That day at sunset.
Although the child’s condition had improved significantly, his fever still showed no signs of subsiding. Eventually, as per the doctor’s advice, they decided to call for a priest.
The cost of this visit was considerable, requiring Rutus’ approval.
Ellie glanced at the carriage approaching the duchy through the darkness beyond the glass window.
‘Even the stubborn priests can’t resist money.’
These priests, who prided themselves on their dignity, rarely made house calls and even then, they would usually insist on bringing the patient to the temple unless the situation was dire.
That they had agreed to come to the duchy indicated a substantial payment had been made.
Well, no amount of money is too much when it comes to healing the child.
Honestly, Ellie found Rutus’ actions somewhat surprising.
‘I didn’t think he would go that far.’
Even though she had sorted out her resentment towards Rutus to some extent, it was still true that he had neglected the child.
Given the conversation she overheard in the office that dawn, she had expected him to have a more indifferent attitude, as long as the child was breathing.
Knock, knock.
“Prince, the priests from the temple are here.”
At the polite knock, the child opened his eyes slightly and made eye contact with Ellie.
Upon hearing the familiar voice of the butler, Ellie gave a small nod.
-They are here to make sure Asi doesn’t feel sick anymore.
“…Come in… please?”
The child, unsure whether to speak formally or informally to the priests, awkwardly stretched out his words.
Ellie smiled lightly and shook her head.
-Even if they are considered high-ranking, they are likely mid-level priests. Adi doesn’t need to speak formally to them. Only High-ranking priests and above are treated as equals to marquises.
If you want to speak formally to a cleric, it should be at least a cardinal.
The child’s eyes rolled around as he processed Ellie’s words. Two priests, along with the butler, entered the room in response to his hesitant invitation.
“This must be the renowned young master. Indeed, he has a distinguished appearance.”
The middle-aged priest, who noticed the child lying on the bed, smiled kindly as he offered a compliment.
Although his smile seemed benevolent, Ellie, Marie, and the butler understood the underlying meaning and their expressions turned sour.
‘He’s basically saying, “Even though you’re a neglected young master, you dared to summon us. Let’s see who you are.”’
Ellie clenched her teeth, glaring at the priest.
With Rutus not present and the child too young to understand, the priest was acting as if he were the highest-ranking person in the room.
Ellie clicked her tongue as if she could see right through his snake-like intentions. And that man was supposed to be a priest?
“The duke has instructed that if it’s not related to treatment, you are to remain silent.”
“…Priest, it is late, so it would be best to hurry and finish the treatment—”
“…Ahem! Let’s take a look now.”
Ellie had no doubt that if the butler hadn’t intervened at the right moment, that middle-aged priest would have eventually ended up in serious trouble.
As the lower-ranked priest, who seemed to have his wits about him, gave him a warning look, the middle-aged priest repeatedly cleared his throat and moved closer to the child.
A bright golden light soon burst forth.
“…Oh?”
“What are you standing there dazed for? The treatment is over, let’s go.”
“Huh? Oh, yes.”
For a moment, Ellie had the illusion that she had locked eyes with the lower-ranked priest. He hadn’t seemed startled or unsettled, only tilting his head in curiosity, so it didn’t seem like he had actually seen her.
The middle-aged priest, apparently annoyed by the butler’s earlier behavior, turned his back and left the room immediately after finishing the treatment.
As a result, the now-revitalized child, who didn’t know what’s going on, just looked at Ellie nervously and then quickly ducked under the covers.
Of course, his eyes remained visible.
“Roses are blooming, even in this season.”
The lower-ranked priest, who was heading to the carriage, spoke up quietly, trying to lighten the tense atmosphere between the middle-aged priest and the butler.
It was obvious he was just trying to break the ice with a random comment, given that it was still early April, not even close to May when roses typically bloom.
“……?”
However, following the lower-ranked priest’s gesture, the butler realized that his words were true.
In a corner of the annex garden, amidst an awkwardly placed rose vine, a single rose was indeed blooming.
Seeing the beautifully red bud that seemed ready to bloom fully, the butler soon lost interest.
After all, it was just one flower.
* * *
Knock, knock.
“It’s Ailton.”
“Come in.”
Rutus looked up from his paperwork at the sound of the knock, casting his gaze towards the office door. Despite his effort to maintain composure, a trace of annoyance flickered in his narrowed eyes.
There was already a mountain of work to deal with, and the constant troubles cropping up everywhere were enough to aggravate anyone.
Straining his tired eyes, Rutus spoke as soon as the butler stepped in.
“What about what I asked you to investigate?”
“It has been confirmed that no new clothes have been tailored for his grace in almost a year.”
“And the rest?”
“There are numerous discrepancies between what’s recorded in the ledger and the actual conditions of the prince’s life, including toys, stationery, and the hiring of tutors for other educational needs.”
“……”
“Furthermore, there are several items in the ledgers that appear to have been manipulated since the year before last….”
As he listened to the butler’s continued report, Rutus set down the quill in his hand and thought,
‘This is a mess.’
From hastily calling the family physician after collapsing due to catching a cold this season, to the report about struggling to summon a priest despite ample funds—everything seemed off.
Suspicious, Rutus had ordered a thorough investigation of the child’s life in the annex since his departure for the front lines, and now…
It was a disaster even beyond what he had imagined.
Feeling an intangible yet palpable sense of danger emanating from Rutus, the butler gulped. The realization that there was still much more to report made his spine tingle.
He began to wonder if he would make it alive through this ordeal.
“Didn’t I instruct you to select trustworthy individuals to send to the annex before my departure? Was I mistaken?”
“…..No, you weren’t.”
“Then please explain why it turned out like this.”
Depending on your answer, your head might be cut off. Rutus spoke in a casual tone as if the earlier ominous aura had been a lie.
Yet, the butler felt even more terror, struggling to hide his trembling hands behind his back.
It might sound like a simple question, but this was…
“Are you going to fall asleep while reporting?”
This is something you can never make a mistake with. The anger lurking behind his dry voice was not ordinary.
The thought that he could easily take his life with the flimsy piece of paper in his hand made the butler take a deep breath and open his mouth to reply.
“First, In regards to the personnel transfer to the annex, I heard that the butler of the capital mansion who was in office at the time, but has since passed away, was in charge of it.”
“So.”
“Although it was a sudden… death, it was determined that there was no one to replace him because of the suddenness of the situation, and that the capital mansion where the young master would be staying could not be left unattended while the Duke was on expedition.”
A sudden death. It was literally true.
The internal servants of the duchy, who knew well the temperament of the previous butler who had ended his life voluntarily, were reluctant to take over the position of butler.
Even if they were to find someone with the necessary know-how from outside, it was not easy to do so, considering the loyalty and pride of being a butler of Ratcliffe.
“So, I gave my son the position of temporary butler of the duchy and came up to check the situation myself, but…”
Go on. With that meaning in his eyes, Rutus nodded, and the butler spoke slowly.
“It is estimated that the private funds allocated to the prince began to decrease gradually about two years after Your Grace left for war. Judging by the timing, it is estimated that it happened around the time the aide came down to the duchy on official business–”
“What?”
“There is clear evidence that the maids and the servants who were in charge of managing the ledgers tampered with them. However, even so, the amount that disappeared in the middle was quite considerable…”
“……”
“…I think that just before the previous butler passed away, it was reduced to about 1/10 of what it was before…”
Kwaang!
The butler closed his eyes tightly as something sharp suddenly swept past his head.
Then, looking sideways a little later, he saw that a large hole had been punched next to the door that had just been entered, along with a loud bang.
The source of the hole was, of course, Rutus, who was now exuding a menacing aura in front of the butler.
TL/N: IF YOU GOT CONFUSED BETWEEN WHICH BUTLER AND DUCHY, ECT…LIKE I DID BEFORE FINALLY UNDERSTANDING WTF THEY’RE TALKING ABT. IT’LL BE EXPLAINED AT THE END OF THE CHAP.
“Is that all you have to say?”
“……”
“Then I’ll just ask one thing. What have you been doing since you took over after the former butler’s death?”
“……”
“So, you who came later are not at fault, and it’s all the fault of the previous butler and the servants of the annex.”
“……”
“Even if you make a mistake, you can just make excuses and get away with it. It’s really nice to be alive.”
Isn’t that right? Instead of answering the sharp question, the butler chose to bow his head even deeper. It wasn’t a question that was asking for an answer.
From the beginning, he had sensed something was amiss.
Unable to enter the annex directly, the butler of the young master’s affairs only helped from behind with the maid in charge of the annex, merely verifying incoming ledgers and reports without delving further.
I was negligent in my management.
It’s absurd that it took until today to grasp the truth of such matters and add a few words of explanation belatedly.
“If it weren’t for the fact that you have been in the capital mansion for only half a year…”
“……”
“And if the person who protected the estate since I was very young wasn’t you, I would have killed you on the spot.”
“……I apologize.”
“Arrange for the selection of a new butler soon. Once the handover is complete, go down to the duchy.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Maintain the position that was temporarily given to your son as it is.”
Seems like he’s getting more senile from not understanding my words properly since last time. It’s about time to step back from the front lines.
As Rutus, appearing uninterested in further discussion, gave a dismissive gesture, the butler, about to leave with his back turned, hesitated.
Come to think of it, there were still a few unresolved issues.
“Your Grace, regarding the treatment of the maids and servants in the annex…”
“…Ah. Right.”
I almost forgot amidst the chaos. Rutus, after pondering for a moment, nodded slightly.
“The head maid should serve as an example. Cut the tendons of her wrists and thumbs, and feed them to the dogs. Handle the rest at your discretion, whether it be dismissal or reduction in salary.”
“Yes, understood.”
“For those who are subject to reduction in salary rather than dismissal, assign them tasks where they won’t catch my eye again. Additionally, investigate matters related to my private funds thoroughly.”
“……Yes.”
“Oh, and inform the personal physician to pack up and leave today.”
Yes? Startled by the unexpected order, the steward unwittingly questioned.
Rutus, slightly frowning as if displeased, sighed before speaking.
“The fact that he couldn’t even properly heal a simple cold of the master he was supposed to serve is reason enough to dismiss him. Cut him off.”
“……Yes.”
In retrospect, that was also a valid point. Despite witnessing scenes of him staying up day and night in the laboratory of the estate.
Given the current situation, he should be grateful that he didn’t get his head cut off. It was clear that the butler was in the same situation.
‘I should step down at this point…’
But. That’s what he should have done.
Just before bowing to leave completely, the butler’s eyes narrowed as he remembered a fact.
Whether to convey this story with the resolve to potentially lose his life if he misspoke or to refrain from speaking at all was the dilemma.
It was about what he had personally witnessed regarding the late Duchess and the story he heard from the young master’s maid, Marie.
* * *
SO THE DUKE(ML) HAS TWO MANSIONS
FIRST: DUCHY (THE PLACE WHERE HE WAS BORN AND INHERITED)
SECOND: CAPITAL MANSION (CM) (WHERE HE GOT MARRIED AND WHERE ML AND HIS SON AND FL ARE STAYING)
THE DUCHY HAD A BUTLER WHO WAS THERE SINCE ML WAS A CHILD.
THE CAPITAL MANSION HAD A BUTLER WHO HAD ENDED HIS LIFE
UPON HEARING ABT THE CM BUTLER’S DEATH THE DUCHY BUTLER LEFT HIS POSITION TO HIS SON AND WENT TO CHECK THE SITUATION IN THE CM HIMSELF ONLY TO FIND THAT THE SERVANTS AND MAIDS THERE WERE EMBEZZLING THE PRIVATE FUNDS ALLOCATED TO HIS SON TWO YEARS AFTER HE LEFT FOR WAR.
* * * *
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