Falling on one knee, in one hand, he was holding strawberry ade with ice. âDo you mind if I become your good adult? Iâll be an even better adult than Sir Hickson.â
ââŠ.â
Violaâs head got complicated. In the novel ă The Shadow of Verratoux ă Viola and Xenon are colleagues who work together until the second half of the story. So, why does he mean he would resign all of a suddenâŠ?
Too much of a factor to change.
âWhat kind of resignation is this?â
Her head was still a bit complicated, but Viola still accepted the strawberry ade.
And, another day passed.
Consequently, Xenonâs resignation was rejected.
It was arranged by Butler Carlton.
âYou didnât fulfil the seven-year mandatory period.â
âIf you still want to resign, follow the contract.â
âThe penalty is ten billion Dahlia.â
Viola, sitting on the chair, laughed in bewilderment.
â10 billion Dahlia?â
Dahlia is similar to Koreaâs currency, Won. Therefore, ten billion Dahlias means that it is around ten billion won in Korean money.
[ E/N: Thatâs around 9 million USD. ]
âYou mean you signed such a ridiculous contract?â
In the novel, the details of the contract were not clearly described. So, it was Violaâs first time hearing this as well.
As for the reason,
âWell, I didnât look over the details of termination because I never thought I would have to resign. The other conditions were very good.â
That was Xenonâs answerâŠ
Viola let out a sigh of relief.
âThere shouldnât be this many variables.
Itâs understandable that there will be twists in a novel, but there shouldnât be too many variables. If she does something wrong, her neck will be severed! This is a flying world.
So, that means carefully, she has to slowly change everyone little by little.
Xenon came into her room.
Even today, he had brought strawberry ade in his hand.
âWell, thatâs too bad for you.â
âYes, I know.â
What a bummer!
It is also mentioned directly in the novel. Only a few butlers are as good and capable as Xenon.
âThis competent butler⊠thereâs no way he hasnât gone through the contract thoroughly.â
He must have known the terms of the contract. Thatâs why he seemed to have taken a super strong initiative to resign. However, Butler Carlton wouldnât accept his resignation, and even if he does, Xenon wouldnât have been able to pay the penalty.
That means, he tested me without being obvious, and it seemed like he was testing me cleverly like this.
Truly, heâs an outstanding character.
She almost fell for him once again. âGet your acts together.â Even if she gets bitten by Xenon, she can live as long as she gets her act together.
âWhy is he so good at acting?â
And then,
âStrawberry ade is so amazing.â She said, sucking the straw happily.
âStrawberry ade is incredibly deliciousâŠâ
She has never had such a delicious strawberry ade on Earth in the 21st century. Furthermore, as her taste got younger, the strawberry ade that Xenon made was more impressive.
Viola then said it with all her heart. âYou cannot be freed from being a butler.â
âI thought so.â
âSo, stay by my side as a competent butler.â
âOf course.â He said, then took a notebook out of his arms. âBut, thereâs something I need to report to you, Princess.â
âReport?â
âThatâsâŠâ
Hesitantly, he scratched the back of his head. He wasnât sure how he would approach Viola with this information.
âItâs all right, tell me.â
âItâs the princessâ dogâŠâ
âTundra?â
âYes. He was beaten to death every day, but he still could not kill his temper. Thereâs also a rumor going around that he may die if this keeps up.â
âHeâs not going to die.â
âIâve been observing discreetly, and he is really beaten to death several times now.â Xenon seemed a little concerned as murder within the Winter Castle is strictly prohibited.
Even if itâsHickson, he will be beheaded if he kills inside the Winter Castle.
âNo, he wonât die. Heâs just going to hit right before he would actually die.â
It is the same in the novel. On the surface, it may seem as if he was being beaten, but that wasnât the case. Through that beating, Tundra will grow brilliantly.
Knowing everything from the novel, Viola is relaxed.
Xenonâs eyes narrowed.
âDo you have complete faith in Sir Hickson?â
âTrust me, heâs not gonna kill my dog. Itâs mine.â
âI hope so.â
It seemed to Xenon that Viola believed Hickson entirely. For a moment, Xenon was astonished. âI think Iâve developed feelings.â
And, the name of this emotion isâŠ
âIs it jealousy that Iâve only heard before?â To be honest, he couldnât understand why she believed in only Hickson so much.
A hero of the past, but hasnât he been like a scoundrel for three years?
So, why does she trust only Hickson this much?
âDo I, to Sir Hickson, feel jealousâŠ?â
Still, Xenon tried to put on a nonchalant look. He suddenly remembered Violaâs words.
[ âSo, you stay by my side as a butler.â ]
What Viola Verratoux wanted was Xenon, a competent butler. Then, he will be Xenon, the butler.
Thinking so, he put his mind together.
Viola Verratoux is a voracious Verratoux.
He must become the Verratoux butler that she wanted. Jealousy is a feeling that he doesnât need at all as a butler. Xenon decided to cut out the feelings.
âWhy donât you stop by the training area, princess?â
âWhy?â
âTo see Sir Hickson. Youâd better see for yourself how he treats your dog, right?â
Viola tilted her head.
Why would she have to, anyway?
It felt as though Xenon was messing around with something. For some reason, Viola felt like he didnât like Hickson.
ââŠBut, it must be just my feelings, right?â
Thinking back, he has been acting quite peculiar lately, but itâs probably one of his tests.
âYes, it must be so because Xenon is a character that has little to no emotion.â
Maybe itâs just her feeling.
Viola thought so.
Â
In the end, Viola agreed.
To be fair, she is curious about how Tundra is training as well. She wondered how well heâs growing up.
âI may be upset if I saw him in person.â
Tundra with Kang Han-Joonâs faceâŠ
Saying that sheâs not scared would be a lie.
It wasnât long before she arrived at the training area. Viola peered inside the area with an absurd look.
âHuh? WhyâŠ?â
There, she saw Vixen and Tundra wielding their own weapons at each other, exuding brutality.
ââŠWhy is he here?â
Gazing at them confusingly, she could feel the intense atmosphere. It was as if it was poking her skin like a sharp awl.
âWhy is he covered in blood once again? What on earth is going on?â
Hickson, who is sitting on a bench on one side, came close and asked.
âHoo, youâre here?â
âWhy, Why are they fighting?â
âItâs just a duel. Duel.â
âThatâs a duel?â
âDo you have to be so reckless in life?â
Looking at the scene, it was more like they were trying to take each otherâs lives.
âOh, itâs just a duel. Donât worry.â
Hickson grinned and put his hand on his waist.
âLook, youâve lost weight, havenât you? Did you feel any better?â
Even though there is a fierce knife dance going on in front of them, Hickson seems to be in another world, chatting nonchalantly with her instead.
âItâs really all right, right?â
At the very least, he is sober. So, Viola decided she could trust him in that predicament and answered his question.
âIâm sorry, sir, but I went to the welcome dinner yesterday.â
âWhat are you talking about?â
âUnfortunately, my father was there.â
Compared to Duke Heron, most people in this world look like a squid. Though she is a bean curd myself, that fact is still true. Duke Heronâs beauty has the ability to make people around him ugly, regardless of age or sex.
âCompared to my father, you are like an old squid.â
âIâve never heard such novel poetry before, and itâs surprisingly offensive. I donât like being perfectly understood.â
He then frowned heavily. âAlsoâŠâ
Hicksonâs eyebrows wriggled. He uttered out the part that was bothering him. âDid you say âmy fatherâ?â
âYes, Duke Heron Verratoux.â
âSince when have you called him father? Are you that close to Heron now?â
âIs he the type of person you can get along with?â
âItâs to be expected, isnât it?â
âWell, thatâs true.â
Frowning, Hickson asked again. âYouâre not close to him, are you?â
âItâs difficult to say if weâre close or not.â
âYeah, yeah. Heâs a tough guy. Itâs hard to get close to someone like him.â Saying so, he had a look of satisfaction.
âBut, why are they fighting?â
âI told you itâs a duel, didnât I?â
Viola turned towards Vixen and Tundra, who were in the middle of a battle. Seeing the scene, it is too intense to be considered as a duel at this point.
While Vixen was holding a wooden dagger, a long wooden sword was in Tundraâs hand.
Letâs just say, if those weapons werenât wood, it wouldnât be strange if one of them ended up dead by now.
Regardless, Hickson had a funny look on his face. He lowered his voice and asked playfully.
âWho do you think will win if those two fight?â
âPlease ask me the question straightaway.â
âWhat do you mean?â
âWho would win if the two of them fought, or who would win in that situation?â
Hicksonâs eyes narrowed.
âLook at this little girl!â
Although he already knew Viola is an extraordinary girl, he didnât expect her to point out critical points like this.
For instance, in this very situation,
1. Thereâs an opening in the space.
2. Viola is aware that the opponent is attacking Tundra skillfully.
3. A situation in which a life-threatening wooden knife is being used to fight.
And, most importantlyâŠ
4. It hasnât been long since Tundra mastered swordsmanship.
If things change, so will the results.
Taking all these factors into mind, Han Arin recited what she read as a reader of the novel. âVixen will win today.â
âWhy do you think so?â
âThatâs because Vixen is stronger.â
The male lead, Tundra, is endowed with tremendous qualities and talent. He is a genius as in a novel. However, does that mean that Vixen falls far behind in talent than Tundra?
In fact, thatâs not the case at all.
âVixen has been trained since birth. Besides, heâs a pureblood Verratoux, so isnât it weird for him to lose?â
âThen, why did you point out âthatâs the situationâ?â
Before she knew it, all the mischief was gone from Hicksonâs expression. His mood suddenly shifted, and he waited for Violaâs answer.
âThatâs because Vixen and Tundraâs swordsmanship is different.â
Hicksonâs heart began to pound rapidly.
Recently, rumors are circulating in the dukeâs residence about the insight of the adopted youngest daughter. Rumor has it that she is the most insightful child compared to others in terms of abilities.
*** Read lasted Chapter at website Zinnovel.com Only ***