It seemed like he’d misunderstood my earlier question as dissatisfaction with his work. He was a very humble boy. It had only been three days since he’d started as my butler, but he was already impressive.
He’d truly become an exceptional butler in every sense of the word. And for someone like me who’d never been able to trust my servants, having him was an incredible stroke of luck.
I was shocked to learn he was seventeen. He’d been so thin and frail and looked much younger when I’d found him. But now with a proper haircut and some good nutrition, he had grown into a remarkably handsome young man.
“Lord Kreis, I’ve reviewed the survey report regarding the current state of the marquisate and earmarked sections I thought might interest you. Also, I took the liberty of conducting background checks for the new house staff. Anyone with ties to Lord Claude was automatically rejected. Please review the documents.”
“Theodore.”
“Yes?”
“Can I hug and kiss you right now?” I joked.
“If that is your wish, Lord Kreis.”
He used to be so cautious, baring his fangs at everything. But now he spoke so sweetly to me. It made me want to hug him, but I (just barely) managed to restrain myself. Taking advantage of one’s position like that was the worst thing a noble could do. There would be no harassment in my household, period.
“Theodore, I want you to say no if something ever makes you uncomfortable. That’s an order from your employer.”
“Yes, Lord Kreis. But I don’t believe there’s anything you could do that I would find unpleasant.”
My butler truly did treasure me more than anything. He was like a hissing stray cat who had finally warmed up to me. It made me want to wrap him up in a big, tight hug all over again.
“Lord Kreis, if you could please stop wiggling your fingers like that...”
“Ah, right. Sorry. That probably looked strange.”
“I don’t mind it, but I’d rather people not assume you’ve lost your mind.”
“Is it really that bad?” I asked.
“If you did that in town, the guards might take you in for questioning.”
“Really?!” Well, I couldn’t afford to have my precious, newly appointed butler think I was some kind of creep—he might drop me in a second. Even if Theodore cared for me now, I couldn’t take that for granted. I had to be a proper master for his sake.
I cleared my throat with a renewed resolve and straightened my back, then reached for the documents.
“This is awful...” I muttered.
All the mistakes Albert had made as head of the marquisate were staggering. He’d burdened the people with high taxes and then used that money to maintain an unnecessarily large military. He must’ve inherited that system from his predecessor. That might’ve worked during wartime, but it was completely out of touch with today’s peaceful era.
“If we lower taxes, the people’s lives will improve. But it won’t be easy to dismiss all those soldiers at once.”
The soldiers were our citizens too. It would just stoke the fire of unrest if we abruptly left all those men out of a job, potentially destabilizing the region in the process.
“What would you do, Theodore?” I asked.
“You value my opinion that much?”
“Well, it’s not exactly something I can figure out on my own.”
Eventually I’d have to take over the title of marquess from Albert, and that was why I had to plan reforms now in preparation.
“I’m very glad I get to serve you, Lord Kreis.”
“Hmm?”
“Nothing. Please give me a little time, and I’ll come up with a few proposals.”
“Thank you. Oh, how are the kids doing?” I asked.
“After lessons today, one of the children was very excited, saying you promised her she could go to town with you.”
“Ah, you mean Cirelle. I mentioned how I was going to look for some good land to build the orphanage on, and she demanded that she come with me.”
The children lived at my estate now, but they couldn’t stay here forever. We would need a proper orphanage if I wanted to make this a permanent effort.
Even though I was a noble, my financial situation was pretty tight. My grandparents had offered me some support after learning about the trouble with Albert and Gilles, but I couldn’t depend on their generosity forever.
This was a test, and I had to prove that I could do more with the money than what they expected. That was the only path to becoming the next marquess.
“Speaking of which, what’s Professor up to?”
“Last I saw he was getting snacks from Karina,” he said.
“She spoils him rotten.”
Speak of the devil.
Professor trotted into the room, his tail wagging happily. “Did ya miss me? Were you lonely without me?”
You sure wander off a lot for someone who said they’d stay by my side.
“I-It’s not like I was bribed with snacks, okay?!”
You just admitted to it.
“Seriously, Professor. You’ve got it easy.”
“I’m the official taste tester for the pastries we’re going to sell! I’m not slacking off, I promise!”
Taste tester, huh? The menu’s already decided. There’s no need to help Karina anymore.
I decided to put the older kids (those closest in age to Theodore) to work running a business to help fund the orphanage. Since we couldn’t guarantee profits yet, I wanted to keep the startup costs low. That was when I’d come up with an idea to run a food cart like they had in Japan.
I wanted to pick something that was simple enough to make, easy to eat on the go, and tempting to any pedestrians walking by.
The pastry I’d decided on was crepes. They were relatively easy to prepare, and the ingredients were cheap. Plus, they traveled well and were versatile, making it easy to develop new flavors.
The kids quickly learned how to make them with Karina’s help. They were currently building our crepe cart to take to the local market, and we’d open it up whenever they were finished.
“Maybe I’ll check out the market too while I’m scouting land. I should figure out where to set up the cart.”
“Yes!”
“But I’m not buying you any sweets, just so we’re clear.”
“No!”
This divine beast had definitely forgotten he was a divine beast.
“Hey, father! What’s that?” Cirelle asked.
“Oh, that’s a pumpkin,” I replied.
“What about that?”
“It’s chocolate?”
“Wow-ee, that’s chocolate? It looks so yummy, father!”
“Want to try some?”
“Really? Can I?!” Cirelle bounced up and down with joy, her hand firmly clasped in mine. She wore a hooded cloak that matched my own, and she looked so small and adorable.
“Hey Professor, did you hear that? Father says he’ll buy me chocolate!”
“Good for you!” Professor hopped around Cirelle and me, looking just as delighted. He should’ve stood out with that unusually large body of his, but no one in town seemed to pay him any mind.
“C’mon, father! Let’s go!”