Villain Family’s Strongest Butler - Chapter 21

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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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Episode 24

—”I always carry this with me.”
—”You made it yourself?”
—”Yes. See? Look at all my fingers—they’re a mess.”
—”Ah, yes. I can see. ……You must have suffered terribly.”
—”Hah! I did suffer! But I made this thinking of Cardrian.”
—”……Thank you.”
—”Don’t thank me.”
Freya laughed mischievously.
—”It means all of Cardrian’s time from now on belongs to me. You’re in real trouble now, aren’t you?”
—”…….”
Was he too young to understand?
Cardrian felt no repulsion at her words; instead, his heart raced.
The feeling of belonging wholly to someone’s life, of merging with theirs in turn—it felt right, felt good.
But then, one day, the energetic and lively Freya suddenly collapsed.
Even the most renowned physicians could not identify the illness.
It was the High Priest who appeared and uncovered the cause.
—”Her soul has ……vanished.”
The heir to the Flanker Family had become nothing but an empty shell.
Everyone was outraged, declaring it the work of Dark Magic. Yet they found neither a clue to recover her soul nor proof of Dark Magic’s involvement.
Not the mages of the Magic Tower, not the priests of the Temple, not the royal family of the Empire.
No one.
And so the years passed in silence.
Cardrian spent ten years alone, guarding the empty shell of his betrothed.
Everyone urged him to give up, but Cardrian could not.
His own soul had already chosen its master of its own accord.
Then, after ten years had passed—
A small village not far from the Grand Duke’s Residence came under attack by Dark Magic.
Amid the chaos of dealing with the aftermath, his connection to Freya, who lay sleeping on the fifth floor, suddenly severed.
The body of Freya, who had been sleeping on the fifth floor, had vanished.
Cardrian left the task of restoring order in the village to Norbert and immediately set out searching for Freya’s body across the Empire.
Not knowing where to go, he visited the Temple and the Magic Tower first. He searched the old Flanker Family Territory and the Imperial Palace, turning over every place he could reach.
—”Your Highness……. You must get some rest. At this rate, you’ll collapse.”
Despite Ed’s protestations, Cardrian could not stop his search for Freya.
Then word came from the Grand Duke’s Residence: a survivor had been found at Teridana Beach.
—”It may be connected to her disappearance. I’ll remain here; please return first.”
And so Cardrian returned to the Grand Duke’s Residence alone, leaving Ed behind.
And the person brought to his study as the survivor was none other than Freya.
God be praised.
In the moment she entered, Cardrian gave thanks.
But only for a moment.
Her movements suggested she remembered nothing, and the gleam in her eyes as she observed him—there was an unsettling, bloodthirsty edge to her gaze that unsettled him.
And worse still, an alien aura emanated from her.
—”Proceed with caution.”
In the end, Cardrian postponed the joy of reunion and decided to prepare for the unknown.
Yet nothing could be certain.
Even when he gave her the World Tree Sap, confusion only deepened.
‘And then the butler…….’
She had grown splendidly in those two years, as promised.
By her own hand, by her own strength.
One could hardly believe she was someone who had lain unconscious for ten years.
Even now, after two years had passed, Cardrian could not be certain.
Whether the soul dwelling in that body was truly Freya’s, or whether it was all a scheme by the Dark Mage.
“Sigh…….”
Cardrian rested his head against the bed frame. He gazed quietly at the clear sky above, then slowly closed his eyes.
Now, truly, he had to make a decision.

***

Upon arriving at the Grand Duke’s Residence, I sought out the veterinarian and showed her the bundle of fur.
“The hair will grow back quickly. Don’t worry. Just feed her well and let her rest plenty.”
“Thank you.”
The veterinarian Renda touched one finger to the tip of the fur bundle’s nose. The creature sniffed, then turned her head away sharply.
‘Hmph. Humans who can’t even understand what I’m saying.’
“Meow!”
…….
Renda laughed softly.
“What a docile little thing. Cats usually don’t lower their guard so easily.”
“Ha, well…….”
I laughed awkwardly.
‘Docile, she says…….’
To anyone who couldn’t understand what this furry creature was actually saying, I suppose she would appear that way.
Throughout the carriage ride back to the Grand Duke’s Residence, the little beast had been yowling incessantly.
-‘How did you know my name is Byeol?! How?!’
-‘You don’t even understand what I’m saying, and yet you somehow know my name?!’
-‘Where are you taking me?! Are you going to eat me?! I’m skin and bones—there’s nothing to eat!’
Her cries mixed with human voices in my head until I couldn’t think straight.
Given the sharp, cutting edge to her words, “docile” seemed far off the mark—and yet, the way she quickly relaxed her guard and adapted to human hands made her seem gentle all the same…….
‘She must have belonged to someone before.’
I’d find out once we talked about it.
‘Sigh…….’
I pressed my palm to my forehead briefly. I was disgusted with myself.
‘Does it even make sense to think I’m going to have a conversation with a cat?’
It occurred to me that I might genuinely be losing my mind.
I cradled the fur bundle and headed toward my quarters.
“My goodness, Freya! What do you have there? Heavens! It’s a cat?!”
Servants I passed clustered around, drawn by the sight of the fur bundle.
“Is it a kitten?”
“No. She’s just small because she hasn’t been eating well.”
“Oh my. We’ll have to feed her properly. Here, take this with you—I dried some chicken breast. She might eat it.”
“Thank you.”
“Should we give her some milk?”
“No. I was told to avoid giving her human food if possible.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Hey, mistress! We have some fresh-caught fish here too! Take it!”
“Thank you. I’ll come back down later for it.”
“All right!”
Having only just arrived at the Grand Duke’s Residence, the fur bundle received an explosive outpouring of attention.
‘See, little furry one? All this good fortune came your way because you followed me.’
I looked down at her with a self-satisfied smile.
Whether or not she cared, the fur bundle simply yawned widely and shifted to find a more comfortable position.
I left the servants to their fussing and hurried toward my room.
Once inside, I took a moment to sense the auras in my surroundings.
Ignoring the numerous servants, I focused only on locating the key figures.
In the garden: Advisor Ed. In the training grounds: Knight Allen.
‘Given that he’s heading toward the back mountain, he must be planning another swim in Rediannar Lake.’
Diligent fellow.
And then there was the Grand Duke.
‘Hmm? Not on the lower floor?’
I sensed his presence not on the third floor where his office was, but on the staircase to the fourth floor.
‘Ah……. He’s heading to the fifth floor.’
The place where the Grand Duke’s secrets lay hidden. The place he always visited once a day when returning from an expedition.
Something of immense significance was clearly concealed there.
‘If I fail to behead the Grand Duke before returning to the Tenasis Empire, I’ll make sure to pry out whatever secret is hidden on that fifth floor.’
Just then, his aura vanished in an instant near the entrance to the fifth floor.
The Grand Duke had stepped through the door to the fifth floor.
A barrier, perhaps, or magic—the moment anyone entered the fifth floor, the Grand Duke’s aura and that of Advisor Ed both disappeared without a trace.
‘The Grand Duke entering the fifth floor means I won’t be seeing him for a while.’
Confirming that I finally had some breathing room, I set down the wide, plush cushion I’d brought up from the lower level beside my bed.
Then I placed the black furry bundle on top of it.
The furry bundle peered up at me cautiously. After holding my gaze for a moment, it huffed—a prissy little sound—and began grooming its front paws with deliberate licks.
All while casting sidelong glances in my direction.
[It’d be nice if you’d stop just staring and fetch me a cup of clean water instead.]
“…….”
It seemed to have no expectation that I’d actually understand it.
‘Perceptive thing.’
Without a word, I watched the furry bundle for a moment, then reached for the water pitcher that sat on the side table and poured some into a shallow dish.
Then set it beside the cushion.
[…….]
The furry bundle’s eyes darted between the dish of water and my face.
Its expression was comically transparent—what? What is this? What’s happening here?
Hmm. The bundle rolled its blue eyes back and forth, deliberating, before speaking again.
[Some of that Dried Chicken Breast would be nice too, if you—.]
I pulled a piece of Dried Chicken Breast from my pocket and set it on the cushion before it could even finish the sentence.
That’s when certainty finally dawned. The furry bundle jumped straight up off the cushion with a start.
[You! You really do understand what I’m saying!]
“…….”
Sharp little thing, aren’t you.
I watched the bundle with its fur standing on end, teeth bared in what might generously be called a grin—*Hehehehe!*—and let out a quiet sigh.

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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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