DMSM 06

CHAPTER 06

“This time, there seem to be fewer decent people.”

Butler Robin, who had been listening to the shadow’s report as well, spoke in a regretful tone.

“It’s not possible to always bring in useful talent every time.”

“That’s true. Should I contact the academy to recommend some candidates?”

“There are still existing personnel, so not yet.”

“Understood. You remember there’s a party tomorrow, right?”

“I’m not going.”

“The young lady said you absolutely must attend as her partner. She said if you skip it when an important trading guest is coming, she won’t forgive you.”

“Why on earth does Gloria never bring her fiancé with her??”

Karl, who had been reviewing documents, let out a sigh and set down his pen. His younger sister always dragged him to important parties despite having a fiancé of her own. On top of that, he also had to keep an eye on whatever schemes the Empress might be plotting, and now he had to wander around a party hall—how annoying.

“I heard it’s for publicity. She said there’s no face better than young master’s for promoting the new accessories, so you’ll be dressed up with the latest pieces.”

At Robin’s words, Karl’s face twisted.

“Can’t she just use her fiancé for that kind of thing? Yusta is handsome too. Why drag me when I’m busy—ugh. Fine, I am handsome. There really isn’t anyone who can replace me.”

“You’re not being serious, are you?”

Robin stuck out his tongue in disgust, watching Karl casually run a hand through his hair as if it couldn’t be helped.

“I am serious—and truthful. The cufflinks I wore last time sold out in a single day.”

“Yes, yes. You’re a great asset to the merchant house. Please do your mission well tomorrow too.”

Despite Robin’s sarcasm, Karl rested his chin on his hand.

“If I wore rags, would they still sell out?”

“Yes, yes. People would be so stunned they’d order anyway.”

Robin replied flatly.

“Everyone is so worried about your marriage prospects. You should probably start looking for a match.”

“If I don’t find someone I like, I’ll just pick a suitable noble house.”

“Then that lady will basically be using up all the luck of her life.”

“Whether it’s luck or misfortune, who knows.”

Karl wondered if a marriage without love could truly be happiness. His parents had said theirs was a contract marriage, yet they had fallen in love at first sight. He wasn’t sure he could ever experience something like that.

“In five years you’ll be twenty-six. Will any house still be eager to marry you off?”

“Of course. I’m the empire’s most eligible man. If anything, the number will only increase. Power, wealth, looks—I lack nothing. Robin, I think my parents did a very good job raising me.”

At that, Robin’s expression twisted as if he had bitten into a bitter tea leaf. Deciding further conversation would be exhausting, he declared the discussion over.

“Please just work. If I hear any more, my sanity will rot.”

“How cold.”

“Yes, yes.”

Robin refocused on the documents, then suddenly looked up again, indignant.

“Why am I, a mere butler, even reviewing paperwork?”

“The administrators are also reviewing documents right now.”

“That’s their job.”

“This is yours too.”

“No it isn’t! I’m a butler—I’m only supposed to assist you!”

“You are assisting me. With this.”

“Hah, this isn’t assisting—it’s dumping your work on me. Raise my salary! I want a raise!”

“Between us? You shouldn’t say things like that.”

Karl said, his violet eyes shimmering slightly. Robin pressed a hand to his head. The young master was using his face again.

“We’re just a master and butler. I’ll be expecting extra pay and bonuses.”

Adjusting his glasses, Robin spoke coldly.

Karl finally burst out laughing.

* * *

Pewooong, bang, bang, baaaang!

A month later, Ireina had completely adapted to Ruin’s morning alarm that rang every day. She always woke before it, stretched, washed up, and came out first.

“Good morning, Ruin.”

“Uuuuugh. Gooood morniiiiing. Yaaawn.”

“You’ve been really busy lately, haven’t you?”

“Yeah. The lord and lady are coming back soon. It’s the beginning of a full cleanup. The butler’s gone all out—he’s replacing all the furniture and interior decorations.”

“Isn’t cleaning the maids’ job?”

“We don’t do the cleaning itself, but placement and small details all go through us. Sir Hans is so meticulous that if anything feels even slightly off, it’s redo, redo, redo.”

Ruin rolled around in bed for a while.

“Ruin, training starts soon. If you don’t get ready now, you’ll be late.”

Looking at the clock, Ireina urged her. The two hurried out.

“I know, I know, I KNOW! This damn training!”

Ruin screamed in frustration as she ran, making Ireina laugh despite herself.

“Your stamina is improving too, isn’t it?”

“It’s definitely better than before.”

Ireina answered casually, though she had always had good stamina. The ducal household’s training program was far too well-designed for mere servant conditioning—it was comparable to proper physical training.

“Before I came here, I was a quiet, proper noble lady from a baron’s house.”

Ruin placed a hand demurely over her mouth as she spoke, causing nearby servants to suppress laughter. She had never once been a quiet noble lady.

“If my father hadn’t messed up his business, I wouldn’t have ended up here as a maid.”

Ruin insisted she had once been a delicate young lady who had never lifted anything heavy. She tried to show her supposedly thin arms—but burst into tears upon seeing how sturdy they actually were.

“Now I can lift flowerpots bigger than myself. Lift them! Ireina, does that even make sense? I’ve even gained muscle because of daily training!”

Every maid and servant said their bodies were in peak condition. Despite all the work, they were full of energy. They complained with tears in their eyes while also admitting they liked being healthy.

Voices that couldn’t decide whether they were suffering or happy echoed across the training ground.

“Calm down, Ruin. You used to say you liked not gaining weight no matter how much you ate.”

“Because they’re making us work so hard we can’t gain weight—that’s the problem!”

Ruin snorted.

“Good morning.”

“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

Greetings echoed across the training grounds, mixed with groans.

“I wish I’d gotten the afternoon training instead.”

“It changes every three months.”

“I still have two months left. I hate waking up early.”

“I actually prefer mornings. It’s more annoying to train, wash up, and come back again in the middle.”

“But you get a break in between—it’s not bad.”

While Ruin chatted, the knights in charge of training servants checked attendance and began instruction.

“Ireina, your form is really good.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s only your first month, right?”

“Yes.”

The knight complimented her as she did push-ups. Ireina pretended to struggle as she answered, slowly pushing herself up while feeling the tension in her chest muscles. Even though she moved slowly, the intensity made it effective training.

“Starting tomorrow, we’ll begin basic sword training alongside physical conditioning.”

“Already?”

“Of course. You’ve done a month of physical training, so it’s time to begin basics.”

At the mention of sword training, Ireina lowered her head—but couldn’t hide her grin.

Finally, she could hold a sword again. Since arriving in the capital, she hadn’t properly held one. She hadn’t planned to become a knight, so she had left her sword behind, and during evaluations she had written that she couldn’t use one. There had been almost no chance to touch it—only occasionally swinging a stick alone in the annex office.

“Seventy. Haaah.”

She collapsed onto the ground as if she had barely managed seventy reps.

“Already doing seventy is impressive.”

Ruin, practicing with a wooden sword nearby, looked at her.

“Haaah. Is that really impressive?”

“Of course. When I first came here, I couldn’t even do twenty in a month.”

“Now you can easily do a hundred though, right?”

Ireina asked in surprise.

Was she supposed to be worse? She had been pretending to struggle and moving slowly already. If she went any slower, it wouldn’t even count as training.

“That’s the power of ducal household training. It turns delicate ladies into steel-bodied ones.”

“Hahaha.”

The knight listening to them laughed.

“Ruin, you actually had better stamina than most people. You weren’t delicate at all—I saw it myself.”

“Ma’am, people might misunderstand.”

“Well, let’s say you were a delicate lady with a sturdy body. Ireina, do fifty more sit-ups.”

“Yes!”

The knight continued giving instructions while bickering lightly with Ruin. Ireina followed along calmly, listening to their conversation.

“Wow, her form is really perfect.”

“Same here.”

“Feels like textbook technique.”

“I’d want to show this to trainee knights.”

The two continued chatting as they watched Ireina do sit-ups slowly. They praised her posture so much it was as if she belonged in a training manual.

“Alright, Ireina, ten more. Ruin, just fifty more sword strikes.”

“Ugh.”

“Gghh.”

Groans echoed from both of them. Around them, other servants also cried out in exhaustion. The knights, smiling warmly, trained them all diligently.

Ordinary people entered the household and gradually built strong bodies. That process gave the knights a sense of fulfillment. Some even discovered talent and joined the knight order.

Because of that, the knights trained them with a strong sense of duty.

Even administrative clerks and recruitment instructors were not exempt from training. They complained that they were not knights, but the generous salary kept them obedient.

Many of them had been weak from sitting at desks all day, but as they became healthier, they had to admit the results.

Administrators called it a miracle of money—complaining that they were being turned into labor-ready bodies for work.

“Good work today.”

As Ruin and Ireina swayed back toward the dorms, a stunning maid—beautiful enough to make anyone turn their head—smiled and waved at them.