Undercover Butler to the Grand Duke — Chapter 22

DREK BALEHALE, WHO HAD SERVED AS SERHIN TENASIS'S PERSONAL PHYSICIAN.

HE WAS ALSO KNOWN AS THE "MAD DOCTOR."

HE NEVER SAW PEOPLE AS HUMAN BEINGS,

BUT MERELY AS TEST SUBJECTS...

...ALL FOR THE SAKE OF MAKING HIS EXPERIMENTS A SUCCESS. HE WAS A TRULY CRUEL BASTARD.

IF NOT FOR SERHIN,

HE WAS DANGEROUS ENOUGH THAT HE MIGHT HAVE USED ME AS A GUINEA PIG, TOO.

SINCE PEOPLE HAVE ALREADY BEGUN SHOWING SYMPTOMS OF THE DISEASE,

THE MASTERMIND BEHIND THIS SCHEME HAS LIKELY INFILTRATED KADEA AS WELL...

HE WOULDN'T HAVE INFILTRATED...

...JUST ANY NOBLE HOUSE WITHOUT A PLAN.

HE MIGHT EVEN BE HERE, SO I SHOULD TAKE MY TIME AND LOOK FOR HIM.

CADRIAN!

...HE'S ADDRESSING THE GRAND DUKE SO CASUALLY?

WHO ON EARTH IS THAT?

I HEARD YOU CAME ALL THE WAY TO THE IMPERIAL PALACE RECENTLY JUST TO MEET WITH THE HIGH PRIEST, THEN LEFT WITHOUT A WORD.

I'M RATHER HURT, YOU KNOW.

YOU CAME ALL THE WAY TO THE PALACE AND DIDN'T EVEN STOP BY TO SEE ME.

HAVE YOU BEEN WELL, YOUR HIGHNESS?

THE CURRENT EMPEROR OF THE KADEA EMPIRE

HAD FIVE CHILDREN IN TOTAL.

THE LATE EMPRESS GAVE BIRTH TO THE CROWN PRINCE AND SEVERAL OTHER IMPERIAL CHILDREN.

THE CURRENT EMPRESS, MEANWHILE, GAVE BIRTH TO THE THIRD PRINCESS.

AMONG THEM, ARTEAR, THE FIRST PRINCE AND CROWN PRINCE, FOLLOWED IN HIS FATHER'S FOOTSTEPS

BY BEING BORN WITH THE DIVINE AUTHORITY INHERITED BY SELECT MEMBERS OF THE IMPERIAL FAMILY.

AS A RESULT, HE WAS RECOGNIZED AS THE EMPIRE'S UNDISPUTED RIGHTFUL HEIR.

BY THE WAY, ARE HE AND THE GRAND DUKE REALLY THAT CLOSE?

Man, He's Practically Glowing.

THE GRAND DUKE NEVER STRUCK ME AS THE TYPE TO PLAY ALONG WITH JOKES LIKE THAT.

IF I HAD TO COMPARE THEIR RELATIONSHIP...

WOULD IT BE SOMETHING LIKE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SERHIN AND ME?

EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE BOTH CROWN PRINCES, HIS IMAGE IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FROM SERHIN'S.

SERHIN WAS LIKE AN ARROGANT, HAUGHTY CAT,

WHILE THIS ONE WEARS A FRIENDLY SMILE THE ENTIRE TIME...

YOU MUST BE THE BUTLER EVERYONE'S BEEN TALKING ABOUT.

I GREET THE LITTLE SUN OF THE EMPIRE.

...WHAT WAS THAT JUST NOW?

IT WAS ONLY FOR AN INSTANT, BUT HE WAS SCRUTINIZING ME.

AND THE EMOTION REFLECTED IN HIS EYES

WASN'T GOODWILL, BUT WARINESS... PERHAPS EVEN OUTRIGHT HOSTILITY.

I SUPPOSE ROYALTY IS ROYALTY.

HIDING SUCH SINISTER INTENTIONS BEHIND A GENIAL SMILE.

I Take Back What I Said About Him Being Different From Serhin.

AH, CADRIAN.

SO, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT THAT FROM NOW ON?

ABOUT WHAT?

...AH.

LET'S DISCUSS THAT SOMEWHERE ELSE.

OH, ARE YOU SURE THAT'S A GOOD IDEA?

LEAVING YOUR BUTLER ALL ALONE LIKE THIS?

...IT'LL BE FINE.

IF I WERE SO WORRIED THAT I COULDN'T EVEN LEAVE HER ALONE AT A GATHERING LIKE THIS,

I WOULDN'T HAVE BROUGHT HER WITH ME IN THE FIRST PLACE.

MY, WHAT A COLD-HEARTED MASTER YOU ARE!

IT SEEMS THE CROWN PRINCE DOESN'T KNOW THE GRAND DUKE AS WELL AS HE THINKS.

THE GRAND DUKE'S APPROACH HAS ALWAYS BEEN TO THROW SOMEONE INTO A DIFFICULT SITUATION...

...AND OBSERVE HOW THEY RESPOND!

PLEASE GO AHEAD, YOUR GRACE.

VERY WELL.

ONCE I'VE FINISHED SPEAKING WITH HIS HIGHNESS, I MUST ATTEND THE NOBLE COUNCIL IMMEDIATELY,

SO I WON'T BE BACK UNTIL LATE.

UNTIL THEN, WAIT IN THE ATTENDANTS' LOUNGE AND GET SOME REST.

WAIT.

COULD THAT WATCH...

BE THE POCKET WATCH I SAW IN MY DREAM?

HONESTLY, CADRIAN!

STILL, THOUGH.

HOW COULD YOU HIRE SOMEONE YOU CARE ABOUT SO DEEPLY AS YOUR BUTLER?

ISN'T THE DIVINE AUTHORITY STILL IN EFFECT?

INDEED, ISN'T IT?

IN THAT CASE, RATHER THAN DRAWING UNNECESSARY ATTENTION TO HER,

I DECIDED IT WOULD BE BEST TO KEEP HER BY MY SIDE AND WATCH OVER HER.

...HOW HAS HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY BEEN LATELY?

HE'S IMPROVED CONSIDERABLY COMPARED TO BEFORE.

TO THINK HE'S RECOVERED THIS MUCH AFTER USING HIS DIVINE AUTHORITY...

WE'RE TRULY FORTUNATE.

"DIVINE AUTHORITY."

A SACRED POWER PASSED DOWN THROUGH GENERATIONS OF THE KADEA IMPERIAL FAMILY,

CAPABLE OF MAKING THE IMPOSSIBLE A REALITY.

BESTOWED BY THE GODS FOR THE PEACE OF THE EMPIRE'S PEOPLE,

IT WAS FAR TOO POWERFUL FOR A MORTAL TO WIELD,

PLACING SUCH AN IMMENSE STRAIN ON THE BODY

THAT IT COULD NEVER BE USED RECKLESSLY.

HOWEVER,

AFTER THE SOLE HEIR OF HOUSE FLANKER, THE GUARDIANS OF THE WORLD TREE, FELL INTO A DEEP SLUMBER,

EVEN THE WORLD TREE ITSELF BEGAN TO WITHER.

THE EMPEROR INVOKED HIS DIVINE AUTHORITY TO CALM THE PEOPLE'S UNREST.

HE WAITED ONLY FOR THE DAY WHEN THE HEIR OF HOUSE FLANKER WOULD AWAKEN SAFE AND SOUND,

AND CAST THE WORLD'S MEMORIES OF HER INTO A DEEP SLUMBER AS WELL

THOUGH A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF TIME HAS PASSED, THE YOUNG LADY OF HOUSE FLANKER HAS FINALLY AWAKENED.

IT IS AN IMMENSE RELIEF.

THOUGH I CERTAINLY NEVER EXPECTED HER TO BE SO FORMIDABLE.

STILL, AREN'T YOU WORRIED, CADRIAN?

EVEN IF NO ONE CAN GUARANTEE WHOSE SOUL RESIDES WITHIN HER,

SHE'S STILL THE VERY FIANCÉE YOU'VE SPENT ALL THOSE YEARS SEARCHING FOR.

AND YET,

YOU INTEND TO KEEP HER AS THE GRAND DUKE'S BUTLER, WHERE HER LIFE IS CONSTANTLY AT RISK?

WHY DIDN'T I REALIZE IT UNTIL NOW?

COME TO THINK OF IT, THAT WAS A WATCH THE GRAND DUKE ALWAYS CARRIED WITH HIM.

IT LOOKED A LITTLE TOO WORN FOR SOMEONE OF HIS STANDING,

SO I VAGUELY ASSUMED IT WAS A MEMENTO OF THE LATE DUKE.

THEN ALL I HAVE TO DO IS CHECK THE INITIALS ENGRAVED INSIDE.

...I'LL FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO THAT LATER.

FOR NOW,

SHALL I GET TO THE TASKS I CAME HERE TO ACCOMPLISH?

MISS FREYA.

SERVING AS AN ATTENDANT AT THE PALACE INVOLVES MORE THAN SIMPLY WAITING ON YOUR MASTER.

ATTENDANTS GATHER IN THE LOUNGE...

...TO MINGLE WITH ATTENDANTS FROM OTHER HOUSES AND EXCHANGE INFORMATION.

UNEXPECTED SITUATIONS CAN ARISE, THOUGH...

SO DON'T PUSH YOURSELF TOO HARD, MISS FREYA.

STILL,

IS THERE ANY REASON TO BACK DOWN WHEN SOMEONE BRINGS A FIGHT RIGHT TO MY DOORSTEP?

BESIDES,

DIDN'T THE GRAND DUKE TELL ME HIMSELF?

REMEMBER THIS, BUTLER. NEVER LET ANYONE LOOK DOWN ON YOU.

SO,

...SHE'S HERE. THE WOMAN EVERYONE'S BEEN TALKING ABOUT.

I CAN'T BELIEVE SHE ACTUALLY DARED TO SHOW HER FACE IN THIS ROOM.

LET'S SEE IF I CAN SPOT ANY FAMILIAR FACES, TOO.

LOOKING AT ARTEAR JUST KEEPS REMINDING ME OF SERHIN~

I Wonder How He's Doing.