The Villain Family’s Strongest Butler
Chapter 24
-“Always carry this with you.”
-“You made it yourself?”
-“Yeah. See? My fingers are totally wrecked.”
-“Ah, yes. I see. …It must have hurt a lot.”
-“Ahem! Of course it hurt! But I made it while thinking of you, Kadrian.”
-“…Thank you.”
-“Don’t mention it.”
Freya gave a mischievous smile.
-“It means all of Kadrian’s time belongs to me from now on, though? You’re in big trouble now, Kadrian.”
-“……”
Was he just too young back then?
Far from being put off by those words, Kadrian’s heart had thudded in his chest instead.
He had actually loved the feeling—the sense of wholly belonging to someone else’s life, of becoming intertwined with theirs.
Yet Freya, so vibrant and full of life, suddenly collapsed one day.
Even the most renowned physicians could not determine the cause.
Then the High Priest appeared and discovered the truth.
-“Her soul… has vanished.”
It meant that nothing remained of the Flanker Family’s heir but an empty shell.
Everyone was furious, crying out that it was the work of black magic. Yet they could find neither a clue to retrieve her soul nor proof of dark sorcery.
Not the mages of the Magic Tower, not the priests of the Temple, not even the Imperial Family.
Not a single person.
Time flowed on heedlessly.
Kadrian spent ten long years in isolation, guarding the empty vessel of his fiancée.
Everyone told him to give up, but Kadrian could not.
For his soul had already chosen its master.
Then, one day ten years later.
A small village not far from the Grand Duke’s Residence fell under an attack of black magic.
While he was preoccupied with handling the aftermath, his sensory link to Freya, who lay asleep on the fifth floor, suddenly severed.
Even Freya’s sleeping body on the fifth floor had vanished into thin air.
Kadrian entrusted Norbert with settling the village and immediately set out, scouring the Empire to find Freya’s body.
Having no clue where to turn, he went first to the Temple and the Magic Tower. He searched the former Flanker Family estate, went to the Imperial Palace, and combed every reachable corner.
-“Your Grace… you must get some sleep. You will collapse at this rate.”
Despite Ed’s entreaties, Kadrian could not stop his search for Freya.
Just then, a message arrived from the Grand Duke’s Residence. A survivor had appeared at Teridana Beach.
-“It may be connected to her disappearance. I will remain here, so please return first.”
And so, Kadrian left Ed behind and returned to the Grand Duke’s Residence alone.
And the survivor brought before him in his office was none other than Freya.
Dear God.
The moment she walked in, Kadrian thanked God.
But only for a fleeting moment.
Her behavior suggesting total amnesia, the scrutinizing gaze she fixed on him, and the faint murderous intent lurking within her eyes troubled him.
On top of that, there was a completely alien aura emanating from her.
-“Shackle her.”
Ultimately, Kadrian set aside any emotional reunion to prepare for the worst.
Yet he could be certain of nothing.
He had even made her drink the Sap of the World Tree, but it only deepened his confusion.
‘And then she even became a butler…’
True to her word, she grew splendidly in just two years.
By her own efforts, on her own strength.
To a degree that made it hard to believe she had been bedridden for ten years.
Two years had already passed like that, yet Kadrian was still not certain.
Whether the soul dwelling in that body truly belonged to Freya, or if it was the trickery of a dark mage.
“Haah…”
Kadrian rested his head against the headboard. Gazing quietly up at the clear sky, he slowly closed his eyes.
Now, he truly had to make a decision.
Upon arriving at the Grand Duke’s Residence, I went to see the veterinarian first and showed her the furball.
“The fur will grow back soon. Don’t worry. Just feed it well and let it get plenty of rest.”
“Thank you.”
Renda, the veterinarian, brought a finger to the tip of the furball’s nose. The furball sniffed it, then whipped its head away.
[Hmph, humans who can’t even understand a word I say.]
“Myaang!”
“……”
Renda let out a soft laugh.
“What a gentle little thing. It isn’t easy for an ordinary cat to lower its guard this much.”
“Haha…”
I gave an awkward laugh.
‘A gentle little thing, huh…’
I suppose it might look that way to someone who couldn’t understand what this furball was actually saying.
The little furball had squawked noisily the entire carriage ride back to the Grand Duke’s Residence.
—[I’m asking how you knew my name was Byul!]
—[You can’t even understand me, so how do you know my name?!]
—[Where are you taking me?! Are you going to eat me?! I’m nothing but skin and bones, there’s nothing on me to eat!]
With the cat’s meows and human speech blending together, my head had been spinning.
Its sharp tongue was far from gentle, but seeing how quickly it let down its guard and took to human touch, maybe it really was docile in its own way…
‘Maybe it used to be someone’s pet.’
Well, I’d find out once we had a proper chat.
‘Haah…’
I briefly pressed a hand to my forehead, feeling utterly pathetic.
‘Does having a conversation with a cat even make any sense?’
I wondered if I was truly in the middle of losing my mind.
Cradling the furball in my arms, I headed toward the quarters.
“Oh my, Freya? What is that in your arms? Goodness! It’s a cat?!”
The servants passing by caught sight of the furball and swarmed over in a flurry.
“Is it a kitten?”
“No. They said it’s just small from malnutrition.”
“Oh dear. You’ll have to feed it well. Hold on, take this. It’s some dried chicken breast, though I’m not sure if it’ll eat it.”
“Thank you.”
“Would you like some milk, too?”
“No, thank you. I was told to avoid feeding it human food if possible.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Hey, Butler! We have freshly caught fish here, too! Take some!”
“Yes, I’ll come back down later.”
“Alright!”
We had barely arrived at the Grand Duke’s Residence, and the little furball was already receiving an explosive amount of attention.
‘See that, furball? Following me just hit you the food jackpot.’
I looked down at the furball and grinned smugly.
Unbothered, the furball merely let out a massive yawn and squirmed around to find a comfy position.
Leaving the eager crowd behind, I hurried to my room.
Once inside, I took a moment to sense the surrounding auras.
Filtering out the numerous servants, I checked only the locations of key figures.
Aide Ed was near the gardens, and Sir Allen was by the training grounds.
‘Judging by how he’s moving toward the back mountain, he must be planning to swim in Lake Redianar again.’
How diligent.
And the Grand Duke.
‘Hm? He’s not downstairs?’
Rather than the third floor where his office was, I sensed the Grand Duke’s presence near the fourth-floor stairs.
‘Ah… He must be heading to the fifth floor.’
The place where the Grand Duke’s secret was hidden. The place he made sure to visit at least once a day whenever he returned from an expedition.
Something immense had to be hidden there.
‘When I return to the Tenasis Empire later, if I fail to take the Grand Duke’s head, I’ll be sure to plunder whatever secret is on that fifth floor before leaving.’
Right then, near the entrance of the fifth floor, the Grand Duke’s presence vanished in an instant.
He had stepped beyond the doors of the fifth floor.
Whether by a barrier or magic, the moment the Grand Duke or Aide Ed entered the fifth floor, their presence vanished immediately.
‘The Grand Duke going to the fifth floor means he won’t be looking for me for a while.’
Confirming that I had some free time, I set down the wide, plush cushion I had brought from downstairs next to the bed.
Then I placed the black furball onto it.
From atop the cushion, the furball peeked up at me. After locking eyes for a brief moment, it gave a snooty huff and began licking and grooming its front paw.
Glancing at me from the corner of its eye, it spoke.
[Instead of just staring, it’d be nice if you brought over a cup of clean water.]
“……”
It seemed convinced I couldn’t understand a word.
‘So clueless.’
Silently watching the furball, I picked up the water pitcher from the nightstand and poured water into a deep dish.
Then I set it beside the cushion.
[…….]
At that, the furball looked back and forth between the dish of water and my face.
Its expression clearly read: What? What is this? What’s going on?
Huuuum. The furball rolled its blue eyes back and forth, pondered for a moment, and spoke again.
[It’d also be great if you gave me some of that dried chicken breast from earlie—]
Before the furball could even finish, I pulled the dried chicken jerky from my pocket and placed it on the cushion.
Only then did it seem completely convinced, leaping off the cushion in sheer shock.
[You! You really understand what I’m saying!]
“……”
Quick on the uptake, aren’t we?
Looking at the furball, whose fur stood straight on end as it hissed and bared its teeth, I let out a soft sigh.
