Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 218

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Successor Uncertain, Let Me Just Heal | Chapter 218

At the very moment when objects began to take shape in the Magic Tower.

Clop-clop. Clop-clop.

The carriage carrying Marquis Bydentis was racing steadily toward the Asteri Family Estate.

“My lord, w-we shall arrive at the Asteri Estate shortly.”
“I see.”

Unlike the unflustered Clarentia, the Butler was desperately nervous.

‘Me, actually visiting the House of Asteri……!’

Gulp.

The Butler swallowed hard, his throat dry.
Among the servants, rumors of the Asteri Estate ran rife.
The extraordinary benefits and immense wages were hardly worth mentioning,
and unless something truly extraordinary occurred, the servants spoke of wanting to spend the rest of their lives there—the systems and treatment were known to be so excellent that such talk was commonplace.

‘That’s why they say it attracts only the finest talent in the trade.’

This was precisely why the Butler trembled.

‘What if I seem too inadequate?’

It had been several years since disaster befell House Bydentis.
Fortunately, the young lady—no, His Lordship seemed to have properly regained his spirits after Lion’s visit last time.
Thus the Bydentis Territory was beginning to move forward rather than remain frozen in place.
The Butler shared this sentiment and was doing his utmost in his own way.

‘Sigh…….’

The Butler exhaled a deep sigh within himself.
Let him be honest about it.
He was limited in his abilities.
In truth, reaching the position of Butler at his age was entirely because His Lordship regarded him favorably.
His devotion to His Lordship was second to none, but the limitations of his practical competence were undeniable.

‘Every time I’m full of mistakes…….’

Every time His Lordship had to step in at the last moment for things to work out properly—was that not hopeless?
So he was thinking.
Then an opportunity arose to visit the Asteri Estate.
For the Butler, this was a chance!
A chance to see how much he had been doing wrong, and in which direction he should move forward!

‘M-maybe I’ve actually been doing well?’

Though the probability was low, it was possible—just barely—that his own standards had risen and made his competence seem inadequate to himself.
As the Butler harbored such thoughts, the sound of hoofbeats gradually slowed, and the carriage wheels came to rest.
Glancing through the window, he caught sight of the impressive main gates of the Asteri Estate.

‘My goodness……!’

Even viewed through the window, the gate was not what one would typically imagine.
Whatever work had been done to it, it gleamed as though newly made, and delicate carvings adorned the surrounding area.
And finally, the statues standing on either side like gatekeepers!
Truly overwhelming…….

Click.

As the Butler stood in awe, the carriage door swung open.

‘Right.’

Snapping back to himself in the cool breeze, the Butler descended quickly and carefully escorted Clarentia from the carriage.

“…….”

Though she could have stepped down easily enough, Clarentia, aware of his concern, took his hand without a word and descended lightly from the carriage.

“Butler.”
“……Yes, my Lady.”
“Do not be anxious.”

With that single, casual word, she stepped forward before the assembled greeters with her usual composure, her small frame projecting such commanding presence that she seemed to shield the Butler from view.
Her bearing alone was enough to inspire confidence.

“……!”

The Butler clenched his fists and steeled himself. If his mistress spoke such words, how could he allow himself to falter or appear weak?
That was the resolve he needed—to walk forward with confidence……!
Or so he thought as he looked up.

The view that opened beyond his mistress’s shoulder was nothing short of overwhelming……!

Knights and servants stood in perfect rows, ten deep on either side.
The Garden was immaculate, and vibrant flowers in every hue bloomed with life and vitality, while the exterior walls of the Estate stood as monuments to grandeur itself.
But that was not all.
Even the ground beneath his feet gleamed with a soft, ethereal light, carved with exquisite detail.
Though this was the courtyard, not the interior, the stones shone so brilliantly they might never have been walked upon at all.
One could see at a glance just how meticulously the servants maintained every inch.

The Butler’s remaining resolve crumbled entirely beneath the weight of such overwhelming splendor.

It was inevitable that he would grow discouraged at the gap between his abilities and reality, diminishing himself further.
That was why she had told him not to worry just moments before.

There was no real cause for concern.
He knew well enough how tirelessly the Butler moved, racking his brains to make everything perfect.

“Thank you for traveling such a distance.”
“There was much to see along the way, so the journey wasn’t as taxing as it might have been. The estate is magnificent.”

Ricshel and the Marquess of House Bydentis exchanged a few formal pleasantries.
Both wore such expressionless faces that it was clear they wanted to dispense with courtesy and move swiftly to matters of substance.

‘Work addicts, the pair of them.’

Lion shook his head inwardly as he observed the two of them.
They matched well enough, but if left unchecked, the whole affair would become nothing but an endless circle of overtime.

“Shall we proceed inside, then?”

With Ricshel and Lion leading the way, the party made their way into the estate.

“Ah…….”

The Butler, who had been trailing behind with a dejected expression, couldn’t help but let out a gasp of admiration.
He’d suspected the interior would be equally grand, and his suspicion proved correct.
Moreover, the meticulous decorations—clearly more elaborate than usual—bore unmistakable evidence that extra care had been taken to receive the Marquess.

‘Should I have done the same?’

He had received Lion with genuine care and effort, but……

‘No, never mind. I’ll do better when he visits next time.’

Just as the Marquess of House Bydentis had anticipated, the Butler was slowly rebuilding his mental composure.
Though even so, the flawless splendor of the Asteri Family Estate continued to batter his confidence with each new room.
As the Butler, having regained a measure of composure, began visibly deflating once more, the Marquess of House Bydentis spoke up.

“You’ve made impressive preparations.”
“How could we do less for a guest arriving on such important business? With the Marquess of House Asteri absent, we deemed it all the more necessary to spare no effort.”

Ricshel, reading the atmosphere, nodded gravely in agreement with the Marquess’s remark.
Then…….

A glance.

He looked toward Lion, and then—uncharacteristically—gave a small cough before adding to his words.

“I hear you received my brother quite grandly at House Bydentis as well.”
“That I did. And how pleasant the visit was!”
“……!”

At last, the Butler’s expression brightened somewhat.

“Perhaps it would be best to attend to the important matters after you’ve had a chance to rest.”
“A sound idea.”
“Then.”

The two exchanged a brief farewell and took their leave.

“Please come this way, Butler.”

A remaining servant smiled warmly as she guided the Butler onward.

“You are…….”
“We’ve met before. Come this way.”

Elvia smiled unhurriedly and led the Butler to another room.

Click.

Upon entering the room, the Butler felt his spirits sink once more at the immaculate interior, not a speck of dust anywhere.

“This can’t be real…….”

That even a servant’s quarters—a room meant for someone of his station, not nobility—was kept in such pristine condition seemed impossible.
What’s more, the air had been ventilated so often that even stale odors were absent.
And that was hardly all.
The bed was spotless. The floor gleamed.
Not even dust clung to the space beneath the bed.

“Sigh…….”

The Butler exhaled deeply, his mind troubled.
Of course, the sections where the Marquis Bydentis frequented were maintained with this same meticulous care.
But the entire mansion kept to this standard? That seemed beyond reach.

‘I said I would do my best…….’

Frazzled though he was, he had genuinely tried his hardest.
But seeing this place now, a harsh truth dawned: one’s best was not the same as the best itself.

‘I should have come sooner.’

Remarkably, at Lion Asteri’s Coming-of-Age Ceremony, the Marquis had come alone to this place.
Without a single servant in attendance.
In fact, at that time…….

‘I didn’t even know he had left.’

He moved about so unpredictably that he assumed the Marquis had gone to inspect the mountain ranges again.
Had he not noticed a dress missing from the wardrobe and an invitation envelope from House Asteri lying on the floor, he might never have discovered the truth at all.

“I’ve already failed as a butler.”

The Butler grasped at his carefully groomed hair, then let it go without actually disturbing it.

“Right. That’s enough.”

Then he struck both sides of his face hard with his palms.
Crack! The sound was sharp, and both his cheeks flushed red in the shape of handprints.

“No more weakness.”

Miss Clarentia had overcome her harsh past entirely through her own strength.
If he were to even approach her footsteps, shouldn’t he stop despairing and find a way to overcome this as well?

Burst!

The Butler opened the door wide without even unpacking his things properly.
Then he set off briskly down the corridor, grabbing the first servant he encountered.

“Might I ask you something?”
“Pardon? Ah, yes. Is there anything you require, sir?”
“Or perhaps something is making you uncomfortable?”

The servants who had been wiping the window frames of the estate startled and quickly hid their cloths behind their backs before asking.

“Do you know who among the servants here does their work best?”
“……The servant who does their work best?”
“Yes.”

Normally, the butler would have asked who that was, but House Asteri had no butler position in the formal sense.
Instead, there was a head maid, though the previous head maid—someone named Silvia—had retired, leaving the position vacant to this day.
Since he knew that much, he had posed the question deliberately.

“Well… I suspect it would be that person, sir.”

Fortunately, this was a servant who had witnessed Lion’s eccentricities countless times before, so despite the butler’s sudden question, they answered with composure.

“Quite right. It must be that person…….”

The two servants looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

“And this person you speak of is?”
“Yes. It’s Elvia, sir.”
“Indeed. She is most capable…….”

Yet why did his tone seem subtly different from before?

‘Strange…….’

Elvia knew her well enough.
She had even shown the butler to his room, and wasn’t she the maid who had accompanied Lion on his recent journey to Bydentis Territory?

‘Her temperament seemed quite pleasant too.’

The butler found nothing strange about her, so what could there be?

“Is there some sort of problem?”
“Ah, no, it’s just…….”
“She’s frightening.”
…….

The butler tilted his head to one side in puzzlement.
She seemed thorough in her ways, but frightening?
He couldn’t say he understood.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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