TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 111
It was the Head of the Household Desmond’s birthday.
The end of the long life in the capital.
Although there was a somewhat awkward incident with Kyle, we found common ground in our shared desires, reached a silent agreement, and moved on naturally.
My room on the second floor of the estate.
Wearing the Butler’s Attire for the first time in a while, I stretched my stiff body and let out a languid sigh. Perhaps it was because of the nerve-wracking date last evening or the intense conversation with Kyle, but my body didn’t feel quite right.
Strangely, I felt tired.
“Achoo~! Ugh…”
Maybe I was coming down with a cold.
Ever since reaching the level of Sword Expert, I thought I had built a wall against colds, but the rare return of cold symptoms didn’t feel very welcome.
Shivering from the chill and trembling, I let out a sigh, stretched again, and began preparing for an energetic day.
Looking at the clock.
[10:00]
I covered my ears and nodded.
“One. Two. Three.”
-Eeeek!! Air Raid Alarm!!!
-Imperial Emergency!
-Imperial Army Full Mobilization!
Listening to the unmistakable harmony of the Desmond Family once again, I smiled pleasantly.
“You seem to be in good health today.”
*
Darbav’s birthday started early in the morning.
With many guests arriving, including High Nobles and business-related figures, the Young Lady and I hid quietly in a corner of the banquet hall, pretending to be invisible.
“Ricardo.”
“Yes.”
“There are too many people.”
“That’s because the Head of the Household is popular.”
“Father has many friends?”
“Yes.”
The Young Lady looked sullen as she gazed at Darbav.
“I don’t have any.”
“That’s because you’re an introvert, Young Lady.”
“No, I’m not. I have you, Ricardo.”
“That’s what makes you an introvert.”
With her lips pouting and her cheeks puffed with air, the Young Lady seemed displeased with her new title.
“I’m not an introvert.”
“Yes~”
“Eeeek…!”
As the Young Lady clenched her fist and raised her hand in frustration at my sarcastic response.
“Darbav!”
“Aunt…!”
At the sound of Grand Aunt’s voice, who once swore to break her legs upon meeting her, coming from afar, the Young Lady gasped and ducked under the dining table.
“Ricardo, hide me!”
Quickly ducking her head and fidgeting, the Young Lady pulled out a Black Box from her Treasure Pouch.
“Why is that coming out of there?”
“Because it’s precious. What if I lose it?”
“Still…”
The Young Lady firmly said, “Don’t argue about something so obvious.”
“Give this to Father.”
“Me? Seriously?”
“Yes. It’s awkward to go because there are so many people.”
The Young Lady looked down at her immobile legs as she spoke.
Her inability to walk.
She knew that her existence, tarnished by the use of Dark Magic and now a disgrace to the Desmond Family, would not be welcomed in this banquet hall.
A flawed Young Lady.
She was well aware of the title of villainess, who could do nothing but throw tantrums, that had been attached to her.
That’s why, despite Darbav’s suggestion to sit beside the stage before the banquet, she shook her head and chose a corner of the banquet hall where there were no people.
Even as her broken wings tried to spread again, both I, a mere Butler, and the nobles knew that her presence would not lead to a favorable outcome.
From the moment the Young Lady used Dark Magic, Desmond Olivia became the abandoned child of the family.
If such a child were to reappear in public with the declaration, “We’ve reconciled,” it would shake the carefully built tower of the family.
Kyle, knowing this, also dissuaded Darbav’s stubbornness, and Rosanna, with a Sad Smile, kept her mouth shut.
In fact, I felt more at ease and comfortable with this cold treatment.
Although it seemed like a right she should naturally enjoy as Desmond’s child, it wasn’t perceived that way by others.
Perhaps it was an issue we had to accept and a responsibility we had to bear for what had happened.
However.
I thought it would be better if the Young Lady personally gave the gift. The meaning would be different if I handed it over instead of her.
If I, the Butler, handed it over as a matter of etiquette, it might change the meaning, and Darbav might feel disappointed.
This was purely my personal opinion, but I believed that Darbav, the ultimate Daughter Fool of this era, had been waiting for a gift from his daughter.
Thinking that not receiving a gift for nearly two years might have given him a sense of loss akin to quitting a lifelong addiction, I resolutely refused the Young Lady’s outstretched hand holding the Black Box.
The Young Lady’s hand, holding the Black Box, awkwardly lingered in the air.
As she awkwardly urged me to take it, I whistled and refused.
“You should give it, Young Lady.”
“No.”
“You have hands, don’t you?”
“I don’t have hands.”
The Young Lady puffed her cheeks and hid her fingers in her sleeves. With a pouty look, she stared at me as if to say, “Now, satisfied?” Her adorable face almost made me give in, but as a true Butler and a member of the Desmond Family, I barely managed to resist for the sake of the Head of the Household’s bright and cheerful mental health.
“Ricardo, my hands have fallen off.”
“Didn’t you just say you didn’t have hands?”
“They just grew back.”
“Are you a lizard?”
“Is it tasty?”
“No.”
The Young Lady, with a sullen expression, lowered her head.
“It’s not fun.”
“I didn’t say it to be fun.”
“Eeeek…!”
Biting her lip and venting her frustration, the Young Lady lowered her head and confessed her true feelings.
“I want to give it to him once my legs are healed.”
“I think it’s fine to give it now.”
Looking at Darbav, who was greeting the guests, I suggested that when it was our turn, she could casually hand it over.
The Young Lady, with her head lowered, hesitated.
“Would that be okay?”
Tempted by the not-so-bad suggestion, the Young Lady tilted her head and looked at me. I nodded and gave her a positive answer to her question.
“Of course. Don’t you want to give it to him yourself? The Head of the Household would surely feel the same.”
The effects of the Hand of Rehabilitation were not yet fully evident. I wasn’t sure what vitality truly meant, but I was certain it wasn’t something negative.
Time would resolve the issue. There was no need to rush. The vitality could be replenished, and the Young Lady’s legs would eventually be healed.
And for a Possessor, nothing was impossible.
I placed the Black Box in the Young Lady’s hand and smiled brightly.
“Here he comes.”
Darbav’s approaching expression was different from the forced smiles he had shown the guests. It was the subtle movement of Father’s Smile.
Struggling to appear calm, Darbav spoke to us.
“Hmm… Olivia, so you were sitting here.”
“Yes.”
Under the tablecloth, I could see the Young Lady’s fidgeting fingers. Her hesitant fingers debating whether to give it or not. With a small smile, I lightly poked her side to give her a push.
“Kyah…! Hee… Huh?!”
With a startled movement, her hand shot up onto the table.
The Young Lady glared at me with a flustered expression, but I simply turned my head, pretending not to notice.
Meanwhile, Darbav’s lips were curving upward as if they were about to burst into a smile.
“Huh… That is…!”
The moment Darbav saw the Black Box in the Young Lady’s hand, his eyes grew moist.
“Is this a gift for your Father?”
The betrayed Young Lady shot me a piercing glare, but I nonchalantly winked at her.
“What is that! Don’t tell me…!”
“Eeeek… Ricardo, you’re mean.”
“I only scratched your side because it looked itchy.”
“Haaah…”
The Young Lady let out a Deep Sigh and took a deep breath.
“Now’s the time.”
Whispering in a Small Voice that Darbav couldn’t hear, I gathered all my charm and gave her another encouraging wink to support the hesitant Young Lady.
Swallowing nervously, the Young Lady looked at Darbav. His face, unable to hide the ‘expectation’ in his emotions, almost made me laugh, but I refrained from filling this Historic Moment with the noise of mockery. Instead, I maintained a subtle smile, waiting to hear the Young Lady’s Congratulatory Greeting.
“Fa…Father!”
“Yes, Olivia.”
“The late Grandmother used to badmouth you a lot…!”
“What?”
“She said you were her child, but your personality was like a dog’s, so…!”
Breaking into a nervous sweat, the Young Lady thrust the gift forward.
“Happy Birthday!”
The Young Lady’s greeting, which might have sounded like an insult, brought a smile to Darbav’s face.
“So Mother used to say that… I suppose we’ll have to skip next year’s Visit to Ancestral Grave.”
At the same time, he seemed to make a resolution to commit filial impiety.
In front of the Young Lady, Darbav opened the Black Box. Although he had received many expensive gifts today, such as those from the estate or the mine, his expression upon seeing the gift inside the box was happier than with any other gift.
“Did you pick this out yourself, Olivia?”
“Yes.”
“As expected of my daughter. You have excellent taste.”
Pinning the gift from the Young Lady onto his tie, Darbav wore a Gentle Smile.
“Thank you, my daughter. May you live a long and healthy life as well. And Ricardo.”
“Yes?”
“The box left in my room at dawn—should I consider that a dowry?”
“Excuse me, what did you just say…?”
“Hmm… It’s sufficient as a dowry.”
Darvab placed a Small Kiss on the Young Lady’s forehead and left. On the tablecloth he left behind, small Water Drops had fallen.
It was a Secret only we knew, but there was no need to say aloud that those drops were tears.