Good-for-Nothing
"Not too shabby!" Kyle exclaimed when he looked at the estate before him.
With Rachel's description about how badly the family was faring, Kyle had already made ample preparations for the worst, and was definitely not expecting to see a residence as large as this.
The wall on just this side of the residence stretched to about a hundred metres in length. Considering that it was designed as a square, the residence covered a total area of about 10 thousand square metres!
Surely this could not be considered as doing poorly?
Indeed, Rachel was able to pay him a salary of 10 copper coins a day! So how could things really be as bad as she said?
Not that Kyle was complaining, of course.
If anything, this could be considered a pleasant surprise!
"Welcome back, Young…Mistress?" the old servant waiting at the door was surprised to see a stranger returning along with Rachel.
"I'm back, Old Will. Did anything happen while I was away?" Rachel walked up to him after paying off the horse carriage driver.
"Everything is as it was before you left, Young Mistress. Please enter," holding back his curiosity about the unfamiliar young man, Old Will pushed open the door and led them in.
The residence of the Pierce Third Branch Family was divided into four smaller areas.
The front area consisted of a large hall where guests were usually hosted.
The left side consisted of a row of rooms where the servants were housed.
The right side was the utility area where places such as the kitchen, storeroom, and even a small library were located.
The area at the back was also the largest area, and it was where the members of the Pierce Third Branch Family stayed. That was also where the guest rooms were located.
In the middle of the residence was a small open courtyard decorated with trees and flowers. There was even a small pond where lotus flowers would bloom should the season be right.
The grounds were swept and even the tiles on the roofs were free of leaves, showing how much care was taken in keeping the place tidy.
"Please wait here for a while. I will just go inform my mother of my return, and then I will be right back!" Rachel told Kyle after bringing him to the front hall.
"Don't worry and go do what you must. I will be fine," Kyle nodded understandingly before taking a seat.
"Serve him some food and tea while he waits," Rachel told Old Will before quickly taking her leave.
Hearing those words, Kyle's eyes could not help but light up in excitement!
After spending almost three weeks without food, he was definitely not going to stand on ceremony. This time, he was going to eat to his heart's content!
"Bring some light snacks to the front hall," Old Will discreetly passed the instructions down to a kitchen maid before carefully pouring Kyle a cup of tea, at the same time also carefully assessing the young man seated before him.
Leanly built with relatively fair skin; relatively decent looking face; slightly messy jet black short hair; tall stature; rather well sitting posture; and casual clothing unbefitting of nobles.
No matter how he looked at this young man, he seemed to be the kind of good-for-nothing who was only capable of seducing young and innocent girls to cheat them of both their wealth and body!
Despite the relatively young age of the current Head, she had always been intelligent and wise in her decisions, and thus Old Will never had an issue with following her orders. He did not wish for the family's rise to riches, but he still believed that under her lead, the Pierce Third Branch Family would at least be able to survive in this harsh society.
However, now it was obvious that no matter how intelligent Rachel was, she was still only a young girl at the tender age of 22 after all.
And girls at her age were especially vulnerable to one thing – the concept of love!
Coupled with all the stress and the responsibilities that she had to bear, it would not be too surprising for her succumb to the alluring words of a playboy!
He had seen the young mistress's eyes when she was looking at the young man, and they were filled with excitement and joy!
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.
Old Will did not know what this person's background truly was, but it definitely was not anything great, or he would have been better dressed at the very least.
Such a person dared to have ideas on the young mistress?
Over his dead body!
He had watched over the young mistress as she grew up, and he will continue watching over her until the day he died!
"Old Will? Is that how I should address you?" the young man actually called out to him at this moment.
The young man must have overheard the young mistress addressing him earlier.
"Old Will is fine. Everyone calls me that in this house. May I know how I should address yourself?" despite his thoughts, Old Will answered with the proper etiquette befitting of the servant of a noble.
After spending so long as the butler of the residence, if he was not even able to keep his own feelings hidden well, then he would have been replaced long ago!
"Kyle," the young man answered.
Old Will frowned upon hearing that answer. As he thought, this man was not of noble birth, or else he would have named his family as well.
"It is actually kind of embarrassing to say this, but I am a little hungry now. Is it possible to hurry the kitchen a little? And ask them to bring more food too if possible!" Kyle requested with a sheepish smile on his face.
"This…" Old Will was caught in a slight dilemma.
While he did not quite like the man before him, Old Will knew that it would be out of line for him to reject the requests of a guest. However, the kitchen had to start a fire and make the snacks. All that took time!
And asking them to bring more food?
Just how much was he intending to eat?
"Oh, if it is too troublesome, it is okay with me if you just go buy some food nearby as well. As for money for the food, I'm sorry that I don't have much on myself right now, but here!" Kyle passed a small pouch over to the old servant.
Old Will reluctantly received the pouch from Kyle.
This guy!
It was already good enough that he wanted more food, but now he even wanted them to go buy outside food for him?
He was right that the kitchen would not be able to immediately churn out food for him, but this was blatant lack of respect for the residence's kitchen maids!
Providing money for the food?
Hah! As if that was possible!
Let's just see how much money he was willing to use for this childish masquerade!
Old Will controlled his expressions well even as he opened the pouch, his professionalism not letting him down.
Yet when he saw what was in the pouch, his eyes could not help but to widen in astonishment, and his mouth gaped open slightly subconsciously.
Gold coins!
There were not many, just 10 of them, but they were still gold coins!
A thousand copper coins made a silver coin, and a thousand silver coins made a gold coin.
Even the most expensive taverns and inns would only dare to price their food in terms of silver, so what in heaven's name was this man passing him this much money for?
"This might not be enough for proper food, but anything edible is fine. If it is still not sufficient, then forget it, I will just wait patiently for the kitchen to be ready!"
What did he just say?
This young man!
Just who in heaven's name did the young mistress bring back with her this time?!