I Was Reborn as the Female Antagonist's Servant-Chapter 38 – Second Lesson in Etiquette

The sky was already showing its twilight hue.

I was seated in one of the chairs inside the white building.

After My Lady left, I immediately walked over to this white building, waiting for the Head Butler to arrive.

I looked up, staring at the round white roof. There was nothing special about it. It simply felt pleasant to wait here, with my hands resting behind my head.

Time kept passing. The sun gradually sank lower. There were no signs of the Head Butler coming. I lowered my hands, gazing at the door nearby. My eyes narrowed.

"Where is the Head Butler?" I muttered.

He still hadn’t arrived. I decided to leave afterward. I stood up from the chair, then moved to the side. My hand grasped the edge of the armrest, pushing it back into the table.

Before I could leave, the Head Butler arrived casually. Finally, he appeared. Somehow, he managed to act as if nothing was wrong despite being late.

The Head Butler crossed over the flat stones below, walking precisely along the middle. He ascended the stairs once he reached them. His steps echoed before stopping right in front of me.

He looked at me with a flat gaze. He played with his glasses while watching me, as if I were trying to interrogate him.

"... Why are you late, sir? You usually arrive exactly on time," I asked.

The Head Butler remained silent, then cleared his throat. "...Didn’t we start the lesson a few days ago around this time? When the sun was about to set. About forty minutes—thirty minutes for the material and ten minutes for a break. So, I am arriving right on time now," he explained, looking at me with a hint of surprise.

I could only remain silent. My fingers intertwined beneath my chin.

...Really?

I tried to recall the first lesson’s timing. From the material he provided, it felt brief, as he placed it before sunset. And there was indeed a break, he only said until sunset.

After calculating all the time I spent with him then, what he said was correct. The timing matched exactly as he mentioned.

I looked at him, a little puzzled. But how can he determine the timing so precisely?

This was a bit strange. His analytical ability was remarkably sharp. Someone like that usually had experience in something directly related to his current skills.

The expression on the Head Butler’s face looked slightly confused. He played with the middle part of his glasses again.

"...What’s wrong, Touji? Why do you look like you’re thinking about something so deeply?" he asked.

I was slightly startled. "Ah... nothing. It’s fine."

I looked at the chair beside me.

"...Shall we sit first, sir? Your lesson is only a short one, isn’t it?" I suggested, my hand resting on the edge of the chair’s armrest.

He nodded once. "You’re right. We don’t have much time."

The Head Butler pulled his chair and sat down. I followed his lead, settling into a comfortable position. My posture was the same as yesterday. He faced away from the Mansion, while I faced forward.

He knocked the table three times, looking at my left hand.

"...Is your hand okay?" he asked.

I was a little surprised, then nodded. "Yes... my hand is fine. It only got hurt after sparring with Big Brother Fukuro," I replied.

He nodded, understanding my words.

For a moment, the atmosphere grew quiet. Only the sound of birds flying across the sky could be heard.

The Head Butler looked at me closely.

"...Hey, Touji. Before we start the lesson, I want to ask about this morning," he said, playing with his glasses again. "Actually, what did you ask for yesterday afternoon that caused Duke to change like that?" he inquired.

My body jolted. My gaze fell downward.

"I saw some tension between father and child. So, I just wanted to try to fix it, that’s all," I answered without hesitation.

The Head Butler remained silent, not replying. He played with his glasses again, which were covered by the glow of twilight.

"So, you noticed it too, huh," he said.

I looked directly at him, a bit surprised to hear him say that.

"...What do you mean, sir?" I asked.

The Head Butler was silent for a moment. He didn’t meet my eyes at all.

"Well, their relationship shouldn’t be that strained. At least, if Duke’s wife hadn’t died giving birth to their child," he revealed.

I fell silent. My body leaned slightly forward, trying to listen carefully.

"Duke is actually a caring father. He does everything to protect his child. One of those things is by keeping his distance," he continued.

I couldn’t say anything. He said Duke protected his child by distancing himself.

But why distance himself? What was Duke thinking at that moment that made him decide to stay away from My Lady?

I became more lost in my thoughts. This puzzle was becoming harder to solve. If Duke did something without reason, it was clearly suspicious.

The Head Butler looked at me directly, his expression flat and unblinking. He observed me for several minutes without saying a word, only adjusting his glasses again.

"Looking at the time... I think we should start discussing today’s material," he said, bringing me back to awareness. I immediately looked at him.

"Today’s second lesson is titled, ’Noble Etiquette for Drinking Tea,’" he continued.

I just watched him, my fingers touching my chin, showing my seriousness about this lesson.

The Head Butler began explaining the lesson, stating that a noble drinks tea by pinching the cup’s handle between the thumb and index finger. The middle finger supports the bottom of the cup for balance.

While explaining, I asked whether the pinky finger should stick out or not. Because in my old world, many films depicted it that way.

The Head Butler remained silent. He answered briefly afterward, saying it was impolite and not allowed in noble etiquette.

I nodded, understanding what he said.

Seeing that I understood, the Head Butler began explaining how to serve tea to someone. He explained in more detail, starting from the etiquette of holding the teapot and pouring it. He demonstrated everything with improvisation, moving his body parts according to the material he explained.

I just nodded, understanding what he was conveying.

Time passed unnoticed. The sun had already set completely in the distance. A gentle breeze brushed past my ears.

The Head Butler watched the sunset from afar, then looked at me in front.

"Seems like the break that waited for sunset has been replaced by our chat," he said.

I nodded. "Yes. You’re right, sir."

The Head Butler stood up from his chair. I followed after him. Our gazes met briefly.

I bowed, thanking him for the lesson today. The Head Butler simply nodded in response.

He turned around.

"Since you’re the last one, don’t forget to close the door," he ordered.

I nodded, understanding what he said.

He looked at me once more before walking away.

I remained there silently, turning around.

I walked on. In front of me was a white fence. My hand touched the fence, then I took a deep breath of the cool air that just passed.

My eyes gazed far ahead. The forest in front had been completely swallowed by darkness. An owl turned its head one hundred eighty degrees, staring directly at me from afar.

The atmosphere was very dark.

I looked to the side. Flowers were bathed in light amid the night’s darkness. Fireflies began to appear. They flew everywhere, circling the large flower garden.

Then I looked at the sky. The entire cosmos had turned blue. Small stars twinkled. Some had fallen, their light stretching across the sky.

This world felt beautiful. It seemed easy to see it as a test.

I closed my eyes. After realizing, many riddles had been solved and some still remained mysteries.

I opened my eyes.

"Slowly, it will be revealed," I muttered. My fists clenched tightly, reassuring myself.

I turned around afterward. My steps echoed again on the hard floor.

The Head Butler was no longer visible. It seemed he had already gone to his room first.

My feet crossed some flat stones, until I reached the boundary of the door. I looked back once more. A small smile appeared.

My gaze returned forward. I touched the door handle and closed it.

I stepped over the red carpet. My presence gradually faded from the flower garden.

In the middle of the garden, the most beautiful rose was visited by a firefly. The firefly flew away, and the rose swayed gently.

Inside, I walked through various corridors. My steps echoed for a long time in the wide hallways.

I looked around, noticing fewer servants going back and forth.

Before I knew it, my room came into view. I walked a few more meters and arrived in front of it. I opened the door, entered, and closed it again.

I turned around. In front of me was a comfortable bed. I smiled slightly before jumping onto it. I lay on my back, raising my left hand.

The pain from yesterday was gone. Maybe it would be completely healed by tomorrow.

But isn’t this too fast?

The wound that usually left a lingering pain disappeared after just one night’s rest.

I lowered my left hand. "Is this some kind of advantage from me transmigrating?"

It felt strange, but it seemed like the most logical explanation.

My eyes began to close. I have a lot to do tomorrow.

Slowly, my consciousness began to fade. And now, I was swept away by the current of dreams.