluctance and qualms melted away at the sight of Charlie's expression. His eyes were round like a cat that was pleading for grub, glittering with unshed tears and a pitiful gleam. "Oh, alright," she caved in, "I guess it's not much trouble, considering I am supposed to be your personal assistant."
"Thank you, Alice!" Charlie exclaimed. "I'll have Mother provide some compensation for your classes. Hopefully, if she knows better, she might even cut the pay of that wretched good-for-nothing tutor of mine."
Alice shook her head in refusal. "There's no need for that. Your family had already provided so much for me, a mere stranger. I can't possibly ask for separate compensation for such a small favor."
"Then call it a personal gratitude that I must show," Charlie rebutted, smirking in satisfaction once Alice gaped wordlessly. "Even if you refuse, I'll find a way to catch you off guard."
Her rejection was already on the tip of her tongue. However, she caught herself in time to swallow it back down, simply taking a deep breath before sighing in defeat. Alice knew there was no way for her to argue against Charlie, especially when he was geared up and ready to go. However, she believed that boys were always the same even when they claim not to be. Eventually, promises would be forgotten. She had more than enough experience with that.
Promises made to her were somehow never fulfilled. There was no reason why Alice should trust any different now.
Nonetheless, Alice had forgotten for a split second that she was in a different world. Sometimes, that made all the difference.