Chapter 24
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Violet's First Words - Episode 24
"Violet?"
Cyril Uncle's voice came from beyond the door.
"Yes, Uncle."
Soon Cyril Uncle and an unfamiliar woman emerged from the room.
"Did you hear?"
"Oh, I just arrived."
Violet answered hastily. Fortunately, Cyril Uncle seemed to interpret it as "I didn't hear."
"Never mind. This is Olive. She's the housekeeper of this house."
"Good day. I'm Olive. I serve as the butler of this household. I would appreciate it if you would disregard Cyril Uncle's introduction and remember my title as butler instead."
The woman called Olive was neatly dressed in an apron. She appeared several years older than Cyril Uncle and was quite tall. Apart from her exceptionally expressionless face, she was an unremarkable person.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Butler."
Olive's face softened slightly upon hearing the title of butler.
"Olive is sufficient. Please call me that."
"I've said it many times—this house doesn't need a butler. You're the housekeeper."
Cyril Uncle said.
"I perform both the duties of butler and housekeeper comprehensively, so I have the right to choose the title I prefer. For instance, repairs to this house, cooking, and discretion—I handle every task containing the character 'li' in it."
Truly, Cyril Uncle was something else. Even the housekeeper was quite an eccentric. Violet marveled at this.
"What exactly do you mean by discretion?"
"Managing so that this distinguished and noble gentleman doesn't get exploited due to his excellent reputation. For example...."
"That's enough. Enough."
Violet knew that Cyril Uncle was a mercenary. But she couldn't determine exactly how renowned a mercenary he was to afford such a fine residence. 'I wanted to hear more about Cyril Uncle's profession.' It was the moment Violet felt this regret. Cyril Uncle opened the door.
"Go on in. It's your room."
"Yes."
Violet stepped into the room. 'Wow... oh.' Violet's breath caught for a moment. It was a clean and orderly room. A large window looked out, and soft lace curtains hung from it. 'It's beautiful—more refined than the room Marigold uses.' Olive's sense of color was truly excellent. The room decorated in soft lavender truly delighted me. In the center of the room stood a large single bed with four ornate posts. A display shelf held flowers, and there was a wardrobe carved with lily patterns. Bright lighting illuminated every corner of the room, adding warmth to the atmosphere.
"Is this really my room?"
Violet's voice trembled.
"What, don't you like it?"
Cyril looked a bit anxious. Violet didn't know what to say.
"That's why I told Olive to prepare pink."
Cyril glanced at Olive and furrowed his brow slightly.
"Preparing a room of this caliber in three days alone is more than sufficient proof of my abilities as a butler. Especially considering the previous owner had already used this space as his daughter's room."
"You're not a butler, I'm telling you. This is an endless loop, isn't it?"
"Olive is not merely a butler. Olive is... a great and admirable person. Because he prepared such a room for you."
Violet wiped the corners of her eyes as she spoke.
"By majority vote, I have become a butler."
Olive stated firmly. Cyril looked as though his blood pressure was rising.
"I'm truly grateful. Thank you, Olive."
Violet spoke with sincerity.
"Direct your thanks to the owner of this house, who paid for the furnishings and everything else. Furthermore, if you check inside the wardrobe, you will develop an even stronger conviction of my respect and that I am an excellent butler."
Olive answered without blinking an eye.
"That's enough. Violet, as long as you're happy with it, that's what matters."
Cyril said. Violet swallowed dryly. She turned away, gathered her courage, and approached Cyril. Words were difficult things. Speaking kind words was just as challenging as speaking harsh ones. Ordinary phrases like "thank you" or "I appreciate it" couldn't express what she felt in this moment. 'At least in this house, I'm not a burden. For the first time, I have a place to belong.' So her body moved of its own accord. Violet gathered her courage and embraced Cyril. Cyril's entire body stiffened. He could only blink.
"Precisely. This is a natural emotional phenomenon resulting from my outstanding abilities as a butler."
Had Olive not said that, Violet might have shed tears. Violet pulled away from Cyril and smiled.
"This is the first time I've had such a wonderful space. Thank you, Uncle."
Violet said. Cyril looked utterly bewildered.
"Ah, yes. That's right. Yes...."
Cyril murmured. Surely many joyful things would happen in this house. Violet sensed it intuitively.
* * *
No matter how many times I looked around the room, I never grew tired of it. 'My goodness, wow... this is incredible.' The bookshelves were filled with novels that Violet adored so much. There was even "The Tale of Lady Rosenis," which was now out of print and impossible to find.
"Is there anything else you require?"
Olive asked while Violet marveled at the room, gazing around in wonder. Violet answered as she opened the wardrobe.
"If I needed anything more than this, I'd have no conscience. It's all too wonderful."
Violet spoke with repeated exclamations of delight. Inside the wardrobe hung several new outfits. There were even new undergarments.
"But how on earth did you know my clothing size?"
"I investigated."
"By what method?"
"I heard from Cyril that you were attending the Academy Knight Department. There are only a limited number of places near the Academy that manufacture practice shirts and armor for knight candidates. I visited those establishments and confirmed whether a customer named Violet Everdin existed."
"So that's how you discovered my size! Olive, you're truly a magnificent butler!"
Even hearing such praise, Olive remained expressionless. Yet it seemed the corners of his mouth had lifted ever so slightly.
"I am a capable butler, so your expression of favor is a reasonable response."
"Exactly! It's perfectly reasonable!"
Violet laughed brightly. The corners of Olive's mouth lifted a bit more.
"I will call you when dinner is prepared."
Olive bowed and left the room. 'If I wake up and this turns out to be a dream, I might actually turn dark and become some sort of villainess.' Fortunately, it was not a dream. Hunger was beginning to set in. That evening, Olive quietly prepared dinner. Cyril's House seemed strangely refined in every detail. It was somehow different from the Everdin Family Estate, which had been filled with expensive furnishings. It was more modern. Olive casually mentioned that dinner was at seven o'clock. When I arrived at the Dining Room at the appointed time, Cyril was seated at the head of the table, quietly reading documents. Violet carefully sat diagonally across from Cyril. Olive brought out the food.
"I'm grateful for this meal."
Only then did Cyril look up. He answered not with words, but with a glance. 'I'm so happy to be living in this house, and earlier I even embraced Uncle without thinking.' Yet something still felt a bit awkward. Violet thought to herself.
"By the way, where did you come from just now? Did you run straight out of the house?"
In that moment, Violet thought: 'I came from the Detention Cell.' Violet rolled her eyes.
"I got caught up in some trouble, actually."
"What kind of trouble?"
Now that I thought about it, Cyril would become Violet's guardian from now on. I should be honest about both small and large matters.
"The Capital Knight Commander tried to intimidate me and take me away."
At last, the documents left Cyril's hands. Silence filled the house.
"Why?"
"Because I'm the provisional fiancée of that household..."
"Breaking the engagement is..."
"Going to happen. I've made my intentions clear."
"Since it's a matter between households, your father will refuse. What's the probability that they'll willingly give up?"
"Quite high. I broke Bludin's nose, after all..."
"..."
Cyril fell silent again.
"Badly enough to fracture it?"
"It's definitely fractured. Though it's not beyond recovery."
"You did well."
"Is that really considered doing well?"
"If a sensible girl like you would hit someone, that bastard must've deserved it."
Violet found herself liking this house even more. Cyril possessed considerable backbone.
"Then let's eat."
"That's... all? You're not worried? That Father might chase after me, or the Knight Commander, or—" "You're an adult. If anyone tries to take you by force, you call the Security Knight Order. Even the Capital Knight Commander can't command all the security knights as he pleases."
"That's true enough."
"I also have enough connections to protect someone under my roof."
Violet nodded. Today, her heart had raced with unexpected moments of hope.
"Yes, Uncle."
"Just in case, avoid going out too much for now and enjoy yourself at home. That should do it."
"But I need to go to the Academy. Even if I'm on the verge of withdrawing, I should show my face."
"Then go. Oh, and I'm leaving on a business trip starting tomorrow, so make yourself comfortable."
Violet smiled faintly. After finishing dinner, Olive brought the evening newspaper. He asked if Violet wanted to read it, and she said she would.
【Capital Knight Commander Under Investigation: Suspected Concealment of National Treasure Magical Artifact】
'What?' Violet's eyes widened in disbelief. The commotion with Marlon felt like it had happened just moments ago... 'What is this? Marlon was arrested already?'
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org