Undercover Butler to the Grand Duke — Chapter 23

THAT'S HER, ISN'T IT? THE NEW BUTLER OF THE GRAND DUCHY.

IT'S TRULY REMARKABLE. NORMALLY, BUTLERS SERVING THE HOUSE OF BALLOT...

...I HEARD MOST OF THEM DON'T EVEN SURVIVE A MONTH BEFORE MEETING THEIR END.

THEN HOW HAS SHE MANAGED TO SURVIVE FOR HALF A YEAR?

WELL, PERHAPS NO ASSASSINS HAVE TARGETED HIM DURING THAT TIME.

OTHERWISE, HOW COULD A WOMAN LIKE HER POSSIBLY FEND OFF ASSASSINS?!

THEY CERTAINLY BEHAVE DIFFERENTLY WHEN THERE ARE NO NOBLES AROUND.

DO THEY THINK THAT WITHOUT THE GRAND DUKE OR THEIR MASTERS PRESENT,

THEY CAN SAY WHATEVER THEY PLEASE?

HOW FOOLISH...

AND THAT INCLUDES ME, BOYS.

IF MY HUNCH IS CORRECT, HE SHOULD DEFINITELY BE HERE, TOO.

A FEMALE BUTLER? WHAT IS THE WORLD COMING TO?

DON'T YOU AGREE,

FOLKEN?

I KNEW IT...!

SO YOU'RE HERE, DREK BALEHALE.

SO HE'S USING THE ALIAS FOLKEN HERE.

AN EAGLE CREST ON HIS CUFFLINKS...

THE HOUSE OF DERFIN.

IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, THAT FAMILY DIDN'T HAVE THE BEST REPUTATION.

NEXT IS THE HOUSE OF DERFIN.

AVOID GETTING INVOLVED WITH THEM WHENEVER POSSIBLE.

WHY? IS THEIR REPUTATION REALLY THAT TERRIBLE?

UNTIL THE PREVIOUS COUNT'S TIME, THEY WERE A FAIRLY RESPECTABLE FAMILY.

HOWEVER, AFTER THE LATE COUNT PASSED AWAY,

EVEN THE ELDEST SON, A PROMISING HEIR, DIED PREMATURELY IN A MYSTERIOUS ACCIDENT,

AND RUMORS SPREAD THAT HIS YOUNGER BROTHER HAD MURDERED HIM.

YET THE ONE WHO TOOK OVER AS HEAD OF THE FAMILY

WAS JASIAN, THE SECOND SON, WHOSE ABILITIES WERE MEDIOCRE BUT WHOSE GREED KNEW NO BOUNDS.

THAT IS THE CURRENT COUNT DERFIN.

...SO DREK BALEHALE HAS ENDED UP SERVING SOMEONE LIKE HIM.

HE'S THE KIND OF MAN WHO'LL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO GET RESULTS,

SO HE MUST HAVE A PARTICULAR REASON FOR CHOOSING THE HOUSE OF DERFIN.

WHAT COULD HAVE DRIVEN HIM TO JOIN THEM?

HE'S STILL THE SAME AS EVER.

THAT DAMN LOOK IN HIS EYES, AS THOUGH EVERYONE WERE HIS PLAYTHING.

FOLKEN, WHAT ARE YOU STARING AT SO INTENTLY?

HAVE YOU TAKEN AN INTEREST IN HER, TOO?

MIND YOUR TONGUE! AS IF FOLKEN WOULD DARE LUST AFTER HIS GRACE THE GRAND DUKE'S WOMAN!

AFTER ALL, HIS GRACE MIGHT HAVE REJECTED EVEN THAT PERSON'S MARRIAGE PROPOSAL

BECAUSE OF THAT VERY BUTLER.

...HM?

THEN AGAIN, WITH A WOMAN LIKE HER AT HIS SIDE,

I DOUBT ANY OTHER NOBLE LADY COULD EVER CATCH HIS ATTENTION~

PATHETIC FOOLS.

...WH-

WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!

OH, MY. DID YOU HEAR THAT? I SUPPOSE I WAS SPEAKING TO MYSELF A LITTLE TOO LOUDLY.

EVERYONE ELSE WAS MUTTERING AT THIS VOLUME,

SO I ASSUMED I COULD DO THE SAME.

OR WERE THOSE REMARKS MEANT FOR ME TO HEAR ALL ALONG?

I WAS GOING TO OVERLOOK IT, BUT THEY'VE GONE TOO FAR.

HOW DARE THEY INSINUATE THAT THERE'S SOMETHING ROMANTIC BETWEEN ME AND THE GRAND DUKE?!

IS THE FACT THAT I'M A WOMAN...

...REALLY THAT IMPORTANT TO YOU ALL?

ARE YOU THE KIND OF PEOPLE WHO CAN'T WIN UNLESS YOU FIXATE ON SOMETHING LIKE THAT?

H-HAS THIS WOMAN GONE MAD?!

IF MY APPOINTMENT SUPPOSEDLY BRINGS SUCH DISGRACE UPON THE GRAND DUCAL HOUSE,

WHY DON'T YOU REPEAT THOSE REMARKS DIRECTLY TO HIS GRACE?

AS A TOKEN OF MY APPRECIATION FOR YOUR CONCERN, I'D BE DELIGHTED TO ARRANGE AN AUDIENCE FOR YOU.

WH-WHAT?!

WHY? CAN'T YOU DO IT?

THEN ALLOW ME TO SPEAK ON YOUR BEHALF,

ATTENDANTS OF HOUSE DOILIT AND HOUSE MILO.

H-HOW DOES SHE KNOW THAT...?!

YOUR GRACE, APPOINTING A WOMAN AS YOUR BUTLER!

YOU'VE DRAGGED THE HONOR OF THE HIGH NOBILITY THROUGH THE MUD.

N-NO!

WE NEVER SAID ANYTHING THAT EXTREME...!

OH~

YOU ONLY KEEP HER AROUND BECAUSE YOU'RE LONELY AT NIGHT, IS THAT IT?

H-HEY..!

AH, WHAT A SHAME.

IF THE GRAND DUKE HAD WITNESSED THAT, I WOULD'VE EARNED A GREAT DEAL OF HIS TRUST.

MY, MY~ YOU CERTAINLY HAVE UNUSUAL TASTES.

DON'T YOU THINK SO, GRAND DUKE?

EVEN SO, THIS IS GOING A LITTLE TOO FAR.

HOW COULD YOU-

HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY LEAVE YOUR BUTLER...

...IN THE HANDS OF YOUR FIANCÉE?

AREN'T YOU CONCERNED, CADRIAN?

YOUR HIGHNESS SHOULD KNOW THIS AS WELL.

NOT ONLY IS SHE THE SORT OF PERSON WHO WOULDN'T STOP EVEN IF I ORDERED HER TO,

BUT SHE IS ALSO...

FAR MORE POWERFUL THAN WE REALIZE.

Finally, Some Peace And Quiet.

OF COURSE,

I STILL CAN'T BE CERTAIN SHE'S THE REAL ONE.

TRYING TO COVER YOUR TRACKS NOW, ARE YOU?

IF HE'S GONE THIS FAR, DOESN'T THAT MEAN HE'S PRACTICALLY CERTAIN ALREADY?

I've Never Seen My Dear Friend Make An Expression Like That Before.

I SUPPOSE I CAN LET MY GUARD DOWN IN THIS REGARD, BUT...

"SHE" WILL THROW A FIT IF SHE LEARNS THE GRAND DUKE BROUGHT A FEMALE BUTLER.

SURELY THE NEWS HASN'T REACHED HER YET, RIGHT?

WHAT?

WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?

OUR GRAND DUKE BROUGHT A WOMAN WITH HIM?

I MUST SEE THE GRAND DUKE IMMEDIATELY.

GO ANNOUNCE MY VISIT AT ONCE.

B-BUT, YOUR IMPERIAL HIGHNESS...!

BUT WHAT?! ARE YOU DARING TO DEFY MY ORDERS?!

N-NO, THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT...

IT'S JUST THAT THE MEETING HAS ALREADY BEGUN.

...SO OUR GRAND DUKE IS AVOIDING ME YET AGAIN.

THEN, WHICH FAMILY'S YOUNG LADY IS SHE?

WELL, YOU SEE...

I HEARD HE BROUGHT THE FEMALE BUTLER FROM HIS ESTATE AS HIS ATTENDANT.

...HAH.

SO THIS IS THE FAMOUS BUTLER OF THE GRAND DUCAL HOUSE?

SPLENDID.

PERHAPS I'LL TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SEE WHAT KIND OF WOMAN SHE IS.