I Became the Butler of the Seventh Princess, Who’s Regressing Into a Child - Episode 17

Episode 17

(Back to Rondo’s Perspective)

The morning sunlight streams in, and I quietly open my eyes.

It’s been two weeks since I started working at the mansion.

I’ve finally started to get used to life as a butler.

Every day, my routine begins with waking up early and preparing myself for the day.

I stand in front of the mirror and slip into my tailcoat.

After adjusting the collar, I take a breath.

The outfit seems to be custom-made for me, as it’s quite easy to move in.

With this, I’m ready for my duties. However, it’s still early to greet Lady Luciana.

So, I use this time to practice my swordsmanship.

Heading to the garden behind the mansion, I draw the Black Thunder Sword from my waist.

Then, I begin swinging the sword, trying to improve my technique little by little.

In the game, a rapid button press would automatically trigger combo moves. But in reality, it’s not that simple.

My body doesn’t move as I imagine it should.

I swing the sword daily, hoping that my [Swordsmanship] skill level will increase and change things. But so far, there’s been no significant progress.

[Swordsmanship] skill increases damage dealt by a sword, but technique might be a separate matter.

Getting those seamless combos like in the game seems like a distant goal for me.

After moving my body a bit, it’s the perfect time.

I return the sword to its sheath and head to my duties as a butler.

First, I head to Lady Luciana’s room to help her change. She wears only the bare minimum of undergarments, and I help her put on her dress.

It’s not an extravagant dress like the kind you’d wear to high society gatherings, but a simple, affordable one meant for ease of movement.

Well, even though it’s “affordable,” it’s not something I could buy with my salary. So I handle it carefully.

At first, I felt embarrassed helping her change. But now I’m used to it.

After dressing Lady Luciana, I accompany her to breakfast. I don’t eat with her; I just stand by in the dining room and watch over her.

Once breakfast is over, Lady Luciana starts her paperwork.

There aren’t any major problems. And before I know it, the day passes quickly with small breaks for meals in between.

After helping Lady Luciana with her bath, my duties for the day are pretty much done.

I take a shower to wash off the day’s fatigue, then return to my room and practice my sword swings again.

Morning and night—that’s my time to learn swordsmanship.

That said, I’m self-taught. So I have no idea how much progress I’m making.

While I’m swinging my sword before bed, I hear a voice from behind me.

“Rondo, you’re swinging the sword again?”

I turn around to find Lady Luciana standing there.

She watches me holding the sword with a curious expression.

“Yes, I’m still inexperienced. But I want to improve, even just a little.”

I say, sheathing my sword. Since she’s here, I assume it means she wants to indulge in her whims.

I thought as much, but Lady Luciana appeared to be pondering something.

“If you want to learn swordsmanship, I might know someone who could guide you.”

“Someone who could guide me…?”

“Yes, there’s an old man named Klaus. He’s a friend of mine and was once the captain of the knights at the royal castle. He’s a master of the sword. If I ask, he might agree to teach you.”

Klaus? That’s not a character I remember from the game.

But if he was teaching swordsmanship at the royal castle, he must be highly skilled.

……Considering there are limits to how much I can improve with just having skills alone, maybe having a mentor wouldn’t be a bad idea.

“I’d love to learn from him. Could you arrange that for me?”

“Hehe, very well. I’ll make the arrangements.”

Lady Luciana nodded happily.

Then, she took something out from her pocket.

“…Now, here’s today’s present.”

What she handed me was an unfamiliar pacifier.

…A pacifier? Where did she even get that?

As I stood there confused, Lady Luciana stretched out both hands towards me.

“Ba-buu!”

She let out a baby-like sound, asking to be held.

When I sat on the bed, Lady Luciana gleefully climbed onto my lap. I took the pacifier she handed me and brought it to her mouth. She happily bit into it.

“Buu!”

Lady Luciana smiled contentedly, fully immersed in her “spoiled mode.” As I doted on her, I started looking forward to my next swordsmanship training session.

Or perhaps you could say I was escaping reality.

…Still, why does Lady Luciana regress to this infant-like state so often?

Is her job really that stressful?

I absentmindedly patted her head as I pondered this.