The Villain Family’s Strongest Butler
Chapter 11
To exaggerate just a bit, that “single book” was thicker than the palm of my hand.
I really should have kept my mouth shut.
I take back what I said about memorizing five or ten books.
‘At this thickness, it might as well be ten normal books.’
After quickly washing up, I sat down and began turning the pages in earnest.
It looked like sleep was out of the question tonight.
The next day.
Tucked into a corner on the ground floor of the Valot Grand Duke’s Residence’s Main Building was the laundry room.
The space was immense, bathed in natural light streaming through the massive panoramic windows that lined the wall.
Though indoors, whenever the large windows were opened, a cool breeze would sweep through while abundant, warm sunlight poured inside.
It was a place filled with the fragrant scent of soap and the warmth of sun-dried air.
“……Count. Are you sure that girl has never worked as a maid before?”
“…….”
Ludia, the maid in charge of the area, asked with a bewildered expression.
Ahem. Without offering a proper reply, Norbert simply stared at Freya, who was fully absorbed in her work.
Freya was sorting the pile of laundry according to how each item needed to be washed.
She pre-washed heavily soiled garments and set them aside, and adjusted the water temperature before getting down to the main wash.
Of course, she had wobbled for a moment while lifting the water-soaked fabrics and wringing them out, clearly lacking physical strength.
“Count.”
Ludia spoke to Norbert in a serious tone.
“You know we’re shorthanded in our department, right? If you could just assign that Freya girl to us—”
“Do you think this is the only department that’s shorthanded?”
Norbert flatly rejected the request.
Tsk. Ludia clicked her tongue softly.
Norbert rubbed the bridge of his nose.
He simply couldn’t make sense of the situation.
‘Is this the fifth time already?’
First had been Ters from the wine cellar, then Patrick from the garden. Then Walter from the smithy and Delson the stable master.
And now, even the laundry staff were begging to have Freya assigned to their department.
It was because the knowledge and grasp of the work Freya had displayed in every single area far exceeded normal expectations.
—"This is Feldedor wine from the Villedro Kingdom. It reflects the region’s terroir exceptionally well, renowned for its bold tannins and distinctive fruit flavor.”
—"Patience. That’s the language of the Marinehawk flower. Its ocean-blue petals are used as an ingredient for medicine, but I’ve heard that if you dry the roots and grind them into powder, they can be made into a deadly poison.”
—"Armor made of Planit ore… I heard it’s a rare and notoriously difficult ore to handle. But looking at this, you increased the carbon content to boost its strength and hardness, didn’t you?”
—"This is a well-trained, magnificent horse. A horse with good training and rapport has a completely different look in its eyes. The luster of its coat shows it’s in peak physical condition too. Ah, may I try brushing it down?”
She had rattled it all off without the slightest hesitation.
It wasn’t merely at the level of reciting something from memory.
‘She claimed she only remembered her name, but that must have been a lie as well.’
No, if she truly hadn’t lost her memories, it was even stranger.
‘Leaving wine and gardening aside… how on earth does she know so much about smithing and stables?’
It was utterly dumbfounding.
At this rate, had she forgotten that she was supposed to have amnesia?
’Or perhaps she has no intention of hiding it in the first place.’
As if understanding Norbert’s confusion, Freya gave the laundry a sharp snap and replied calmly.
“Don’t you remember? That book you gave me last night.”
The book?
‘Ah…….’
Norbert recalled the book he had sent to Freya’s room.
It was a volume detailing the management regulations of the Grand Duke’s estate and the duties of each work section.
Naturally, it also contained detailed instructions on how work was carried out in every area.
“You read all of that?”
“Do you think I only read it? You told me to memorize the whole thing, or did you forget that too?”
“……So, you truly memorized all of it? In a single night?”
Instead of answering, Freya gave a light nod.
Well, if what she said was true, it would somewhat explain how she had performed so far.
And yet.
‘……Could it really be true?’
Or was it merely a bluff?
’No.’
There was no way anyone could memorize that vast amount in a single day.
Just reading through it would take a week.
Yet she memorized it?
‘She must be bluffing.’
Yet if she hadn’t memorized it, none of her actions made sense either.
Norbert watched Freya, who was currently sorting through a fresh batch of laundry that had just arrived.
Standing beside Norbert and watching Freya, Ludia whispered.
“You made someone memorize that book again? How many academy students ran away because of that, I wonder?”
“…….”
“Still, I thought she was just a pretty face, but she’s remarkably deft with her hands, isn’t she? That’s the survivor who was found on Teridana Beach, right?”
“……Yes.”
“So, which department are you going to assign her to?”
“…….”
Norbert didn’t answer.
He had already decided which department to assign Freya to.
Before that, he had intended to take her around the Grand Duke’s Residence to give her a small taste of the duties in each area.
‘I didn’t expect her to do so well, though…….’
Her striking looks drawing eyes wherever she went was troublesome enough.
‘Aside from having less stamina than others, she performs almost every task to near perfection.’
It was a moment that made him understand why Freya had asked to build up her physical strength the previous night.
If I die, I’ll die on the battlefield.
That had been my mindset when I lived as a knight.
Now I was a maid.
So if I was going to die, where would it be?
‘In a washbasin.’
After dumping out the blackened, dirty wash water, I set the washbasin upside down to dry properly and stepped back inside.
In the meantime, the laundry that had dried crisp under the sun had been brought indoors.
Maids gathered around the incoming piles. I picked up the soft, dry laundry, neatly folding and sorting it with practiced precision.
I didn’t forget to attach labels so items could be found easily, moving them to their designated spots.
“She’s quick with her hands.”
“She has a good head for work too.”
The maids working alongside me tossed out compliments as they walked past.
‘Is that so?’
Tilting my head, I refocused on my duties.
Maybe it was just because it was my first day.
Compared to old man Norbert’s warning that it was harder work than I thought and not to take it lightly…
‘Honestly, this is kind of fun.’
Every place the old man had dragged me to involved tasks I had already done before, so none of it was particularly difficult.
‘Should I be thanking Serhin?’
Serhin, the Crown Prince of the Tenasis Empire, suffered from severe mysophobia.
Since I was the only person who attended to him by his side, I had to master handling every single chore alone to meet his obsessive cleanliness.
The food Serhin ate, the clothes he wore, the horses he rode, the swords and armor he donned—down to the single small blossom placed in his bedchamber.
I was Serhin’s shadow, his sword, and his hands and feet.
I hadn’t found it particularly bothersome or unpleasant.
It was only natural to repay the debt to the person who saved my life and taught me the sword.
‘Could I have been a maid in my childhood before I lost my memories?’
The thought even crossed my mind.
Anyway, if this is what maid work is, if this is what a butler does…
‘Maybe being a butler is actually my true calling.’
I felt that it wouldn’t matter where I ended up being assigned. In the end, my ultimate goal was to become a butler.
And not just any butler, but the butler to the Grand Duke of Valot.
However, one lingering flaw remained.
Namely, this pathetic physical stamina.
If only I could do something about my stamina…
‘Which is why the kitchen is out of the question.’
Because it would leave me with less time to train my body.
“Phew…….”
Wiping the beads of sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand, I took a deep breath.
Ah, is this the true taste of honest, rewarding labor?
It was a completely different feeling from cutting down enemies on the battlefield night after night without sleep.
It might seem trivial compared to a victory on the battlefield, but the swelling sense of pride was fundamentally different from taking lives.
Heh.
‘Look at me.’
What was I getting so worked up over?
Anyone watching would think I’d dedicated my entire life to maid work.
I felt sheepish for no reason.
‘Anyway.’
The sun was already setting.
The red rim of the sun dipped behind the mountains, leaving only a faint afterglow.
‘Is he not planning to stop by other departments?’
I glanced at old man Norbert. He was standing against a wall, talking with one of the maids.
Judging by the mood, it looked like we were done for the day.
‘Is he planning to assign me here?’
I had toured various departments since morning, learning the ropes.
Among them, I had spent the most time right here in the laundry room.
‘Then again, as long as it isn’t the kitchen, anywhere is fine.’
This place was far better than the kitchen, where work ran past midnight; here, the shift ended once the sun went down and the dry laundry was sorted.
And the sun was setting now.
Just then, my eyes met old man Norbert’s.
“…….”
“…….”
After a brief moment, the old man motioned with his chin.
“That should be enough.”
It was the signal that our workday was done.
I quickly finished folding the laundry in my hands and followed old man Norbert out the door.
“See you tomorrow!”
“I hope you get assigned here!”
Even though we had only worked together for a few hours, the maids called out warm farewells after me.
I turned back and gave them a polite nod.
‘They’re all so nice.’
No one seemed overly wary, and there was no hazing either.
As expected, it would be great to be assigned here.
Tramp, tramp. I walked behind old man Norbert, lost in thought.
Then, he suddenly stopped in front of a certain room.
‘Huh?’
This place is…
I stared at the door, which I recognized from before.
It was the Grand Duke’s office.
“Your Grace, it is Norbert. May I enter?”
What is this? Weren’t we clocking out?
Why are we suddenly in front of the Grand Duke’s office? And why is he bringing me inside?
Ah, don’t tell me.
‘Is this because I asked to use the training grounds……?’
Just then, a voice came from beyond the door.
“Enter.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Panicking for a moment, I called out to old man Norbert.
“Um, Master. Why are we suddenly—”
Shh. Old man Norbert cut me off.
“Be quiet and follow me in.”
“…….”
Damn it.
I’m screwed.
