The Villain Family’s Strongest Butler
Chapter 13
When I stepped out of the Grand Duke’s office, old Norbert was waiting for me.
“……Did anything happen?”
“The floor below that.”
“…….”
“You knew it was the Grand Duke’s…… His Grace’s personal training ground?”
“I see he told you.”
“Yes…….”
Why was it?
Spending that brief time facing the Grand Duke had been far more exhausting than a whole day spent running around the work sectors learning maid duties.
It felt as though every ounce of energy left in my body had been drained completely.
‘We really are sworn opposites.’
Though he was an enemy, I had briefly thought of him as a comrade-in-arms with whom I could purely exchange blows.
There was a time when I had thought so, even if just for a moment.
‘An enemy is an enemy.’
I will bring that bastard’s head and present it to Serhin, no matter what.
I resolved once again.
Trudging along behind old Norbert, curiosity suddenly struck me.
“Master. Why aren’t you checking whether I memorized the book?”
Norbert replied nonchalantly,
“I saw it with my own eyes, so that is enough.”
“Just like that? Isn’t that too careless?”
“I shall test you on it one by one from now on, so it is not for you to worry about.”
“Ah, yes.”
Well, since I got the personal training ground in the end, it was fine by me.
‘Ah, the personal training ground.’
The fact that I would be sharing it with the Grand Duke came back to mind.
My head throbbed—even more than when I used to face him on the battlefield.
Just then, old Norbert tossed something from his breast pocket and said,
“Here, catch.”
“Huh?”
I caught what came flying toward me with both hands. It gave a light metallic clink.
“It is the key to His Grace’s personal training ground.”
“……!”
I raised my eyebrows and looked at old Norbert. He continued,
“Behind the knight quarters stands the Tower of Verdan. It is the tallest structure in the Grand Duke’s Residence, so you will recognize it at a glance.”
Ah. A memory of the building I had briefly passed by surfaced.
It was an exceptionally tall, ancient-looking tower, and old Norbert had pointedly omitted it even while introducing every other building on the Grand Duchy’s grounds.
‘So that’s where the old man’s office and the Grand Duke’s personal training ground were.’
I looked down at the key, recalling the building’s silhouette.
Old Norbert continued,
“My office is on the fourth floor. The third floor below it is His Grace’s personal training ground, and the ground you will be using from now on.”
“…….”
I nodded weakly.
Old Norbert chose his words for a moment before speaking.
“Do not be curious about the other floors, and do not even think of entering them. They are training grounds and offices for other retainers of the house.”
“Yes. I wasn’t curious about the other floors in the first place.”
Despite my firm answer, old Norbert couldn’t hide his lingering unease and cautioned me once more.
“I have permitted you access to that tower only because of my promise to you, but truthfully, it is a building far beyond what your status and position would ever allow you to set foot in. Use it quietly—very quietly.”
“Do not worry, Master.”
“…….”
I nodded repeatedly, then asked,
“May I use it right away?”
“If I deem it interferes with your duties, I will confiscate that key immediately.”
“You don’t need to worry about that ever happening. Can I use it right now?”
“……Very well.”
I gave old Norbert a brief bow.
“Then, I shall take my leave first.”
And I headed straight up to my bedroom.
Changing into the training clothes I had previously asked old Norbert to procure for me, I stepped out of the quarters once again.
By then, the lamps in the Main Building had been extinguished, except for the Grand Duke’s office and a few work areas.
Somehow, it looked rather bleak.
‘Let’s hurry.’
Two years starting today.
To regain my former prowess within two years, I had to cut back on sleep and maximize my training time.
Making a wide turn around the knight quarters, the towering structure appeared just as old Norbert had described.
Thump, thump, thump.
For some reason, my heart was racing.
A heart that had remained steady on most battlefields beat loudly and rapidly at the sight of that tower.
‘It begins now.’
In the first place, ‘Sia’ had also risen to that height starting with nothing.
The first time is difficult, but the second is easy.
Right now, I was about to embark on that second challenge.
And I would succeed, without fail.
Two years later.
Snow piled in thick layers across the sprawling gardens of the Grand Duke’s Residence, marking the passage of time.
As expected of the cold north, spring, summer, and autumn slipped past in brief flashes, giving way to a protracted winter.
Awakening from a peaceful night, the Valot Grand Duchy was bustling and full of life today, as it always was.
“Who put sprouted potatoes here?! Pull yourselves together! You’re doing this without even looking properly? Don’t you have eyes?!”
Head Chef Lend’s booming roar echoed through the kitchen.
“Are you going to serve something like this to His Grace?! Huh?!”
At that, the kitchen servants moved with lightning speed to dispose of the potatoes.
Once the brief commotion settled, Lend patted the slabs of meat piled on the counter and said,
“Now then, today we’ll be using the fresh lamb that came in yesterday. Michelle, prepare the salad. Alto, trim the vegetables for the garnish. And—”
After swiftly assigning tasks to the servants, Lend began trimming the meat.
Washing vegetables at a counter a few stations away, Anna whispered,
“The head chef seems awfully fired up today, doesn’t he?”
Riel chuckled softly.
“And for good reason. Today is the day His Grace returns.”
“Right, exactly!” Anna chimed in agreement.
A year ago, Kadrian had set off on a campaign.
It was his first departure to the front lines since the day a dark mage appeared in the Remart Disputed Region.
Having seized a victory so flawless and magnificent that it made his hiatus seem meaningless, Kadrian was returning.
It was his return after a full year.
“Oh, it’s Freya.”
Just then, looking out the window, Anna spotted Freya walking toward the garden.
At Anna’s words, Riel turned her gaze there as well.
Following behind Freya were Selly, the youngest maid in the Grand Duke’s Residence, and Selly’s older brother, John.
“You’re right.”
“She looks really busy today too, doesn’t she?”
“Yeah.”
“She won’t have time to hang out with us.”
“Well…… I suppose not.”
Riel murmured, gazing at Freya with wistful eyes.
‘It feels like just yesterday we were peeling potatoes side by side……’
Six months ago, Freya had become a butler.
The heart of the estate, responsible for honor and tradition, order and dignity, while managing affairs large and small for the house.
Freya had seized the position of butler—a domain long considered the exclusive preserve of men.
“Whew, look at that fit.”
Anna complimented Freya in a tone reminiscent of Bent, the fruit store owner, when he was thoroughly drunk.
Riel gave a wry chuckle.
From its very inception, Freya’s butler uniform was fundamentally different from those of other noble houses.
It was a custom-tailored outfit made exclusively for Freya under Count Norbert’s direction.
When a minor stir arose over whether she should wear a dress or trousers as the first female butler, Freya had chosen trousers without hesitation.
Her reasoning was that they would not hinder her mobility.
The simple combination of black trousers and a white top only served to accentuate the peerless presence she exuded.
The luxurious lace and frills adorning the pure white top complemented her pale skin. In a design neither overly ornate nor excessively plain, one could feel a strict, immaculate professional dignity.
‘How can someone look so good in a butler’s uniform?’
Somehow, she looked as gallant as a young nobleman attending a banquet, and so handsome—more than any dashing gentleman—that it made one’s heart flutter.
‘Now, no matter where I look, I can’t see a trace of her maid days anymore.’
She was no longer the Freya who caused all sorts of mishaps because her stamina fell short of her knowledge.
Just as Riel and Anna were gazing at Freya’s figure in a daze, a shout like a beast’s roar came flying from behind them.
“You there! Stop chattering! Riel, Anna! You two prepare the herbs and seasonings! Hurry!”
“Ah, yes! Head Chef!”
“Yes! We’re coming, we’re coming!”
Having watched Freya from afar, Riel and Anna reluctantly turned away.
“So this is that poisonous herb?”
I received a glass tube containing the poisonous herb from Patrick the gardener.
It was a poisonous herb that had suddenly begun spreading across the entire Cadea Empire.
‘It looks like just a bunch of ordinary weeds, though.’
Clutching the glass tube with the poisonous herb to my chest, I nodded.
“I’ll send this poisonous herb to the Magic Tower. Please let me know if you find any more.”
“Yeah! Got it.”
Watching Patrick’s receding back, I suddenly looked up at the sky.
Clouds heavy with snow were drifting slowly across the blue sky chilled with winter’s cold. Just then, a sudden gust of wind brushed against my skin.
My senses, honed to razor sharpness, reacted instantly.
Vibrations and sound.
He is coming. The Grand Duke.
I could feel it. The image of the army led by the Grand Duke advancing like a tidal wave unfolded in my mind.
I looked toward the distant Hertia Mountains covered in pure white snow.
It was the highest point in the Cadea Empire, the mountain range where the World Tree, said to protect the continent, lay slumbering.
Whooosh—. The wind blew, and the frozen forests of the distant mountains swayed.
With a little exaggeration, it felt as though I could lock eyes with the Grand Duke if I focused just a bit harder.
I could not stop the corners of my mouth from curving upward.
At the same time, I quietly clenched my fist.
‘Come on then, Grand Duke.’
Come quickly and see for yourself.
—“Learn well from Norbert. Who knows? If you grow into someone so capable that I cannot do without you, perhaps I will reveal the secrets you wish to know of my own accord.”
Just how capable I have become.
Just how indispensable I have become to you.
‘And whether…… you will feel inclined to confess all the secrets you’ve kept from me.’
Two hours left.
I turned around once more to conduct the final, utmost check.
