Villain Family’s Strongest Butler

“His Grace seems to know exactly what I was planning.”

As I looked up at him in silence, the Grand Duke looked back down at me with a faint smile, as if amused by my scheming.

“Freya. Do you understand what it means that you know this name?”

“…”

What is that supposed to mean? It’s my name – what’s so special about me knowing it?

No, wait. The bigger question is: why is he talking as if he already knew my name was Freya?

I’d already guessed that he might know who the owner of this body used to be.

“But why does he react so strongly to ‘Freya’?”

If this body belonged to someone from the enemy realm, there shouldn’t be any overlap with my real name Freya – let alone such a strong reaction from him.

I stared at him, my confusion obvious.

“Could the previous owner of this body also have been named Freya?”

It would be absurd, but my heart pounded at the thought. Maybe now was the time to ask him if he really knew who I was, if he’d known that name all along.

So I spoke up.

“I want to ask you something.”

“…”

“Do you… know me?”

He’d just asked the same kind of question when I drank the juice, and the way he mentioned my name sounded like he already knew who I was.

His face, which had been filled with a cold kind of mockery, cracked for a split second.

“…The way you asked that question during the sap incident, and the way you talk about my name – it feels like… you know me better than I know myself.”

All the warmth left his eyes, replaced by an icy chill.

“Ah yes,” he said quietly. “You said you lost your memory – though not all of it.”

“…”

Look at that.

He had smoothly changed the subject, avoiding my question whether he recognized the owner of this body or not. As if he refused to answer.

Grand Duke, do you think I’m going to let you get away with this so easily?

I opened my mouth again. “If Your Grace would tell me what you know, it might help me regain-”

He cut me off in mid-sentence and spoke my name again.

“Freya… the woman who claims to have lost some of her memories.”

“…”

In a voice so deep it sounded almost threatening, he warned, “It wouldn’t be hard to get more truth out of you. The juice isn’t the only way.”

His long-lashed eyes shone with haughty confidence.

“And I know how to force the truth from someone without such cumbersome tools. You have those pesky limits on how many questions you can ask, after all.”

He paused, then added in a hard tone, “But the reason I don’t push any harder isn’t because I’ve decided to trust you.”

He took a step closer, until I could almost feel the warmth of his presence. Startled, I tried to back away, but I hit the wall behind me.

He continued anyway.

“Until my suspicions are cleared up and my suspicions are confirmed… Freya, you are curious about certain things as well.”

His deep voice echoed right next to my ear, sending a tense shiver down my spine. He definitely had the kind of presence that could make people recoil in fear.

“If you won’t tell me your secrets,” he said, “I have no intention of satisfying your curiosity.”

Then he drew back and straightened up to his full height. “So learn from Norbert. Who knows – if you become so capable that I can’t do without you, maybe I’ll offer you the secrets you so desperately want to know.”

“…”

That jerk…

He had taken the very words I’d once thrown at him –

-“Just give me two years, Grand Duke. Maybe one day I’ll be strong enough to threaten you.”

-and threw them back at me. Then, without another look, he turned and walked away.

I watched his figure disappear.

“Why does he look so angry?”

Is it because I’m still hiding something? Because my name happens to be Freya? Or…

“Is it because the owner of this body doesn’t remember him?”

Probably all of the above.

As soon as he was out of sight, I turned to the corridor window.

My own face reflected in the glass was still unfamiliar – yet quite striking. And for some reason it occurred to me…

“Perhaps the woman who owned this body before… meant more to him than I realized.”

***

The next morning.

Before the sun was up, the old man – Count Norbert – visited my room.

“Why are you up already?”

He stared at me in disbelief.

“Didn’t you say you were going to teach me my new duties today?” I replied.

“So you got up early to get ready?”

“That’s right,” I said, tilting my head. I couldn’t understand why he was so surprised.

Even back in the Tenasis Empire, I’d started my days before dawn – jogging around the training grounds, practicing my swordsmanship. Because I’d started training later than the other knights, I had to outdo them to overcome their disdain. I had to crush their doubts with skill.

“Nothing has changed now, except that I’m a maid instead of a knight.

All I had to do was make the same effort. And that started with getting up earlier than everyone else.

“Well then,” I said, “what do we start with?”

“…”

He eyed me warily, his gaze flickering briefly from my face to the necklace at my throat.

“Try not to break this,” he said.

“It really wasn’t my fault,” I muttered.

When I had awakened my aura the day before, I had somehow broken the “safety” chain. He’d replaced it with a brand new one, and he’d been lecturing me about the cost ever since.

“That thing is more expensive than your entire first-year salary, you know.”

“I told you, I didn’t-”

With an exasperated look on his face, the old man turned and walked out of the room.

“Follow me.”

I clenched my fists at my sides.

“Stay calm, stay calm.

Yeah, at least he’s not making me pay for it.

Quietly, I followed him.

He promptly took me on a tour of the estate, showing me every nook and cranny.

“Today you’ll just learn the layout. Starting tomorrow, you’ll learn what each place does and the tasks assigned to it.”

“Yes, sir.”

He led me through the five-story main building, out into the backyard, then around to four outbuildings and well over a hundred storage rooms.

Finally, we came back to the main building.

“Wait here.”

“Alright…”

My legs felt wobbly, so I clung to the railing just to stay upright.

I can’t even fully rely on the aura because my body isn’t strong enough…

Still, I had discreetly circulated some aura into my legs; otherwise, I wouldn’t have lasted this long. Still, I was at my limit.

I also need to train my stamina.

Otherwise, I might faint in front of this old man-and I refused to let that happen.

I have to cut back on sleep again.

As I reorganized my schedule in my head, an older woman approached Norbert and me at the center stairwell.
He gestured to me. “Barisol, this is Freya. She’ll be joining the Grand Duke’s staff today.”

Barisol turned a beaming face to me.

“Oh, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Barisol, the head maid of this estate.”

Head maid – an important position, I knew. Trying to keep my composure, I bowed politely.

“Pleased to meet you, Head Maid. My name is Freya.”

“You can call me Barisol.”

“I… think it’s best to wait a while before being so informal.”

“As you wish, dear. Do whatever you’re comfortable with.”

Even though I set a polite boundary, she just smiled warmly, like someone who could accept anything and anyone.

She clasped my hand.

“I’m looking forward to working with you, Freya.”

“Yes… Thank you.”

Norbert turned to Barisol.

“I will be the one to teach Freya.”

“Oh my…” She blinked in surprise. The mood was strange.

There it was again.

Everyone who heard that Norbert would be my teacher reacted the same way – a mixture of astonishment, pity and admiration.

I didn’t know exactly what they were thinking, but I had learned a few things from shadowing the old man.

First, the Grand Duke’s estate did not have a butler. Apparently, the Grand Duke had made enough enemies both inside and outside the empire that he was constantly the target of assassination attempts-and the butlers always took the hit.

That was why people called this place “the butler’s graveyard.

They all died in his place, the poor things…

In a twisted way, it made sense. Assassins skilled enough to actually kill the Grand Duke must have been rare. So they probably targeted the next best thing – someone important, but more vulnerable, to make a statement.

Anyway, if he survived all this time when even I couldn’t kill him, no assassin would stand a chance.

I also learned that Norbert, this old man, was considered a legend in the butler world and was one of the most loyal vassals of House Vallot.

He was known as Count Norbert Millard.

He’d even founded the Empire’s only butler academy, “Leonhardt”.

And now he’s in charge of my training…

Judging by everyone’s reaction, the old man’s temper must be quite notorious.

As I stared at the back of his head, an idea came to me. My eyes widened.

Wait a second.

The estate didn’t have a butler at the moment, and it didn’t look like they were going to hire one anytime soon.

That meant the butler position would remain vacant for some time, right?

”If I want to find out about the owner of this body, if I want the Grand Duke to trust me enough to share his secrets with me…”

Then I had to get close to him, not in physical space, but in a way that would earn his loyalty. And what better way to do that than as his butler?

Being a butler was a position built on trust.

The so-called “dangerous job” is actually perfect for me.

If assassins came for the Duke and I saved him from danger, I’d earn his trust much faster. By then, my aura and stamina would be much better. Once I regained my old abilities, the assassins would no longer be a real threat.

The problem is proving that I can be an excellent butler…

But the solution was right in front of me.

I stared at the old man’s back as if it were an oasis in the desert. Feeling my gaze, Norbert turned around.

He raised an eyebrow.

“What is it?”

“…”

“What are you up to, staring at me with those eyes…?”

I concentrated every bit of sincerity I had in my voice, as soft and careful as when I coaxed my aura. As if I were approaching a precious, noble being.

“Teacher…”

“What? T-Teacher…?!”

His eyes twitched, his wrinkles quivering with desperation.

“What the hell is going on in your head…?”