Living as a Butler to the Northern Duke chapter 6

Ed was tidying up, holding a bag of cookies when he tightly gripped a soggy, wet cookie in his right hand.

As soon as he did, he began to feel a burning sensation, signaling that the poison was taking effect.

Ed continued to hold the cookie until it slipped from his grasp, startling Elisa. The poison had left a faint scratch on his right hand, causing a trace of blood to appear.

‘…It hurts this much just from touching it. And she was planning to make Ronen eat this.’

Grinding his teeth, Ed lowered his head.

“I’m… I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s happening with my hand… I’ll finish cleaning up.”

At that moment, a handkerchief flew through the air, hitting Ed on the side of his head before dropping to the floor.

“Wipe it off with this.”

It was the handkerchief Elisa had thrown.

“Thank you so much, Lady Elisa.”

Ed bowed deeply in gratitude, stopping Ronen as he tried to approach.

“I’m fine, Young Master Ronen—”

But he couldn’t finish his sentence.

His vision started to blur.

In the original story, it was described that the poison Elisa used was a mix of various toxic herbs, creating a poison that wasn’t very strong but was hard to detect due to the combination of different toxins.

It was typically used to torment someone they disliked.

‘But how much of it did the clueless Lady use?’

Sighing, Ed looked at Ronen, whose face had turned pale with worry.

Ed tried to give him a reassuring smile, but he wasn’t sure if it came across as intended.

Ed slowly turned his head. Although his body ached, he didn’t feel utterly miserable.

There was no guarantee that Elisa wouldn’t target Ronen again just because this opportunity had been missed.

She might even plot more cunningly next time.

So, perhaps it was better that this commotion reached the ears of Baron Shelton.

He was quick-witted and would likely figure out what Elisa had attempted, ensuring she wouldn’t try it again.

Ed tried to smile at Elisa, but it didn’t quite work.

“Ed!!”

The last thing he heard was Ronen’s shout before he lost consciousness, collapsing with a thud.

In the original story, Ed possessed the power of healing. However, it wasn’t a blessing.

His power was so faint that it was almost nonexistent, and even with such a power, he couldn’t escape Ronen’s grasp. In fact, because of this power, Ed didn’t die easily.

Ronen, who recognized Ed’s ability, would push him to the brink of death, revive him, and then push him to the brink again, only to kill him completely once he was fully healed.

As a reader, those scenes felt satisfying, but now that Ed was in that situation, they seemed only cruel and bleak.

But then, the thought of using such a cruel scene to save Ronen came to mind, making Ed realize why people say life is unpredictable.

‘But it hurts so much.’

Someone must have given him some fever medicine because Ed regained his senses as the fever subsided.

At the same time, he felt a pain gnawing at his entire body.

His heavy eyelids refused to open, and his fingers moved as if heavy weights were attached to them.

“Why is he still so out of it? What did he do to deserve this?”

The voice he heard by his bedside was irritated.

“That’s what I’m saying, Mother.”

“My Lady, it’s not good to touch Ed’s body like that…”

“Sena! Shut your mouth and change the wet cloth! How dare you talk back when the Countess spoke!”

The hands poking Ed’s body were filled with malice.

“Ugh, why is he so in the way? Sena, get him out of here!”

“Ronen, how many times have I told you to leave? Why are you so desperate to cling to this lowly servant?”

“If only you showed this much devotion to Lady Elisa. She must have been so frightened. You can’t even manage a servant properly, you fool.”

“…Ed did nothing wrong.”

Ed sighed internally.

‘Ah, you didn’t have to say that.’

Ronen’s voice was dry and cracked, probably from staying by Ed’s side without even drinking water.

“What did you say?”

“What? You brat!”

“There was definitely something wrong with the cookies Lady Elisa brought…”

“I told you not to mention the cookies!”

The Countess’s voice shrieked, almost like a scream.

The people in the room were Ronen, his stepmother, the Countess, Ronen’s stepbrother Naisen, and the maid Sena.

“Ronen, didn’t your brother explain it clearly? This whole mess happened because that servant over there ate the leftover food from the nobles’ tea party and got sick?”

“Yeah! How many times do we have to explain it to you? That servant poured cold water on a tea party enjoyed by nobles! Are you just slow, or are you really that stupid? Ugh, it’s so frustrating.”

“That’s right, Ronen. It’s only because our family is so prestigious that we’re even treating a troublemaking servant. If it were any other noble, they would have kicked him out barefoot.”

“So, hush, Ronen, if you want Ed to recover safely, keep your mouth shut, hush.” Naisen’s voice, as he put his finger to his lips, was vile.

They had no intention of uncovering the truth.

It was the same in the original story.

Even when Ronen coughed up blood from Elisa’s poison, the only thing the Count’s family cared about was the hush money sent by Baron Shelton.

‘I wonder what they received this time.’

Count Herins and Baron Shelton must have already noticed that Elisa had caused trouble. But they would keep quiet.

Baron Shelton might want to eliminate the servant who was the witness, but doing so would leave him in debt to the Count’s family.

No matter how much money he had, messing with a Count’s servant would bring trouble.

The Count’s family’s intention in treating Ed was obvious. If they handled the situation well, they could receive a generous hush payment from the Baron.

Ed didn’t even have the strength to let out a small sigh. His entire body felt heavy.

‘Once I recover, Baron Shelton will likely come after me to eliminate the witness.’

‘It would be nice if the Duke appeared with a snap before that… Then I’d be at ease, and he could avenge Ronen.’

…Why is he taking so long?

“Honestly, this servant is useless. How many hours has he been lying there? He should have woken up by now.”

“Indeed, Mother.”

The hands poking Ed’s body were still spiteful.

“Please stop, Mother.”

Ronen’s voice, trying to stop her, was pitiful yet firm.

“What?”

“Please don’t touch Ed. Let him rest peacefully.”

“Oh my, Naisen, look at his eyes. If you keep messing with this servant, he’ll probably try to bite me.”

“Mother, that’s why they say you shouldn’t take in animals with fur. They don’t even know gratitude, those fools.”

“He’s not just a servant; he’s Ed.”

“What did you say?”

“Are you serious, you brat! You’re really itching for a beating lately, aren’t you?”

Naisen’s voice grew louder. If he lost control here, he would definitely hit Ronen. Ed wanted to calm Naisen down before that happened.

But it was impossible. Although his consciousness had returned, his body had no strength. It was as if he was paralyzed, unable to move.

‘Damn it.’

Just then…

“M-My Lady!”

There was a commotion outside.

Ed mustered all his remaining strength to lift his heavy eyelids. His vision slowly came into focus, revealing the ceiling above.

His head hurt, but he blinked a few times and glanced around the room, taking in the chaotic scene.

“What’s going on? Who would open the door so rudely?”

The person who burst into the room was Kerrill, the butler of the Herins family.

“I-I’m sorry, My Lady, but you need to come outside immediately.”

Kerrill was a veteran butler who had served the Count’s family for over ten years. He valued etiquette and never overstepped his bounds with his masters.

He was always composed in their presence.

However, he entered the room, his face ashen with worry.

“What happened?” the Countess asked, irritation lacing her brows.

She was poised to reprimand him if it turned out to be nothing important.

“Well… the Grand Duke Asnel Linden of the North has arrived.”

“The Grand Duke Asnel Linden of the North?”

“Yes, my lady.”

The Countess tilted her head slightly.

“Grand Duke Asnel Linden…”

Her words trailed off, and her face turned pale. It was no wonder—rumors abounded that wherever the Grand Duke went, bloodshed and death followed.

“…Why would the Grand Duke of the North come here?”

It was Neisen who asked in place of the speechless Countess.

But before the butler could answer, there was a knock at the door.

Suddenly, the doorknob broke off with a cracking sound.

Creeeak.

As the door swung open in a wide arc, everyone in the room turned their attention to it.