I Raised the Villain’s Daughter Too Well

One day.
When I woke up, there was a man I had never seen before looking at me and saying strange things.
"Virdem, that is your name. My son."

"...?"
I tried to protest, but it only came out as babbling.
Wrapped in a swaddle, I watched the shaggy man shed tears and began to wonder if I was dreaming.
A very bizarre dream at that.

However, no matter how long I waited, the dream didn’t end.
"Sylvia... At least for the son you left behind, I will, no matter what..."
...What the hell is this shit?

My desperate denial only ended a year later — when I learned to walk.
Only after pinching my cheeks countless times, rolling around, and even putting bugs into my mouth did I finally accept it.
It seemed I had, somehow, been reincarnated into another world.

'...Why me?'
It made no sense.
I had no particular complaints about my life, I hadn’t been hit by a car, and while nobody noticed, I hadn’t even gone crazy pre-saving tons of obscure novels.

Why the hell would they pick me instead of someone who was actually desperate?
I sighed as I looked down from the top of the castle at the hardworking villagers.
I wondered how things were going back on Earth.

Hyejin... How were my parents doing?
...I didn’t know.
The future looked bleak, but at least there was one good thing.
I was a noble.

It was a small territory, but it was still a territory, and even though there weren’t more than a hundred villagers, they were still my villagers.
It looked like I could live a pretty smooth life in this other world.
Maybe I could find a way to return while biding my time.

That’s what I thought—until right before I turned seven.
And then, that year.
Father suddenly called me over, put on an air of great seriousness, and said something strange.

"Virdem, whose life do you think yours belongs to?"
"Isn’t it mine?"
"No, it belongs to Lord Pitus."

What the hell kind of bullshit was that?
Who the hell was Pitus?
As I stared at him, confused, Father patted my shoulder and slowly began to explain.

"Lord Pitus is the head of the Seriratus family."
"I see. But why should that matter?"
"Our Serbus family has served the Seriratus family for a thousand years. You will do the same."

"...?"
It took about thirty minutes of his long-winded explanation for me to finally understand.
Apparently, the Serbus family I was born into was a distinguished line of butlers who had served the Seriratus family for generations.

In the past, when noble families fought in secret feuds, they carried out assassinations for the Seriratus family, targeting high-ranking figures in rival families.
But now that the world had become peaceful, they served simply as butlers.
I frowned and protested.
"Do I really have to become a butler?"

"...?"
Father's shaggy eyes widened as if he truly couldn't believe what he had just heard.
It seemed such a reply had never even occurred to him.

"-Are you saying you intend to reject the family profession passed down for a thousand years?"
"I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it that way."
"No, it’s fine. You’re still young.
But think carefully. We must serve someone. That is our fate."

"Huh?"
"Look at this."
Father pulled back my sleeve and touched the small scar shaped like a cross on my shoulder.

It had been there since birth.
I stayed still, wondering what he was doing, and then he pulled back his own sleeve, showing an identical scar in the same spot.
"This is the Scar of Obedience.
Every descendant of the Serbus family is born with it."

"...That sounds incredibly ominous."
"If you do not choose a master before you come of age, this scar will rupture and kill you."
"...?"

"Also, if you betray your master or disobey their orders, the blood from the scar will flow endlessly until you die."
I stared at him, genuinely demanding an explanation, wondering why I had some creepy internet urban legend tattooed on me from birth.
Father scratched his head and replied.

"It is a blood pact carved onto the ancestors when they were blood-soaked assassins, to keep them under control.
Of course, you don't have to serve the Seriratus family specifically. That’s up to you.
But really, what other family could you trust?
The Seriratus family has protected and rewarded us properly for countless years.
They are the safest bet."
"...So you're saying I must serve the Seriratus family until death?"
"No, no. If you serve them for just ten years, you’ll be set free.
Usually, after that period, they silently grant permission to 'live freely' if you desire it.
Outstanding retainers stay for decades, of course, but that’s a rare honor..."

So basically... it was a ten-year military service.
I let out a sigh at the heavy fate suddenly placed on my shoulders — and then realized it wasn’t such a bad deal after all.
Even as a servant family, we were nobles.

It was a completely different starting line compared to being a commoner.
I had broken through a 0.001% chance to be born noble; complaining about ten years was ridiculous.
If I had been born a commoner, I would have wasted eighty years anyway.
Most importantly, I knew the best way to handle a ten-year military service.

"Father."
"Yes, do you have a question?"
"I have suddenly developed a profound love for the Seriratus family."

"Uh, what?"
"I can hardly wait to serve Lord Pitus, my future master."
"R-Right...?
Well, that’s good to hear."

Father gave me a worried look, as if wondering whether I'd gone insane.
Clearly, he didn’t understand the ultimate truth of the world.
The earlier you get military service over with, the better.

 
****
Father's worry turned into pure joy in less than a year.

It was because I showed immense passion for my butler training.
"You have incredible enthusiasm, Virdem!"
One year later, that pure joy became a bit more ambiguous.

"A-Amazing, Virdem. But maybe you should rest a little…"
Another year passed.
Father began to worry again.

"No, seriously, you should slow down a bit…!"
But that wasn’t an option.
I mastered tea ceremony, confectionery, cooking, management, escorting, etiquette, formal ceremonies, table manners, carriage driving, appraisal, and even floristry.

I completed all of it in less than three years.
Apparently, I had a talent for it.
In the year I turned ten.

Father took a sip of the tea I brewed and muttered in disbelief.
"This tastes almost like the tea made by the butler chief...
Even though the tea leaves are far lower in quality..."
"If you lightly roast the tea leaves before brewing, you can enhance the flavor," I explained.

"Why are you in such a rush?
They will call for you in time anyway."
I sipped my tea calmly, thinking I was already late.
Including the training period, my military service had effectively become thirteen years.

I had wanted to bring it down to at least twelve.
"I just can’t wait to serve my master as soon as possible."
"You haven’t even met them yet… You must truly have the blood of the Serbus family running deep in your veins."

Father shook his head and began writing a letter.
"I’m sending you to take the butler exam because you want to, but don’t expect to pass on the first try."
"Why not?"

"You're still too young.
At least after ten, you can start to play your role properly."
"But uncle said being young could actually be an advantage."
"Even so, there’s a limit to everything."

Before turning twenty, you must choose a master.
But the Serbus family wasn't the only one branded with the Scar of Obedience.
It seemed the Seriratus family had recklessly spread that cursed mark far and wide.
Countless servant families flocked to serve the Seriratus family, and only a very small number were selected as butlers.
The rest were eliminated and had to try again.

It was a one-year cycle.
If I failed this time, it would become fourteen years of service.
Naturally, I wasn’t going just to "check the atmosphere."

A few weeks later, a notification came back with the Seriratus family’s seal.
Father handed it to me with a complex expression.
"Honestly, I thought they’d reject you because of your age… but they accepted you."

"I guess I got lucky."
"You memorized five whole etiquette books by heart, so you shouldn't cause any trouble.
Still, be careful.
The capital is a dangerous place."
I took Father’s heartfelt advice to heart as I boarded the carriage.

Apparently, even though Father had once passed the exam, he couldn’t accompany me now.
Father saw me off with a mixture of pride and unease — proud that I had come so far, yet worried because I was still so young.
The other butler candidates riding the carriage stared at me strangely.

"A kid…?"
"No way, they actually sent a child to take the exam?"
"Hah, I never thought the Serbus family would be so desperate for results.
This is going to ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) backfire."

It was actually lucky for me.
Even though we were technically competitors, none of them seemed to see me as a threat.
They treated me kindly, even affectionately.
I even managed to overhear some useful information along the way.

"What happens if you fail the butler exam before turning twenty?"
"In that case, you end up serving the butler chief of the Seriratus family as your master.
So don’t worry, you won't die just because you couldn’t find a master."
"That means becoming a regular servant, right?"

"Yes, but being a servant is considered shameful for a noble’s child.
Some even abandon the Seriratus family altogether and pledge themselves elsewhere."
"Is that really allowed?
My father said it wasn’t."
"It’s a matter of risk management.
The Seriratus family has never issued us unreasonable commands — they only ask us to serve properly as butlers.
But other families might take advantage of our inability to resist and force us into dangerous or dirty work."

"I see…"
It turned out to be more helpful information than I expected.