A CERTAIN RUMOR BEGAN CIRCULATING.
THAT AFTER BEING WITHOUT ONE FOR SO LONG, A NEW BUTLER HAD ARRIVED AT THE GRAND DUCAL HOUSE OF VALLOT,
AND, OF ALL THINGS, THE RUMOR CLAIMED THAT IT WAS A WOMAN.
EVER SINCE THAT WOMAN SHOWED UP, ALL OUR DEALS WITH THE GRAND DUCAL HOUSE HAVE BEEN CUT OFF!
SHE'S SO METICULOUS AND STRICT THAT SHE CUTS TIES THE SECOND ANYTHING DISPLEASES HER!
JUST WHAT KIND OF WOMAN MANAGED TO WRAP HIS HIGHNESS THE GRAND DUKE AROUND HER FINGER?
SPURRED ON MAINLY BY THE MERCHANT GUILDS THAT HAD BEEN CUT OFF BY THE GRAND DUCAL HOUSE, THE RUMOR
GREW BIGGER AND BIGGER,
YET MOST PEOPLE TRIED TO DISMISS THE RUMOR.
SAYING THINGS LIKE, "COME ON, THERE'S NO WAY THE BUTLER IS ACTUALLY A WOMAN!"
OF COURSE,
THAT WAS ONLY UNTIL THEY CAME FACE-TO-FACE WITH THAT BUTLER.
IS THAT WOMAN REALLY THE GRAND DUKE'S BUTLER...?
NO, WHAT IS THE GRAND DUCAL HOUSE THINKING? THEY, OF ALL PEOPLE, SHOULD VALUE TRADITION AND HONOR...
HEY, A WOMAN WHO DIDN'T EVEN GRADUATE FROM THE BUTLER ACADEMY...
WHAT SKILLS COULD SHE POSSIBLY HAVE TO SNATCH THE POSITION OF GRAND DUKE'S BUTLER?
IT'S OBVIOUS. WITH A FACE LIKE THAT...
MIND YOUR TONGUES.
I REMEMBER WELL WHICH FAMILIES YOU ATTENDANTS SERVE.
MARQUIS GRAVEN, VASSAL TO THE GRAND DUCAL HOUSE OF VALLOT
L-LORD MARQUIS GRAVEN!
F-FORGIVE US, YOUR GRACE!
THIS IS TROUBLING... SUCH MALICIOUS TALK HAS BEGUN ALREADY.
How disgraceful for men claiming to be attendants of noble houses.
IF THIS CONCERNS THE GRAND DUKE'S BUTLER,
IT MUST SURELY HAVE BEEN DECIDED BY COUNT NORBERT.
JUST WHAT WAS THE COUNT THINKING WHEN HE CAUSED THIS MESS?!
~dignity Of The Butler Academy's Founder~
OF COURSE, HAVING LEARNED UNDER COUNT NORBERT, WHO IS NOTORIOUSLY EXACTING,
THERE WOULD BE NO NEED TO WORRY ABOUT HER COMPETENCE, BUT...
THAT IS NOT THE PROBLEM.
A YOUNG FEMALE BUTLER SERVING UNDER AN UNMARRIED GRAND DUKE.
HE MUST HAVE KNOWN WHAT AN UPROAR IT WOULD CAUSE, AND YET...!
AND YOUR HIGHNESS AS WELL... WITHOUT EVEN CONSIDERING OTHER OPTIONS,
WHY DID YOU HAVE TO BRING IN THAT BUTLER OF ALL PEOPLE?
STILL, GIVEN THE KINDNESS I RECEIVED THIS TIME,
AS A VASSAL, I MUST OFFER MY THANKS.
IT HAS BEEN TOO LONG, YOUR HIGHNESS, GRAND DUKE VALLOT.
IT HAS BEEN A WHILE, MARQUIS GRAVEN.
HAVE YOU BEEN WELL ALL THIS TIME?
YES, THANKS TO YOUR CONSIDERATION.
HOW IS YOUR WIFE'S HEALTH THESE DAYS?
AS A MATTER OF FACT, REGARDING THAT...
I WANTED TO EXPRESS MY DEEPEST GRATITUDE.
THANKS TO YOUR HIGHNESS EVEN SENDING MEDICINE TO CARE FOR HER, SHE IS IMPROVING BY THE DAY.
ONCE SHE RECOVERS A BIT MORE, WE WILL VISIT TOGETHER TO PAY OUR RESPECTS.
THAT IS GOOD TO HEAR.
HOWEVER, YOU SHOULD OFFER YOUR THANKS TO THIS PERSON RATHER THAN ME.
ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE HER.
THIS IS FREYA, THE BUTLER OF THE GRAND DUCAL HOUSE OF VALLOT.
IT IS AN HONOR TO MEET YOU, MARQUIS GRAVEN.
I AM FREYA, BUTLER OF THE GRAND DUCAL HOUSE. PLEASE TREAT ME WELL.
RIGHT...
YOUR HIGHNESS! ADDING FUEL TO THE GOSSIP LIKE THIS YOURSELF...!
NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU WANTED TO SHOW OFF THIS WOMAN, DIRECTING MY THANKS TO HER...?
I AM GLAD TO HEAR THE MEDICINAL HERBS SENT FROM THE GRAND DUCAL HOUSE
AIDED IN THE MARCHIONESS'S RECOVERY.
...WAIT.
WERE YOU THE ONE WHO SENT THOSE HERBS?
THAT IS CORRECT, LORD MARQUIS.
I HAPPENED TO HEAR A LITTLE ABOUT THE ILLNESS YOUR WIFE WAS SUFFERING FROM,
SO AFTER DISCUSSING IT WITH THE GRAND DUCAL HOUSE'S PERSONAL PHYSICIAN, I HAD THE HERBS PRESCRIBED AND SENT TO YOU.
I NEVER EXPECTED HER TO ATTEND EVEN TO THE AFFAIRS OF A VASSAL, BUT SO SHE DID.
OF COURSE, ALL THE FUNDS USED TO PURCHASE THOSE HERBS CAME DIRECTLY FROM YOUR HIGHNESS'S VAULT.
GOOD HEAVENS...
TO THINK I FAILED TO RECOGNIZE MY BENEFACTOR STANDING RIGHT BEFORE ME!
THANK YOU, TRULY!
OUR FAMILY'S PERSONAL PHYSICIAN TOLD ME THOSE HERBS MUST HAVE BEEN EXCEEDINGLY DIFFICULT TO PROCURE...
HOWEVER, DID YOU MANAGE IT?
TRUTH BE TOLD, UPON CHECKING, I DISCOVERED THAT THE NATIVE HABITAT OF THOSE HERBS WAS THE GRAND DUCHY...
JUST AS I THOUGHT.
KEEPING A CLOSE EYE ON THE SITUATION EVER SINCE HAS PAID OFF.
FROM THE DAY I DISCOVERED THE PROBLEMATIC POISONOUS WEEDS IN THE GRAND DUCHY,
I HAVE BEEN INVESTIGATING THE NOBLES SUFFERING FROM AN INCURABLE DISEASE ACROSS THE EMPIRE.
IF POISONOUS WEEDS ON SUCH A SCALE HAD SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE GRAND DUCHY,
IT MEANT TENASIS'S OPERATION MIGHT HAVE ALREADY BEGUN.
AS A RESULT OF LOOKING INTO THE RUMOR AND INQUIRIES,
I LEARNED THAT MARCHIONESS GRAVEN, WIFE OF A VASSAL TO THE GRAND DUCAL HOUSE, WAS AFFLICTED WITH THIS ILLNESS.
SINCE THEIR FAMILY WAS CLOSE TO THE GRAND DUCAL HOUSE,
IT WAS FORTUNATE THAT I COULD TAKE SWIFT ACTION.
THE MARCHIONESS WAS NEARLY IN GRAVE DANGER.
AND...
THE GRAND DUKE BESIDE ME AS WELL
THE REASON TENASIS COVERTLY SPREAD POISONOUS WEEDS ACROSS THE GRAND DUCHY...
AFTER ALL, THE GOAL WAS TO FRAME THE GRAND DUKE AS THE CULPRIT BEHIND THIS ILLNESS LATER ON AND EASILY ELIMINATE HIM.
I DEALT WITH THE IMMEDIATE ISSUE,
BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN EVERYTHING IS RESOLVED.
HOWEVER, LORD MARQUIS.
AS I MENTIONED IN THE LETTER I SENT YOU PREVIOUSLY,
I REGRET TO SAY THAT THIS MEDICINE WILL NOT CURE HER COMPLETELY.
...YES, I KNOW.
EVEN SO, SHE IS BACK ON HER FEET,
AND SHE HAS REGAINED HER WILL TO LIVE. THAT ALONE MEANS SO MUCH.
I AM CONTENT MERELY THAT HER CONDITION IS NO LONGER WORSENING.
SIA.
DO YOU KNOW WHY THEY CALL THIS AN ILLNESS WITH NO CURE?
BECAUSE THERE'S AN INGREDIENT ESSENTIAL FOR A COMPLETE CURE,
AND IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO OBTAIN NOW.
...WHAT IS IT?
A LEAF OF THE WORLD TREE.
IF WHAT SERHIN SAID BACK THEN WAS TRUE,
THEN A FULL CURE FOR THE DISEASE WILL NEVER BE COMPLETED.
THE WORLD TREE HAS BEEN SLOWLY WITHERING AWAY FOR UNKNOWN REASONS,
AND HAVING NOW LOST ALL ITS FORMER MAJESTY,
I HEARD IT CAN'T EVEN SPROUT A SINGLE NEW LEAF.
REGARDLESS, SERHIN WILL HAVE TO REVISE HIS PLANS BECAUSE OF ME,
SO FOR NOW, I'LL HAVE TO BE SATISFIED WITH HAVING BOUGHT KADEA SOME TIME.
THAT MADMAN WHO CAME UP WITH THIS PLAN WILL ALSO HAVE QUITE A ROUGH-
WAIT...!
IF SOMEONE ENDED UP CONTRACTING THIS ILLNESS,
DOESN'T THAT MEAN THE BASTARD RUNNING THIS OPERATION IS ALREADY HERE IN KADEA?
THAT BUTLER IS MUCH MORE IMPRESSIVE THAN I THOUGHT.
GRAND DUKE VALLOT AND MARQUIS GRAVEN...
TO REMAIN SO COMPOSED BETWEEN HEAVYWEIGHTS LIKE THEM.
COULD IT BE THIS ISN'T HER FIRST TIME WORKING AS A BUTLER?
THE GRAND DUCAL FAMILY HAS TRULY HIT ROCK BOTTOM.
EVEN IF NO ONE APPLIED FOR THE BUTLER POSITION,
A FEMALE BUTLER WHO DIDN'T EVEN GRADUATE FROM THE ACADEMY?
UGH.
HEY, COUNT DUFFIN! WATCH YOUR TONGUE.
NO MATTER HOW DISPLEASED YOU ARE, SHE'S THE GRAND DUKE'S BUTLER!
DID I SAY SOMETHING WRONG?
WELL... STILL, AT THIS POINT, I AM CURIOUS WHAT KIND OF WOMAN SHE IS.
FOLKEN.
YES, COUNT.
LOOK INTO THAT GIRL.
WHERE SHE WAS BORN, WHO HER PARENTS WERE,
AND WHERE SHE WAS HIDING ALL THIS TIME BEFORE SHOWING UP.
FIND OUT EVERYTHING YOU POSSIBLY CAN.
YES, YOUR HIGHNESS.
I SHALL CARRY OUT YOUR ORDERS.
Rumor spreads that a female butler has joined the Vallot Grand Ducal household, fueled by the ostracized merchant guilds. While Marquis Graven harshly rebukes the gossip, butler Freya is introduced at his meeting with Grand Duke Vallot. It is revealed that Freya arranged for medicinal herbs to be sent after consulting the Marquise Graven's personal physician, and the Marquis is grateful to her. Inwardly, Freya thinks of the poisonous herbs, Tenasis's plan, and the incurable disease.
