NABC Chapter 5
Chapter 5
Chapter 5
Web Novel: Volume 1 Chapter 5
The Title: Fragments of the past
After Archduke Sohyeon Yeon had kicked out the servants. The head butler’s office, in which all the affairs of those known as “lower people” were handled, had been flipped upside down.
There was a disagreement over who was to blame. A dispute about who should be assigned, and even a decision on how to punish the archduke’s evicted servants. A heated argument ensued.
In the end, the head butler, whom the Archduke had pointed out, stepped forward.
After the sluggish meeting disbanded, silence finally returned to the meeting office.
“Whooo!”
At the long meeting table, everyone had left save the middle-aged butler, who sat in the most prominent seat, cradling his gray-haired head.
“I knew it would happen someday, but...”
There had been no one to handle the lower people at the Archduke’s residence, the Pure Silver Garden Pavillion. In addition to the Archduke’s pacifism, how could he, the head butler of the Great Luoyang Sword Clan hadn’t seen that the lower people would cross the line?
“Fortunately, the Archduke didn’t accuse them of mutiny or snitching...”
If such was the case, it was certain that not just his office, but the whole clan, would have been turned upside down.
“Urgh...”
He reached into the drawer and, as usual, pulled out some dry herbs, chewing on them to ease his stomach discomfort.
It was the home of the Luoyang Sword Clan, where many people from all over the Central Plains came and went every day. Commanding the lower people in such a place always upset his stomach, but recently it had gone too far.
All of that was because of the ‘successor problem’ of the Luoyang Sword Clan.
The pain didn’t subside, even though he had chewed and swallowed more medical herbs than was permitted.
“It’s no longer safe to sit back and observe without taking sides...”
The head butler’s complexion became much calmer, and his eyes shone brightly. After gathering his thoughts, he summoned one of the maids and whispered in her ears.
Averting his eyes from the maid as she bowed deeply and withdrew, he fell back into deep thought.
* * *
After a time, a maid walked in, smiling warmly at the head butler. “Lord head butler, Jeong Ah, greets you.”
“Are you here?”
The woman who called herself Jeong Ah was merely a maid, yet her beauty was breathtaking. The moment she walked into his office, her charm seemed to have brightened the room for a second.
Her long, ebony hair was put back in a perfect bun, and her flawless white skin glistened with a shine. Her big, clear eyes were accentuated by her copious eyelashes, her nose was dainty but pointed. And her lips, lightly smeared with rouge, were thick and plump.
Nonetheless, instead of making her large lips look sensual, she wore a placid smile.
“Have you been doing well?”
Her eyes, as striking as the rest of her, stood out the most. While her iris was light in color, her pupil was a golden brown.
Those eyes complemented her natural beauty well, giving her an atmosphere of mystery and exoticism. All the same, her eyes were deep, and no one would dare mistake her for an easygoing, kindhearted woman.
“How can someone in this position be well? I still manage to keep myself in good health.”
“The girl’s heart feels much lighter to see the old man is okay.”
The sight of Jeong Ah bending deeply to greet the head butler showed that she recognized her status as a maid. But even with her manners, she couldn’t conceal the elegant grace she possessed. Even with the maid’s clothes, her beauty didn’t fade in the slightest.
The head butler’s mouth softened into a warm smile. He had rescued Jeong Ah from the streets a long time ago, and because he was childless, she was as precious to him as his flesh and blood.
“Jeong Ah a....”
“Yes, old man.”
Jeong Ah wondered at the head butler, who had called for her but couldn’t get to the point easily. If it was something that he, a high-ranking member of the Luoyang Sword Clan, couldn’t easily bring up, it wouldn’t be a light task.Nnêw n0vel chapters are published at novelhall.com
She sat quietly with her head down as she waited for him to bring up the matter.
“Hoo...” The head butler sighed deeply, wondering if the decision he was about to make was right. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t be sure.
“How old are you this year?”
“I will be twenty-one this year.”
[The patriarch, the present Retired Patriarch, ordered me to keep quiet. For whatever reason, the Archduke never held a sword again after that.]
“......?!” It was a story beyond Jeong Ah’s imagination.
[And secondly.]
This was already enough counterargument to the criticism that he didn’t show a suitable appearance as the next patriarch.
[Before the Archduke decided to live in seclusion, what the Patriarch’s closest aides feared the most was him.]
Jeong Ah was astounded, as if a thunderbolt had struck her in the brain.
[At the time, the Archduke accomplished few things in his own name, but today only a handful remember.]
His brush moved nonstop.
[I’m sure there are still some people in the imperial palace who remember his name]
What on earth had the Archduke, who had been just a kid at the time, done to have his name transmitted even to the imperial palace?
Controlling her confused emotions, Jeong Ah picked up the brush.
[What’s the reason you’re telling me this?]
With the Clan’s current situation, this was sensitive information that must not have leaked.
The head butler sighed heavily.
[The second young master and the third young master have both seriously requested that I hand you over to them. The two seem to be competing with one another.]
“Ah....”
In fact, Jeong Ah was regarded as a special maid among receptionist maids, attracting the attention of all guests. There had been even a funny incident in which a direct descendant of a prestigious family had fallen in love with her and even proposed to her.
That had been a huge thing back then. Things became ugly, however, when the two men most rumored to be the future patriarch of the clan began competing for her.
Jeong Ah, still in shock, bit her lip and lifted the brush.
[Does the old man want me to go to the Archduke?]
No matter what the Archduke looked like in the past, could the present Archduke really protect her from their clutches? He, who was rumored to have a good temper, from his two younger brothers full of lust for power?
Instead of answering, the head butler detailed what had happened today at the Archduke’s residence, the Pure Silver Garden Pavillion.
[Has the Archduke’s disposition changed?]
The head butler was about to nod in response to her question when he trembled once again.
[I’m not sure whether it’s right to say he’s changed. I dare to claim that this is in keeping with his natural disposition.]
[If it’s so... ?]
[Maybe. Maybe he has something on his mind.]
That was the judgment of the head butler of the Luoyang Sword Clan, known as the greatest clan in the central plains.
[And if he is the Archduke I remember...]
His eyes flashed.
[There is no doubt that the succession structure of the Luoyang Sword Clan will change greatly in the future.]
The head butler gazed at Jeong Ah for a moment before biting his lip. A mature beauty blossomed on her face, yet in his eyes, only a cute girl’s face was reflected.
[The decision is yours. But.]
The head butler, who had stopped the brush, turned to face Jeong Ah. Likewise, Jeong Ah turned her attention to the head butler.
It was difficult to spot a flaw in her stunning eyes. Deep within her golden pupils was a unique, hidden secret that only the head butler and Jeong-ah herself were aware of.
[If it’s [Your eyes], you’ll be able to tell sooner than everyone else if the Archduke has changed his mind.]
He set the brush down on the inkstone.
Afterwards, there was complete stillness in the office again.
He gathered all the papers he’d used for writing and painstakingly tossed them into the brazier, piece by piece.
* * *
After a while, a maid left the head butler’s office and headed somewhere in a hurry.
Toward her own new residence.