Chapter 5: 5

After Archduke Sohyeon Yeon had kicked out the servants. The head butler’s office, in which all the affairs of those known as “lower people” were handled, had been flipped upside down.

There was a disagreement over who was to blame. A dispute about who should be assigned, and even a decision on how to punish the archduke’s evicted servants. A heated argument ensued.

In the end, the head butler, whom the Archduke had pointed out, stepped forward.

After the sluggish meeting disbanded, silence finally returned to the meeting office.

“Whooo!”

At the long meeting table, everyone had left save the middle-aged butler, who sat in the most prominent seat, cradling his gray-haired head.

“I knew it would happen someday, but…”

There had been no one to handle the lower people at the Archduke’s residence, the Pure Silver Garden Pavillion. In addition to the Archduke’s pacifism, how could he, the head butler of the Great Luoyang Sword Clan hadn’t seen that the lower people would cross the line?

“Fortunately, the Archduke didn’t accuse them of mutiny or snitching…”

If such was the case, it was certain that not just his office, but the whole clan, would have been turned upside down.

“Urgh…”

He reached into the drawer and, as usual, pulled out some dry herbs, chewing on them to ease his stomach discomfort.

It was the home of the Luoyang Sword Clan, where many people from all over the Central Plains came and went every day. Commanding the lower people in such a place always upset his stomach, but recently it had gone too far.

All of that was because of the ‘successor problem’ of the Luoyang Sword Clan.

The pain didn’t subside, even though he had chewed and swallowed more medical herbs than was permitted.

“It’s no longer safe to sit back and observe without taking sides…”

The head butler’s complexion became much calmer, and his eyes shone brightly. After gathering his thoughts, he summoned one of the maids and whispered in her ears.

Averting his eyes from the maid as she bowed deeply and withdrew, he fell back into deep thought.

 

 

* * *

 

 

After a time, a maid walked in, smiling warmly at the head butler. “Lord head butler, Jeong Ah, greets you.”

“Are you here?”

The woman who called herself Jeong Ah was merely a maid, yet her beauty was breathtaking. The moment she walked into his office, her charm seemed to have brightened the room for a second.

Her long, ebony hair was put back in a perfect bun, and her flawless white skin glistened with a shine. Her big, clear eyes were accentuated by her copious eyelashes, her nose was dainty but pointed. And her lips, lightly smeared with rouge, were thick and plump.

Nonetheless, instead of making her large lips look sensual, she wore a placid smile.

“Have you been doing well?”

Her eyes, as striking as the rest of her, stood out the most. While her iris was light in color, her pupil was a golden brown.

Those eyes complemented her natural beauty well, giving her an atmosphere of mystery and exoticism. All the same, her eyes were deep, and no one would dare mistake her for an easygoing, kindhearted woman.

“How can someone in this position be well? I still manage to keep myself in good health.”

“The girl’s heart feels much lighter to see the old man is okay.”

The sight of Jeong Ah bending deeply to greet the head butler showed that she recognized her status as a maid. But even with her manners, she couldn’t conceal the elegant grace she possessed. Even with the maid’s clothes, her beauty didn’t fade in the slightest.

The head butler’s mouth softened into a warm smile. He had rescued Jeong Ah from the streets a long time ago, and because he was childless, she was as precious to him as his flesh and blood.

“Jeong Ah a….”

“Yes, old man.”

Jeong Ah wondered at the head butler, who had called for her but couldn’t get to the point easily. If it was something that he, a high-ranking member of the Luoyang Sword Clan, couldn’t easily bring up, it wouldn’t be a light task.

She sat quietly with her head down as she waited for him to bring up the matter.

“Hoo…” The head butler sighed deeply, wondering if the decision he was about to make was right. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t be sure.

“How old are you this year?”

“I will be twenty-one this year.”

Indeed, she was a woman at the blooming age.

“Do you know why I didn’t find you a master right away, despite how much I appreciate you, and instead kept you in the Greet Guests Hall?”

“The girl is stupid, so she doesn’t know the old man’s deep intentions.”

In truth, there was no way she didn’t know all there was to know about the head butler. She avoided answering, however, since she had been instructed to close her eyes, ears, and mouth to what was going on inside the Luoyang Sword Clan.

Having read Jeong Ah’s thoughts, the head butler was pleased. “Because I consider you like a daughter, I tried to be careful and cautious in choosing your master.”

“This girl is always grateful for the old man’ deep care.” Jeong Ah bowed her head deeply in gratitude.

But instead of receiving her gratitude, the head butler invited her to sit close to him. And instead of speaking to her, he picked up a brush and started to scribble down his thoughts.

He had laid down a strict order not to allow anyone to approach his office in advance, but he was an experienced head butler with a lot of wisdom to share.

Talking in hushed tones in the middle of the Luoyang Sword Clan, which was teeming with masters, was by no means a secret conversation.

[The second young master is suitable as the patriarch of the clan; he is overly rational and good at calculating, but he has a vicious personality.]

The head butler paused the brush for a moment and looked around before continuing.

[The third young master is skilled in martial arts and respected and followed by many martial artists, but his tyrannical attitude and voracious greed make him dangerous. The fourth young master remains the most human, but he is too young to lead. And the youngest master is far from becoming the clan’s patriarch.]

Jeong Ah was taken aback by the words that the head butler had written with a single brush stroke.

He had been serving the Luoyang Sword Clan for a long time with all his heart. However, she knew that if his words evaluating the young masters leaked out at such a sensitive time, he would be in tremendous danger.

Despite Jeonga’s shocked face, the head butler didn’t stop writing.

[All the young ladies in the head family are pleasant, good-natured people. The responsibility for choosing the young ladies’ maids rests with the headquarters, though. They are picky even when it comes to the children they have raised themselves. To put it bluntly, even if I were to recommend you to them, you wouldn’t be selected.]

It was only natural to perfectly bleach the area surrounding the renowned family’s female members.

The head butler sipped some cooled tea to soothe his dry lips.

[Of course, the Archduke isn’t even considered, since he chose to live a solitary life.]

The movement of the brush, which had been writing down there without hesitation, stopped. After a moment of thought, the head butler bit his lip, and his brush once again moved.

[Did you ever wonder why the Archduke is known as the Swordless?]

Jeong Ah gripped another brush with care.

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[First, it is because the Archduke does not wield a sword and has no talent for martial arts…]

Second, it was because he lacked the suitable demeanor to be the next patriarch of the family. Even worse, he’d locked himself in his room for like ten years now.

There were many other rumors, but none of them seemed credible in her eyes.

As she put down the brush, the head butler took it up.

[Let me tell you a hidden story.]

His fingertips trembled, and his hand movements became faster as he wrote.

[It happened almost a decade ago.]

It was clear that it was something that shouldn’t have been leaked. Even more so than the prior ones.

Jeong Ah’s attention was increasingly drawn to the tip of his brush.

[Most of the head family thinks the Archduke has no talent for martial arts and has never lifted a blade, but this is not the truth.]

“……!” Unknowingly, Jeong Ah’s mouth opened slightly.

[I was there the first time the Archduke raised a sword.]

He carried on the hidden story of that day.

[I still can’t forget. The way he first grasped the sword and executed the initiation moves.]

The head butler couldn’t help but re-wet his dry lips with the lukewarm tea. Jeong Ah waited impatiently for his brush to move again.

[His appearance, that day, was that of a great swordsman who had already reached the pinnacle of the stage. I couldn’t even breathe at the momentum emanating from him.]

“……!”

Great swordsman. This was the term for a person who had attained a state of unity with their sword.

It wasn’t about the amount of internal energy, which some people loved to yell about. It was a stage that referred to the construction of one’s own realm, transcending the will and form of the sword.

But describing a kid holding a sword for the first time as a great swordsman, was he serious?

[The patriarch, the present Retired Patriarch, ordered me to keep quiet. For whatever reason, the Archduke never held a sword again after that.]

“……?!” It was a story beyond Jeong Ah’s imagination.

[And secondly.]

This was already enough counterargument to the criticism that he didn’t show a suitable appearance as the next patriarch.

[Before the Archduke decided to live in seclusion, what the Patriarch’s closest aides feared the most was him.]

Jeong Ah was astounded, as if a thunderbolt had struck her in the brain.

[At the time, the Archduke accomplished few things in his own name, but today only a handful remember.]

His brush moved nonstop.

[I’m sure there are still some people in the imperial palace who remember his name]

What on earth had the Archduke, who had been just a kid at the time, done to have his name transmitted even to the imperial palace?

Controlling her confused emotions, Jeong Ah picked up the brush.

[What’s the reason you’re telling me this?]

With the Clan’s current situation, this was sensitive information that must not have leaked.

The head butler sighed heavily.

[The second young master and the third young master have both seriously requested that I hand you over to them. The two seem to be competing with one another.]

“Ah….”

In fact, Jeong Ah was regarded as a special maid among receptionist maids, attracting the attention of all guests. There had been even a funny incident in which a direct descendant of a prestigious family had fallen in love with her and even proposed to her.

That had been a huge thing back then. Things became ugly, however, when the two men most rumored to be the future patriarch of the clan began competing for her.

Jeong Ah, still in shock, bit her lip and lifted the brush.

[Does the old man want me to go to the Archduke?]

No matter what the Archduke looked like in the past, could the present Archduke really protect her from their clutches? He, who was rumored to have a good temper, from his two younger brothers full of lust for power?

Instead of answering, the head butler detailed what had happened today at the Archduke’s residence, the Pure Silver Garden Pavillion.

[Has the Archduke’s disposition changed?]

The head butler was about to nod in response to her question when he trembled once again.

[I’m not sure whether it’s right to say he’s changed. I dare to claim that this is in keeping with his natural disposition.]

[If it’s so… ?]

[Maybe. Maybe he has something on his mind.]

That was the judgment of the head butler of the Luoyang Sword Clan, known as the greatest clan in the central plains.

[And if he is the Archduke I remember…]

His eyes flashed.

[There is no doubt that the succession structure of the Luoyang Sword Clan will change greatly in the future.]

The head butler gazed at Jeong Ah for a moment before biting his lip. A mature beauty blossomed on her face, yet in his eyes, only a cute girl’s face was reflected.

[The decision is yours. But.]

The head butler, who had stopped the brush, turned to face Jeong Ah. Likewise, Jeong Ah turned her attention to the head butler.

It was difficult to spot a flaw in her stunning eyes. Deep within her golden pupils was a unique, hidden secret that only the head butler and Jeong-ah herself were aware of.

[If it’s [Your eyes], you’ll be able to tell sooner than everyone else if the Archduke has changed his mind.]

He set the brush down on the inkstone.

Afterwards, there was complete stillness in the office again.

He gathered all the papers he’d used for writing and painstakingly tossed them into the brazier, piece by piece.

 

* * *

 

After a while, a maid left the head butler’s office and headed somewhere in a hurry.

Toward her own new residence.

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