Living as a Butler to the Northern Duke chapter 46

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After chatting with Rosie, Ed stood up and headed outside.

He spoke to Tens, who was waiting in front of the carriage.

“I need to go somewhere briefly.”

“Shall I accompany you?”

“No, I’ll be back soon.”

Shaking his head, Ed retrieved a bouquet from the carriage and slowly ascended the winding path connected to the orphanage.

The narrow trail, flanked by dense trees, led toward Mount Hale, a towering, steep mountain visible even from the southern city.

As he climbed the winding mountain path, he reached the midsection, shrouded in clouds, where a small house with a red roof stood near a brook.

This was where Ed had lived.

The well had long dried up, and there were no signs of life left, but Ed didn’t mind.

He pushed open the rusty gate and entered.

Creeeak.

The iron gate let out a loud noise, the hinges misaligned.

“…It was fine last time.”

Ed fiddled with the gate for a moment, then headed toward the shed.

After setting the bouquet on the railing, he grabbed some tools and returned.

He oiled the gate, patched the hinges, and gave it some care.

Each time he visited the village on the pretense of delivering a letter to the Duke Asnel, he stopped by the orphanage to see Rosie and always visited this house.

And each time, he repaired what he could.

At first, he fixed the collapsed shed, untouched by human hands for years.

When he found water stains on the ceiling, he repaired the roof.

He cleaned the dust-filled kitchen and cleared out the chimney, which had been clogged with ash.

The fading red roof beneath the quiet, green mountain was repainted, and the rusted gate was given a fresh coat of blue.

Though it wasn’t the work of a professional, Ed cared for the house with sincerity.

He never missed a visit, even on his vacations, always keeping himself busy with repairs.

After tending to the gate, Ed swept the yard with a broom.

It seemed that small creatures from the mountain had been playing there again, as fresh bird and cat tracks crisscrossed the yard he had just swept.

When he was done, Ed dusted off his hands and looked around.

There was nothing else that needed cleaning.

He set down the broom and walked into the house.

The small bed, desk, table, and chairs were neatly arranged.

There was nothing left to touch.

“…”

After one last check, Ed securely locked the windows, making sure they would withstand any storms or snow.

After a final look around, Ed stepped outside, picked up the bouquet, and walked to the sunny spot behind the house.

There stood a small grave.

It was the grave of Ed’s father, Den.

Ed placed the bouquet in front of the grave and cleared the weeds that had grown around the rock serving as a headstone.

According to Rosie, Den had died fighting monsters that had attacked the village.

Without hesitation, he had risked his life for the villagers, sacrificing himself to kill the monster and save the town.

Ed was proud of his father, but he also deeply mourned his loss.

Though Den wasn’t good with words, Ed had found traces of his thoughts in the form of drawings left behind in journals.

Den’s last request had been to be buried behind the hilltop house, and his grave had been placed there.

Next to him was a space for Ed’s mother, whom Den had deeply missed.

Though Ed didn’t know the full story, it seemed that before they reached the hilltop village, his parents had been separated.

Rosie had told him that his mother had died in some sort of accident before arriving here.

Standing before his father’s grave, Ed spoke.

“Tomorrow, I’m leaving the south for the capital.”

The sky was high, and the wind felt cool.

“After I greet His Majesty at the palace, I’ll head to the north. It’ll be hard to visit the village for a while.”

The first time Ed had visited the red-roofed house, he hadn’t said a word as he cleaned the grave.

By the second visit, he had bowed his head in greeting.

By the third, though he wasn’t as open as a true son might have been, he had begun to share some of his thoughts.

“I won’t be able to visit every year, but I’ll try to come at least every two years.”

Next time, I’ll stay a little longer.

As Ed added this, the setting sun cast a soft pink glow over his bowed head.

“I thought long and hard about what to say… but I’ve decided to live my life the way I am.”

With those words, Ed bowed deeply.

He felt that this was something he had to say.

Since possessing Ed’s body, he’d been too busy surviving to think about the future, but now he had a moment to set his path.

So Ed made a promise to himself.

Though he may not become a great hero, he would not live a life that others would look down on.

He didn’t know where the “real Ed” had gone, but as long as he was living in his place, he wouldn’t tarnish the name of Ed from the hilltop village.

After gazing at the beautiful blue and red sky, Ed lowered his eyes.

Kneeling by the lonely grave, he gently brushed the fresh grass with his hand.

His quiet vow echoed over the gravesite.

“I’ll bring flowers and visit again soon.”

As Ed left the house, the sunset darkened over the mountain ridge, and he headed back toward the orphanage.

The trip, which he had said would be quick, had taken longer than expected.

Hurrying down the path, Ed felt anxious about making Tens wait too long.

But as he stepped through the orphanage gate, he stopped in his tracks.

“Brother Asnel! What do you think about painting the swing yellow?”

“Hmm, sounds good to me.”

“Young Master Ronen, wouldn’t green be a better choice than yellow?”

“Hmm, maybe. But it’s hard to trust Tens with colors. He’s burned plenty of cookies trying to get them brown.”

“Young Master Ronen! As I told you before, they weren’t burned, they were just decorated to look more delicious.”

“Well, Jaynon also said they were burnt.”

“What?! Young Master Ronen! That was supposed to be a secret! You promised not to tell anyone! I told you at the risk of my life!”

“Jaynon, come here. Yeah, come here. If you’re talking about risking your life, you don’t need any more time to leave your final words, right? So stop backing away and get over here.”

“W-wait! Tens! Jaynon! That’s not what I meant!”

The cheerful voices from the playground didn’t feel unfamiliar.

In the orphanage courtyard, Tens ran across the field, chasing Jaynon, whose light purple hair fluttered wildly in the cool mountain breeze.

Following behind them, Ronen struggled to keep up, his short legs failing to match the adults’ pace, but he never gave up.

“Tens! Jaynon!”

The air was alive with lively chatter.

“…Why are the Duke and Ronen here?”

Ed, who had paused momentarily upon entering the Roa orphanage, gave a slight smile.

It seemed like they had teamed up to repair the orphanage playground, though they seemed to spend more time getting sidetracked.

Yet, no one appeared to be in a hurry or frustrated.

The work wasn’t being done on a strict schedule, and even when the others were more focused on playing, the Duke of the North continued to quietly work with his hands.

The swing Ronen had asked to be painted yellow was already neatly coated in yellow paint, thanks to the Duke’s diligent efforts.

After surveying the scene, Ed rolled up his sleeves neatly and approached the Duke.

Meanwhile, the three who had somehow managed to get more paint on themselves than on the playground equipment were still busy running around the field.

Despite the incline of the playground due to its location on a hill, none of them showed signs of tiring, revealing just how physically fit they must be.

“As expected, it was the Duke of Asnel.”

Ed bowed in respect, feeling a sense of gratitude.

He hadn’t expected the Duke to be the one fixing the path leading up to the village, clearing the thorn bushes, and even repairing the Roa orphanage.

“Thank you so much, Your Grace. I’ll take over from here.”

“Don’t think of taking my fun away from me, Ed. Why don’t we brainstorm together? What color do you think would suit this swing?”

The Duke, who had gradually dropped formalities with Ed, smiled lightly as he looked at him.

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