Villain Family’s Strongest Butler - Chapter 29

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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 32

‘Surely I won’t end up seeing the Ducal House heir half-naked again, or some ridiculous scenario where I glimpse him entirely—’
But that thought couldn’t escape Murphy’s Law.
And sure enough, Cardrian was just emerging from the bathroom.
Damn it.
I barely managed to swallow the curse that nearly spilled from my lips.
‘So that water sound I heard outside the door was him coming out of the bath!’
I’d thought he was still bathing, but he’d already finished.
Cardrian walked toward me, drying his hair with a white towel.
And then.
‘I set out two towels for him….’
So why was he walking out like that? Where was the other towel?
‘Why, why is he like this again?!’
Cardrian was naked—exactly as I’d feared.
This time there wasn’t even steam to obscure anything, and worse, he wasn’t facing away from me. He stood directly facing me, clearly visible in full.
‘What the—’
My eyes were fixed on his face, but this cursed peripheral vision caught far more than I needed to see, rendered painfully clear.
I forced my gaze upward and approached the bed with measured, dignified steps.
“I’ve brought your clothes, Your Highness.”
Don’t see it. Don’t see it. I don’t see anything.
“I wanted to inform you in advance—tomorrow at first light, I’ll need to visit the tailors.”
My movements were fluid, my pace brisk. I laid his garments neatly on the bed and turned away.
Then I walked to the door and gave him a slight bow.
“Should you need anything else, please ring. I’ll wait in the adjoining room. Then.”
“…….”
I opened the door and left.
‘Done. Clean exit.’
It was nothing like that first day in the bathroom.
Every motion had been composed, every word steady and unwavering.
‘Phew.’
Working as the Ducal House heir’s attendant, scenes like this would inevitably become routine.
At least he didn’t seem to want assistance bathing, so that was something.
‘See but don’t acknowledge. Hear but pretend not to.’
I recited a butler’s virtues under my breath once more, trying to reclaim my composure—though who was I kidding—
‘Aaaaaaaah!’
I practically sprinted back to my room, slammed the door shut, and threw myself onto the bed. The first thing that caught my eye was, of course, the pillow.
Thud—! Smack—! Wham—!
I drove my fists down with all my strength into the soft, downy center.
‘Aaaaaaaah!’
Ahhhhh! Ahhh! Grrrrr!
‘Of all people—the Ducal House heir’s! And it was me!’
Screams I couldn’t let escape into the open world erupted silently inside me as my fists hammered the pillow relentlessly.
Then—
Rip—! Fluff-fluff-fluff—!
I tore the pillow apart. Stuffing scattered into the air before settling across the floor.
“…….”
Still not enough.
I hurled the ruined pillow under the bed and grabbed the next one.
There was no way I’d sleep tonight.

***

Morning broke.
The moment Cardrian woke, he called for me and we went down to the first-floor dining hall.
Flashes of yesterday surfaced now and then, but I couldn’t let it show.
I wasn’t some apprentice. I was a professional butler.
Remembering the dinner I’d missed last night, I ordered food with something like vengeful satisfaction.
We set out for the Imperial Palace about two hours after we’d finished eating.
‘The clothes will do fine.’
I nodded slightly to myself, thinking of the baggage I’d packed in the carriage’s hold.
I’d worried we might struggle to find garments that fit a man of such impressive build, but the innkeeper’s recommendation led us to a clothier with quite a reputation.
There we managed to procure an outfit suited to the Duke’s frame.
Once our preparations were complete, we settled in for another long journey by carriage.
Rattle, rattle—.
As the carriage transitioned from dirt road to well-maintained stone, even the sound of the wheels changed.
‘Back again.’
The Capital of the Cardea Empire, where the Imperial Palace stood.
‘I was too nervous on my first visit to take in much of the sight.’
I gazed out the window with rather more composure than I’d had that day.
Pedestrians hurrying past, shopkeepers lighting their lamps in preparation for evening commerce.
True to the Capital’s bustling reputation, everywhere brimmed with activity and vitality.
Before long, lost in people-watching, we arrived at the Imperial Palace’s entrance.
Until then silent, the Duke finally spoke.
“Butler.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Inside the Palace, you’ll face countless nobility.”
I nodded.
“I understand, sir.”
“The rumor that the Ballot Ducal House employs a female butler will cease to be mere gossip.”
I placed my hand over my heart and spoke with steady resolve.
“Your Grace. That is precisely what I wish for. After all, there’s no hiding such a thing forever, is there? I give you my word—I will never bring dishonor to the Ballot name.”
The Duke regarded me carefully then. His chest rose and fell in measured rhythm, his gaze sharp and assessing.
In kind, I met his stare unflinching.
Duke. I am not so easily dismissed.
Give me a chance.
Whether my sincerity reached him, the Duke slowly opened his mouth.
“Do not be underestimated.”
…….
I sensed those few words carried great weight.
I looked at him directly and nodded.
“I will remember, Your Grace.”
The carriage came to a halt.
This time, it was the true Imperial Palace of the Cardea Empire—not the temple.

***

The Imperial Palace’s banquet hall.
Gathered before an upcoming conference, the assembled nobility were enjoying themselves with their respective attendants.
Small groups of attendants exchanged casual pleasantries among themselves.
“Did you see that? The woman beside the Duke of Ballot!”
“The Duke entered the Palace with a woman?”
“That’s what I’m telling you!”
And she was strikingly beautiful!
The gaze of nobles and attendants who had arrived first swept toward the Ballot carriage.
The Ballot carriage came to a stop, its door opening.
The first to descend was not the Duke—but a woman.
And she wore not a dress, but a butler’s uniform.
Though her attire was modest, her striking beauty lent her an air of a noble maiden in evening wear.
“So she’s the butler?”
“What?! Then the rumors are true?”
There had been such rumors.
That a new butler had come to the Ballot Ducal House, which had long been without one.
But the rumor held that this butler happened to be a woman.
Because the Ballot household’s servants kept their counsel so carefully, detailed gossip about the female butler had never spread.
Even after six months, no information beyond the mere fact that the butler was a woman could be gleaned.
The rumor of a female butler in the Ducal House had not originated from the household’s own staff.
“There was a merchant company that once did business with the Ducal House, and a fellow named Tony who works there mentioned it. He said that since the female butler arrived, they’ve been unable to secure contracts with the Ballot House.”
A sigh erupted from the crowd.
“So that woman really is a butler!”
What was this—in a Ducal House that should prize tradition and honor!
Everyone was pouring out negative words and casting disapproving glances.
“She must have seized the butler position through connections? With a face like that, it’s obvious.”
“Still, it’s the Ballot Ducal House, though.”
A throat cleared.
Grayvain, a marquis and vassal of the Ballot Ducal House who had been listening to their talk, coughed pointedly.
“Mind your tongue. I remember which household every one of you serves.”
“We, we apologize.”
…….
Watching the attendants scatter like frightened animals, Grayvain exhaled a silent sigh.
‘This is troublesome. Such malicious talk already?’
What was Nobbert, the Count, thinking to do such a thing?
He’d heard that this woman was a direct disciple taken in by Nobbert, the Count who had founded the Butler Academy.
Having trained under the notoriously exacting Nobbert, there was no need to worry about her competence.
But the problem lay elsewhere.
‘A female butler……’
And a young one at that, serving an unmarried Grand Duke.
It was plain that the Empire would be in an uproar for some time over this woman’s debut.
Grayvain gazed toward the ballroom entrance, his expression clouded with concern.
Then the ballroom doors opened, and Cardrian entered.
The voices fell silent at once, and every eye turned toward him.
‘He’s arrived!’
Grayvain hastened forward.
“Your Grace, it has been far too long.”
Cardrian, who had been sweeping his gaze across the ballroom, spotted the marquis and smiled faintly as he spoke.
“Indeed, Marquis. I heard your lady wife’s health has been troublesome.”
At this, Grayvain’s face brightened.
“Thanks to Your Grace’s concern, she improves with each passing day. Once she has fully recovered, I shall bring her to pay my respects in person.”
Cardrian nodded lightly.
“Very well. I shall wait.”
Hearing his answer, the marquis glanced at the woman standing slightly behind Cardrian and asked.
“But who is this person behind you……?”
Cardrian then turned to regard the woman.
“Ah, I’ve been remiss in my introductions.”
Grayvain looked between Cardrian and the woman alternately, waiting for his answer.
It was not only the marquis waiting for the Grand Duke’s reply. Everyone gathered in that ballroom waited as well.
Who was this woman? Could she truly be that rumored butler? Or was she perhaps the Grand Duke’s mistress?
The answer to that question hung entirely upon what the Grand Duke was about to say.
Cardrian first introduced Grayvain to her.
“This is Grayvain, a marquis and vassal of our house.”
Now it was the woman’s turn. All eyes converged upon the mysterious woman standing beside the Grand Duke.
“And this one is…….”
Cardrian gazed at the woman with a faint smile.
“This one is……our house’s.”
After a brief pause, Cardrian’s weighty voice resonated through the entire ballroom.
“Butler, Freya.”
In that moment, a small stir rippled through the previously silent crowd.

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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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