Living as a Butler to the Northern Duke chapter 24

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The headmaster let out a small sigh.

On the table sat a cup of tea, its steam gently rising, and across from him sat the Grand Duke.

“About, well, today’s incident…”

The headmaster, nervously chewing on his dry lips, began to speak, but the Grand Duke picked up his teacup.

“Yes, today’s situation seems to have occurred because Ronen got a bit too excited. He’s still growing and feeling confident, so I hope we can all just understand and move past it. I’m here for other reasons anyway.”

The headmaster’s eyes darted around. It wasn’t because Ronen got excited.

It was because of that guy who came looking for the child, Ei, the one they had sold off days ago.

‘Why did that guy have to look for Ei and cause all this mess?’

The headmaster had assumed the Grand Duke would inquire about the whereabouts of the missing child, but seeing him sip tea so nonchalantly made his intentions clear.

The headmaster smirked.

‘Well, nobles are all the same.’

They act all elegant, pretending to be noble, but don’t want to dirty their hands with anything.

The Grand Duke sitting before him was no different from the rest.

Outwardly, he might pretend to care about the children and justice, but wasn’t this situation proof enough?

Even with the missing child, Ei, it looked like the Grand Duke had no interest, despite probably knowing everything about it.

He was just another typical noble.

‘Even after hearing about Ei, he acts this indifferent?’

Perhaps the rumors about him being desperate to find his sibling were false.

Maybe he spread those rumors himself.

Just look at his expression.

He’s calm, even after meeting with the person who tore out his sibling’s hair.

How could someone who lost a sibling be so composed?

Many pitied the Grand Duke for his tragic past, but perhaps it was all just a noble’s charade.

After all, nobles are always obsessed with appearances and attention.

He probably sought sympathy by searching for his sibling, but now that he’s found them, maybe they’ve just become a burden…

With a hidden grin, the headmaster responded.

“What other matters are you referring to, Your Grace?”

The Grand Duke set down his tea.

“You mentioned finding Ronen in the mountains, didn’t you? You found him yourself.”

“Yes, that’s right. On a cold winter’s day, I heard a baby crying, stopped my cart, and found him tangled in the bushes. It was a truly frigid day.”

“For that, you have my sincere gratitude.”

“There’s no need to thank me. It was only the right thing to do.”

“Then, did you see the necklace around Ronen’s neck at the time?”

The headmaster’s brow twitched.

“N-necklace, Your Grace?”

“A necklace with a red gemstone.”

Yes, he’d seen it.

The small child had been wearing a red pendant around their neck.

That night, the headmaster had been on his way back after making a delivery.

As he tugged his cart across the barren northern plains, he had been muttering curses under his breath about the freezing cold.

Then, out of nowhere, a woman had stumbled out of the bushes.

At first, he’d cursed his bad luck and spat on the ground, ready to move on.

But then, he saw a child squirming in the woman’s arms, wearing that necklace.

So he had taken them.

The woman was almost dead, so he abandoned her halfway back and later sold the necklace at a far-off location.

He had traveled west to make the sale, ensuring the trail was well-hidden.

He’d considered abandoning the child too, but since every head counted towards his funds, he had added Ronen to the orphanage roster.

The only one who knew about this was the headmaster himself.

‘It’s been years. There’s no way it’ll come to light now.’

The headmaster shook his head.

“No, I didn’t see any necklace. By the time I found them, the woman had already passed away, and the child was barely clinging to life. It must have been a violent attack.”

“I see.”

The Grand Duke sipped his tea, a trace of regret in his voice.

His half-lowered eyes seemed filled with deep remorse.

“It was a gift from my father to my mother when they married.”

How unfortunate.

The Grand Duke’s voice, like the whisper of a passing breeze, was thick with sorrow.

Outside the headmaster’s office, the Grand Duke lightly pressed his hand to his throbbing temple.

He stared at the closed door before turning away.

‘The royal family is surely watching my every move, and they will visit this orphanage too.’

It was possible they had already made contact.

By bringing up the necklace Ronen had worn, the Grand Duke had ensured the information would reach the palace.

‘I’m keeping you alive so you can act as the royal family’s pawn. Make sure you play your role well.’

As a gesture of gratitude, the Duke mentioned that since the orphanage seemed short on help, he would leave behind a few reliable workers. The headmaster’s face paled at that.

Letting out a small sigh, the Duke moved forward. Passing through the deeply shadowed hallway, he stepped outside the building.

In the sunlit courtyard, basking in the warm rays, Ronen and Ed greeted him with bright smiles.

“Brother Asnel!”

“Your Grace.”

The Duke took a deep breath.

It was nothing special, just an ordinary scene, yet he suddenly realized that this was the very sight he had dreamed of for so long.

“Which pair do you like?”

Ed looked down at the array of shoes before him.

The shop owner was busy bringing out more pairs, hovering around him.

All sorts of shoes were lined up at his feet. He had tried on at least 20 pairs, but now, with so many in front of him, he couldn’t tell one from the other.

Ed raised his right hand to massage his neck.

‘How did it come to this?’

When Ed left the orphanage, he thought the carriage would head straight to the Earl’s estate, but it didn’t.

The Duke’s carriage stopped at a shoe store, and Ronen, hovering around the Duke, was busy laying shoes in front of Ed, offering his opinions.

“This one looks nice, and that one’s pretty cool too.”

“As expected, your taste is impeccable, young master. These green shoes are made from lambskin, and if you look here, the bold lines…”

Ed didn’t understand a word.

All he could think was how cute Ronen looked, enjoying himself trying on shoes.

“What do you think, Ed?”

“Yes, they’re great.”

“And this one?”

“That one’s great too.”

“Hmm, then fit all the shoes from here to here to Ed’s size!”

No, young master! Please don’t toss the coin pouch so cheerfully like that!

Ed hurriedly tried to stop Ronen.

“Oh, no, young master. There’s no need to buy so many.”

“But you said they were all nice.”

Well, yes, but… Ronen must have a foot fetish—no, no, what am I thinking in front of a kid? He just really loves shoes.

Ed didn’t want to interfere with how attentively Ronen was listening to the shop owner’s explanations.

“I’m sorry. I think I was momentarily blinded by greed and said they were all good.”

“What’s wrong with wanting things? You deserve these shoes, Ed. So, let’s just take all the ones from here to here…”

As Ronen cheerfully threw the coin pouch again, Ed quickly stopped him.

“But young master! We can’t just buy everything on a whim.”

“You told me to buy whatever I wanted. Why can’t I?”

Look at all this gold! Ronen’s eyes seemed to say.

Of course, Ronen had enough money for his family to live lavishly for three, no, ten generations, but still, Ed thought this wasn’t right.

Besides, spending money so recklessly just because you suddenly came into it wasn’t good for Ronen’s understanding of finances.

“What if, despite all the time and effort spent by craftsmen, there are shoes that you can’t wear? Wouldn’t that be a waste? The shoes would be left unused and neglected.”

“If I wear a pair a day, it won’t even take two months. There’s nothing to worry about.”

However, the Duke, who should have been stopping him, was only fanning the flames, making Ed’s headache worse.

“Shoes aren’t disposable, Your Grace. So, I’ll only buy two pairs. There will always be new ones coming out.”

“Five pairs.”

“Two pairs.”

“Then, ten pairs.”

“Two pairs will do just fine.”

“Then, from here to here…”

As the Duke and Ronen took turns pressing him, Ed had no choice but to surrender.

“Alright, fine. Let’s settle on four pairs. That’s more than enough.”

Ronen, who had been eagerly rooting for more, looked slightly disappointed but nodded, accepting Ed’s compromise.

“Alright, Ed.”