Chapter 135
Sophia knew he originally worked as a servant in the Empress’s palace.
Although he didn’t come from a distinguished background, his hard work soon caught the attention of his superiors.
He was in charge of working closely with the maids in the empress’s palace and carrying their luggage, and he was even responsible for managing the furniture of the empress’ palace.
And a few years after he began working under Beatrice in earnest, Killian came to the imperial palace.
“The young master of the Rivelon Ducal House has arrived? They say he will stay at the palace for a while.”
“To think that the Grand Duke of Rivelon, who never died even in the wars… people are truly unpredictable creatures.”
With the news of the Grand Duke of Rivelon’s death and Killian’s arrival at the palace, he became quite a topic among the servants.
However, Garfield hadn’t seen Killian’s face for a long time since his arrival at the palace.
“He can’t speak?”
“Except for a few assigned servants, he doesn’t cooperate with anyone else. Last time Hans went in, he scratched his arm to the point it bled.”
“Oh my… perhaps a young master who grew up pretty but without manners?”
“No, there’s talk; it’s because of an accident. They say he even starts fights in his sleep.”
Living in the same palace, Killian was as legendary as a dragon in rumours.
There was no coming out from where he stayed, and he rarely showed his face to people.
And three years after Killian arrived at the palace, Garfield finally saw him for the first time.
With a small, wiry frame and sunken eyes, he closely resembled the Grand Duke of Rivelon whom Garfield had seen just once.
But unlike the robust and dignified atmosphere of the Grand Duke, the young Killian was quite the opposite.
The little Killian in the world followed behind Prince Mikhail, buried his nose in books, and awkwardly handled a sword.
It was said that Mikhail always treated him like a younger brother, and although he was wary of adults, he often listened to Mikhail.
Because of this, when Mikhail visited the Empress’s palace, Killian often followed him.
And over time, Killian began to change remarkably fast.
Once delicate and small, he grew rapidly, and he started to converse with people one by one.
There were even days when he was praised as a prodigy by swordsmanship instructors who split swords with Mikhail.
Even though it wasn’t his child, Garfield felt proud watching Killian, who was about the same age as his daughter.
Although not a title befitting a Duke, he was commendable.
And when Killian turned sixteen, he became the butler of the Grand Ducal Estate under the Empress’s command.
“Please take care of it, my lord.”
“…I’m counting on you, Garfield.”
It wasn’t difficult to serve the young master. No, it was more comfortable than being at the palace.
Killian preferred to solve things on his own rather than rely on others, allowing him to focus on managing the mansion as the butler.
It took some time for Garfield to become closer to Killian, but that didn’t mean he disliked his master.
Moreover,
“Isn’t Ann’s birthday next week?”
“Yes? Yes, that’s right…!”
“Then go home for a change. It’s been a month since you’ve been there.”
He often remembered and cared about trivial things before Garfield could attend to them.
Garfield admired the young master he served.
But the problem was that he owed something to him.
“Garfield. I hope you remember who prevented your only daughter from being sold to an old viscount.”
The power borrowed in haste had become a long chain around him.
Empress Beatrice knew how to make people indebted and use them.
Garfield remained loyal to the Empress for the happiness of his only daughter. His presence at the Grand Ducal Estate was also a process of repaying that debt.
The Empress kept a watchful eye on whether Killian had any other intentions and suspicions.
Garfield had to convey Killian’s daily life to her.
Perhaps there were messengers like Garfield hidden throughout the Grand Ducal Estate.
And the Empress compared information coming through various routes to weed out traitors.
Anyone lying for Killian would be exposed.
Beatrice confined Killian in a perfect cage and kept vigilant eyes all around.
And Killian himself knew that.
Meanwhile, Garfield supervised Killian.
What Garfield felt while serving Killian was compassion.
No matter how much the Empress threatened him with his daughter, emotionally, he couldn’t help but sympathise with Killian’s plight.
Because he had seen firsthand how Killian lived.
How suffocating and lonely he lived.
“Why does the Empress monitor you so closely? And why do you guard those around you so vigilantly?”
He only truly understood the reasons while working at the Grand Ducal Estate for five years.
In the early morning, when he went to inform Killian of an urgent matter, he heard him silently crying.
And the day he first opened the study door, ensuring no one else could hear.
He realised that Killian hadn’t escaped the death of the Duke and Duchess.
And he had discovered this secret place just three years ago.
It was around the time he heard the Empress’s order to dig deeper into Killian’s past.
—
“I didn’t discover this place with good intentions.”
Garfield confessed to Sophia with a touch of bitterness.
“Isn’t this a place that can only be found if you deliberately search for it?”
It couldn’t be shared as a discovered secret place during cleaning.
Garfield learnt everything about Killian from this place.
That the Duke and Duchess were murdered, and Killian witnessed it. And that Beatrice was involved in that incident.
“I should have reported to Empress Beatrice… but somehow, I couldn’t.”
He kept this space a secret from everyone.
He strictly forbade other servants from showing interest or approaching the study.
Being able to control the servants of the Grand Ducal Estate as the butler made him feel grateful for the first time.
“It’s fortunate. Besides me, no other servant knew about this place.”
Garfield exhaled a mixture of relief and bitterness.
Even when Killian would slip out every night, he pretended not to notice.
“So, you were hiding His Excellency?”
“Rather than hiding him… I simply couldn’t speak of it.”
His actions weren’t driven by a noble intention to protect Killian.
It was just a matter of circumstances that prevented him from speaking up.
Perhaps it was more correct to say he lacked the courage to confess to the Empress.
He couldn’t bear to face everything that would unfold by revealing this truth to her.
He couldn’t bear to witness the suffering Killian would endure.
“If I truly intended to help His Excellency, I would have stood by his side. But… I couldn’t.”
When Killian returned with deep wounds from the blade, agonising over his parents’ deaths, despairing over the betrayal of those close to him,
Garfield could only turn a blind eye.
“Even now, asking Miss to handle this matter is all for my sake.”
Garfield lamented.
If Orhelin were to discover this space, Garfield’s guilt of hiding Killian would also come to light.
That’s why he wanted to tidy up before Orhelin could find this place.
“It may seem selfish, but will you help?”
Garfield asked once more.
Sophia met his sincere gaze beyond his glasses, then she hugged him with both arms.
Garfield widened his eyes at the warmth enveloping him.
“Thank you for being by Killian’s side.”
Sophia buried her head in his chest and whispered.
It seemed like Sophia was on the verge of tears.
He thought there was no one left around Killian whom he could trust. He believed everyone sided with the Empress and felt he needed to be cautious and suspicious.
But Garfield was sincerely giving his all for Killian.
Garfield might call himself selfish, but unless one was a fool, they couldn’t ignore his sincerity.
Over the years, Garfield knew better than anyone how dangerous it was to keep this secret from the Empress.
Until now, Killian had been able to live in the Grand Ducal Estate without being exposed because Garfield had helped ensure others didn’t catch on.
“There are people who care for Killian.”
Not just the Empress’s watchdogs, but people who genuinely loved and cherished Killian.
Sophia hoped Killian would come to know this truth.
If he knew, it might give him a little more strength…
Although Garfield was taken aback by Sophia’s sudden embrace, he soon smiled and patted her back.
“With Miss, who cares for His Excellency so dearly by his side, I guess we can stop worrying so much about His Excellency from now on.”
As Sophia let go, Garfield chuckled.
“Well then, since it will be dawn soon, let’s tidy up quickly.”
He placed the lantern on the table and dusted off his hands.
(T/L: I’m excited about the upcoming event.)
