I Was Reborn as the Female Antagonist's Servant-Chapter 25 – Who are they?

I never expected to find them here.

Midway to the horse carriage, I excused myself from the Head Butler beside me, saying I needed to step away for a moment. I told him to go ahead before approaching the person I had seen.

I moved through the crowd, weaving between people until I found the two I was looking for.

"Uncle El!"

The person whose name was called turned towards me, followed by the person next to him. When our eyes met, Uncle El’s eyes widened before he returned my greeting.

"Oh, Kid!"

I quickened my pace after he called my name. And now, I was in front of him. The clothes he wore looked the same as the last time I saw him—a plain white shirt with the buttons halfway undone, secured by a winding rope. He wore dark gray pants tied with a leather belt, with a small brown bag hanging at his side.

I smiled slightly. He’s still the same.

A moment later, the person beside Uncle El caught my attention. She was wearing clothes almost identical to Uncle El’s, with the addition of a short skirt underneath. From the way she held Uncle El’s arm a little too tightly, I came to a conclusion.

I looked back at Uncle El. "...Is she your partner, Uncle?"

The person I had just mentioned widened her eyes, then looked down. Her face began to turn red before white smoke slowly appeared above her—like a heating pot. However, compared to the heated expression of the woman beside him, Uncle El looked normal. He waved to the side, as if rejecting my conclusion.

"No, Kid. She’s not my partner," he said flatly.

The woman beside him, hearing that information, immediately changed her gaze, slightly upwards towards the person beside her. Her eyes weakened, her hand lowered from his arm, before looking down again—wearing a forced smile.

Uncle El’s hand wrapped around the neck of the person beside him. "She is my friend, or I could say my subordinate, Kid. Don’t you recognize her?"

I shifted my gaze to the person beside him. Her weakened eyes, her forced smile—for some reason, made me feel a little strange.

But, Uncle El said I know her?

I began to examine the person in front of me more closely. Her short brown hair and sharp eyes that could turn cynical at any moment. I tried to dig into my memory again, back in the prison.

Someone who fits that criteria...

My eyes widened, my gaze returning to Uncle El. "Is she the subordinate who performed at the event back then, Uncle?!"

Uncle El smirked, his gaze slightly raised. "Hm~ hm~ You finally realized it, Kid!"

A moment after he acted like that, I looked back at the woman beside him. ’I never thought it was her. The person I thought was a man craving attention, turned out to be a woman.’

I stared at the woman for quite a while. Until she noticed my gaze, her forehead immediately furrowed, her eyes sharpened. Realizing this, I immediately shifted my gaze to the side.

Uncle El scrutinized me after he raised his head. His gaze went down, directly to my clothes. His eyes stopped for quite a while, until I realized it.

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Um... is there something wrong, Uncle El?"

He was startled. "Ah... No. It’s just that I didn’t expect you to become someone’s personal servant now. I only knew that the one who bought you was from a high-ranking noble."

He looked at my face. "...By the way, what family is your master from, Kid?"

I fell silent. My gaze lifted upwards with my fingertips touching my chin. "Hm... I don’t really know either, Uncle."

His eyebrow rose. "Huh? How can you not know the family you serve? Haven’t they told you?"

I looked back at him. "Well... as for that, it seems they haven’t told me yet, Uncle."

Hearing what I said, he sighed deeply. His hands rubbed together. "How can that be?"

In the middle of saying that, his eyes suddenly widened—as if getting an idea. "...Hey, Kid. Do you remember the soldiers’ armor they wore?"

My eyes widened. My fingertips immediately touched my chin, my gaze facing upwards, trying to dig up memories from the past few moments. Getting off the horse, seeing the vast mansion, and a soldier in white armor, with two animal emblems merged into one.

My eyes widened, looking back at Uncle El. "...I think I remember, Uncle. If I’m not mistaken, they wore white armor with the emblem of ’an orca whale circling a raven’." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Hearing that, the woman beside him immediately flinched. Her gaze widened, before she finally looked at the person beside her—Uncle El. Uncle El’s expression looked surprised, it could be seen from his eyes and his slightly open mouth.

"It can’t be them. The ’Karasachi’ family," he muttered.

Hearing Uncle El’s murmur, made my eyebrows immediately furrow. What is he saying? The ’Karasachi’ family? Does he mean that’s the name of the Duke’s family?

Uncle El was silent for a moment, before his gaze returned to me. He growled for a moment, his hands clenched tightly, before finally releasing it all.

He sighed briefly. "Hey, Kid. Is Head Butler Razoru healthy?"

My eyes narrowed. "Why are you asking such a—"

"Just tell me!" he interrupted.

The woman beside him immediately stroked Uncle El’s back. Then, not long after, she immediately glared at me.

"Ugh..."

I rubbed the back of my neck after receiving that glare. I shifted my gaze to Uncle El—seeing him getting stranger and stranger.

What’s wrong with him?

"..."

I don’t know.

The important thing is, just answer his question first.

The rubbing on the back of my neck stopped, my hand lowered again. "...Yes. He’s healthy, Uncle. In fact, he’s become a teacher—though I guess that’s too broad. I mean, he’s even become my ’mentor’ there, Uncle."

Hearing my answer, his eyes immediately widened. He clenched his hand tightly, before loosening it followed by a short sigh.

"...Thank you, Kid."

That’s what he said, before leaving without saying goodbye.

My hands clenched tightly, my lips bitten inwards. Tears felt like they wanted to come out of me, before finally releasing all those feelings.

It’s a bit sad, but...

My eyes narrowed. That’s called a farewell.

For some reason, seeing him slowly disappear into the crowd, made me believe that our meeting would never happen again. For some reason, I thought so.

A moment later, just as Uncle El seemed to disappear into the crowd, the Head Butler approached me from behind. Seeing the expression on my face as if I had lost something precious, he immediately followed my gaze.

The Head Butler’s eyes narrowed. Among the people who were busy selling and bargaining, the back of straight and slightly messy hair with a slightly trained posture could be seen faintly.

I sighed deeply. Without me realizing it, he was already behind me. His gaze seemed to lock onto the place I was looking at earlier, before he realized that I was scrutinizing him.

"...Let’s go home. The coachman will leave us if we stay here any longer."

I looked at him, a subtle smile displayed on my face, before nodding once in response. "Alright. Let’s go, Sir."

We started walking together, heading to the horse carriage we had ridden earlier. Among the passing crowd, I began to sink among them.

***

Inside the same horse carriage, the sound of horses’ hooves and wheels moving together had been heard since earlier. Now we were on our way home.

Heading back to the Quiet District.

For our seating positions, it was the same as last time. I was facing away from the direction the horse carriage was going, while the Head Butler was facing the opposite. For a moment, I stared at the Head Butler in front of me. He looked like he was staring out the window, without saying a word to me until now.

My eyes narrowed. Why does Uncle El know someone like the Head Butler? Their chance of meeting at the slave auction should be almost zero percent!

As I stared at him, he seemed to notice my gaze. Feeling caught, I rubbed the back of my neck while shifting my gaze to the lower corner.

The Head Butler’s gaze narrowed. "Hey, Touji. Who was that person earlier?"

My gaze shifted to him. "Ahaha... that person, huh?"

The Head Butler nodded. "Yes. The one who delayed our trip home."

I was startled. Feeling a little like I was also mentioned in his sentence.

"Well, that person is a ’Slave Guard’ who once helped me in difficult conditions inside the Slave Enclosure there. My name for him is ’Uncle El’, Sir."

His eyes widened, looking back out the window. "That ’El’," he muttered.

His eyebrow was raised. I heard what the Head Butler said, because he was right in front of me.

I looked out the window, opposite from the Head Butler. ’Whatever their relationship is, it makes me so curious.’

I looked at the Head Butler again. But it seems I can’t get that answer now.

I looked out the window again. Someday. Someday maybe I will get it.