Villain Family’s Strongest Butler - Chapter 38

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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 41

Inside the carriage returning to the Grand Duchy.
I’d obtained a generous supply of Chicken Breast Jerky from Rickson, the Imperial Palace’s head chef.
‘The fur ball will love this.’
I stroked the box containing the jerky, smiling contentedly to myself.
‘I’ll need to train that fur ball with this—.’
Then the Grand Duke, seated across from me, spoke.
“In two months’ time, there will be a festival.”
A festival? I stared at him blankly, and he continued.
“……A festival to celebrate the alliance, or so I’m told.”
“An alliance celebration festival……. Such a thing exists?”
Cardrian answered flatly.
“It does now.”
“What?”
At my bewildered response, Cardrian sighed.
“His Majesty has decided to hold a festival to wash away past resentments and show mutual acceptance. Though, ……whether they see it the same way is another matter entirely.”
“I see…….”
The Cadea Empire maintains alliances with various neighboring nations, large and small.
Until now, no special festival had been held each time a new alliance was forged.
But this alliance with the Tenasis Empire held particular significance.
Once a single nation, yet for ages they had harbored mutual hatred, crossed swords, and waged war to seize each other’s territories.
That two such nations had finally achieved a ceasefire agreement and formed an alliance made it hardly excessive for the emperor to declare a festival.
I nodded.
“Things will be quite lively then, with festival preparations underway.”
Add to that the end of the war, and surely the empire’s people would be brimming with excitement.
“It will indeed. Particularly this festival…….”
The Grand Duke frowned, as though recalling something deeply displeasing.
“The Crown Prince of Tenasis is coming as part of a diplomatic delegation.”
…….
What?

***

Clack, clack—.
Silence filled the carriage. After the talk of the festival, both the Grand Duke and I fell quiet.
Serlhin is coming.
‘If Serlhin hasn’t died and someone else became crown prince.’
That delegation would certainly include Serlhin.
‘Serlhin, ……is coming.’
Serlhin. That Serlhin…….
‘In two months…….’
Yet something felt off about it.
It was oddly not a welcome feeling.
After all, he was my sworn friend and the lord I had guarded with my very life.
‘Rather than joy, I feel uneasy.’
Within that unease dwelt a sense of restlessness as well.
‘Why?’
Of course, there was no reason for Serlhin and me to meet.
The festival would be held in the Capital, and I would be spending my days busily at the Grand Duchy, far removed from where the festival took place.
Even if we did cross paths, it was nearly impossible that Serlhin would recognize me.
My face had changed considerably from when I lived as Sia, and the Aura I wielded now was different in character from what Sia had used.
Even if we stood face to face, Serlhin would have no chance of discerning my identity.
Unless I myself told him, ‘Serlhin! It’s me, Sia!’
Of course, revealing my identity like that would only have him think me mad.
And yet, knowing all this, the unease still did not fade.
I placed my hand over my left chest and rubbed at it, hoping this inexplicable ache would ease even slightly.
Then the Grand Duke across from me opened his mouth.
“Where are you uncomfortable?”
I lifted my head with a start.
“Oh, no—just a bit stiff, that’s all.”
…….
At my words, the Grand Duke cast a sidelong glance out the window.
“You said you wanted to buy something.”
“Ah…….”
Before we left the Imperial Palace, I’d asked the Grand Duke with a mixture of hope and doubt.
-“Would it be possible to stop by the bustling district on the way back?”
-“So be it.”
He hadn’t asked why; he’d simply agreed.
‘I thought he’d at least ask the reason, since it would take up his time.’
I’d forgotten about it because of Serlhin. It was fortunate that the Grand Duke brought it up first.
I nodded slightly.
“Yes, I was thinking of buying some gifts.”
“Gifts?”
“Yes, I’ve received help from many people. Until now, I couldn’t leave the Grand Duke’s estate, so I never had the opportunity.”
“……I suppose so.”
The Grand Duke gave a light nod and then spoke to the coachman.
“Lumiel Square.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
The carriage picked up speed.

***

“Specialty products from Finder Territory—pior! Come everyone, have a taste!”
“Heavenly fragrance! Tears of the divine! Reditar Mountain perfume has just arrived! Do take a look!”
“Doesn’t come around every—.”
Lumiel Square bustled with the energy befitting the Capital’s most vibrant district.
Countless stalls and shops lined the square, radiating outward from the ornate fountain at its center.
Colorful flower beds were arranged at regular intervals around the fountain, with long benches placed between them for people to sit.
The Grand Duke and I descended from the carriage and slowly stepped into the lively thoroughfare.
‘So this is Lumiel Square, where the Cadea Empire draws its greatest crowds.’
I looked about, barely remembering to breathe.
Brightness. Not merely in the liveliness upon people’s faces, but the very faces of the empire’s citizens bore no heavy shadow.
Unlike the people of the Tenasis Empire.
‘I think I’m beginning to understand why Serlhin hates the Cadea Empire so much.’
It was jealousy. Or perhaps resentment would be just as apt.
-“Ungrateful wretches who don’t know to appreciate what they have, never content with their blessings!”
-“Fools who monopolized the World Tree’s grace and yet failed to protect the World Tree itself!”
That was how the Cadea Empire appeared through Serlhin’s eyes.
‘It can’t help but invite comparison.’
Even as the World Tree withered, the Cadea Empire remained this prosperous.
Having grown up beneath the shadow that fell over the Tenasis Empire, Serlhin must have gnashed his teeth each time he witnessed this disparity.
‘Is that why he’s become so warped?’
I recalled Serlhin smashing objects to pieces whenever the Cadea Empire came up in conversation.
‘Now that he’s about to form an alliance, perhaps some of that anger will subside.’
Perhaps…….
I adjusted the hood pulled over my head so that the wind wouldn’t blow it back.
Then I turned to look at the Grand Duke.
“Your Grace, you needn’t follow me.”
…….
“If any assassins who may have followed us were to slip into the crowd and cause trouble, you could be hurt. Wouldn’t it be better to rest in the carriage?”
At that, the Grand Duke—who had pulled a navy hood down to his eyebrows—fixed me with a steady gaze.
“Now that you mention it, I suspect you’re the only one in my estate who worries about my safety.”
“……Your Grace?”
“Go.”
…….
The Grand Duke stepped forward first. With no other choice, I simply followed in his wake.
As we emerged from the alley where we’d hidden the carriage, a breeze swept through.
I kept hold of the hood as I followed the Grand Duke past a long row of vendor stalls.
That was when I spotted something displayed on one of the stalls.
“Wow… what kind of fruit is that? Why is it so large?”
The Grand Duke stopped walking and looked toward the stall.
“A fruit that grows in the southern territories. They say it tastes as though made of honey, which is why we call it a Meliberry.”
I gazed at the fruit in wonder. The Grand Duke then handed a gold coin to the stall owner and picked up a Meliberry.
“Just one. There’s much else to taste.”
“Ah, thank you.”
I took the honey-scented fruit eagerly. It was somewhat awkward to eat, but it tasted so delicious that without the Grand Duke’s restraint, I would have devoured far more.
We stopped again to admire various Spices I’d never heard of or seen before, and then Ceramic Crafts bearing intricate patterns—and no sooner did we resume walking than performers emerged dancing traditional Cadea dances to the accompaniment of traditional music, and we stopped once more.
I couldn’t close my mouth. It was all the more striking because even during my time as a Seer, I had no clear memory of venturing into a bustling marketplace to look around carefully.
‘I only glimpsed the Tenasis markets in passing as we marched through.’
Who knew that shopping at a market could be this entertaining.
‘I should have dragged Serlhin out with me from time to time.’
Then I came to a halt before a stall piled high with Mushrooms I’d never seen before.
“Oh? This is—.”
The Grand Duke added an explanation as though he’d been waiting for the moment.
“A specialty product from the southeastern territories. It’s popular because the flavor and texture are superior to ordinary mushrooms.”
“…You certainly know a lot, don’t you?”
“Shouldn’t I, whose memory is intact, know better than a butler who’s lost his? Watching you marvel at every last thing from the Cadea Empire makes me wonder if you’re truly from there.”
……
That stung. I decided to keep quiet and refrain from saying anything further.

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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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