I Became the Butler of the Seventh Princess, Who’s Regressing Into a Child - Episode 40

Episode 40

The next day, after lunch and a break with our dedicated servants. I was talking with Elena and the others.

“Elena… I wanted to ask you something. I heard that Lady Luciana’s brother is coming to visit soon.”

At my words, Elena raised an eyebrow. And even Karin’s expression became slightly more serious.

“Yes, it seems so… Although, I don’t think we’ll have to worry about any unreasonable demands this time, since we’ve done nothing wrong.”

“But Luciana’s brother is kind of… dangerous, right?”

“Yes… I believe so. I’m sure Lord Vanz will make some baseless accusations, as he always does.”

(Note: It’s “Van” in the raw but I changed it to “Vanz”. Hope you guys don’t mind.)

“So his name is Vanz?”

“Yes, that’s right. He’s not exactly known for having a good reputation.”

“…Seems so. I didn’t know too much about him. But whenever I asked anyone about him, they usually just gave a wry smile. What kind of person is he?”

I asked Elena, since I didn’t have much specific information about Vanz. I had heard his name in the game, but that was about it.

“Well… Lord Vanz is known among the brothers competing for the throne as the type who will stop at nothing to get what he wants.”

“He’ll stop at nothing, huh?”

“Yes… I’ve heard that he’s the kind of person who gets rid of anyone he doesn’t like, especially those who are also after the throne.”

“But, Lady Luciana doesn’t care about the throne, does she?”

“That’s true… but since she doesn’t side with Lord Vanz either, he probably dislikes her for it.”

…What a troublesome situation. Even though Lady Luciana isn’t interested in the throne and would prefer to stay out of it, her position forces her into this kind of conflict.

Karin spoke up, following Elena’s words.

“Lord Vanz supposedly takes care of orphans. Or at least, that’s the public image.”

“……The public image?”

“Yes. The truth is, he trains the orphans like slaves. He forced them to join his army. If they don’t comply, they have nowhere else to go. So they have no choice but to obey him. But publicly, he portrays himself as a kind, benevolent person who helps find work for the orphans. He paints himself as a man who’s good to children.”

……That’s awful.

For the orphans, they have no choice but to follow Vanz.

“There are also rumors that he’s involved in the deaths of several royals. But of course, that’s just gossip. We can’t judge based on rumors alone.”

“I really don’t want to get involved with someone like that.”

There was a tone of mild disgust in Elena’s voice. And I could tell just from hearing about him that I wasn’t the only one with a negative impression.

“I wonder what kind of demands Lord Vanz will make.”

“Lately, Lord Vanz’s territory has been suffering from poor harvests. So I’m guessing he’ll ask for food or other supplies. He’s also said to be short on soldiers, so those might be his requests as well.”

“Poor harvests, huh? That’s not an issue here.”

“Yes. If you apply potions as fertilizer in poor land, it can be effective. But I’ve heard that there’s no budget for that in Lord Vanz’s territory.”

“Is the territory being poorly managed?”

“Partly because Lord Vanz lacks talent… but it seems that he spends too much money recklessly. He taxes the people excessively, causing them to suffer. In some cases, people have even fled to this territory for refuge. This has only caused more tension with Lord Vanz, making the situation worse.”

“I see.”

It seems that Lady Luciana’s kindness is part of the reason for this. Still, I hoped nothing would happen. Though I doubted things would go that smoothly. My role now was to protect Lady Luciana, and I needed to train harder.

As we discussed, Lord Vanz arrived at the mansion.

I headed with Lady Luciana to the reception room.

“Luciana. You’re my little sister. You shouldn’t keep me waiting like this.”

“I’m sorry, Vanz.”

…Lady Luciana maintained a tone of equality, speaking to him as a peer. Vanz seemed irritated by her response, and his frustration was evident.

Lord Vanz was tall and thin, with cold, sharp eyes that glinted with a look of disdain. It was as though he were looking down on others. His nose was sharp, but his mouth always wore a thin smile. Had I become so twisted that I saw his smile as nothing but a sneer?

His noble attire was trimmed with black and gold, emphasizing its opulence. It almost looked like his clothes were made to flaunt his power. Additionally, his fingers were adorned with numerous ornate rings. It further enhanced his imposing appearance. The excessive, showy designs of the rings seemed more like tools to flaunt his wealth.

Ah, this is bad. No matter how I look at it, I can’t help but view everything with a cynical perspective.  

The overall atmosphere he gives off exudes a sense of “sarcasm and noble arrogance.” And just his presence alone makes the air feel heavy and oppressive.  

“So, what is it? Vanz. I’m busy as well,” 

Luciana said, her voice calm but clearly not willing to entertain any unnecessary conversation.  

“What kind of attitude is that for someone who sent soldiers into my territory?”  

“…I’ve already explained this clearly. A monster from your territory wandered into ours, so we had no choice but to deal with it. If we had left it alone, that would have caused a bigger problem, wouldn’t it?”  

“Hmph. Are you telling me you didn’t send your soldiers to take my head?”  

“…….”

Luciana’s voice carried a cold edge, but Vanz didn’t seem to care.  

…..Given just this, it’s true that Lady Luciana has some responsibility here.  

“Then, what exactly do you want?”  

Lady Luciana’s question seemed to have been the cue Vanz was waiting for, as he grinned slyly.  

“My soldiers are a bit short. So, lend me some of yours.”  

So, his request is for more soldiers.  

Vanz was speaking calmly, but his eyes clearly held a sense of cold cruelty. Lady Luciana responded immediately.  

“That’s impossible. My territory doesn’t have many soldiers either. And if I lend you mine, it will give people the wrong impression. It’s like we’ve formed an alliance.”  

…….I see. That’s part of his goal.  

He wants to present Lady Luciana as joining his side, even if it’s just a misunderstanding.  

Lady Luciana firmly rejected him, but Vanz didn’t back down.  

“Are you defying me, Luciana?”  

Vanz’s voice dropped low, and the pressure in the room increased. His subordinates shot us harsh glares.  

…We have soldiers too, and the tension thickened. Both sides stared at each other. And after a few seconds of silence, Lady Luciana slowly opened her mouth.  

“I just want to protect my land’s safety. I can’t accept unreasonable demands.”  

“Tch, I don’t like your attitude. Disobeying your brother like this.”  

Vanz reached for Lady Luciana’s arm, attempting to grab her roughly. But I immediately stopped him. 

“What’s this? Who are you?”  

“I apologize for interrupting, as I’m just a servant. But I assume you’re here to talk, correct? If you resort to violence against Lady Luciana, that would be considered a declaration of war against her.”  

“Violence? This is just a sibling quarrel. A commoner like you shouldn’t interfere.”  

Vanz swatted my hand away.  

He glared at me in irritation, but then his eyes shifted back to Lady Luciana.  

Lady Luciana did not back down, and glared right back.  

“Vanz. If you move your soldiers here, this will no longer be a discussion.”  

“You’re warning me? You, who ran away from the succession struggle?”  

“I’m simply not interested in the throne. No matter who becomes king, I will continue doing my job. And if the new king deems me unnecessary, I won’t do that job anymore. That’s all. …So? Do you want to send your soldiers against mine?”  

Vanz’s soldiers maintained their intimidating stance. In response, our soldiers also moved their hands toward their swords.  

“…..Hmph. But that commoner butler of yours was terribly disrespectful to me, the next king. I can’t just leave like this.”  

“I was acting to protect Lady Luciana. You could say I was merely voicing her concerns.”  

For a few seconds, Vanz and Lady Luciana locked eyes, each one not backing down. Finally, Vanz clicked his tongue.  

“…Tch. Don’t go violating someone else’s territory, coward.”  

“Yeah. I understand. My apologies.”  

Vanz gave me a quick glance before leaving the room.  

…….It was just for a moment, but he looked extremely frustrated. 

I might have caught his attention.  

But for now, the meeting between Vanz and Lady Luciana ended without any further incident.