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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Cannot Send the Butler Away Like This
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Heavy raindrops splattered, thoroughly soaking the ground. From a sky full of dark clouds, fierce rain poured down as if a hole had been torn open. The Butler had sternly warned them not to follow him, fearing that Doana would make trouble for anyone seen bidding him farewell during his expulsion. His profession offered a much higher income than others. No one would welcome someone fired from another noble family; it was an unwritten rule among the aristocracy. The servants wept at the harsh reality that they couldn't even see him off. The Butler raised his head and absently gazed at the ceaseless raindrops. His vision blurred. A sense of emptiness, as if a hole had been torn in his chest, washed over him. The sky, covered in black storm clouds, was as gloomy as his own life.
‘How bitter...’
Though the downpour continued, he had no desire or presence of mind to open an umbrella. Being expelled like this from a place where he had poured his entire life felt only sorrowful. What had he been loyal to this place for, all his life? To be cast out like this, without even proper treatment... Transparent streaks, whether rain or tears, traced down his cheeks. The Butler, looking pitifully haggard, wore an expression as if he had lost the entire world. Roje ran towards the Butler, who stood blankly. Though she held an umbrella in one hand, it was insufficient to ward off the storm. Her long skirt was already thoroughly soaked. Because she had run without time to avoid puddles, her shoes were filled with muddy water. With every step, her rain-soaked shoes squelched. Roje usually detested getting wet, but her soaking shoes and dress didn't register. Had her flowing dress ever felt as cumbersome as it did today?
‘It’s heavy.’
Due to her waterlogged dress, Roje's steps were slower than usual. Just then, a carriage galloped into view in the distance. The clatter of hooves and the dissonant rumble of wheels were exceptionally loud. The carriage, splashing mud as it approached, halted in front of the Butler. Roje instinctively knew. If she let the Butler go like this, she would never see him again.
‘No...!’
She couldn't let that happen. She at least wanted to say a final goodbye. Roje cried out, her voice raised, towards the Butler as he approached the carriage.
“Gwen!”
Roje's voice pierced through the wind and rain, echoing. The Butler, who had been taking weak steps, flinched. A woman's voice reached him from behind.
‘I said no farewells were needed, but someone must have come out anyway.’
He didn't want to turn around. His situation was too pathetic. He didn't want to show such a broken appearance even at the very end. His final shred of pride was to offer a smiling farewell, if he had to.
‘Is it the Head Maid...’
She was likely the only one in that mansion who would defy his words and come out. The Butler continued his steps quietly, without thinking of turning back. A dark shadow fell over the head of the Butler, who was walking weakly with his head bowed. The stinging downpour stopped. Rain was still falling, but an umbrella was now held over his head. Gwen slowly looked up at the umbrella sheltering him.
“Gwen...”
A soft voice came from behind Gwen. He knew who it was just by the sound of her voice.
‘This voice...’
Gwen turned around, unable to hide his astonished expression.
“Madam?”
Before his eyes stood a rain-soaked Roje. Her dress was damp and clinging, and her hair was heavy with water. She seemed oblivious to the rain falling on her own head as she stretched out a hand to hold the umbrella over Gwen. When their eyes met, Roje tried to force a smile, though the sorrow in her eyes remained unconcealed. Gwen had never expected this. Of all people, the Countess herself, Roje, had run out to him like this. His surprised eyes lost their focus and wavered. Roje and Gwen stood silently facing each other for a long time. The fiercely pouring rain made the atmosphere even heavier.
“It’s raining, and you’re not even using an umbrella.”
It was Roje who broke the silence first. Behind her forced smile, sorrow was palpable in her voice. The Butler gazed at Roje without a word. Seeing his unresponsive expression, Roje offered a bitter smile. He was always so composed, the Butler... But now, with his hair plastered down and his eyes unfocused, he looked so different from the dignified Gwen she knew. Gwen, who had been staring blankly at Roje, quickly lowered his head. He didn't want to face Roje with a face streaked with tears. He wiped the corner of his eyes with the back of his hand, then spoke softly.
“Madam, it’s cold out. Please go inside.”
Gwen felt uncomfortable seeing Roje completely drenched because of him. How could he be at ease when the mistress he served was standing in the rain for his sake? Gwen subtly pushed the umbrella, which was tilted towards him, away. He wanted Roje to get less wet, even if only a little.
“Thank you for everything.”
Roje’s voice resonated softly.
“Thanks to you, Butler, I was able to endure my time here.”
It was true. His kind attention had been a source of strength for Roje. She couldn't express how grateful she was for his quiet presence by her side.
“I was quite flustered. I couldn’t even bid you farewell, Madam.”
The Butler subtly raised his monocle as he spoke. He hadn't been in the right state of mind to go around saying goodbye to everyone. Eric’s word, ‘fired,’ had been quite a shock.
“No matter how busy I was, I should have offered my regards to you, Madam.”
Roje shook her head at Gwen’s apology and replied gently.
“Please don’t say that. Gwen, I came here specifically to tell you how grateful I am for everything you’ve done for me.”
At Roje's words, the Butler's nose burned. Ah... He shouldn't cry again. His nose burned. They said one grew more tearful with age, and it seemed to be true, seeing how choked up he got from a single word from Roje. The Butler sniffled and raised his head. Looking at Roje with bloodshot eyes, his expression was noticeably lighter than before.
“It is truly fortunate that this old man could be of help to you, Madam.”
Roje, who was mistreated in this vast mansion, had always bothered him. It was truly regrettable that she, as the Countess, received no proper respect and was only ignored by her so-called husband. The fact that most of the staff treated Roje warmly was largely due to the Butler’s influence. Gwen, a figure of great authority in the mansion, had taken the lead in looking out for Roje, ensuring that others did not treat her poorly.
“...Where will you go now?”
Her delicate voice was tangled with disappointment and sorrow. The regret of losing the great pillar of support she had, and the sadness of never seeing Gwen again, weighed heavily. The Butler couldn't answer easily. What noble family would take in someone who had been expelled? He lowered his head with a bitter expression. *Whoosh.* A heavy silence hung in the air. Between them, only the sound of thick raindrops could be heard. The Butler’s hair, usually neatly combed back, was now thoroughly soaked and hung disheveled.
‘Does he have nowhere to go?’
She could sense it from Gwen’s dispirited appearance. That he had no definite place to go.
‘I feel like the Butler is in trouble because of me...’
Roje felt uneasy. Doana must certainly have been involved in his dismissal. It was a case of the shrimp’s back breaking in the whale’s fight. Seeing the Butler caught up in Doana's and her own affairs, she felt a sense of responsibility.
‘This won’t do. I can’t just let the Butler go like this.’
She couldn't just stand by and watch him be unjustly dismissed. She wanted to help the Butler somehow... But what could she, with her lack of connections and information, do? Roje quickly racked her brain, thinking of what she could do for Gwen.
‘Wait... There was something I absolutely needed a butler for!’
A thought suddenly flashed through Roje's mind. Having made up her decision, Roje looked at the Butler with a steady gaze. A firm resolve was evident in her eyes as she looked at Gwen.
“I have a request. Would you be able to grant it?”
What kind of request could she possibly have for an old man?
“Well, I wonder. What use could I be to you now, Madam, no longer being a butler...”
Gwen’s voice trailed off as he replied. He seemed to be declining Roje’s request, but then he added a remark.
“However, if this old man can be of any help to you, Madam, I would be more than willing.”
Roje smiled, as if in response to the Butler’s words.
“Gwen, I need you. I have a business venture I’m planning.”
At Roje's words, the Butler's eyes wavered.
“A business... venture, Madam?”
A business venture, she said. Had he ever seen the Madam preparing for such a thing? Roje smiled, looking at the Butler who stood there bewildered. This was something she had been contemplating all along. Roje actually had no intention of running the department store entirely by herself. The world was always cold. Simply ‘working hard’ didn't guarantee commensurate results. Would it truly be easy for her, a former ordinary salaried employee, to manage a massive department store? Probably not. Even small shops were prone to failure. Roje was someone who had never even dabbled in something as common as stocks. High risk, high return—such things had never been part of her life. She was afraid. Her goal had always been to live a long, quiet life, just like everyone else. Being ordinary wasn't a bad thing. In her previous life, dreams were a luxury. She had been told countless times, "You got into a big company, so don't have unrealistic thoughts, just go to work." Roje, too, believed their advice was sound, thinking that success wasn't for everyone, and so she gave up on her dreams without even trying. But she didn't want that for her second life. She was tired of a life where she only thought of failure and didn't even attempt. Was it the heroine effect? Strangely, courage surged within her. The dice had already been cast. It was more important to figure out how to successfully run the department store than to fear failure. Something she had always kept in mind while planning the department store was hiring someone to handle its practical operations.
‘Corporate operations should be handled by professionals.’
Roje would be the owner of the department store, but she planned to hire a CEO and CFO. Roje looked at Gwen, who was staring at her with wide eyes, and thought.
‘The Butler has been in charge of the Wens Count’s financial affairs and operations for 30 years.’
She had heard it during her lessons: that the ones who saved the crumbling Wens Count’s family were the previous Count, Cedric, and Gwen himself. The Wens Count’s family’s robust finances were precisely thanks to Gwen’s efforts. Moreover, he was said to be such a talented individual that even the Imperial Family coveted him.
‘There would be no one better than the Butler for managing finances.’
To think she hadn’t recognized the perfect candidate right before her eyes all this time. Gwen wasn’t a hidden gem; he was a polished diamond himself. Roje smiled and extended her hand towards Gwen. Gwen quietly looked down at the delicate hand offered to him. It felt as if he had returned to that day. Thirty years ago, Cedric had extended his hand to him. And now, he was at a crossroads, just like the moment he debated whether or not to take Cedric’s hand. Roje’s hand was delicate, unlike Cedric’s, which had seemed so firm.
‘What kind of business venture is she planning?’
Gwen was quite curious. The woman who had done nothing but cling to Eric had, at some point, changed. She, who had been so passive and submissive, as if erased from her own life, was now preparing to step out into the world. Gwen, who had been gazing at her small hand, slowly raised his head. The vitality he had once possessed returned to his previously unfocused eyes. Gwen looked at Roje with a steady gaze and clasped her hand.
“It would be an honor, Madam.”
Whatever this business venture may be, I will ensure its success. A fierce passion surged within Gwen’s chest. The rain, which had been pouring down with strong winds, began to thin. The stinging raindrops subsided as if they had never been so harsh. It was a downpour that would break the oppressive summer heat. A single ray of sunlight pierced through the sky, which had been covered by dark storm clouds. The Butler, who had demonstrated the greatest capability in expanding the Count’s family’s wealth, had now joined hands with Roje. Following Grand Duke Arteum, a formidable ally had come to Roje’s side.
