The Villain Family’s Strongest Butler
Chapter 18
“The Imperial Palace?”
“Yes.”
The moment he entered the room, the Grand Duke told me to prepare for an audience at the palace.
A palace visit, out of nowhere?
“At this hour, Your Grace?”
The Grand Duke replied calmly, as though this were a common occurrence.
“He is a man of many secrets, after all.”
A man of many secrets? For the Grand Duke to speak of him with such deference, it could only mean one thing.
‘Imperial royalty.’
Well, that made sense. Who else could summon the Grand Duke of an empire at the break of dawn?
‘Serhin used to call high-ranking nobles in at whim just to torment them, too.’
Nodding, I began setting out the Grand Duke’s attire one piece at a time.
After preparing everything he would wear from head to toe, accessories included, the Grand Duke spoke.
“You will be accompanying me to the palace, butler, so get yourself ready as well.”
At those words, I paused mid-motion while arranging the accessories on the side table and spun around to look at him.
“Me? I mean… I am to go with you?!”
“Yes.”
Fastening the cuff links at his wrists, the Grand Duke continued.
“My aide said he had a matter of his own to handle, and I gave him leave. With him away, there is no one else to assist me but you, butler.”
“……”
A sudden pang of guilt pricked at me. That ‘matter’ was undoubtedly the corpse I had created at dawn.
Well, whatever. It hardly mattered what kind of ordeal the aide was suffering right now. What mattered far more was the Grand Duke telling me to come along to the palace.
My heart, which had been shrunk small and still before the Grand Duke, began to thud shamelessly. Thump, thump, thump.
‘Going out? Me? Leaving the Grand Duke’s Residence?’
I looked up at him. Perhaps sensing the question in my eyes, the Grand Duke spoke.
“I heard you behaved yourself quite well for the past two years. I half expected you to attempt an escape from the residence at least once.”
Trailing off, his gaze slanted down toward my throat. Judging by the angle, he was clearly looking at the dog collar he had fastened around me.
My fingertips brushed against the item his eyes were fixed on.
In truth, it could hardly be called a collar anymore.
When I complained that the rattling necklace was cumbersome and asked for an alternative, he had simply removed the blue gem and attached it to a white ribbon tie instead.
In the end, it clung even closer to my neck, looking more like a dog collar than ever.
I fiddled with the blue gem with my fingertips, feeling the smooth facets of the intricately cut stone.
‘Rich words coming from the man who put a dog collar on me to keep me from escaping in the first place, Your Grace.’
Concealing my inner thoughts, I replied with the most polite tone and gentle smile I could muster—all so he wouldn’t change his mind about taking me outside.
“As I have told you before, Your Grace, I have simply strived to uphold every single promise I made to you.”
“……”
“Had I truly intended to damage this and flee, I would never have risen to the position of butler in the first place.”
I placed a hand over my chest, looking at him with earnest eyes that practically begged him to recognize my sincerity.
Hmm. The Grand Duke raised a single brow. His unreadable violet eyes scrutinized my face as if searching for something.
Truth be told, why wouldn’t I have wanted to get out?
Not that I wanted to flee the Grand Duke’s Residence outright.
I had simply wanted to step beyond the estate walls to gather news of the Tenasis Empire and look into ship routes heading back home.
‘There’s no harm in being prepared in advance, after all.’
So there had been a time when I plotted to sneak out of the mansion.
However…
—“I shall warn you beforehand, just in case you harbor any foolish ideas.”
Master had warned me in advance.
—“The gem around your neck is enchanted. Should you attempt to leave the estate without permission, the sensation will prove quite shocking.”
I had no idea what he meant by ‘shocking,’ but it was undoubtedly tied to an offensive spell.
‘One that triggers the moment I step outside.’
I loathed pain above all else. So I gave up on the idea.
They say fortune comes to those who wait.
I endured, clinging to the hope that once I earned his trust, I would eventually be permitted to leave the estate as I pleased.
‘And at last… that day has come.’
I quietly clenched my lowered hands into fists.
‘Good job, me.’
Well done, self! My nose tingled, and a warm sting prickled the corners of my eyes. But I was still standing right in front of the Grand Duke. It was too early to celebrate.
I quickly reined in my emotions. Just then, the Grand Duke took a step toward me.
I caught my breath in an instant.
‘Wh-what is he doing?’
As I blinked up at him, he reached his hand toward me after all.
Fighting the urge to shove him away on the spot, I waited stiffly until the tip of his finger lightly tapped the gem on my dog collar.
‘Huh?’
A faint warmth spread from the touch.
As I blinked rapidly, the Grand Duke looked down at me with an indifferent expression and spoke.
“You should be able to step beyond the Grand Duke’s Residence now.”
“!”
My eyes went wide.
‘What…?’
It was dispelled that easily?
‘All he did was touch it with one finger?!’
My gaze darted around frantically, utterly lost.
‘How did he do that?’
Wasn’t it supposed to be an incredible spell? Did it really just take a touch of the Grand Duke’s finger? How on earth did this thing even work?
Wait. If the spell could be lifted so simply, does that mean I’ve been chained here for two whole years for nothing?
‘If I’d known, I would’ve at least tried!’
I should have subdued him while his guard was down or while he was asleep and pressed his finger against it myself. Even if I couldn’t kill him, wouldn’t it have been possible to overpower him for just a fleeting second?
‘…Though that might have been difficult, too.’
It felt like I could pull it off now, though. But there was no need anymore. He had already dispelled the magic.
Trivial doubts and scattered thoughts buzzed loudly in my head.
Yet rather than unraveling those questions, my heart swelled with the overwhelming realization that I could finally walk past the front gates of the Grand Duke’s Residence right this second.
I turned my head toward the window.
‘I can finally go outside those gates…’
Beyond the glass, the towering black iron gates of the Grand Duke’s Residence stood proudly.
Ah, heavens. How could anything feel this wonderful?
Those iron gates I had yearned to cross for two whole years—now, I could walk right through them with my head held high.
‘This is incredible. I never thought I’d be able to leave so soon. Now I can finally gather information on the Tenasis Empire. First, I’ll track down an information guild, and then—’
Just then, the Grand Duke’s nonchalant voice shattered my reverie.
“Only for this one time, however.”
Huh?
Gazing at the gates, I snapped my head back to look at the Grand Duke.
One time?
My senses returned in a flash, as though a bucket of icy water had been dumped over my head.
As if pleased by my reaction, the Grand Duke’s previously impassive lips curved into a faint smirk.
“Why are you looking at me with that face, butler? Surely you didn’t expect me to release everything all at once?”
“……”
I couldn’t bring myself to say no.
It had been two years. Two long years of struggling inside this Grand Duke’s Residence just to keep my promise to this bastard of a Grand Duke.
And now, I had finally become the butler.
Having fulfilled my end of the bargain, it was only natural to harbor a faint hope that he would at least remove this dog collar.
I gritted my teeth, barely holding on to my composure.
Looking straight down at me, the Grand Duke spoke.
“Butler.”
“…Yes, Your Grace.”
I choked back my emotions, barely managing a reply. The Grand Duke continued.
“I have no need for a competent butler who offers nothing but flattery. What I need is a butler who has the spine to speak their mind before me, even if it costs them their neck.”
“……”
“In that sense, butler, you have yet to truly fulfill your promise.”
“……”
I hadn’t fulfilled my promise?
—“Learn well from Norbert. Who knows? If you grow into someone so indispensable to me, I might just divulge the secrets you wish to know on my own accord.”
Growing better than this—how on earth was I supposed to do that?
‘Just what more do I have to do here to be considered good enough?!’
Two years of endurance, and six months as his butler.
It felt as though every bit of it was being utterly denied.
My head drooped forward. From deep within my chest, a slow, heavy sigh escaped my lips.
Haa…
‘This is… remarkably infuriating.’
I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again, swiftly gathering the surge of emotion that had welled up inside me.
‘I’ve endured this long. There’s no way I’m giving up now.’
Slowly lifting my head, I met the violet eyes watching me head-on.
Then, a picture-perfect smile spread across my face.
“I am not quite sure what you mean, Your Grace. I have never once spoken mere flattery. I only hope you understand that every word I have spoken came straight from the bottom of my heart.”
At that, the Grand Duke let out a scoffing chuckle, as if he had expected nothing less.
“Very well. I know not how long you can keep hiding it, but do try your best. I shall wait and see.”
Giving my shoulder a couple of light pats, the Grand Duke walked out of the bedchamber.
“……”
I stared at his retreating back as he exited the room.
His arrogant voice, sounding as though he already saw through everything, echoed in my ears like a taunt.
‘Fine. Let’s see who wins in the end.’
I hurried after the Grand Duke.
