Volume 2 - CH 25

Ten years ago, a butler and a maid working for a certain low-ranked noble got married, and they received many blessings from the people of the noble household, including their master. The butler continued to work for the master, but once the maid got pregnant, she quit her job and became a housewife. And so, Raymond was born.

Although his father, Lionel, was very busy, when he came home, he would tell him stories about the residence or about the master. As such, Raymond aspired to work as a servant, and his mother Mercia taught him the appropriate etiquette for one.

Although he was very young, he dreamt of becoming a servant like his father and mother. In fact, he didn’t just dream about it. He also diligently continued to work hard in order to make that dream into reality.

One day, when he was already 12 years old, there was a turning point for his fate. His father’s master, who was to attend the First Prince’s birthday party, chose Lionel as the servant that he would bring with him.

To accompany him on this trip was proof that his master deeply trusted him, and it was a huge honor. It was an even greater honor because he was to be his master’s companion at the First Prince’s birthday party. At Raymond’s home, they had a modest celebration for such a prestigious opportunity.

“Congratulations, dear. I always believed that you would receive recognition one day.”

“Thank you, Mercia. My master still remembers you, too.”

“Oh my…” Mercia’s eyes crinkled up fondly.

“Father, congratulations on becoming the master’s companion! I’m proud to be your son.”

“Father, congrats!”

“Father, congrats?”

It seemed that, while Raymond’s younger brother understood the situation, his youngest sister didn’t really understand it well. However, the fact that everyone was rejoicing had probably gotten through to her. With an innocent smile on her face, she said these congratulatory words. Although it was a modest household, it was a warm one. Lionel was filled with happiness.

And so, the time of departure had finally arrived.

“Raymond, take care of the family while I’m gone.”

“Of course, leave it to me! I will also become a trustworthy butler in the future, just like you!”

He was grinning broadly.

Of course, Raymond loved his parents, but he also loved his younger siblings from the bottom of his heart. Moreover, he didn’t just love his family. Raymond was also aware that it was precisely his daily life that would allow him to make great strides as a servant. A person who could only take care of themselves wouldn’t be able to wait on his master. He could read his siblings’ subtle wants and took care of them while also refining the skills necessary for a servant. Raymond regarded taking care of his family as taking care of his future master.

He was a hard-working, serious person, so he would become an excellent butler in the future. However, his sense of responsibility tended to be too strong. Lionel was a little worried about whether in the future, Raymond might choose to sacrifice himself for the sake of his family or his master. However, there was still time before he would get a master. Lionel thought that it would be fine as long as he himself were the one to guide Raymond until that time, and he patted Raymond’s head, telling him that he was a good boy.

“If you manage to take care of them properly, I will ask my master to let you visit the residence.”

“Wow, really?!”

“Yes, really. You’re going to be attending the royal city’s academy next year, too. It’s important for you to get acquainted with the people at the residence before that.”

The servants of a noble family were elected from families that the nobles could trust. This was the reason why there were prominent families that produced servants for generations. 

Future servants would come to the mansion when they were children and would earn recognition among other servants. By building trust and showing their abilities like that, in the future, they would get hired as servants for that household.

Raymond was now allowed to take that first step. It was only natural for Raymond to be innocently ecstatic about it.

“Thank you, father! I’ll do my best and hold down the fort while you’re gone!”

“Yes, I’m leaving it up to you.”

Thus, he briefly said his goodbyes to his family. Lionel, who was going to be accompanying his master on his trip, left with a proud expression on his face. No one had ever imagined that this would be their last goodbye.

The news arrived a few days after his father had been supposed to return home. A man in his forties, who claimed to be Lionel’s coworker, had turned up, carrying Lionel’s battered belongings. 

The man, speaking as if it were incredibly difficult for him to do so, informed them that Lionel died in a carriage accident. The carriage that the head of the family had been riding in fell off a cliff, and Lionel, who was accompanying his master, died as well.

“Inside the fallen, broken carriage, we found Lionel covering his master, as if he had died trying to shield him. I respect him.”

As if these words were their cue, Raymond and his mother broke down crying like a dam breaking. Afterwards, when they managed to calm down, Lionel’s coworker talked to them for a bit and then left. Just like that, the only things left were his father’s belongings and the condolence money. Bravely standing up, Mercia told the children about what happened.

However-

“Father is dead?”

“Father won’t be coming back for a while? When will he come back?”

In contrast with his younger brother, who understood the situation, it seemed that his younger sister couldn’t grasp that her father had died. In response to this innocently asked, cruel question, Mercia hugged her children and began to sob.

However, Raymond didn’t join them. He went into his room immediately, and, using a wax tablet and steel pen, he began to calculate for how long they could maintain their lifestyle with the amount of condolence money they received.

However, the symbols kept getting blurred and he wasn’t able to read them properly. It was at that moment when Raymond realized, for the first time, that he was crying. 

“Don’t cry, don’t cry! Father asked me to take care of the family while he’s gone. If someone who aims to be a butler can’t even protect his family, then what can he do?!”

He wiped his tears with his sleeve, and, with a scrunched up face, he began to calculate again. It was by no means due to him being strong. It was simply because, otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to bear this sorrow. 

If Lionel was here, his heart would probably hurt terribly if he saw how pitiful his son looked. Right now, Raymond felt crushed by sorrow and his sense of responsibility. However, his father that had been concerned about that excessively strong sense of responsibility of Raymond’s was no longer alive. Raymond desperately continued to speculate about the life they would be living from now on.

How long had he been at it?

When Raymond’s calculations reached as far as considering a scenario where Raymond and his mother would both work, Mercia, who had been comforting his younger siblings, walked in.

“Mother, are they doing alright?”

“Yes, they got tired and fell asleep. Are you alright?”

“Of course I’m alright. Take a look at this. If we spend the condolence money wisely, we’ll be able to somehow get by until the two of us find some work in town.”

With a proud face, Raymond presented her with the wax tablet. Mercia, who had previously worked as a maid, was able to understand the numbers written there. However, precisely because she understood, Mercia frowned.

“Raymond, are you… giving up on your dream?”

Raymond’s plans were as follows:

First off, Mercia would find a job where she could put the skills that she cultivated as a maid to good use, such as working as a waitress or a seamstress. Raymond would immediately start teaching his younger brother so that he would be able to take care of his younger sister.

Then, once he was able to leave the household in his younger brother’s hands, Raymond, too, would start working right away.

If things went well, they could save some of the condolence money. Then, a few years later, if their earnings became stable, it wouldn’t be impossible to attend the royal city’s academy – for two people, that is. Raymond planned to throw away his own dream in order to allow his siblings to attend the royal city’s academy.

“If I were to work as a maid, things would work out even without you doing this. I would get a much higher wage if I were to work a job like that as well.”

“Mother, you yourself must know that that’s impossible.”

Apparently, the one who had inherited the position as the head of the family was the master’s son. For that reason, all the servants that had worked for the head of the family up until now would continue to work there. Therefore, it wouldn’t be impossible for Mercia to return to work either. Normally, that is.

It wasn’t known whether the driver was to blame for the accident, or whether it was simply bad luck, but, as a result, the current head of the family had died. Lionel, who had accompanied him, hadn’t been able to protect him.

Technically speaking, it wouldn’t be surprising if he was condemned. It was a miracle already that they even received any condolence money. One could even say that the new head of the family was merciful. However, that was as far as it went. It would be impossible for someone that had not just quit work once before, but who was also the wife of a butler who couldn’t protect his master, to come back. That he couldn’t work there again went without saying for Raymond, who hadn’t even been able to get acquainted with anyone.

“…I… know. Certainly, it might be difficult for me to return to work. But, even so, there is no need for you to give up on your dream.”

Mercia took the steel pen from Raymond and put down a new number. It wasn’t a big sum of money in the slightest, but it wasn’t a small amount of money, either.

“I have saved up a bit of money for each of you so that you could attend the school academy. If we use that money, you should be able to attend the academy, right? It won’t be too late to take care of your siblings after that.”

Mercia crossed out the sum that Raymond would receive from working, and instead, increased the amount of time she would work, raising the amount of her income.

If they were to proceed according to this plan, Raymond would attend the school for three years, and they would somehow get by until it was time for his younger brother to enter the academy.

If Raymond started working after those three years, they would somehow manage. In other words, according to this calculation, if Raymond managed to find an employer in three years, he wouldn’t have to give up his dreams.

However, that was if things went according to that plan. Although Mercia had smoothly increased her income, it was clear that she would be overworking herself.

If she continued to work excessively like that, it wouldn’t even take one year for her body to break.

“Mom, no matter how you look at it, working this much is absurd.”

“Be quiet. You have no right to object when you were about to sacrifice your own dreams for the sake of your siblings. I’m alright, so be obedient and listen to what I’m saying,” Mercia warned him sharply. Then she peered into Raymond’s face and her expression softened.

“Raymond, listen. Trying to protect your siblings is very praiseworthy. But that’s precisely why I wish to make your dream come true properly. I mean, wasn’t that what he wished for as well?”

Mercia embraced Raymond tenderly. However, her body was shaking slightly. He wasn’t the only one who was going through a hard time. His mother also felt crushed by her sorrow and sense of responsibility, exactly like Raymond, but, despite this, she was trying to move forward.

When Raymond realized this, he wasn’t able to say: “It’s still impossible, despite what you said.” He broke away from his mother’s warmth, took back his steel pen and wrote down new numbers into the wax tablet.

The main change was the reduction of the hours Mercia would be working.

“…Raymond?”

“One year. I’ll find a new master in one year.”

“…Do you understand how absurd that is? Normally, one would get a master after graduating high school. Even after just graduating middle school, finding employment would be hard, but to find one in just one year…”

“I know it’s absurd, Mother. But I don’t want to sacrifice neither my younger siblings nor you. Without sacrificing anyone, that is the only way for me to not give up on my dream.”

His blue eyes looked straight at his mother. Having those clear eyes directed at her, Mercia finally showed a small smile.

“One time, Lionel told me: ‘Raymond is outstanding, but he tends to neglect himself. If I am  able to correct that trait of his, he will surely become a splendid butler.’”

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“…Father said that?”

“Yes. For that reason, I believe in both Lionel and you. If you say that you will somehow manage to do it in one year, then do it. I will help you out as much as possible.”

“Thank you, Mother. I will definitely become a butler in one year.”

Thus, Raymond began to make preparations in order to find a master in one year.

The first thing he did was make a list of primary candidates.

If he were to protect his whole family, becoming a servant of a somewhat affluent businessman wouldn’t do. If possible, it’d be preferable to serve a person that could assist him with sending his younger siblings to the academy. 

For that to be possible, they would have to be at least a noble.

However, a lot of the high-ranked nobles would often employ lower-ranked noble children that didn’t have the right to inherit. Even if they were lower-ranked nobles, it was common for them to employ people from families who worked for them for generations, or find servants by using the connections of the people they trusted.

For Raymond, who had lost the patron who could guarantee his background, finding employment would be difficult.

He wasn’t really able to find an employer wealthy enough to support his family and who, on top of that, might hire Raymond.

However, he heard a rumour that, among these nobles, there was one single young Lady who might possibly hire him.

It was a young Lady that had become the subject of a lot of gossip at the last birthday party Lionel and his master attended. Although she was the daughter of a marquis, it seemed that she employed a lot of servants who were born as commoners. Coincidentally, this marquis’ daughter was the same age as Raymond. Moreover, since she was the daughter of a marquis, she was sure to attend middle school at the academy.

Since their courses would be different, the opportunities for them to get into direct contact would be limited, but they wouldn’t be completely non-existent.

There wasn’t anyone else who fit so many of his criteria. As he believed that this was a chance given to him by the gods, Raymond began to plan on how he would get into direct contact with her.

Strangely enough, this happened right after Cyril became her exclusive butler.