Chapter 102: The Old Butler
Even though everyone in Armand’s estate did their jobs properly and followed the rules, the old butler, Lug, still made sure to walk around the estate every day to check on things.
Thanks to Evelia, Armand’s personal maid, Lug’s work had become a bit easier. Although he did have some doubts about this suspicious Miss Evelia and worried whether she might try something against Armand, Lug didn’t say much.
Since the master of the estate had his own reasons for keeping her close, Lug just waited until Armand needed him and then stepped in to take care of things.
“Mr. Butler, about this month’s…”
Rather than saying Lug was like a father to Armand, it was more accurate to say that he was the most reliable senior in the whole estate.
No matter a person’s gender, age, or position, if they had questions and asked him with humility, Lug would patiently guide them. He wasn’t exactly a genius who knew everything about the stars and the earth, but as someone who had been a butler for over ten years, he could answer almost any question the maids or attendants had.
Some people thought they should call him “Lord Butler,” but he said that being called “Mister” sounded younger. So now, everyone in the estate called him Mr. Butler. Some of the youngest maids even called him “Grandpa Butler,” which he happily accepted. He liked the feeling of being a grandfather.
He had spent half his life without children or a wife. It wasn’t that he didn’t like women like the Second Prince, nor was he poisoned like Armand. To put it simply, he had just missed the age for getting married.
When he was young, he was very focused on his career, just like Armand is now. On the outside, he looked relaxed and elegant, but in truth, he had a lot to handle.
He spent most of his time working hard, starting as an ordinary assistant and rising all the way to become a nobleman’s butler. Later, he even served in the royal household. His career was very successful, but when it came to love, nothing ever happened.
Even when he was already in his thirties and still working as a noble’s butler, he looked decent and well-mannered. But the women he met were either young noble ladies already promised to someone else, or married noblewomen who came to visit. Their backgrounds didn’t match his, and he didn’t feel like courting or asking anyone to arrange a match for him.
While working, he chatted happily with the servants and didn’t feel lonely. After work, he’d go home, read a book, wash up, and sleep. He never felt empty or sad. Those best years just quietly passed, and before he knew it, he was already over forty.
When he was in his forties, he took a royal job. But in that royal court full of hidden agendas and complicated politics, he felt mentally exhausted and wanted to leave.
After working there for a few years, he happened to meet Armand, who was still a teenager back then. Lug then used his royal appointment to become Armand’s guardian-like butler, taking care of his daily life.
At first, Lug didn’t understand why such a young boy needed a butler to look after him. But after spending time with him, he realized that this boy was different.
Back then, Armand was extremely quiet. He could go a whole day barely saying a word. But he would still greet Lug three times a day, every morning, noon, and night, like clockwork. Each time, he stood straight like a soldier and gave a formal bow.
Even though Lug, as a butler, wasn’t supposed to receive bows from the master of the house, this strange habit of Armand’s seemed impossible to change.
Armand’s daily routine was also very strict. He had fixed times for waking up, training, and eating. He could even guess the time of day just by going through his regular activities, without needing to check a clock.
The only thing that wasn’t fixed was his sleeping time. Even though he would blow out the candles in his room at night, it didn’t mean he was actually asleep. Later, Lug learned that Armand was troubled by nightmares and couldn’t sleep well at all.
His understanding of the outside world also seemed broken. Most of the things he knew were from many years ago. When it came to new rules and reforms, he had no idea. He also didn’t understand many of the common social norms. Even though he looked like a teenage boy, his thinking and knowledge were often stuck in childhood. He often made silly mistakes, though he didn’t seem to be too embarrassed by them.
To Lug, Armand’s personality was full of contradictions. Because of his past, he seemed a bit naive compared to other people his age. But in some things he said or did, he was much too mature.
He liked wearing black, liked walking along the edges of walls, and could move so quietly that you wouldn’t hear a sound. He often startled Lug without meaning to.
But sometimes, Armand could be very reckless. When he got into fights, his style was direct and fierce. Once he raised his hand, it was basically aimed at taking someone’s life. Lug worried about this for a long time and told him many times that peace is more valuable than violence, and he shouldn’t just start fights so easily.
Luckily, Armand learned quickly. It didn’t take long before he broke out of that strict, almost suffocating routine he had been forcing himself to follow.
Once Armand seemed more or less normal, aside from not liking to talk much, he was sent to the battlefield. After winning a few battles, he was transferred back to the capital and joined the Royal Knights. Lug remained by his side as his butler.
People often say the battlefield is heartless, that the harshness of close combat will numb a person. But Armand seemed to be the opposite.
After returning from war, he became more open and cheerful, and even made a best friend, Carle. Maybe because he had already gotten used to the sight and feel of blood, he started to focus more on building relationships with others and understanding their emotions.
Lug stayed by Armand’s side year after year. He watched him grow from a simple soldier into the captain of the Royal Knights. Every time Armand laughed from the bottom of his heart, Lug felt like an old father, both emotional and proud.
But Lug didn’t only see the happy and warm side. Every time he thought about the poison in Armand’s body, his heart ached. He had tried asking Armand’s personal doctor, indirectly, whether Armand could ever be cured, but the answers were always vague and uncertain.
“Sigh…”
The old butler was walking along the outer wall at the back of the estate, letting out a long sigh.
He had been quite suspicious of Evelia before, but after thinking about it again and again, he suddenly felt like… maybe it wasn’t so bad to let her stay here.
At the very least, that boy Armand seemed to get along with Evelia pretty well.
If Evelia could bring a bit more sweetness into Armand’s life, then as someone who saw himself as a father figure, Lug certainly wouldn’t object.
Even though he had never married or had children in his life, if he could witness Armand finding happiness and building a family, that would be enough for him.
“…Hmm?”
While walking outside, Lug was near the front gate when he heard a faint sound coming from the alley where food scraps were usually dumped.
He thought it was just stray cats or dogs digging through the trash again, which meant he’d have to get someone to clean up afterward. So he walked over to check.
But to his surprise, it wasn’t a stray animal. Instead, he saw a little girl curled up in a bag of leftover food from yesterday.
“Good heavens…”
The old butler quickly walked over and, not caring how dirty it was, picked the girl up in his arms. She was clearly starving and weak, barely able to make a sound, but she was still breathing. That made Lug feel a bit relieved.
“Looks like I need to get her cleaned up and find her something to eat…”
He carried the girl to the gate and asked the guards if they had seen anyone looking for a missing child, or anyone suspiciously abandoning one, but no one had noticed anything unusual.
“Looks like I’ll have to contact the orphanage later…”
“Sir Butler.”
Just then, Evelia returned to the estate. She had been worried about how to find a child to “practice” with, and the moment she looked up, she saw the old butler walking toward her, holding a dirty girl who clearly looked like a homeless child.
“Hm? Miss Evelia? What is it? Have you seen this child before? If not, I was thinking of sending her to a shelter—”
“No need, Mr. Butler.”
Evelia didn’t mind the trash clinging to the child at all. She reached out her hand toward the girl.
“She just looks so pitiful… and it’s not that easy for children to be accepted into those shelters. So… would you let me take care of her instead?”
The perfect practice subject had just arrived.