Living as a Butler to the Northern Duke chapter 1- Prologue

Ed had been bustling around the northern castle since early morning.

“Marie, it might be best to prepare a few extra silverware sets for the banquet.”

“Got it, Ed.”

“Kai, check on the progress of the Duke and Young Master Ronen’s clothes.”

“Yes, Butler.”

“And inform the garden to add some extra rose pots.”

“Understood.”

Ed was busy preparing for the upcoming birthday of Young Master Ronen, the Duke’s only brother, which would take place in a few days.

“Butler! Butler Ed!”

This was Ronen’s first birthday since reuniting with his elder brother, the Duke, after six years apart, having been separated at the age of three.

Because of this, the party needed to be prepared with extra care. It was the first major event Ed was in charge of since his promotion to butler three months ago.

“Jin, be careful. Don’t trip.”

“Huff, huff, I’m out of breath. But Butler, the strawberries have arrived.”

Jin straightened up after catching his breath with his hands on his knees.

Making a horn gesture on his head with his fingers, he continued, “But the chef is furious, saying the strawberries are in poor condition and accusing the supplier of being a swindler. What should we do?”

Ah, the chef of the northern castle was great, but sometimes his excessive enthusiasm was a problem.

Today, he had planned to test a birthday cake for Ronen, and it seemed the strawberries weren’t to his liking.

Ed lightly touched his forehead and nodded. “Alright, I’ll go down to the kitchen.”

Moving swiftly, Ed descended the stairs quickly.

But suddenly, his vision blurred.

‘Have I been overworking lately?’

Why was he suddenly feeling dizzy?

Ed squeezed his eyes shut, then reopened them, and glanced down at the stairs, shaking his head slightly.

Even after his meeting with the chef, there was still much to do: checking the banquet hall, preparing the guest rooms, organizing the storerooms, adjusting the lighting…

The tasks were piling up, and there was no time to waste on dizziness.

Yes, the new butler was busy today as well.

With a light slap to his cheeks, Ed began to move quickly again.

However, that night, he ended up being taken by the Duke to the physician for a thorough examination.

He had been caught dozing off in a corner of the banquet hall by the Duke.

“You’re pregnant.”

Then, he heard shocking news.

“What?”

“Pregnant?”

“Yes. It seems to be about eight or nine weeks along. It’s still early, so you need to rest and be particularly careful.”

…Wait a minute. Pregnant?

“So, the reason I was dozing off like a sick chick wasn’t because I was unwell, but because of the pregnancy.”

“Yes. It was because of the pregnancy.”

Ed’s vision darkened.

‘I did have a relationship with the Northern Duke, but it wasn’t for any other reason than to heal him.’

…But suddenly, pregnant?

Three months after Ed, who was once a mere servant in a count’s household, was promoted to the butler of the cold Northern Duke, all he wanted was to live a simple and peaceful life.

But now, his mind was in chaos.

And to explain this story, we need to turn back time a little.

To about a year ago, when Lee Seonyu, a job seeker in South Korea, found himself inside a novel, working as a servant for Ronen, the lost younger brother of the Northern Duke.

*  *  *

Early March.

Flowers bloomed at the Count Herins estate.

Warm spring sunlight, sweet spring scents, and the gentle spring breeze.

Everything was perfect.

Except for the fact that Lee Seonyu found himself inside a novel as one of the characters, with eyes sore from reading it all night.

“What? Did you say the Young Master’s room is off-limits for three days?”

And except for the fact that the butler called him just as he was heading towards the annex.

“Yes! So, Ed, instead of attending to the Young Master today, help out with the stables!”

‘What did they do to my poor Ronen again?’

Clutching the basket of eggs tightly, Ed followed the butler closely.

He felt like throwing the eggs at the butler, but the fresh eggs weren’t at fault.

“What happened today that he was locked up again?”

“What?”

The butler, who was about to vanish like the wind after giving orders, suddenly turned around.

The turn was so abrupt that Ed’s bangs lifted into the air before falling back down.

But Ed didn’t back down.

…Though he did take a step back unconsciously.

“Isn’t it strange? Just last night, he was praised by the Count for reciting poetry well. So what happened overnight that he ended up being locked up?”

What could a 9-year-old child possibly have done to deserve confinement?!

The butler’s gaze turned sharp.

“And how did you know that? Weren’t you on leave yesterday?”

‘How did I know? I heard it as I was walking through the estate’s garden.’

Even those who swore never to speak of what happened at the Count’s estate would gossip recklessly when it came to Ronen.

‘Butler, this is what happens when you don’t do your job properly.’

Ed raised him head and met the butler’s eyes. The butler frowned, signaling annoyance.

“He wet the bed last night, that’s why. Satisfied now?”

“He wet the bed?”

“Yes, so get to the stables immediately! We’ve got enough work as it is, so stop pestering me!”

Ed frowned.

‘…Oh no. Ronen got blamed for something again while I was away!’

*  *  *

Let’s clarify something here. Ed was originally a minor character who served a young master destined to become a tyrant and was eventually killed.

‘Beneath the Shadow of the Tyrant.’

This was a fantasy romance novel where the male lead, who was adopted into the Count’s family and abused as a child, becomes the emperor.

After losing his parents at a young age and then being separated from his only brother, the male lead overcomes many hardships alone to become the emperor.

And he mercilessly takes revenge on those who abused and tormented him.

As expected from a dark, high-intensity, R-rated fantasy romance novel, the revenge scenes were both satisfying and brutal.

Lee Seonyu, who happened to read this novel, fell asleep and woke up to find himself inside the character in the story.

As a job-seeker, after a long time, he drank with him friends and then laid down in him room, only to wake up in a strange room, strange bed, and strange body…

Everything was bewildering.

But soon, realizing that he was inside the novel, he decided to run away.

There was no benefit to confronting the story’s protagonist, Ronen.

In ‘Beneath the Shadow of the Tyrant,’ Ronen, the male lead, eventually tracks down and kills everyone who ever mistreated him, leaving no one behind.

This list included the Countess and her son, the young Count, the butler, the servants, and even the stable hand.

‘And I’ve become Ed, the new servant who joined the Count’s household three years after Ronen was adopted.’

An ill-fated character marked for death in Ronen’s killing spree.

…And not just an ordinary death, but a very grim one.

In the author’s notes, it was meant to show Ronen’s descent into madness.

But where was the “slightly” mad part?

He was completely unhinged!

The moment Ed realized this, he decided to resign.

He planned to leave the Count Herins estate without looking back.

But that was easier said than done.

Just when he was about to throw him resignation letter with all him might, the butler kicked him towards the room, telling him to clean it.

Left with no choice, Ed rubbed him sore behind and entered Ronen’s room.

He didn’t want to face him, but he had no choice.

He thought she’d quickly clean the room and then hand in him resignation.

‘But why does he look so pitiful?’

While cleaning, he noticed Ronen dozing off in his chair.

Of course, he’d be tired.

He had been up and about since before dawn.

He’d been scolded by his fencing master and then by his adoptive parents.

“Are you still sleeping, Young Master Ronen? Aren’t you ashamed as the adopted son of a count?”

That so-called swordsmanship teacher of his probably spouted nonsense like this from the crack of dawn.

“Butler! Why is the bread and meat for this worthless freeloader so large? Cut it in half immediately!”

His adoptive father likely barked out something like this when he entered the dining room.

“Oh dear, how can such expensive clothes look so shabby on you…? It really feels like a waste to spend money on you.”

Waving a fan, his adoptive mother made this pitiful remark, which was truly too much.

With these thoughts, Ed hesitated for a moment with a broom in hand before approaching Ronen.