The beginning of a relationship that should not work out (part 3)

"Thank you, Ma'am!"

"...uh... don't make me feel bad about my age, young man. My name is Sophie, and it's alright to refer to me as such..."

Medea gasped gratefully, but his choice of words made the maid groan and mumble under her breath.

"Thank you very much, big sister Sophie."

"?!?!"

The black-haired man straightened his back and said with a serious expression, which was such a sudden change that the short woman didn't know how to respond.

She didn't realize that Medea's reaction was his actual show of joy.

Spohie's name wasn't on the list – which meant that despite being the maid in the Rotteloss mansion, she was someone who knew how to treat Zorivia.

...that said, the people working in the mansion were taking up quite a lot of space on the said list; Medea just had to match the name with the correct person...

"Wait here."

"..."

Sophie led him to the head butler's office and made him wait by the door as she entered.

"He's waiting."

It took less than a minute for her to come out and nod at the young man, making him go into action.

"Good morning."

"..."

Medea entered the room and closed the door behind his back, greeting the large brown-haired man sitting with a silent frown behind a large desk.

Kenneth had his left hand on the stack of papers and an opened envelope that Sophie delivered to him on Meda's behalf right before the black-haired man's prolonged visit to... the restroom...

It was worth mentioning that the frown on Kenneth's face wasn't there from the start but rather emerged spontaneously at the sight of Medea's raven-black hair.

"Morning. Mister Medea, by any chance...?"

Kenneth's mood didn't improve, but he did nod at the black-haired man before immediately asking a question while subconsciously reaching out towards his arm – of which the hand and forearm were missing, and the sleeve of his suit was dropping loosely.

"..."

|So amusing~|

Medea didn't answer right away as he had to make sure the smile that showed up on his face would not turn into a ruthless grin – he was the one responsible for Kenneth's missing arm, and the head butler still didn't know the truth, but the injury still reacted.

"You are correct, mister; it isn't our first meeting – although I was quite troubled and ashamed of my behavior fourteen years ago."

The black-haired man did pull himself together and bowed his head politely while answering the question left in the air by the brown-haired man.

"Your words did stick with me, though. -Remember, there is nothing so convenient as free food and clothing in this world. Sooner or later, you will have to pay for it.- You could say that those words had led me here."

Medea added, walking towards the desk and straightening his back as if he was a recruit during the officer's inspection.

"...You made yourself reliable, that's for sure..."

Kenneth's expression became troubled as the large man looked away from his face back on the papers.

"It's slightly odd for me. You see, truth be told, this is the first time I ever heard about someone being dishonorably discharged from the army but receiving the best possible letter of recommendation..."

The head butler of the Rotteloss mansion rubbed his head with his left hand and cracked an awkward smile.

"I came up with the plan, I ordered my men to place the magic pellets, and I was the one to use the signal pellet to activate them all. It wouldn't sit well with me to let anyone else bear the consequences of my own actions. All the men who served under me are good people, but losing a job can push even the best person into a path of no return."

"I know, your fellow officer did explain things rather thoroughly in here..."

Medea answered with a straight face, to which Kenneth nodded, putting his hands down on the envelope and tapping on it with his index finger.

"...the thing is... we don't really need more guards – especially the officer's positions were given out a bit too generously...'

The brown-haired man looked to the side with a troubled expression – actually troubled one, too; it didn't seem to be an act to just ditch the black-haired man.

"Pardon the misunderstanding, mister Kenneth. I do not wish for work that involves conflicts. I've seen enough bloodshed and cruelty for a lifetime."

"...!"

Medea smiled apologetically and lowered his head, clenching his hands as if doing his best to not let the morbid memories win, causing Kenneth to tense up.

"A general servant, gardener, assistant accountant... I would be more than happy to assume any of those positions. I also do have basic cooking skills, but being a kitchen hand is probably out of the question as my ability doesn't extend to meals palpable for the aristocracy."

The black-haired man added, breathing out and lifting his head to show the head butler a brave smile that shook a little as if it was hiding an unspeakable amount of pain.

"In case there would be work for me and I was hired, I would greatly appreciate a small living quarter – if that's not too much to ask."

Medea added with his smile becoming a bit more troubled, making him give off the aura of someone who can't find peace at night, haunted by the memories of the atrocities of war.

"If that's the case... well, we are in need of a general servant... not to mention what happened with young Miss's personal maid..."

"...?"

Kenneth turned around deep in thought and rubbed his chin while looking absentmindedly through the window, muttering under his breath about something that made Medea tilt his head in slight confusion.

"The whole town is buzzing about it – a young man murdered his fiancee late evening yesterday and was killed by the guards as he tried to attack them after the deed."

"That's terrible...! But then..."

Kenneth began to explain, and the scary news made Medea gasp in shock.

"That's right. His victim was Mary, young Miss Zorivia's personal maid. Young Miss hasn't learned about it either... How does the role of her assistant sound to you?"

The brown-haired man asked, thinking he came up with the idea all on his own, blind to the manipulation.

"Ah...! No, I couldn't possibly take such a responsible position...! I lack the necessary experience to meet the necessary standards. Not to mention that young Miss Zorivia is engaged to His Highness Noah! A girl from a good family should be assigned to such a role to make sure that young Miss's honor would not be questioned!"

But even though Medea got his wishes served to him on a silver platter, he didn't just pounce on it recklessly.

That opportunity was a dud put on a display to test him after all – a simple trap that the black-haired man noticed before the head butler ever thought about it.

"In that case, if the role of a general servant really isn't beneath you, you can start right away. The room you can stay in is in the west wing. For now, wait outside and call in Sophie. I will prepare the contract while she will guide you around and explain the basic duties."

"Of course! Thank you very much!"

Kenneth ended up deciding and nodding at Medea before glancing towards the door, which was a signal for the joyful black-haired man to leave.