The Villain Family’s Strongest Butler
Chapter 12
I hadn’t expected to run into the Grand Duke again so soon.
‘I’m not mentally prepared yet.’
Just this morning, I had been plotting to return home with his severed head, but coming face-to-face with him like this gave me a sudden case of cold feet.
‘Wicked old man.’
I knew something was off the moment he offered to build me a private training ground.
Still, the milk was already spilled.
I followed old man Norbert into the office and stood behind him.
The office was dim.
‘Does that man spend day in and day out in such darkness?’
Instead of training the knights, or at least taking a walk…
My thoughts trailed off.
For I realized that the stack of documents piled on his desk was well taller than his seated height.
‘Whoa. That’s even more paperwork than Serhin deals with.’
And Serhin had constantly dumped half his paperwork onto me.
‘He handles all that by himself?’
Grand Duke… you poor bastard.
‘Now I feel bad for getting mad that a guy who only swings a sword lives in such a massive estate.’
Meanwhile, the Grand Duke seated behind the desk took off his glasses and set them down.
He looked up, glancing between old man Norbert and me, then asked the old man:
“What is it?”
Norbert bowed slightly and spoke.
“Please grant permission to remodel my office in the Tower of Verdan.”
“…”
The Tower of Verdan? Remodel his office?
‘What is this all about?’
Unable to make sense of any of it, I could only roll my eyes around.
Just then, the Grand Duke spoke.
“The reason?”
Perhaps it was a serious matter, for his voice dipped lower than before.
‘Ah, this is getting uncomfortable.’
You didn’t have to bring this up while I was standing right here, old man.
To the Grand Duke’s question, Norbert answered:
“If you permit, I would like to turn it into a private training ground.”
Huh?
Startled, I stared at the back of Norbert’s head.
‘This was it?’
This is why he brought me here?
‘Whoa… I don’t know what the Tower of Verdan is, but he’s saying he’ll tear apart his own office to build my private training ground?’
He really was a man of his word.
I felt guilty for having doubted and resented him, even for a moment.
‘I misjudged you, old man.’
I gazed fervently at the back of Norbert’s head with deeply touched eyes.
Then, suddenly.
‘Wait… but hasn’t he not even checked whether I memorized the book yet?’
As I stood there puzzled, the Grand Duke spoke again.
“A private training ground. And why bring that maid along to discuss it?”
“I made a promise to Freya. If she read the ‘Book of Valot Rune’ and memorized it in a single day, I would arrange a private training ground for her.”
The Book of Valot Rune. That was the title of the thick book I had read through the night.
As Norbert finished speaking, the Grand Duke’s gaze shifted to me.
“…”
“…”
I stared back into his eyes without backing down.
‘…Will he refuse?’
No, he’ll definitely refuse.
I was merely an ominous, amnesiac stranger of unknown identity.
I knew full well that assigning me maid duties and sticking Norbert by my side was meant for surveillance.
‘There’s no way he’d demolish his cherished vassal’s office to make a private training ground for someone like me.’
Half-resigned, I held the Grand Duke’s gaze steadily.
‘I know, Grand Duke. I should be grateful you even let me keep my life.’
And yet, still.
I wish he’d say yes.
If only he permits this, I’ll reconsider my plan to take his head when I return to the Tenasis Empire.
A few moments passed in silence.
The Grand Duke remained silent. He merely fixed his gaze on my face—more specifically, on my eyes—without blinking.
Refusing to be outdone, I stared intently into his eyes in return.
‘How strange.’
They were the very same violet eyes I had confronted countless times on the battlefield, eyes I thought I was sick of seeing.
Yet today, of all days, those violet eyes seemed strangely mesmerizing.
In truth, the Grand Duke’s violet eyes used to be a color that roused murderous intent and adrenaline in me.
Even in a chaotic battlefield where friend and foe blurred together, I could always spot those eyes with ease.
Yet today, far from stoking bloodlust, they felt entirely different.
Just…
Enough to make me want to keep looking.
‘They’re pretty.’
Well, a thought like that did cross my mind for a fleeting moment.
Just then.
A sharp ringing pierced my head.
‘Ugh!’
A sudden headache seized me.
I closed and opened my eyes.
It happened often. Especially whenever I faced that Grand Duke on the battlefield.
‘This headache remains the same even with a different body.’
I quickly shook my head and lifted my gaze again.
Just in time, the Grand Duke looked away and put his glasses back on.
Then, nodding, he spoke.
“Do not tear up a perfectly fine office. Give her the floor below instead.”
“Pardon?”
Norbert gasped in astonishment.
“Y-Your Highness. But the floor below is…”
“Do as I say.”
After a brief hesitation, Norbert bowed as if he had no choice.
“Yes. …Thank you, Your Highness.”
The atmosphere was peculiar.
‘What is this? What’s so special about the floor below?’
It seemed to be quite a significant place.
Curiosity surged within me.
“What is the Tower of Verdan, and what’s with the floor below?”
I just asked outright.
At that, the old man snapped his head toward me, and the Grand Duke’s gaze fixed upon me once more.
Looking between the two of them, I said:
“…What? Is it a place I’m not allowed to know about?”
Norbert shook his head and let out a long sigh.
“Your Highness, I apologize. Bringing her here without proper briefing was…”
“No.”
The Grand Duke raised a hand, cutting Norbert off.
“Leave the maid and step outside.”
“…Your Highness.”
When Norbert hesitated to leave, the Grand Duke spoke once more, firm and resolute.
“Leave.”
“…Yes, Your Highness.”
Faced with the Grand Duke’s repeated command, Norbert had no choice but to withdraw.
Before walking out, he seemed to convey something with his eyes…
It seemed roughly along the lines of ‘watch your mouth.’
‘Really, old man. Have you grown fond of me already?’
Worrying about me and all.
I know full well that I have a loose tongue, you know.
‘And the Grand Duke probably knows that already, too.’
After rattling off so recklessly under the influence of the Sap of the World Tree, there was hardly anything new to hide.
Once Norbert stepped out, a brief silence settled over the office.
“Was it not a private training ground you wanted?”
“I did.”
“And I granted it, so what is the problem?”
“It’s not that anything is wrong; I was just curious about what kind of place my private training ground would be.”
“Must you satisfy every single curiosity you have in life?”
“Pretty much, yes.”
“Pretty much?”
“In fact, I’m barely holding myself back because I’m dying to know what’s going on inside Your Highness’s head, too.”
“…”
“Because I’m terribly curious about who I really am.”
“That is—”
“Yes, I know. That’s why I’m trying hard to grow up into an upstanding person. So, I will make good use of the private training ground.”
“…”
“And my question earlier was merely out of curiosity about the private training ground I’ll be using alone, so please don’t take it as impudence and—”
“Who said you would be using it alone?”
“…Excuse me?”
The Grand Duke leaned back casually against his chair.
Then, curling one corner of his impassive lips into a faint smirk, he said:
“I never said any such thing.”
“…”
What does that mean?
Does the Valot Grand Duchy have people share ‘private’ training grounds?
‘Well, it’s not like there’s a law against it, but…’
I asked cautiously:
“Then… am I sharing it with someone else?”
“The floor below Norbert’s office already has an owner. So you will be sharing it with that owner.”
“Ah… I see.”
I murmured back, my voice losing its vigor.
Who could it be?
If it’s the floor below Norbert’s office, could it be a training ground used by another vassal?
Even if we share it, it shouldn’t matter as long as our schedules don’t overlap.
I fell deep into thought, wondering who I would be sharing the training ground with.
Then, the Grand Duke’s voice drifted over once more.
“Me.”
At his voice, I looked up at the Grand Duke.
“…Pardon?”
With his head still tilted slightly, he replied:
“The owner of the floor below. I said it’s me.”
“…”
Somewhere, a dog barked.
