NOVEL NEXT Ch. 15
“M-Mr. William?”
“Hahaha!”
The large old man standing in front of me laughed heartily at the call and approached Rover. Before Rover could say anything, the old man clapped him on the back with a hand as large as a pot lid.
“Why are you so stiff, young man! Aren’t you glad to see me?!”
“Oof! Are you really Mr. William? How are you in Lady Belladi’s study?”
“I stopped by briefly at Lady Belladi’s invitation!”
“Is that even possible?!”
Watching his bewildered expression, I put down the documents I was reading and gestured to the two of them.
“Don’t just stand there at the door. Come over here, both of you.”
At my words, Rover hurried to the desk. Seeing this, William laughed heartily again.
“You’re still scurrying around like a squirrel!”
“Mr. William! I’m already over thirty, and you still call me a squirrel?”
“You still look like a child to me.”
Indeed, Rover did look small compared to William’s large build.
Watching their reunion, I slowly spoke up.
“So, what’s the reason for your unannounced visit?”
At my words, Rover tensed up again.
“I have something to discuss regarding the shooting range construction.”
“Oh, that.”
I casually tossed the personal fund usage report I had scribbled earlier to Rover. Caught off guard, he took it and his eyes widened.
“My goodness! Are you planning to dig a pond at the shooting range?!”
“Is there a problem with using my personal funds?”
“Yes, there’s a big problem! Spending such an enormous amount all at once will ruin the household finances!”
At that moment, William interrupted Rover’s outcry with a loud laugh.
“Hahaha! Rover, you’re still as timid as ever!”
“W-What did you say?”
“I’ve seen the personal and construction expenses Lady Belladi allocated. It’s nowhere near enough to hurt the household.”
William shook his head.
“In fact, the amount allocated from Lady Belladi’s personal funds has always been too small. Who would think that amount belongs to a noble lady’s personal funds? On the other hand, Lord Meldor’s personal funds were excessively large.”
He clicked his tongue as if in regret.
“Was it Charles who allocated this? Tsk, tsk, his crime is great.”
At his words, Rover shouted with his eyes wide open.
“My father allocated it as the Duchess wanted! You don’t know anything, Mr. William!”
“How disappointing. Wasn’t I once the head butler of this capital mansion? I know the household’s affairs like the back of my hand.”
Indeed, William had been the head butler of this capital mansion. He retired shortly after I was born.
‘It was because of his wife’s health, I think.’
Anyway, to fill his vacancy, my mother brought Charles, who had been the butler of the northern castle.
Originally, the head butler of the capital mansion held a higher position than the butler of the northern castle. So, Charles got an unexpected promotion due to William’s absence.
Given these circumstances, William wouldn’t be a particularly welcome presence to Rover.
‘He’s definitely completely caught up in William’s pace.’
Although Rover continued to argue with William, he was always on the losing side.
Watching this, I waved a sheet of paper to change the atmosphere.
“This was easy to read thanks to you. Well done, William.”
“It’s nothing, Lady Belladi.”
I adjusted the angle of the paper slightly so Rover could see its contents.
Soon, Rover’s face twisted in shock.
“Is that the document I submitted?”
When he asked the question which he had been holding back, William signaled to me and then spoke.
“Ah, speaking of which, Rover, come here for a moment.”
As promised, he led Rover to the sofa in the corner of the study. There, I had prepared some documents in advance.
“There’s something odd in your report. This baron who is in the list of vassals from the north. Why did you write it like this?”
“Huh?”
Rover took his report and, looking at the part William pointed out, stammered.
“Ah, I wrote it based on my father’s report from two years ago.”
“Tsk, tsk, Rover. Did you only refer to Charles’ report without checking properly? This baron passed away from old age last year. His son holds the title now.”
William pointed out several more mistakes Rover had made. Rover’s face started to turn red.
I watched the scene with amusement and spoke to William.
“William, would you consider working for our household again?”
“Hahaha, Rover might not like that. I’m not sure if it’s a good idea.”
“It’ll be fine. Rover is an asset who worries about the household’s future and even interferes with my personal funds.”
My pointed remark made Rover flinch.
“So, he’ll appreciate having a more experienced butler to supervise him, just as he does now.”
“N-No!”
Before I could finish my sentence, Rover stood up, scowling.
“I’m the head butler of this mansion, and I don’t like anyone interfering with my authority!”
As soon as Rover said this, I tapped the desk twice.
Tap, tap-
At the agreed signal, William nodded to me and promptly left the office.
Rover, startled by the sudden movement, called out in a flustered voice.
“Ah, Mr. William?”
“Rover, come here.”
Rover hesitated, then slowly approached. Meanwhile, the study door closed firmly.
With only the two of us left, Rover looked visibly tense.
I raised an eyebrow and asked him.
“Do you think you have the right to say such things?”
Rover stiffened and opened his mouth.
“T-That’s…”
“Interfering with your master’s personal funds and showing up unannounced because you didn’t like something?”
Rover lowered his head.
“I’m sorry if I upset you. I just thought it was unfair that you were proceeding with the construction without considering my opinion…”
He glanced at me nervously. I gestured for him to continue.
Encouraged, he added quickly.
“My father always said that a
Hearing this, I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
“Hahahahaha!”
Rover flinched at my loud laughter.
“Oh, this is entertaining. Your pride is sky-high.”
Rover’s face turned red again.
I watched him intently.
“Fine, if you’re such a precious asset who shouldn’t tolerate unfairness, what will you do now that there’s someone more capable than you?”
“…”
“Why should I keep you around when there’s someone better?”
I slowly tore up the
“For pretending to help me while overstepping your bounds.”
As the paper was torn to pieces, Rover’s face turned pale.
“So, I can fire you and hire William without any complaints, right?”
In this society with a class system, there was no employment contract or labor law.
Of course, there was a moral responsibility in the employment relationship between nobles and their servants…
‘I could really fire Rover if I wanted to.’
Of course, it would involve quite a hassle. The first hurdle would be getting my father’s permission.
‘But I need to put on this kind of show to catch the fish.’
It was clear that Rover, under psychological pressure, wouldn’t think this far. As proof, he remained silent with his mouth tightly shut.
‘Wait.’
Looking closely, Rover’s eyes were welling up with tears.
I sighed inwardly.
‘He’s such a crybaby too.’
He wasn’t perfect, but he was someone I needed to reuse in the future.
So, I decided to stop scolding Rover here.
“This is what
At my words, Rover looked up at me, his eyes wide with a new realization.
“Everything you said before was just arrogance.”
“Sniff.”
Rover wiped his tears with a handkerchief from his pocket.
It was clear that Rover had also grown up as a well-mannered young man.
‘Not knowing the true meaning of unfairness is proof of that.’
I quietly clicked my tongue and looked at Rover.
“Is that all your father told you? That butlers should be treated well?”
To my question, Rover seemed to be deep in thought.
“Oh…!”
Then he seemed to remember something and looked at me with moist eyes.
“He always said we must be loyal to the Alton Ducal House… that’s what he emphasized.”
“Good. Do I need to teach you the meaning of
“N-No.”
Rover shook his head, sniffing.
I looked at the documents he submitted a few days ago and spoke.
“These documents are almost identical to the ones Charles wrote, except for the dates.”
“I’m sorry, Lady Belladi.”
“It’s not a mistake. Serving the same master in the same house, the work won’t change much. Just be careful of small mistakes.”
Rover visibly relaxed at my words.
I put down the documents and met his gaze.
“But if you’re going to be a copy of your father, then act exactly like him. Don’t just half-heartedly imitate him.”
I deliberately used words to provoke Rover.
A copy of his father.
Since becoming the head butler, he had always been compared to Charles. It was easy to guess that he would be under a lot of stress from this.
As expected, his hands clenched into tight fists. I continued speaking, pretending not to notice.
“I’ll give you another chance. William stopped by at my request, so keep it quiet.”
“Yes, Lady Belladi.”
“You can leave now.”
“Yes, thank you very much.”
As he walked towards the door, Rover paused for a moment and then turned back to me. With a serious expression, he spoke.
“Lady Belladi, I’ve always lived my life looking at my father’s back. I thought that if I became the head butler, I would be able to catch up to him.”
Having said this much, Rover paused to catch his breath.
“But even now, standing in this position, my father’s back is still far away. It always makes me impatient. I think that impatience led me to act rashly this time. I sincerely apologize.”
As he said this, Rover bowed deeply.
Looking at the top of his head, I asked.
“Did you come back just to say that?”
At my question, Rover quickly straightened up. In a desperate voice, he asked.
“Wise Lady Belladi, is there any other choice for me besides being a mere imitator?”
‘Good.’
Rover was easy to handle. He moved exactly as planned.
Hiding my satisfied smile, I replied indifferently.
“You have to find that out for yourself.”
At my tone, Rover let out a helpless laugh.
“I suppose so… I apologize for the disturbance.”
Rover bowed again and headed towards the door.
Just as he was about to grab and turn the doorknob.