Chapter 3 (1/2)

Thomas left the study, upset. He stopped at the stairs and intended to light a cigarette, only to remember that it had been hidden under his pillow.

The butler had strictly forbidden the servants from smoking in the castle.

“Thomas, why are you hiding here?” A maid appeared from downstairs. She was in her thirties and wearing a black and white dress, with a mop and a bucket in her hands.

“It’s nothing.”

“Does the lord still reject your service?”

Thomas slapped the wall angrily. “Mathy, why do you think the lord dislikes me? I’ve never been a valet before, but I was Viscount Roosevelt’s first footman. I’m qualified for the job.”

“How would I know? I’m not a maid in Tulip Castle at all. I never saw the lord before.”

“I’m only asking if I’m not good enough.”

“Perhaps you should ask Mr. Carter or Mrs. Mason… But I don’t think you need to worry about it. His lordship has only three servants. Jesse is the assistant, and Tom is too stupid to serve the lord. Nobody is more qualified as a valet than you in this town.”

Thomas brightened. “Yes, I’m told that his lordship was not appreciated by the earl in Tulip Castle. Perhaps he will spend the rest of his life as Baron of Flower Town.”

“Maybe.”

“Mathy, do you regret following his lordship here?”

“It doesn’t matter to me. Life here can’t be worse than starvation at the farm. Besides, I’ve already been sold to his lordship. Regrets are useless.”

Thomas was about to speak, when someone interrupted him. “Do you not need to work? Thomas, Mathy, mind your behavior. Do not talk outside the bedroom or kitchen!” Carter, butler of the shabby castle, had arrived.

He was inspecting the castle with a series of keys and a bottle of wine.

“Of course, Mr. Carter. We’re going to work.” Thomas and Mathy left in a hurry, resuming their business.

The small nobles were servants to the big nobles, and footmen and maids were to some extent servants to the butler. Aristocracy was always hierarchical.

The castle was small, but there was plenty of work.

Even though Liszt was the only noble that required service, the daily chores were still burdensome. The house had to be cleaned every morning and every night. Laundry, hot water, food, toilet… There was too much work for the servants.

However, it did not mean that Carter was free. On the contrary, besides managing the servants, Carter had to welcome guests, receive letters, maintain the tableware, manage the wine cellar, and take care of the most important guests.

Carter was already 50 years old. He was a senior in an age when the average lifespan was less than 55 years.

He knocked on the door of the study.

“Come in,” Liszt’s gentle voice called. He had the “iron tongue” that was popular in the upper class. Nobles in the Iron Mountain Kingdom were proud of the accent.

Carter took a deep breath.

He wasn’t familiar with Liszt in Tulip Castle. Back then, he was responsible for one of the earl’s estates, until he was appointed as Liszt’s butler in the ceremony for his adulthood. He had been promoted, but his wages actually dropped.

However, Carter did not complain. It had been 35 years since he was sold to the Tulips. Unmarried, he considered himself part of the Tulip family.

It would definitely be a happy ending if he could spend the last years of his life with Baron Liszt, a blood descendant of the Tulip family.

“My lord, reading at night hurts the eye. You must take care of yourself. Candles are not as good as sunlight.”