Otome Novel Prologue
Prologue:
Suddenly, I had regained the memories of my previous life.
I was just your normal student majoring in magecraft, but because science and magic were far more developed in that world than they were here, that knowledge of mine had become extremely valuable.
When I realized that fact, I could feel emotions of surprise and excitement well up inside of me.
But what astonished me the most about this world was that it was very similar to a popular game from my previous life.
The maiden game that my sister loved, ‘Espressivo of Light and Darkness’ was about how the heroine– the daughter of a Viscount house, wins the hearts of a prince and various other gentlemen.
My older sister was a closet nerd and had nobody to share her thoughts with, so she pushed me to play the game instead since I was already aware of her hobbies.
I played it under such circumstances, but putting myself in the position of the popular, bright, and cheerful heroine was surprisingly fun for me.
But you see, there was a character who always got in the heroine’s way– the villainous daughter, Sophia. She was the daughter of the Rosenberg Marquis house, a genuine noble, and also the prince’s fiancée.
She had loved the prince ever since their first meeting, but he ended up falling in love with another girl– the heroine of the game, which in turn drove her into insanity.
“…why won’t you look at me?”
With that line, she would fall into darkness.
Yearning for him to notice her again, she commits various acts of harassment against the heroine as her love rival, but her excessive movements catch the prince’s attention in the wrong way, and he has her executed alongside her butler as punishment.
By the way, even if the heroine chooses a different route, the prince still falls in love with her, so Sophia will always lose her sanity in the end.
In the game, it was impossible for her to escape her fate of execution.
However, Sophia had a setting that easily invoked sympathy, such as how she was neglected by her parents who were always busy with work, or how she was constantly harassed by her household’s maids.
She was actually quite gentle, and it was only in matters regarding the prince that she went mad with jealousy, so despite being the villainous daughter, she was surprisingly popular.
Even I was one of her fans.
Backtracking a little bit, it seems I’ve become the butler who was executed with her.
My name in this life was Cyril, and I was born into a family of attendants who have served the Rosenberg Marquis house for generations.
I was destined to be killed alongside Sophia in the near future.
This wasn’t a joke.
Even though this was my second life, I was already destined to die, so with that in mind, I decided to use my knowledge of the game to avoid that outcome at all costs.
Honestly, it’d be easy for me to evade the execution by myself, but I was actually quite fond of Sophia, so if possible, I wanted to save her as well.
That’s why I was currently pondering as to how I might do that.
There were several things I could do to change her fate.
First of all, I could remove the cause of her personality’s distortion.
Due to her childhood environment, she became unstable to the point that she easily slipped into insanity from simple jealousy, so if the problems in her upbringing were removed, the worst case scenario could be avoided.
Next, I could polish Sophia’s charms.
If the young lady was cute enough to the point of even overwhelming the heroine, the prince wouldn’t forsake her, and with her not being deprived of him, the cause of her hysteria would be gone.
And last but not least was something that didn’t directly relate to her at all.
So when the time finally came, I would deal with it in secret.
That’s why my current goal was to achieve the first two objectives.
To that end, I needed to be by the young lady’s side, but Cyril only became her exclusive butler around the start of the game– when they’re about fifteen or sixteen.
If I waited until then, it would be too late.
Therefore, I decided to fully develop my abilities as a butler.
Usually a child would never be entrusted with such a position, but if I could show them my talents, then they just might make an exception for me.
With that in mind, I worked myself to the point of death, subsequently starting talks with my father– the current lord’s butler, and finally won the honour of apprenticing as Lady Sophia’s servant at the mere age of six.
And so–
Lady Sophia’s sixth birthday.
Her parents were too busy to celebrate it with her, so her adorable figure– which was adorned with a pale dress and surrounded by servants… looked very lonely.
Just like how a rose grown in a greenhouse would be distorted when exposed to the wind and rain– if left untouched, Lady Sophia’s heart would warp itself little by little.
That’s why I went ahead and knelt before her.
“Lady Sophia, it’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m Cyril.”
“Sir… Cyril?”
“Cyril is fine.”
“…Cyril?”
“Yes, my lady. From today onwards, I’ll be apprenticing as your exclusive butler.”
“…butler?”
My lady leaned backwards and tilted her head. An innocent question rising up in her amethyst eyes.
“Lady Sophia, a butler is someone who will take care of you while staying by your side.”
“You’ll stay… by Sophia’s side?”
“Yes, my lady. Whether it’s fun times, lonely times, or painful times, I will always be there for you. As your friend, I promise to protect you forever.”
My lady blinked. Was that a bit too hard for her to understand? That’s what I thought, but after a while her amethyst eyes began to shine.
“So then… will you celebrate Sophia’s birthday together with Sophia?”
“Of course I will. This year and every year after, I’ll continue to celebrate your birthday with you, my lady.”
The gift I then presented to her was a crimson rose– an item that symbolised the Rosenberg house.
It was noble and pretty, but it would wither without care. Such a rose was raised in a greenhouse, carefully treated to have its thorns removed, and then wrapped in a lace cloth.
This item represented my determination for Lady Sophia.
“Congratulations on your sixth birthday.”
“Thanks, Cyril! Sophia is so happy!”
My lady probably didn’t realise the deeper meanings I had in the rose, but even so, she gently embraced it and gave me a smile akin to a blossoming flower.
Seeing that beaming expression of hers, I vowed once again in my heart to protect this adorable little girl forever.
I had succeeded in opening my lady’s heart. However, the cause of its distortion still remained– the existence of the maid who bullied her.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t any corresponding recollection scene in the game, I only knew such a thing happened. Which maid it was, and what kind of harassment they committed was completely unknown to me.
So I needed to investigate and deal with this myself.
However, even with the memories of my previous life, to my surroundings I was still just a cheeky six year old kid that had somehow been hired as an apprentice butler. There were limits as to what I could look into on my own.
That’s why I decided to borrow the power of my father, the exclusive butler of the master.
I used his name and launched a secret survey of my fellow servants, saying that some of them were behaving in odd and suspicious ways, before finally locating the maid who harassed my lady.
The days flowed by, and then one afternoon full of gentle sunlight– my lady who was supposed to be having tea in the courtyard was running towards me with tears in her eyes.
Chasing her from behind was a maid with a slight scowl on her face.
“Fue~n… Cyril~”
“My lady, what happened?”
Her platinum blonde hair was full of leaves. First, I gently wiped away her tears with a handkerchief, and then carefully picked out the foliage tangled in her hair one by one.
Lastly, I petted her head and looked into her eyes before repeating my question, “What happened to you?”
“Did you know? Did you know? That maid was being mean to Sophia.”
“A ridiculous accusation. The young lady tripped over her feet and fell herself.”
After catching up, the maid made a troubled expression and appealed for her innocence.
My lady’s bruised face twisted into a scowl as she glared at the maid.
“Why would you say such a thing?! Sophia didn’t trip over Sophia’s feet at all!”
“Oh my, why would you lie like that? Ah… don’t tell me, are you embarrassed by the fact that you stumbled and fell?”
The maid calmly argued that nothing was wrong.
In truth, the people around us who gathered at the commotion seemed to believe her, and I could understand why. Maybe my lady detected that as well, because her amethyst eyes were shaking uneasily.
“Cyril… S-sophia didn’t fall on Sophia’s own. It really really was because the maid tripped Sophia, and this wasn’t the only time either…”
“It’ll be okay, my lady.”
I gently petted Lady Sophia’s head one last time, before directing a calm look towards the maid.
“You’re a maid serving the Rosenberg Marquis house, how dare you betray the master, no mercy will be shown for your transgressions.”
“Oh my, how mean. I’ve never done anything of the sort. Don’t you know that the young lady there often throws tantrums? Lady Sophia is lying to you.”
“S-sophia didn’t tell any lies! Sophia hates you!”
“See, there she goes again. Another tantrum.”
The maid calmly declared all that unfazed.
Her tied up hair was glossy, she seemed to be using expensive styling products.
Appearance-wise, she was the model maid. That’s why the surroundings were reacting the way they did. They trusted her words and grew disdainful at Lady Sophia for her emotional outbursts.
Looking at things objectively, it was only natural to assume that Lady Sophia was the one lying.
–but I knew that the harassment was real, and even despite that, with how much time I’ve spent with my lady, I knew she wouldn’t lie about something like this.
“Your dishonesty has upset my lady. I don’t know why you would do this, but you’re the worst.”
“…and? What do you want to do then? Are you going to tell on me? Think carefully about this, between a servant whose served this house for many years, and a child, who do you think they’d believe?”
The maid sure was confident.
True, I might’ve just been the son of a servant, but my lady here was legitimately the daughter of the master. Don’t tell me she was actually stupid enough to think that such a claim would work?
That was impossible, so she had to be bluffing, thinking it’d be easy to trick children like us. What a stupid idea, let’s show her what retribution looks like.
“I told you didn’t I? No mercy will be shown to those who betray the master. Asking who they would believe is a stupid question– guards!”
Some of the nearby guards approached at my signal and apprehended the maid to her clear confusion.
“W-what is the meaning of this?! What are you doing?!”
“–you’re being arrested for suspicion of embezzlement.”
I began listing the maid’s crimes.
“W-what?!”
“Despite being a maid that serves the Marquis, you’ve betrayed him. A life as a criminal slave would be far more fitting for you.”
“W-wait just a second here! Wait! What embezzlement?!”
“There’s no use trying to deny it. Did you really think no one would notice how the reports on the purchase values of consumable goods were falsified every time?”
“…?!”
The maid let out a small gasp.
That reaction of hers was practically an admission of guilt. Surprised murmurs came out from the surrounding servants who had taken her side.
“I-if it’s only an amount of money on that degree…”
“That degree… you say? It seems your sense of money is quite odd.”
The amount she embezzled might’ve only been a fraction of the initial total, however, the funds used to buy consumables for the Marquis’ mansion were incomparable to a servant’s salary. Even if it was only a small percentage of the whole, it wasn’t a quantity that could just be laughed off.
“E-even so, a criminal slave… that’s too much.”
“If you had only committed embezzlement once, it may have been too heavy of a punishment, but even then… there’s no way I’d overlook how you just lied and held my lady in contempt.”
“I-in that case, evidence…”
“You’ve just been convicted of the crime of embezzlement. Do you really think anyone here would trust you more than my lady or I? Why? Because you’re an adult and we’re just kids? That’s true. Because you’re a senior employee and I’m just a newcomer? That’s also true. However, you betrayed the trust of the master, so this is the end for you.”
“N-no way…”
Hanging her head, the guards dragged her away. Losing interest, I turned back to Lady Sophia.
“My lady, it’s all right now. There are no more bad maids who will bully you anymor– woah!”
But before I could even finish, Lady Sophia had jumped into my arms.
“Thanks, Cyril! Thanks for believing in Sophia!”
“…of course I did. I told you, didn’t I? I will always be there for you.”
From then on, I continued to stay by Lady Sophia’s side as I helped her grow just like the noble rose that symbolised the Rozenberg house.
“Today’s lesson is about how to hold yourself with grace. Straighten your back, and try to keep the nerves at the ends of your fingertips taut as you move your limbs.”
“Umm, uhh… like this?”
“Yes, exactly like that, my lady. You should more or less be just at the boundary between stillness and movement… in other words, move your limbs as if you were carrying heavy luggage with them.”
“Okay, Sophia understands~”
Some days, I taught her how to present herself as the daughter of a Marquis–
“Un, deux, trois, un, deux, trois. Walk elegantly and beautifully without changing the height of your waist or shaking your head. Yes, that’s it. That’s very beautiful, my lady.”
“Ehehe~ thanks. Sophia will work even harder!”
Some days, I taught her how to walk with grace.
I continued to educate my lady day after day just like that.
As she grew older, the classes changed too. I taught her how to sing, play violin, how to dance, brew tea, make embroidery, and etiquette.
You may think it was too much for a child, but Lady Sophia never complained.
On the contrary–
“Hey~ Cyril, I’ll do my best to meet your expectations, so please keep teaching me things from now on.”
She actually wanted me to teach her more things, and by the time we celebrated her tenth birthday, she was refined to the point that she could stand proud, without a single point to be ashamed of at her debutante.
To be honest, I didn’t expect the specs of a villainous daughter destined for execution to be so high.
…no, she’s actually not that good at learning things. There are probably many out there who could pick up the same things in a fraction of the time.
But Lady Sophia single-mindedly practiced whatever I taught her. She never complained, and continued to work at them again and again until she was finally able to do them properly.
She was a genius in putting in effort.
To make sure she never fell to ruin, I made sure to teach her all that I knew.
I taught her about the darkness of the nobility, how to negotiate, self-defense techniques to protect herself, and even some of the magic I had learned in my previous life.
And so–
Her posture was now suitable for a daughter of a Marquis, and her voice had been trained to easily allure others. Her silver hair that I brushed everyday was smooth as silk, and her skin now had a healthy glow to it from the daily beauty treatments.
My lady who was about to turn twelve was growing up into a talented angel.
“Cyril, can you comb my hair?”
“Yes of course, my lady.”
While I was gently straightening out her platinum blonde hair with a comb, I felt a gaze on me. Looking up, my lady was observing me through the mirror.
“Is there something wrong?”
“Fufu~ I’m just looking at your face, Cyril.”
“I don’t think there’s anything that interesting about it… come to think of it, aren’t you about to turn twelve soon, my lady?”
“Yes, will father or mother be able to celebrate it this year?”
“They’ve sent congratulatory messages and presents, but as for the party itself…”
The Marquis and Marchioness– her parents have been very busy lately and haven’t had much time to spend in the mansion. They might be able to have a celebration at another time, but they’ve rarely ever attended any of the actual parties on her birthday.
This was one of the reasons why Lady Sophia turned into the villainous daughter.
I was worried about my lady’s psychological state, but her reflection was showing a gentle smile.
“I guess it can’t be helped since they’re busy. More importantly, will you be celebrating it this year too, Cyril?”
“Of course, not just me, but all of the servants will be there to congratulate you.”
In the game, the villainous daughter was hated by the servants.
Her relationship with them had become strained because her remarks about the maid abusing her were recognised as lies, so I had made preparations in anticipation of that.
But in this world, my lady was actually loved by them.
“That makes me really happy, but… don’t forget, what matters to me most is if you’re there.”
“I’m honoured, my lady.”
Just like this, my lady had grown up knowing how to say flattery. In recent years, after guests from other houses had seen her during tea parties, the matchmaking requests sent in would pile up like mountains.
However, the master ended up refusing them all.
The Rosenberg Marquis house held considerable power and had no reason to make a poor political marriage. Furthermore, even if Lady Sophia’s parents weren’t home very often, the love they had for their daughter was actually very strong.
With that in mind, it seems like they intended to have her marry her desired partner instead.
However, soon she was going to meet the second prince Alforth and fall in love with him. In the game’s setting, it said that her father noticed this and that’s actually how their engagement was made.
When taking that into consideration, it only seemed natural that the marriage propositions of other houses were refused.
More importantly, with how beautiful my lady has grown, it should be easy for her to take the second prince’s heart. Or rather, even if she was silent, I had no doubts that he would initiate courtship on his own.
With my lady as she is now, there should be no predisposition for her to fall into darkness, and she should have more than enough charm to attract the second prince. In order to save Lady Sophia from her destiny, my initial goals had been achieved.
However, there was still one more factor to worry about.
It was the event where the heroine and the second prince would meet for the first time and fall in love.
The first prince’s birthday party.
During this celebration where Lady Sophia falls for the second prince, there’s a scene where the heroine gets involved with the son of a noble, but is then saved by the prince while he was hiding his identity.
Since he was currently there undercover, they had split up without even learning each other’s names. However, once the two are reunited at the school, they suddenly recall this moment and their love is reborn.
So I was going to crush this event.
If the fated encounter between the prince and the heroine was blocked, there would be absolutely no chance of the talented Lady Sophia having him stolen from her.
Finally, I was about to change the future where the villainous daughter falls into ruin.
–it was the first prince’s birthday party.
I was currently accompanying Lady Sophia.
But for some reason, I wasn’t here as her butler, but as her escort.
One would usually be escorted by their lover or their fiancé, but since children didn’t really have such partners, it was tradition for someone in the family to take this role instead.
If this was a normal situation, one of Lady Sophia’s family members would be doing this right now, but… her parents were busy.
So my lady ended up asking me to be her escort in their place, since I was already practically family.
–typically, something like this would never be acceptable.
I was born into a prestigious family that has served the Rosenberg Marquis house for generations, but I wasn’t a nobleman. It would usually be impossible for me to be my lady’s escort.
However, both my lady and I were still children.
Knowing how sought after she was, the master had decided it would be better to leave the role to a trusted servant rather than risk having a bad partner escort her.
As a result of various circumstances, a situation that was normally impossible was realised.
“Hey, Cyril. Do I look beautiful right now?”
“Of course you do. Lady Sophia, you’re shining far brighter than anyone else at this venue. Everyone here is undoubtedly mesmerised by you.”
“…but what about you?”
While walking beside me, my lady turned up towards my face. Looking at her profile, a shadow of the Lady Sophia who cried so much as a child seemed to appear for a moment.
“What about me?”
“You’re my escort, not anyone else. It doesn’t matter what the other gentlemen think. In regards to how I look right now, do I… captivate you?”
“…my lady.”
To give priority to her escort partner’s opinion.
…my lady is growing up.
“Of course I’m captivated by you.”
“…I see.”
My lady nodded and smiled innocently at my response. At that action, sighs spilled from those who were paying attention to her. Lady Sophia was clearly the heroine of this venue.
With how beautiful my lady had grown, nobles started swarming to greet her, but nobility was a class-system, so those of lower rank didn’t dare to interrupt the conversations of those higher than them.
The meetings between Lady Sophia and the other nobles advanced smoothly.
Soon after, a strangely sparkling boy came to give his greetings.
His figure was exactly like that of what was shown in the game.
“…its Alforth, the second prince. Though it looks like he’s keeping his identity a secret.”
I whispered that into Lady Sophia’s ear, and as expected, she was surprised to have the prince greet her, even to the point of letting out a small, “Oh my.”
But just like how I had raised her, she was easily able to adapt to unexpected situations. With sophistication and grace, she welcomed the second prince with a curtsey.
“Ah- umm… I-I’m Al. Uhh… m-may I hear your name?”
“…of course, Lord Al. My name is Sophia, the daughter of Marquis Rosenberg.”
She didn’t curtsey this time, and gave him a carefree smile instead.
Alforth’s face immediately flushed bright red. While the prince had probably met many beautiful butterflies within his social circles, this was probably the first time he’s ever received the graces of an angel.
By the way, curtseys were only supposed to be for people who were ranked higher than yourself. In other words, Lady Sophia’s first greeting told the prince that she knew who he was.
However, because his identity was supposed to be hidden right now, he needed to ad-lib a bit.
Despite this, he still seemed to be enraptured by Lady Sophia’s beauty, and had been left dumbfounded.
However, the prince wasn’t being immature, his reaction was perfectly appropriate for his age. On the contrary, considering that he was only twelve, he was already more than mature enough.
He only seemed that way because Lady Sophia was mentally far beyond her years in comparison.
My lady has been working herself to death for the past six years now…
I felt deeply moved when I thought about how the first love of the girl I raised was finally about to begin.
“Umm, Sophia. Would you care to have this dance with me?”
“Uh, that’s a little…”
Lady Sophia sent me a troubled look.
Usually one’s first dance partner would be their escort. However, this person was the second prince, even if he was undercover right now. This was something that should be accepted without hesitation.
Plus, this was an invitation to dance from her first love. Even if this would usually be considered rude, I wouldn’t mind at all, or rather, I’d even push for it.
She had really been doing her best until now, so it should be fine for her to be selfish for once.
“Because this is a special invitation, you should dance with him.”
“…I guess you’re right. Okay, since Cyril gave his approval, one song should be fine.”
My lady made a somewhat lonely smile. However, that was probably just my imagination, because at the very next moment, she was wearing a smile fitting of the daughter of a Marquis.
“…Cyril. I’ll be back soon, so please wait for me.”
“Yes, of course.”
With my consent, the second prince then pulled her to the dance hall by the hand.
A silver princess and a golden prince.
The lovely appearance of the two gathered the gazes of all their surroundings. Embracing each other, they began dancing to the music in triple time.
The second prince was acting appropriately for his age– he was a little awkward, but Lady Sophia made up for it by doing the dance as it was intended, filled with grace. Sighs of exclamation leaked out in awe at her beauty.
Indirect lighting created with magic tools illuminated the hall.
Under such a light, my lady seemed to shine even more spectacularly. It was as if it was a god’s whim to bathe her in the spotlight.
In the game she was destined to be executed as the villainous daughter, but now she was undoubtedly the heroine of this venue. My lady had finally broken her fate.
And if my lady didn’t fall into darkness, I would inevitably escape from execution as well.
My initial goals had been fulfilled.
–but I was her butler. It was my job to make sure that she’s happy. For that reason, there was still work to be done, and with that in mind, I turned around.
My lady told me that she would be back soon, but there’s no way the conversation she’d be having with her first love would finish that quickly. Or rather, if they returned and I wasn’t there, they’d be able to slowly enjoy their time alone together.
I walked through the hall while thinking that.
The heroine of Espressivo of Light and Darkness should be somewhere in this venue. The second prince was currently captivated by Lady Sophia, so there wasn’t anyone here to help her.
I felt a little bad, the heroine shouldn’t have to suffer just so that Lady Sophia wouldn’t fall into darkness. I wanted to eliminate such possibilities.
Or rather, I was actually quite fond of the heroine. I couldn’t overlook the fact that she’d be involved with a degenerate noble son and just ignore her.
She was supposed to be somewhere in this venue… found her. Just in time too– isn’t something I should be saying while she’s currently entangled with the noble son.
Breaking in between them, I hid the heroine behind me.
“She obviously doesn’t like what you’re doing. Can’t you see that?”
“What?! Who the hell are you?! Don’t you know that I’m the son of Count Reed?!”
“Oh, so that’s who you are? In that case, I take it you wouldn’t mind if I sent a formal complaint to your father later then?”
“Wha-? T-that’s… urgh. That’s not necessary!”
Count Reed’s son then ran off in a hurry. He might be a degenerate son, but it looks like his parents were surprisingly tough on him to the point that he’d be troubled if they knew.
By the way, I only knew that because of the game. Even my line from before was just me copying what the prince said.
“Are you alright, my lady? …my lady?”
I turned around and called out to the heroine, but she didn’t respond despite how she was looking straight at me.
“My lady? Are you alright?”
“…eh? Ah, I’m fine.”
“Is that so? I’m glad that you’re okay.”
“–fue?! Ah, u-u-u-umm, that’s… t-thank you so much.”
A literal prince was supposed to save her, but I had twisted fate and ruined that chance encounter of hers.
If I meet her again at the school, I’ll try to support whatever romance she pursues. As the heroine, she should have plenty of potential love interests besides the prince.
“Now then, please excuse me.”
Although I tried to turn around and leave, the heroine had caught my sleeve.
“U-umm, I’m Alicia. The daughter of Viscount Lindberg. Can I ask you for your name?”
–oh? In the game, they should’ve separated without learning of each other’s identities… did fate change a little because of my interference?
Well… there’s no point in lying here.
“My name is Cyril.”
“Lord Cyril?”
“No, I don’t have any titles. Although I may be dressed like this, I’m no aristocrat, just a mere butler.”
“Huh? A butler?”
“Yes. I apologise if that makes you feel uncomfortable.”
“Fue?! N-no, I’m a low-class noble myself, so that doesn’t bother me at all!”
Certainly, while its true that a Viscount house might be considered low-class when compared to Marquis or Count houses, it’s still a position far above the clouds from the perspective of ordinary people.
It’d be utterly boorish of me to say that though, so I just parried that statement with a smile.
“A-anyways… I actually don’t know anybody here… so if you’re okay with it, can we share a dance together?”
“…you want to dance with me?”
The heroine has a dance scene with someone mid-way through the game. She’d partner with the person who she had raised the most favourability with, entering their capture route afterwards.
…but no matter how similar this place was to the game world, this was reality. It was impossible for a noble daughter attending a party to have only danced once.
Given that, it was only natural for her to have danced with people that weren’t mentioned in the original work.
And actually, rather than that difference, the fact that she’s the one that gave the invitation surprised me far more. In this world, it wasn’t recommended for women to be the ones that asked others to dance.
However, the heroine in the game had a personality that didn’t care about things like that.
In my previous life, it was normal for women to take the initiative, so the heroine’s personality was probably set to match those values.
Realising that, I couldn’t help but feel like I was slowly being dyed this world’s colours.
“Or is it… no good?”
Her bluish eyes shook uneasily.
“No, perish the thought. My lady, may I please have this dance?”
I held my hand out to Alicia.
Although I was thrown off by her invitation, humiliating her by rejecting it was out of the question.
…now that I think about it, the rules of this world’s nobility were kind of annoying.
In any case, I somehow ended up dancing with the heroine.
After giving a bow, I drew her in close and we started dancing together in triple time.
Alicia’s face approached mine. Framed by her bluish hair, it was small, containing well balanced features like glossy lips and eyes you could easily lose yourself in.
As expected of the game’s heroine, she was adorable for her age. As I was just a bonus to the villainous daughter, I never would’ve gotten this chance normally.
While thinking it was a little troublesome, I gently took the lead. Dancing with Alicia was fun, but her skills were appropriate for her age and she ended up stepping on my feet three times.
I let it slide and just kept smiling… but now that I think about it, the second prince shouldn’t be that different than the heroine when it came to dancing.
My lady’s dance should be over by now… I hope that he didn’t step on her feet.
Afterwards, I reluctantly told Alicia goodbye and turned away to leave the dance hall.
And at that moment–
“…there you are.”
Suddenly, a cold voice rang out from behind me. Looking back in surprise, for some reason, Lady Sophia was standing there.
“I told you, didn’t I? ‘I’ll be back soon, so please wait for me’, didn’t you hear me? Why weren’t you there?”
“My apologies. I thought you would’ve wanted some time alone with the second prince.”
“Now why would you ever have that idea?”
Somehow, my lady’s words seemed to have a sharpness to them. This is the first time I’ve ever seen her so moody. Did the second prince step on her feet after all?
“My lady I–”
“…why won’t you look at me?”
–eh? Wait a second. Isn’t that the line Lady Sophia says when she falls into darkness as the villainous daughter after the second prince is stolen away by the heroine?
Why would she be saying that now?
……oh, is it that?
Did I accidentally take the prince’s position?
…seriously?
“Hey… Cyril, you said that you’d always be there for me, right? So why did you leave me alone? And when I finally found you… you were dancing with another girl.”
AHHHHHHH!!! It’s not like I don’t feel guilty about that!
Nonono, I still don’t understand this.
I took the prince’s position?! What’s with that?! Does that mean if I get along with the heroine, Lady Sophia will fall into darkness, become evil, and be destroyed with me?
There’s too many things here for me to process.
“Hey… Cyril, why aren’t you saying anything?”
“Well, you see… I helped her out when I saw that she was in trouble, so she invited me to a dance to show her thanks, that’s all.”
“…is that so?”
A little bit of light returned to my lady’s eyes.
“Yes, that’s right. I just couldn’t leave her like that.”
“So that’s how it was. You’re really kind, Cyril… but I only want you to be kind to me if possible…”
“…?!”
What’s with this destructive power?! Her embarrassed smile was like an angel’s. I know that I’m the one who raised her, but she truly was cute.
But… I was just a butler, while she was the daughter of a Marquis. Moreover, if I really had taken over the prince’s position, then the heroine might get involved with me in the future.
Is there anyway my lady could fall into darkness and be killed this way?
…no, let’s think about this calmly.
She should be fine. I brought up my lady so that she’d be able to cope with any manner of trickery. Even if she falls into darkness, any evils she commits would be impossible to reveal.
If it were my lady, then she’d surely be able to easily eliminate her target without anyone knowing.
–wait, then wasn’t I the one that would be killed?!
Oh, but I don’t think the heroine has fallen for me, so I should be fine… no, even if the she decides to pursue another romance besides the second prince, some reason to become jealous and turn evil was always found no matter what the route.
This isn’t good, if things continued at this rate– then I’ll be the only one killed.
Of all things, why did this have to happen?!
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Chapter 01: A Butlers Choice 1
The day after attending the party.
I was summoned by the Marquis, the head of the Rosenberg house. Although I have had the opportunities to speak with him in the past, this was the first time I’ve ever been called to his office.
Considering the timing, the business he has with me must be related to the party. Wondering what he was going to say to me, I entered the room tensely.
A working room suitable for the head of a Marquis house– it seemed to be made with those expectations a visitor would have in mind.
Multiple paintings done by famous artists and antique furnishings were gathered here, while the shelves lined up against the walls were filled with books that were still considered popular to this day.
In the back of such a room, sitting behind an oppressive-looking desk, the Marquis continued to run his pen over a document despite having sent a glance my way.
Of course, as his servant I made no moves to interrupt him, and a few minutes after I decided to take that attitude, he suddenly put down his writing utensil.
“Hmm… you didn’t try to call out to me.”
“It was because I already knew that you were aware of me, Master.”
If he had noticed me and still chose to continue his work despite that, then the documents he was processing had to be more important than our meeting. If I couldn’t even understand that much and disturbed him, I’d be disqualified as a servant.
“Yes, that’s a mistake that most newcomers make at least once. So you already understand that at your age? As expected of someone who received Cedric’s recognition at the mere age of six.”
Cedric was my father and the exclusive butler of the Marquis. When I passed the strict test he imposed, he gave his recommendation to have me apprentice as Lady Sophia’s servant.
Although I gave acceptable results, my father’s request could have only been seen as unreasonable from an outside perspective, and yet the Marquis still accepted his proposal even then.
Or maybe that’s just how much trust they had in each other.
“You should know why I’ve called you here. Yesterday, you were given the important job of being Sophia’s escort. Knowing that his son was chosen for that, Cedric was really proud of you.”
“Thank you, but… I can’t accept that praise. I was unable to fulfill the role given to me.”
“Is this why Sophia had to leave half-way through the celebration?”
“Yes.”
Yesterday, Lady Sophia didn’t fall into darkness. On the contrary– at least on the surface, she had returned to her usual self as the daughter of a Marquis.
However, I got sick and we ended up returning home early.
I told her that I wasn’t feeling good, but I didn’t know the cause.
Although we left after completing the necessary greetings, leaving the prince’s birthday party part-way was still a stigma. My actions had stained my lady’s reputation.
“There’s no need to worry about that. There are plenty children who don’t stay until the end and leave early, so nobody would’ve minded Sophia’s return.”
“…is that so?”
Hearing that what I did didn’t disgrace her, I felt waves of relief wash over me.
“On the contrary, it was probably the right answer to return that soon. That dance attracted too much attention from the surroundings.”
“Although he was undercover, her partner was the second prince after all.”
“Oh, so you knew who he was? That isn’t the reason though. Only a few people there were able to discern his true identity.”
“So then what attracted the attention?”
“It was how cute my daughter’s dancing figure was, of course.”
‘He’s a doting parent’– is what I reflexively thought, but I absolutely kept that to myself. It probably wasn’t an exaggeration, and now the marriage proposals flooding in for Lady Sophia had increased.
If we didn’t leave then, an insolent person with no tact might’ve even started bringing these matters up with her in person.
“I’m relieved to hear that my actions didn’t become a source of shame for the young lady or you, Master. However, this was only a coincidence that I didn’t realise until after the deed was done. There is no excuse for what I did.”
Being aware that your movements wouldn’t cause any inconveniences, and taking action while ignorant of the consequences were two totally different situations, even if things worked out in the end. What I had done was the latter, and that wasn’t something to be praised.
“…sometimes, I question whether you truly are a child.”
“I threw away the innocence of my youth the moment I became the young lady’s apprentice butler.”
In most cases, being a child was an indulgence.
However, an official butler wasn’t a role one could take with that mentality, and now that I had taken it, I had no intentions of reveling in the luxury of my age.
If I ever did, I was sure the Marquis would relieve me of my position.
“…I see. So this is why my daughter trusts you so much.”
“Lady Sophia said that?”
“It was obvious even if she didn’t say so. She trusts you more than anyone.”
“Such words are–”
The Marquis raised his hand to stop me, before continuing.
“I don’t care. Rather, I had called you here because there was something I wanted to ask you. What was the real reason as to why my daughter left early?”
“That is…”
‘It’s because the young lady was about to fall into darkness when she saw me dancing with the game’s heroine.’ –There’s no way I could say something like that.
“I heard that it was after she danced with the second prince, did he do something to her?”
“No. The young lady returned early because I had behaved unsuitably as her escort, which in turn brought her misery.”
“’Behaved unsuitably’, you say? Are you talking about how after you left Sophia to the second prince, you had a dance with the daughter of Viscount Lindberg?”
“…you knew about that?”
He told me he wanted to ask me something, but he already seemed to know everything.
I felt like he was trying to get some kind of answer out of me.
…maybe I was just overthinking it. However, if it was known that my lady became jealous after she saw me dancing with the heroine, I might not be able to stay by her side anymore.
“Lady Sophia and the second prince looked so good together that I thought they could enjoy some time alone if I left them, but… I guess that wasn’t appropriate of me as her escort.”
“…I understand, so you’re saying that it was all because you were blind to my daughter’s thoughts?”
“Yes. The young lady is brilliant after all.”
Rather than her growing jealous, I had turned the conversation towards her becoming frustrated with me for neglecting my duties as her escort. Which was true, in a sense.
“I’m a little dissatisfied as a father… or should I say that’s a perfect answer for a servant?”
“Pardon?”
“It’s nothing, I’m just talking to myself. More importantly, what’s your opinion on the second prince?”
How taken he was with Lady Sophia’s beauty and the like– probably weren’t the answers he was looking for. He wanted to know if he was suitable to be her partner.
Meaning–
“Master, are you thinking about engaging the young lady to the second prince?”
“I don’t know yet. That’s why I’m taking your opinion in as a factor before I make my judgement.”
“Isn’t that too much for a servant like myself?”
“Don’t worry, its only one of the aspects I’m taking into consideration.”
My escape route has been sealed.
Just as the Marquis said, my impressions wouldn’t affect the results, but the fact that I still had to express my opinion remained.
With the possibility that my answer might reach my lady in the future, I didn’t want to say anything that would make her cry. At the same time, however, the second prince was someone she loved so much that her counterpart in the game went insane.
Since I didn’t know what the future would be like, I was going to try to refrain from saying any careless remarks.
“Right now he still has the maturity of a child his age, but eventually I think he will grow into a splendid person.”
“In other words, you’re saying he’s suitable to become Sophia’s fiancé?”
“That is…”
I stopped my words there and swallowed my saliva. My next words were going to determine the future. It definitely felt that way.
But I was Lady Sophia’s exclusive butler. It was my job to make sure she’s happy. Therefore, my answer to this question was obvious from the beginning.
Putting power into my stomach, I looked straight into the Marquis’ eyes.
“–for that, I think it would be better to confirm the young lady’s will.”
“Oh? We’re talking about a political marriage, but you’re saying I should still take my daughter’s opinion into consideration?”
“Although I’m only an apprentice, I’m still Lady Sophia’s exclusive butler. My first priority at all times is her happiness.”
If it didn’t lead to the joy of my lady, then whether this union was beneficial or detrimental to the Marquis house was irrelevant. I had prepared myself to take his displeasure at my answer, but he suddenly burst into laughter.
“Haha… I see, so I should ask for my daughter’s opinion first.”
“…did I say something strange?”
“No, it wasn’t an interesting answer at all, but… you pass.”
“…I passed?”
I had no idea as to what was going on.
Even before I could ask, the Marquis had opened his mouth again.
“Today, at this moment, I’m promoting you from your apprenticeship to that of an official butler.”
“–I will receive this honour with gratitude.”
Although I was a bit surprised, I had already made my resolution for this long ago. I chased away my doubts into a corner of my mind, and immediately thanked him as his servant.
“As a student, I would like for you to accompany Sophia as she enters junior high. Though, since you’ve been the one that’s been teaching her until now, I don’t really think you need a formal education…”
“No, such concerns are useless. As long as I can serve by the young lady’s side, I don’t mind being a student. I’m her exclusive butler after all.”
I responded with pride now that my position had been officially recognised.
At the same time, I made my resolve while thinking about the future. The next three years in junior high will be an important time for my lady.
At least for now, I have currently taken the prince’s position.
I wasn’t going to deny the fact, nor would I say that it didn’t make me a little bit happy. However, I was only a butler, and my eyes weren’t going to shy away from the reality that my lady was the daughter of a Marquis.
What choice my lady would ultimately make in the end was unknown to me, but it was obvious that things would only grow more troublesome once the heroine got involved.
Though luckily, the heroine was of a lower class of nobility.
The school in the capital city actually teaches from elementary school, but only a few ever attended there, since the majority of noble children were usually taught by private tutors.
This was especially true for low ranking nobles. There were many cases where tutors taught them all of their subjects from elementary school to junior high, with them only attending the highschool section because they had refined out all of their disgraceful sides by that age.
Just like in the game, Alicia wouldn’t enter the academy until highschool for the same reasons.
There was a scene where she wishes to enter the junior high section in hopes of reuniting with the person who saved her, but is persuaded by her parents to rethink that desire, and gives up.
Therefore, I had a three-year grace period until things became complicated. I would like to calm the current situation down before then… hopefully.
For the next little while, I thoroughly prepared my lady for the entrance examination.
The purpose of the test was to classify us according to our abilities. Aristocrats who have been educated since their childhood rarely failed.
But as the daughter of a Marquis, it wouldn’t be enough for Lady Sophia to just pass. It was necessary for her to achieve a grade suitable for her status.
That’s what I thought, but then I saw the contents of the past exams.
The content of the written examination ranges from problems that could be solved by any child of the same age, to questions that would even trouble a highschool student.
If the average of your scores reached eighty points, it seems like you’ll be chosen for the elite classes.
However, even if they were problems highschool students would be troubled with, my lady could solve them easily in her current state. Not just a score appropriate for her status, she may even take the position of the top student.
I was rather worried about my lady’s current mental state– but she was surprisingly healthy. There wasn’t a single visage of the version of herself that she showed during the party.
That’s how it was for now at least…
Then the date of the exam came without any problems.
The school was located in the capital city far away from the Rosenberg territory. Both my lady and I had moved into a second house in the capital city in advance, and now we’re leaving from there to the school by carriage.
Soon we entered the academy grounds located in the corner of the city, and had exited the carriage near the school building. On its walls, there were posters for taking the classification exam.
“My lady, I’m going to go and check out the test site, so please wait here for a bit.”
“Oh, can’t I go with you?”
‘Wouldn’t it be a hassle coming back for me?’ — She said that, but I could see the curiosity welling up in her eyes. Her interests had been spiked because she was visiting this place for the first time.
“If that’s you wish for, my lady– is what I would like to say, but please wait here because its dangerous.”
“Okayyy…”
Laughing a little at my lady’s pouting, I entrusted her to the maid that came with us while saying, “I’ll leave my lady to you,” and entered the crowd in front of the school building.
The student body didn’t completely consist of aristocrats, there were actually commoners here too, and there wasn’t any guarantee they wouldn’t hold grudges against the nobility, so it wasn’t possible for me to take my lady into the crowd.
While scouting out the area for dangerous individuals, someone suddenly bumped into me.
“I-I’m so sorry, are you okay?”
I had spread out my magic power into an alert state, but it was only a maid that collided with me. Moreover, she even apologised right after in a panic. I didn’t feel any hostility from her.
She repeatedly apologised afterwards before walking away, saying that the young lady she served was waiting. While thinking her groundless anxiety was somewhat suspicious, I tried listening in on her conversation without directing my line of sight her way.
“Thank you for your patience. My lady, it looks like your written test will be in a classroom on the first floor.”
“I see, thanks for checking.”
“Your words are wasted on me. More importantly, are you sure it was okay to enroll in the junior high without your parent’s consent, my lady?”
“Honestly, I’m a bit anxious about it, but there’s something I needed to do here that I just couldn’t give up on.”
What I could hear of their talk didn’t seem that unusual. It sounded like it was the first time the young lady had been brought to a place with an unspecified number of people, and now they were a bit on edge.
The young lady was probably a lower class noble if she was enrolling in the junior high without her parent’s consent. Though, I did like that motivated attitude she seemed to have.
Maybe she’d even become one of Lady Sophia’s friends– I felt myself inadvertently smile as I thought about my lady’s dazzling school life.
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A Butler’s Choice 2
“Thank you for waiting. My lady, you and I seem to have our exam in the classroom at the back of the first floor.”
“I see, thanks. By the way, Cyril, that girl you were paying attention to earlier…”
She was looking into my eyes.
Looking back, she seems to have been worrying about something for a while now. Although she was still carrying herself with grace, she wasn’t moving like she usually did.
“Please rest assured, it was just a maid that bumped into me.”
“No, that’s not…”
She was making an expression that said she still had something to say.
Apparently, she still seemed to be uneasy about something. Noticing that, I immediately knelt down, looked up towards her and gently grabbed her hand.
“It’s okay. No matter what happens, I’ll be there to protect you, my lady.”
“Is that true? Will you really stay with me forever?”
“Of course, I will always be there for you. The promise I made to you back during our childhood is something I will never forget.”
“…thanks, Cyril.”
Her cheeks flushed slightly, and all of the anxiety from her facial expression seemed to disappear. Luckily, it looks like I was able to appease her worries this time.
“Now then, I’ll be your guide, so let’s go to the classroom.”
“Okay, I’ll leave it to you.”
I then led my lady to the exam site.
First, the student applicants will take the written test in the classrooms, after which, there were practical exams that covered etiquette, dance, singing and playing instruments that we’d be divided into groups for.
Even though I had enrolled as a student in the servant course, I had taken the written test in the same classroom as my lady, this was all due to the master’s influence– not, it was probably just because I sent my application in at the same time as her.
One’s status didn’t matter here. Since the school had a policy that all students were to be treated equally regardless of their origins, both the nobility and the commoners took their exams together.
However, the two social castes would be separated into different courses right after enrollment, so it didn’t really make much sense.
At the beginning of the game, there are introductory descriptions of the heroines capture targets that she just barely missed at the examination venue, and among them were even commoners. With that in mind, the rule was probably just part of the setting to make scenarios in the original work more convenient.
But this was reality, so we needed to be cautious.
There were only a limited number of children with status higher than my lady, but whether it was best to treat them as equals, or to ignore school policies and treat them as superiors was difficult to decide.
As for those who were below her… she should be fine.
“Cyril, is this it?”
After my lady entered the classroom and began looking for her seat according to her exam number, she called out to me.
It was impossible for her to fail. I knew that, and yet I still couldn’t help but feel nervous.
But it was a groundless worry.
“…is the school life I dreamed about having together with you about to begin?”
Turning my way, she whispered her hopes to me. In that moment, she wasn’t the daughter of a Marquis house, but a normal girl.
Fascinated by my lady’s charms, sighs spilled from those whose attentions were stolen by her. I also loved this part of her, but she shouldn’t forget that this is a classroom.
“My lady, telling such jokes at this time isn’t appropriate.”
As I lightly scolded her like that, her expression twisted into a pout as she went, “Okayyy~”
However, she immediately smiled again and said, “But Cyril, I don’t make jokes that can be misunderstood. Please remember that, okay?” before breaking out into a small laugh.
My lady wasn’t just cute, but also very strong mentally.
Then suddenly–
“–Lady Sophia. You’re the Rosenberg Marquis house’s Lady Sophia, right?”
When the boy’s voice called out to her, I moved my lady behind me before examining the newcomer. He had red hair and blue eyes that you could feel a strong will behind.
With how he was dressed like a butler, he seemed to be a fellow servant course student.
In this school, nobility and commoners were supposed to be equal. However, that was a rule in name only. So my correct response here is–
“Identify yourself. You’ve acted rude towards my lady, apologise immediat–”
“–Cyril, it’s fine.”
“But, my lady…”
“In this school, I heard that people are to be treated equal regardless of their status. There should be nothing wrong with his actions, or am I wrong?”
“…as you wish.”
My lady’s answer was correct– so I smiled and moved back diagonally behind her.
Even if the school policy states that nobles and commoners were supposed to be equal, such an ideal was impossible to realise on its own. Since that was the case, it was only true when the person in the superior position accepted it.
Therefore, I manipulated the circumstances so that she could easily make that acknowledgement without losing face. How easily my lady was able to read my intentions and react to the situation was already far beyond the skill of a twelve year old.
“So who are you, and what business do you have with me?”
“I… no, my name is Raymond. Please make me your exclusive butler, my lady.”
He was job hunting.
But this wasn’t something you did during an exam. Even if she wasn’t a noble this would be considered rude. That’s what I thought, but I couldn’t speak out until my lady gave her response first.
Throughout our time here at the school, there’s no doubt similar things will happen in the future. Since my lady was in a different course than I, these situations might occur while I’m not around.
So let’s take this opportunity to see if she can handle this one without me.
“While it may be my exclusive butler, it isn’t something I can designate on my own.”
“No, I don’t need to serve the Rosenberg house right this instant. For now, I just want you to appoint me to that position while you’re enrolled here.”
“…while I’m enrolled?”
My lady leaned backwards and tilted her head.
This wasn’t explained to her, but there was a system here where servant course students could act as the attendants for the children of the nobles and other rich individuals.
It was a system in place so that the higher-class could learn how to behave as leaders, while the lower-class could learn how to act as followers. Since it wasn’t uncommon for this master-servant relationship to continue past graduation, it was also a chance to secure a job.
As I told her that, my lady immediately understood.
“I’ve heard your story, but I’ve already decided that I’m only going to have one person as my butler.”
“…I see, so is he the one from the rumours then? The one so skilled that he received that position when he was only six?”
“Yes, as my exclusive butler– Cyril is the best there is.”
My lady probably didn’t have any ill intent when she proudly said that with a smile, but she seems to have stirred up Raymond’s pride. He was glaring at me.
“There’s no way I’m inferior to such a man. I’ll show you that I’m even better than him with the entrance examination, so please consider appointing me to that position instead once you see the results.”
“…okay then. If you can prove that you’re better than Cyril, I will hire you as my exclusive butler.”
“Thank you so much!”
Raymond expressed his gratitude to my lady before sending me a challenging gaze.
“You heard her, Cyril. Don’t feel bad, but with this exam I’ll prove that I’m more suitable as Lady Sophia’s attendant.”
With that declaration, Raymond returned to his seat. Turning my line of sight back to my lady… yikes, she was fuming.
However, with the attention of her surroundings gathered on her, she stayed silent. Eventually, their interest waned, and it was only when the classroom returned to its usual bustle that she opened her mouth.
“…Cyril.”
“Yes, my lady?”
“What’s your opinion on what I just said?”
“…well, it was somewhat rash of you.”
“Then, do you understand what I want to say? You were ridiculed right to my face, and now I’m terribly displeased.”
“I understand. I also felt angry when your ability to judge one’s character was belittled.”
My lady had advocated for me as her exclusive butler. Despite this, Raymond went on to denounce my qualifications for that position.
It was no different from denying my lady’s judgement.
“Now then, prove that my eyes weren’t wrong about you.”
“As you wish– is what I’d like to say, but do you understand that both nobles and commoners take the exam at the same time? The top scorer among them being chosen to be the freshman representative?”
Lady Sophia will probably get an evaluation close to a perfect score. However, I wasn’t sure who would be the top scorer if I were to seriously compete against her.
“Oh, I never said I’d lose that easily though? I’m your student after all.”
“Of course I knew that but…”
Considering the level of the exam, it was unlikely for the both of us to receive full marks. However, if there was a tie, then Lady Sophia would be chosen as the representative due to her status.
And if that was the case, her reputation would be damaged.
“I’m not interested in any honour handed to me, so don’t hold back. Show him– no, show everyone that you’re the best butler in the world.”
“If that is what you want, my lady.”
My wish was for my lady to become the representative, but if she wants me to take this seriously, then there’s no helping it. I will prove my abilities as her exclusive butler.
So that I could continue to stay by her side, I tried my best with the exams.
I attended a magic academy in my previous life, and I already had the general subjects memorised. In addition to that, I trained myself to be an official butler and gained knowledge so I could teach my lady everything she needed to know.
As expected, it was impossible for me to lose points in a written test for a junior highschool student’s education.
The written test was to be self-scored, and I received perfect marks.
After that, we were moved to the exam venue and conducted assessments in etiquette and singing. Although there were still imperfections, I was still able to display a clear difference compared to the other children.
Considering the difficulty of the written test, my practical evaluations will probably give almost flawless grades.
That’s how I managed to complete the exams until there were only two subjects left. For me, violin playing would be considered a weak subject, while dance would be considered one of my best.
But first, it was my lady’s turn to play the violin.
The song chosen was a piece said to have been created by a prominent musician hired by a former king. Normally it was a difficult song, but the test used an easier practice version of it.
Having been honing her skills since childhood, my lady played the music without any problems. Drawing the bow, her platinum blonde hair seemed to shimmer. Even a single glance would convey how lovely she was.
It wasn’t just the sound of my lady’s performance, but everything about her was beautiful.
The song wasn’t made to be that hard, but that’s exactly why her talent seemed even more prominent. Even those who were busy preparing lessons stopped to listen to her.
Only the sound created by my lady echoed out in the quiet venue. The test area created for a multitude of people had been transformed into a stage just for her.
The young lady that I had raised was shining far brighter than anyone else. This scene made me well up with pride.
But all good things had to come to an end. The performance finished and silence spread throughout the site. Soon, one person started clapping their hands, an action that was quickly copied by everyone else to a thunderous applause.
Now finished playing, my lady had returned.
I walked towards her and gently wiped off the sweat on her forehead with a towel.
“That was an amazing performance, my lady.”
“Thanks Cyril, but you know you don’t need to take care of me even now, right?”
“No, I will always be your exclusive butler, wherever and whenever.”
“…thanks. In that case, I’ll leave the violin’s maintenance to you.”
“As you wish.”
Receiving my lady’s instrument, I wiped off all of the pine resin and hand sweat until it was clean, then I loosened the string on the bow and wiped that down as well.
By the time I returned everything to the case, my turn was just about to arrive.
I didn’t have my own violin like my lady. Therefore, I borrowed the one that was being loaned out for the test, checked its tuning, and then took my stance in front of the examiner.
After giving out my exam number and name, I began playing.
I… didn’t actually have much talent when it came to playing violin, or rather, I only learned to play it so I could teach it to my lady, so I had the technique, but I lacked the charm necessary in order to attract people.
While I had no intention to lose to my lady in technical skills, I wouldn’t have the opportunity to show those off in this practice song. As things were now, my score may be dropped when subconsciously compared to her performance.
Honestly, this was actually good since I wanted her to become the representative.
But my lady ordered me to prove that I was the best butler. In order to respond to that wish of hers, I performed to the best of my abilities.
I could say with confidence that this was the greatest I’ve ever played.
But… that was it. I knew the truth because my senses were heightened. It still couldn’t compare to the gorgeous tone my lady was able to achieve.
If I were a judge, I’d lower the points relatively, considering the difference in ability she displayed. The other judges would do the same, and as a result, I’d lose.
In other words, I’d be disobeying her orders.
While pretending to be calm on the surface, I was desperately thinking about what I could do.
And at that moment, one of the instrument’s strings suddenly broke. Even if a string was new, it was still possible for it to break, so this one had probably reached the end of its life after being used multiple times for the test.
The examiner who noticed it tried to stop the performance.
–but I still kept playing the violin despite that. By pressing down on the next string with my finger to change the scale, it was still possible to play the song normally even with a string broken.
Not many people noticed it, but the examiner who tried to suspend the test definitely did. To their wide-eyed expression, I smiled.
It wasn’t easy.
But even so, I still finished playing the song as if nothing had happened.
Although the surroundings gave their applause, the size of it wasn’t comparable to when my lady played. However, the examiner seemed to be clapping especially hard.
“You displayed the technique and mental strength that didn’t falter even when problems arose. It was by far the best performance I’ve seen.”
“Thank you so much.”
I showed the examiner my gratitude, then when I returned the violin to the person in charge, they noticed the broken string and their eyes went wide.
Apparently, I was able to play it naturally enough that even they didn’t notice.
“I’m sorry, one of the strings broke. I’ll make sure to reimburse you later.”
“N-no, its fine. There’s no problem because those are consumable items anyways.”
“I see. If that’s the case, then I’ll be excusing myself.”
I finished greeting the person in charge and returned to my lady, but she was pouting her lips in displeasure.
“My lady. You know that behavior is improper, correct?”
“It’s not fair. I thought I’d be able to win against you with the practice song…”
“I was just lucky. Your performance was undoubtedly better.”
“That’s not true! You did amazing, Cyril!”
“Thank you, my lady.”
Until recently, I thought that she was just flattering me… but apparently they were all genuine compliments. I felt kind of ticklish when I realised that.
All that remained now was the dance examination.
My lady and I moved to its testing venue.
Dancing was her favourite among the practical skills– or rather, it was the subject she was the most passionate about, her improvement being inevitable with how I served as her practice partner on a daily basis.
Putting that aside– I was currently observing my lady’s dance partner.
The examiner was a teacher, but her dance partner seems to be a female student from the junior high. This was because there was too much of a height difference between a twelve year old child and the male upperclassmen or adults.
However, when a woman takes over the man’s role, the steps change.
I thought Lady Sophia and the female student who wasn’t that much older than us would be anxious, but the results showed my worries were groundless.
The female student was skilled at leading and was able to draw out my lady’s charms. She was her equal– no, if she was this good at dancing the man’s part, she might even be better than her.
I didn’t think it was possible for there to be a student this proficient in the same age group.
With her being a prominent girl of a similar age, she might even serve as a good rival for my lady.
The only thing that worried me though was that the female student was exceptionally skilled, but didn’t make an appearance in the game. With how conspicuous she is, I don’t think I would’ve forgotten her.
As I thought that, their dance continued.
Trying to gauge my lady’s limits, the other party started performing difficult moves, but my lady accepted the change gracefully and matched her with light steps.
The chilly atmosphere of the venue softened, and burning stares poured onto the two of them. Once they finished their dance, excited sighs leaked from all over the venue.
“That was beautiful, my lady.”
I walked towards Lady Sophia– who was currently receiving the gazes of her surroundings, and handed her a handkerchief wet with cold water.
“Thanks, but that was only because of my partner. It was easy to dance with her because her habits and the way she moved were really similar to you.”
“…she’s like me?”
I didn’t know for myself, but this was being said by my lady who was used to dancing with me. Putting that aside though, it was fortunate that she was able to dance to her fullest.
Although she was extremely mature for her age, she still had her childish sides. Whenever she danced with a partner she wasn’t fond of, she’d begin oozing with attitude.
“More importantly– Cyril, isn’t it your turn next? If things continue on like this, maybe I’ll actually win this time?”
My lady’s eyes had the laughing glint of a mischievous girl.
“But I want you to win.”
“You can’t, there’s no point in victory if you’re holding back!”
“Of course I won’t. I made a promise to you after all. I will prove to everyone here that I’m the best butler there is to serve you, my lady.”
After giving her a small laugh, I headed towards the examiner. Along the way, I couldn’t help but notice the bad complexion of one of the young ladies I passed by.
But my name was called while I was worrying about whether she was okay.
I pondered that thought as I got up onto the stage, before pushing it aside. There were several examiners and dance partners, but the one I was paired up with was the one who was with my lady.
“I’m Fol. It’s nice to meet you.”
“I’m Cyril. Thank you for your support.”
Probably because the examinations were starting to fall behind schedule, the music started almost immediately after only a short pause. Taking hold of her, I began leading the female student named Fol in triple time.
Her blue eyes started to sparkle, and she began dancing lightly to my lead.
I already knew that she was skilled, so I started implementing more and more difficult steps into our dance, and as expected, she easily responded to all of them.
“I was amazed by the rumoured Sophia, but you’re quite something yourself. Maybe you’re her teacher?”
“…why would you think so?”
While it might be unusual for a twelve-year-old like myself to be an exclusive butler, that was nothing in comparison to how unusual it was for the daughter of a Marquis to be educated by a child of the same age. I’ve even held back in my lady’s education a little bit because of that.
Questions like this would’ve never come out normally.
“Why? Well… I was wondering if she was the same as me.”
“The same as you? Then you’re…”
Some possibilities popped into my mind, but I didn’t get an answer.
Flipping her blonde hair and pulling at my arms, in between the steps– not me, but Fol had taken the lead.
Unlike the lead that I showed, hers was full of rough movements that broke the standard. I didn’t fight against it though, and tried to take steps that would help her shine.
“Usually a boy would take the lead, so are you really okay with giving me that role? Aren’t you afraid of losing points with the examiner?”
Fol asked such a question even though she was the one who forcibly took the initiative. As I took a step, I pondered her query for a moment before answering.
“Sure, men usually take the lead in dances, but what is leading anyway?”
“Isn’t that obvious? It means to guide your partner towards what steps to take next.”
“Your answer is correct, but my idea of it is different.”
“…what’s your idea then?”
Wanting to know my intentions, curiosity began welling up in Fol’s blue eyes.
“It’s to make your partner shine.”
“Shine?”
“Yes. To make your partner shine. Even if… they begin moving against reason.”
I wanted to change my lady’s fate of execution and lead her towards a joyful future. To that end, it wasn’t necessary to force her to act as the daughter of a Marquis.
As long as it was of her will, I would aid her every effort for happiness.
Dancing was the same.
Suppressing a girl who wanted to take the lead wasn’t the way I did things. If she wanted the initiative, I would pass her the right to decide the next steps, and begin moving to support her.
That is my lead.
“…I’m surprised. To think that there’s a child with that kind of determination and mindset.”
“That’s what I wanted to say.”
It was only natural that I– a person who had the memories of my previous life, to have a mentality older than how I may appear. However, Fol seemed to have the same mature perspective as me.
She was somehow similar to Lady Sophia– I couldn’t help but feel that way.
“Haha~ I’m sorry for forcibly taking control earlier. I’ll give you the lead back, so could you help me shine even further?”
“If that’s what you want.”
The second song was already about to start.
If that was my dance partner’s desire, it was only natural to meet them. In order to prove that Lady Sophia’s butler was the best, I needed the greatest results.
I had already grasped her habits, and began to lead her so that she could shine more.
At that time however, the figure of the young lady I passed by earlier entered my line of sight. Her complexion was getting worse, and she was shaking despite the fact that she was just standing there.
The moment I realised that, the young lady’s upper body began to fall forwards.
4256p
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