I Won't Clear Up the Misunderstanding. I Don't Mind Being the Villainess. - Chapter 39
I went back into Holger’s room and explained that the ducal family would be footing the bill for his treatment.
He looked relieved—a subtle but genuine expression of happiness.
“Thank you ever so much, My Lady.”
“Oh, you should be thanking His Grace for that.”
The words were barely out of my mouth when I realised that wasn’t very practical. After all, I was the one who had to take the letter to Kevin since Holger couldn’t walk, and I really couldn’t picture Kevin bothering to visit his Steward.
Just as I was about to take my comment back, Holger spoke.
“Of course. My foolish son will be sure to express his gratitude properly when he reports to His Grace.”
His “foolish son” meant Carvel, right? If Carvel is taking up the Steward’s position, he’ll naturally have a chance to greet Kevin, the head of the Avenius family. That kind of interaction was skipped over in the comic, though.
“When exactly can Carvel start working?”
“I wish I could say today or tomorrow, My Lady, but that’s probably too optimistic,” he replied.
“Has he been contacted?”
“I’ve arranged for a message to be delivered. I expect Carvel will come to collect me today, once he receives the letter.”
“About that… Holger, would you consider recovering here at the Duke’s estate for a while?”
Honestly, it would be a huge inconvenience if Holger, who has been managing the ducal household for over a decade, suddenly left. Since he was fine from the waist up, I hoped he could stay on as an advisor for a bit.
“I think Carvel would feel much more supported, and he’d pick up the job more efficiently that way.”
“That would be a great honour… but I hesitate to impose on the household without actually working.”
“Nonsense. Training your replacement is an important job. I’ll just need to talk to the Duke about your salary again.”
“No salary is necessary! Just being able to observe my son’s work closely would be enough compensation!”
I had to gently calm Holger down, who was speaking with the energy of someone trying to leap to their feet. The painkiller might be masking the pain, but his back wasn’t actually healed.
“Alright, I understand. But still, it’s going to be difficult for Carvel to handle the Steward’s job alone, won’t it?”
“We have Brian, the Assistant Steward. I believe he’ll be able to help Carvel with any areas where he’s lacking.”
“Ah…”
Assistant Steward. The corner of my mouth twitched the moment I heard that title. Brian, the man Holger trusted, was actually the mastermind who isolated Carvel in A Single Flower Melts the Ice.
In the comic, Erika resolved the issue by explaining Carvel’s hard work to the staff. Since Erika was well-liked, her trust and support caused the other servants to accept Carvel as the new Steward. However, Brian simply and quietly submitted his resignation and left.
The original Erika was bewildered, asking, “Brian, why would you leave…?” But it wasn’t a mystery at all. He had been the second-in-command, only to have an inexperienced young man suddenly jump over him into the top spot. Unless he had zero ambition or was an exceptionally good person, he wouldn’t be able to stay composed.
The most sensible solution would be to promote Brian to Steward and make Carvel the Deputy Steward.
(But I really don’t want to employ someone who is two-faced—smiling to your face while plotting behind your back.)
Brian was old enough to be Carvel’s father. He was initially polite and respectful to Carvel, despite the young man suddenly becoming Steward. But on the sly, he’d change Carvel’s instructions before passing them on to the staff and engage in quiet, petty harassment.
After this happened a few times, when Carvel confronted Brian, the Assistant Steward would act overly distraught and defeated. This made the other servants believe that Carvel was victimising Brian, a man they thought was far more deserving of the role.
(I can sympathise with his position, but I despise his methods.)
So, promoting Brian to Steward is out of the question. But if I don’t interfere, the same events from the original story will unfold as soon as Carvel starts working for the Avenius family.
The main issue is that I haven’t yet built rapport with the other staff. On top of that, I’ve already dismissed a maid and a tutor. If I tried to champion Carvel now, no one would genuinely agree with me. They’d just assume the worst, just like Kevin.
Even though Holger will be in the mansion for a while, his back pain means he can’t leave his room.
On the flip side, Brian hasn’t actually done anything yet. So, I have no grounds to dismiss him, and he certainly won’t be submitting a resignation on his own this time.
“Say, Holger, do you think Brian might have thought he was going to be the next Steward?” I asked him. He thought for a moment, then shook his head.
“No, My Lady. I explained quite a while ago that my son would succeed me, and he never voiced any complaint.”
“He even said he was grateful, as the head steward position was too much responsibility for him,” Holger cheerfully added. Watching him, I became even more certain that Brian was a deeply troublesome man.