The Prime Suspect for Strange Occurrences
Three years ago.
The training grounds of the Liechtenstein Grand Ducal Castle.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Clash! Clash! Clash!
Every time the slender lady knight swung her sword, her platinum-blonde ponytail whipped through the air.
In the center of the training grounds, the young lady systematically thrashed the men lined up before her, knocking out the family's innocent, loyal vassals one by one.
Keeping their distance to avoid being drafted into a sparring match, the knights striking the wooden fence wiped the sweat from their brows.
"The Lady is exceptionally brutal today."
It had been nearly a month since Ian Jeffrey suddenly resigned from his post as butler and departed.
During this time, Lady Emilia had appeared perfectly fine, rendering the servants' worries entirely pointless.
"Still, it's a relief she's keeping her spirits up."
"She truly is the one to inherit this house."
"We should pull ourselves together too!"
Just then, a red-haired knight muttered with a grimace.
"...Has the Lady really forgotten everything? Even after what happened because of that bastard."
At the tactless remark of Hans Keldonel, a knight of noble birth, a heavy silence fell over the training grounds.
"I still can't forgive him. To think he was such trash. I never would have guessed Ian..."
"Do not speak that traitor's name!"
"..."
The speaker glared with a ferocious expression, looking ready to beat Hans to a pulp at any moment.
Worried that Emilia might hear, the knights glanced back toward the center of the training grounds. Fortunately, she was too busy furiously swinging her wooden sword at the knight in front of her.
She was clearly too absorbed in pummeling the innocent knight to have heard them.
That incident.
By the time the scandal of the former chief butler was beginning to fade thanks to the young lady's desperate efforts, the existence of 'that man' had become a taboo subject that no one in the castle dared to mention.
The day butler Ian Jeffrey declared his early retirement and left the ducal castle.
Following his departure, a flood of reports exposed the corruption of the commoner-born servant.
Like bamboo shoots after a rain, young women among the estate's servants cropped up, claiming they had been harassed or toyed with by him.
"That can't be. He is not that kind of person."
"My Lady! He is a traitor who has already betrayed you and fled! After everything you did for that lowborn wretch!"
For years, everyone in the castle knew that the true power in Liechtenstein lay with 'that man'—the secretary, chamberlain, and escort knight to the heir, Emilia.
He was a close confidant who enjoyed absolute trust from the future successor.
Revealing his betrayal would only tarnish the young lady's reputation.
It started with scandals involving 'women.'
The investigation revealed that he had allegedly laid hands on twelve servants within the ducal castle alone, and the number outside the castle walls was simply uncountable.
The social status of the women he targeted varied wildly.
From prostitutes to noble ladies, and in age from young boys and girls to widows in their fifties. His insatiable lust knew no bounds of age or status.
When this shocking news spread like wildfire through the knighthood, it was just as Hans Keldonel had said while gritting his teeth:
"He was nothing but a sex-crazed bastard."
For an escort knight famous for never leaving the young lady's side to have trifled with that many women was mind-boggling.
"A vassal has defiled the honor of the grand ducal house! He deserves death! We must hunt him down and execute him immediately!"
"We will capture him and take his head! He has dragged his master's name through the mud. Even if that commoner dies ten times over, he cannot atone for this crime!"
"Denied."
"Never bring this matter before me again. If anyone in this castle speaks his name, I will personally take their head!"
When the commoner-born butler first joined the knighthood—which consisted mostly of noble sons—they had utterly ignored him. Yet, Ian Jeffrey had gradually proven himself through sheer effort and skill.
Having accepted him as one of their own for over a decade and trusted him with their backs in battle, the knights felt a profound sense of betrayal.
Yet, the response of their master, the young lady and heir to the duchy, was resolute.
Lady Emilia personally buried every single scandal related to Ian Jeffrey.
To clean up the mess, she had literally poured money down the drain.
Rumors swirled that the amount spent to silence those claiming to be victims rivaled the knighthood's entire annual budget.
Though petitions to report Ian Jeffrey to the royal castle or hunt him down continued to pile up, the heir's stance remained unyielding.
It was a defense far too blatant to be dismissed as mere respect for a long-serving vassal.
Naturally, the more she tried to suppress the rumors surrounding Ian Jeffrey, the more the sparks of gossip began to cling to the young lady herself.
"To think she would shield him to that extent..."
"As expected, the Lady and that butler..."
"Does the Lady have no pride? I heard rumors that he embezzled funds too."
"It's not just a rumor. They found a double ledger..."
"A double ledger? Is there proof?"
"There was! But the moment the Lady received it, she burned it!"
"Ha! The heir of the grand duchy is a woman blinded by a man."
"Birds of a feather flock together, haha..."
The head of the family, the Grand Duke of Liechtenstein, had long been bedridden due to illness, completely cut off from the outside world.
The collateral nobles of the family, who had long resented Lady Emilia exercising full authority as the heir, did not miss this opportunity.
With her closest confidant causing such a massive scandal, they questioned Emilia's ability to manage people as a leader.
"The honor of the Grand Duchy is dragging in the dirt!"
"No matter how young and naive the Lady may be, to fail at managing even her own closest aide!"
"How can someone with such poor judgment of character lead this great house?"
"We will oversee the selection of servants from now on!"
"My Lady! You must make a choice this time. How long do you intend to delay appointing a successor like a spoiled child!"
Despite being a high-ranking noble house that could not afford to leave the position of chief butler vacant, Emilia, who had stubbornly refused to appoint a successor to Ian Jeffrey, was finally forced to yield to the vassals' demands.
The appointment of a new butler. Simultaneously, every single person associated with Ian Jeffrey within the castle was purged.
These were the people Ian had carefully planted over the years, weeding out the spies of the Grand Duke's second wife and her children like radishes.
"The butler is not that kind of man! Please believe us, my Lady!"
Those handpicked by Ian who remained loyal to him tried to defend their unreachable former superior, but they were treated like traitors.
Ultimately, they were isolated within the castle and had no choice but to leave of their own accord.
Now, among the remaining servants in the castle, anyone who had even the slightest connection to Ian Jeffrey fell into one of two categories.
Those who had been hostile to him from the start, or those who went out of their way to loudly curse him to distance themselves.
Amidst this tempestuous reshuffling of personnel, before the chaos in the castle could even settle...
"I despise people who do not know their place."
Emilia Liechtenstein faced the newly appointed butler who had come to replace Ian Jeffrey.
"Do not get greedy. You will never hold the same authority as the former butler."
The second-in-command and shadow ruler of Liechtenstein. The Sword of the Grand Duchess. She was warning him not to dream of becoming a second Ian Jeffrey.
"I am well aware."
"..."
The butler, recommended by a collateral branch of the Drake family—the house of the Grand Duke's second wife and Emilia's stepmother—brushed off her words with a blank smile.
She had intended to insult him at their very first meeting to deter him from any foolish power struggles.
Yet, the man, who looked far too soft to the point of appearing like a complete pushover, merely smiled through the hostility.
He had a gentle impression, looking almost too soft to govern the castle's numerous servants.
...But the way his eyes curved downward in a genial smile was undeniably reminiscent of that man.
"Do you know how to brew tea?"
"Would you care to try some?"
The new butler's skill was not bad.
Just inhaling the aroma of the tea seemed to soothe her frayed nerves.
"It has a peculiar scent."
"It is a tea brought from the East. It calms the mind and aids with sleep."
"Sleep, from mere tea?"
"In the East, they dry these leaves in the sun and stuff them inside pillowcases. It stabilizes the mind and body, bringing pleasant dreams."
"..."
"If you grind the dried leaves finely and strain them, it can also serve as a sleeping aid. It is highly favored by sensitive individuals, particularly mages and scholars."
From then on, Emilia frequently drank the tea brewed by the new butler.
"Can you make this into a sleeping pill as well?"
"Of course."
The new butler smiled, his eyes crinkling.
At a glance, it was a smile so similar it could easily be mistaken for Ian Jeffrey's.
It was his second day locked in the solitary cell.
He was forced to stand, his hands bound by mana-suppressing chains hanging from the ceiling.
Beside him was a waste bucket provided in place of a latrine.
Just kill me already...
Gurgle...
Having consumed nothing but a few sips of water, his stomach was on the verge of staging a full-blown riot.
Tomorrow would make it three days.
I can endure everything else.
But having to call the guard every time I need to pee is where I draw the line.
I can't just expose my pristine package to anyone.
If he let one of those Red Bean Porridge Squad mages assist him, the exact shape and size of his junk would undoubtedly become common knowledge throughout the entire Magic Tower.
That was why he was avoiding water as much as possible, even when it was available.
Just one more day to endure.
Unless they actually planned to execute him, they would have to feed him eventually.
He gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and began counting sheep.
In this place where day and night were indistinguishable, the only way to survive was to sleep.
Two thousand three hundred and sixty-one sheep. Two thousand three hundred and sixty-two sheep. Two thousand three hundred and...
"Fuck."
Stray thoughts kept intruding, making him lose count.
Too much had happened since the day he crossed paths with Emilia again.
Again, from the beginning.
Focus. Focus.
He closed his eyes and imagined fluffy sheep jumping over a fence with their short legs.
This was a meditation habit he always practiced whenever he needed to organize his thoughts.
A green meadow stretching beneath a picture-perfect blue sky.
Atop it, a flock of sheep resembling white clouds lined up to leap over the fence.
...Yet, a few sheep stood out exceptionally.
A sheep with platinum-blonde wool.
With its thick, curly fleece and ruby-red eyes, it looked like a pedigree ewe of thoroughbred lineage.
Despite being a mere sheep, it had a haughty look, but it was so clumsy that its hind legs caught on the fence every time it tried to jump.
Its hind legs, far too long for a sheep, repeatedly got snagged, leaving it stranded atop the wooden fence. Unable to move forward or backward, it wore a tearful expression.
...Wait, that looks incredibly familiar.
Baaah!
A chorus of bleating urged the platinum sheep to hurry up and get over.
Under the pressure of the sheep waiting in line behind it, the platinum sheep hesitated before finally shifting its center of gravity forward.
Thud!
It fell flat on the ground.
Whimper. Whimper.
Did it sprain a leg falling off the fence? Watching it lie face-down on the grass, groaning in pain, was a pathetic sight he could barely stand to look at.
The moment the platinum sheep fell, one of the sheep waiting in line charged forward with gusto.
Was that a sheep or a dachshund? Its legs were so short it looked optimized for fence-jumping.
Running vigorously on its short legs...
Patter, patter, patter...
Leap!
Its fluffy, light-pink wool blended with the blue sky in a picture-perfect arc!
And then,
the pink sheep, leaping over the fence with irritating grace,
—Squeeeak!
landed squarely on top of the platinum sheep, which lay immobilized with a sprained leg...
—Ugh, groaaan...
Trampling the groaning platinum sheep like a cushion, the light-pink sheep landed lightly on the grass.
It trotted away cheerfully, head held high.
Charmed by the spectacular leap, yellow, blue, and green sheep flocked around the light-pink one.
Meanwhile, the foolish platinum sheep remained sprawled on the ground, groaning in pain all by itself.
Wait, I've definitely seen that pathetic sight before.
It felt like the memory of accompanying Emilia to the Academy, where he had watched his young lady sitting all alone among the other noble girls, eating the packed lunch he had made for her...
But what did she mean by me meeting other women?
Being alone in a quiet place allowed him to ruminate on the past.
No matter how much he thought about it, many of the things Emilia said yesterday were strange.
Did she have any idea how busy a noble house's butler was?
Managing subordinates in that vast castle, catering to the whims of the masters—one had to move without a moment's rest.
There was a reason why so many head butlers ended up growing old and dying single.
On top of that, he had been playing three roles at once: head butler, escort knight, and chamberlain.
I like women too, you know...
But I literally had no time to meet anyone!
Of course, there were plenty of female servants who showed interest.
But the moment he spoke to another woman, his possessive mistress would glare at him so fiercely that a conversation lasting more than a minute was impossible.
"As expected, that 'disposition' of yours never changes."
"Should I have sent in a prostitute instead? To match your level."
It was definitely strange.
Even if it were just one of Emilia's typical slips of the tongue—given her terrible way with words—it was still far too bizarre.
Did something happen at the ducal castle?
It had been three years since he retired and came to the capital.
During that time, the rumors he heard about the Lady of Liechtenstein were nothing out of the ordinary.
She had been working so diligently.
The only rumors about the empire's greatest beauty, the young lady of the duchy, were about marriage proposals.
That Lady Emilia had reached marriageable age but showed no interest in finding a new fiancé, and was rejecting the proposals of her former fiancé, the Crown Prince. People wondered what she would do if she had a geriatric pregnancy—just gossip of that level.
Thanks to that, he had been resting easy.
The flower-garden-brained Crown Prince?
That guy was an enemy who would ruin himself even if left alone.
The whore wearing the mask of a saintess?
That bitch had been caught dating five guys at once, which ruined her engagement with the Crown Prince. If she were summoned back to the Holy Kingdom, she would face confinement.
The only thing was that she had fled in the dead of night to avoid the summons...
Flash.
The eyes he had kept closed this entire time snapped open.
Back in the modern world he came from, there was a saying: "When something goes wrong in world history, blame this guy and you'll usually be right."
In this romance fantasy world, there was a similar individual.
"It has to be that bitch."
In the darkness, Ian Jeffrey's golden eyes flashed.