Chapter 149

How to Tame My Beastly Husband — Chapter 149. New Butler (2)

There were many things Annette wanted to ask her father, beginning with the inexplicable hostility of the royal family. She didn’t think Allamand would want to talk to her about it, but Annette no longer cared. She was never going to sit around and do nothing again.

“I’m going for a walk while I wait,” she told the maids, smiling. “It’s boring, sitting here. You don’t need to come with me, I’ll be back soon.”

The maids accepted the dismissal as she rose from her seat, unaware of her true intentions. It had been some time since she had taken a walk through the garden, but that was just an excuse. She was going to meet her father, who just happened to be too busy to appear.

They had lived together for more than twenty years, despite their final estrangement. Annette knew exactly where she would find him, and her steps grew faster. Walking through this place after such a long time made her feel homesick.

Maybe he’s there.

A picnic table came into view as she rounded the garden, a place for visitors to rest as they strolled through the garden. Annette had loved to come here and look over the flowers, sometimes with a cup of tea, or maybe a book or her embroidery.

But there was another reason she had come to this place specifically. Seated at one of the chairs, she could see the main structure of the Bavaria mansion. Her father’s study was on the third floor.

She had decided to sunbathe at the table for a while, but for some reason, her eyes kept opening, and she would look up as if something had drawn her in. She had a strange premonition…

In the past, her father always sat in the third-floor study beside a large window. His skin was almost bloodless white, and it always startled her when his deep purple eyes turned her way. But then he would turn away indifferently, like a white serpent slithering back into its lair.

“…?”

For a second, she doubted her eyes. Had she been dazzled by the sunlight. But when she looked again, she realized that there was actually a fight underway in the study.

Her eyes widened as she saw him struggling against a stoutly built man with brown hair. It took a moment for her to recognize his face.

That’s the butler I saw earlier!

She couldn’t imagine why they would be fighting, but it was not good. Allamand looked young, but he was nearly fifty, and the Bavarias had never been noted for their physical prowess.

Annette dashed back into the house, shouting at the first servant she saw.

“My father is being attacked! Quick, to his study!”

* * *

A couple hours later, Annette was sitting down with her father. Matters had finally calmed down, and Allamand looked tired as he pressed an ice pack to the bruises on his face. It was the most human she had ever seen him.

It was surprising to see even that much. Her father always looked perfect, as if a needle could not even pierce his skin. He did not look like the immortal man she remembered. For the first time, she could sense that he was aging.

“…I can’t trust the butler, either,” he said, his voice husky. “I almost died before I made a new will.”

“No. I’m sure of his identity. He was clean until he entered the mansion.”

“Then why…?”

“You’re asking foolish questions, Annette. A person’s loyalties can shift anytime, even after they set foot in our house. What if they were offered a large sum of money, or one of their family members was seized and threatened? Even the most timid person might find they have fangs.”

His hand brushed his neck as he spoke, which still showed the red marks of fingers. The strong young butler had nearly strangled him. Every time he spoke, that hoarse voice was a reminder.

Annette hated hearing it. But there was no choice but to ask the question.

“Is this also…His Majesty’s doing?” She asked, glancing furtively around. “Getting rid of my father to weaken the Bavaria family?”

“You…” Allamand’s eyes widened. He would have never imagined she could grasp the scope of the problem. “How do you know that?”