After a brief moment of silence, Klein raised the black tea and took a sip. He said with a smile, âItâs something that can be considered, but Emperor Roselle once said to never be in a rush to make a decision. Only after repeated comparison will one receive the best answer.
âAre there any other options?â
Walter, who wore a white glove, replied without any abnormality to his expression, âPhelps Street would also satisfy your request. I recall that Unit 9 is available for rent. Itâs a two-story villa with more than ten rooms. It comes with a stable, the servantsâ quarters, and a small garden. The furniture and wares are relatively old, but theyâre considered decent. The annual rent is 220 pounds.â
Thatâs quite a reasonable price⊠Reasonable⊠However, Phelps Street means that itâs less than 100 meters away from Saint Samuel Cathedral. Although this does help in being right under their noses, many of the pedestrians will be Nighthawks. It would be very inconvenient for me to leave and return, making it easy to make mistakes⊠Klein, who originally had a budget of about 160 pounds, suddenly felt 220 pounds was a pretty good price after undergoing the catharsis of the gardened manorâs price.
This made him suspect whether Butler Walter had deliberately offered him an expensive choice at the very beginning.
Klein pondered for a few seconds and said, âAny others?â
Walter replied without showing any signs of impatience, â160 Böklund Street is also available for rent. Itâs a three-story house which also comes with a garden, a stable, servantsâ quarters. There are more than ten rooms, but its location isnât as good as Unit 32. The decorations, furniture, and wares can be considered decent. It has an annual rent of 315 pounds.â
315 pounds⊠The rental fee flashed past Kleinâs slightly numb mind. He asked in thought, âWhat do you suggest?â
At that moment, he had already decided on an answer, but as an employer, he wasnât in a rush to express his decision. This was because he would easily be belittled if his decision had a slip up in common knowledge.
Walter seriously thought and said, â160 Böklund Street.
âIn comparison, the neighbors here will be more helpful in entering high society. As for Unit 32, itâs overly extravagant. To rent it immediately will make your surrounding neighbors believe that you lack the necessary self-restraint, making it seem inappropriate.â
To put it simply, to rent a house costing 1,260 pounds a year so easily will make neighbors define me as an ostentatious nouveau riche⊠To a tycoon whoâs trying to enter high society, such a reputation will be terrible⊠Klein sipped his black tea and asked with a smile, âThen, why did you offer me the selection of 32 Böklund Street?â
Walter unhurriedly bowed and said, âHonorable sir, Iâm only a butler. My responsibility isnât to decide, but to present all suitable options and give you certain suggestions for your consideration.
âIn a situation where Iâm unaware of your exact preferences, I have to do my best to provide you with all possible options.â
Very professional⊠Heâs likely worried that Dwayne DantĂšs is a nouveau riche who enjoys flaunting his wealth, so he first gave the choice of 32 Böklund Street as a way to probe me, so as to adjust his suggestions and management style⊠Klein smiled and said, âLetâs eliminate Unit 32. We shall choose one of the two.
âBefore I make the decision, Iâm accustomed to paying a visit. Letâs head off after lunch.â
âYes, sir.â Walter continued wearing that stern, old-fashioned expression.
âŠ
South of the Bridge, Harvest Church.
Emlyn White was wiping the silver candle stands as he was mulling over the clues provided by Miss Magician.
A secret Beyonder gathering⊠Thatâs equivalent to providing no clues. It will be rather difficult to pursue the matter. And I wonât be able to participate in the gathering in short notice⊠Emlyn observed himself in the silver standâs surface as he combed his hair.
Then, he put down the wiping cloth, retreated to the first pew in the cathedral, and sat down as he watched Bishop Utravsky praying seriously before the altar with his gaze unfocused.
Thoughts came to his mind as they occasionally created sparks. Emlyn suddenly grasped a detail.
Why would a puppet that garners the Primordial Moon believerâs immense interest happen to appear?
Moon Puppet⊠This feels like itâs bait. C-could it be a trap designed by Rus BĂĄthory and the others? Emlynâs eyes lit up as he suddenly stood up.
Rus BĂĄthory was a Sanguine Baron who was participating in the hunting competition. He was viewed by Emlyn as his strongest competitor.
The more Emlyn thought about it, the more he found it as a possibility. This was because he knew that BĂĄthory was an antique enthusiast, one who especially enjoyed collecting all sorts of strange trinkets from the Southern Continent!
After pacing back and forth a few times, he curled the corners of his lips and chuckled. He silently said, I have no way of entering the Beyonder gathering to seek out the location of Windsor, but I can monitor Rus BĂĄthory and finish off the target before he does!
Haha, I look forward to his expression when that happens.
Yes, Miss Magicianâs clue is indeed worth 100 pounds.
Just as Emlyn was feeling abnormally excited, Father Utravsky ended his prayers, walked over, and looked down at him. He said with a gentle voice, âOur piousness is not in our language, but in every detail of our body language. You were not being focused enough today.
After the priest turned to walk to the confessional, he snapped to his senses as he muttered, amused and incensed, Iâm not pious at all. I donât have to appear pious!
âŠ
Rows of straight Intis parasol trees lined both ends of the street, making the streets appear beautiful and tranquil. With his gold-inlaid cane in hand, Klein slowly walked out of Unit 160.
He silently drew a breath and turned to look at Walter.
âTell the owner that Iâm very satisfied.
âIâll temporarily rent it for a year. We might move to a better place later, such as Empress Borough.â
His words hinted at his ambition to obtain an aristocratic title, as Empress Borough was a place where the nobles gathered.
As for why he didnât rent half a year to save on money, it was because such high-end estates only accepted long-term contracts. One year was the minimum.
To be frank, if money wasnât an issue, Klein had quite a liking for the house. Its lawn was clean, and the garden was beautiful. The furnishing was befitting, and the wares were exquisite. There were plenty of bedrooms, sufficient furniture, and many washrooms on every floor. Even the stables and servantsâ quarters at the back werenât shoddy work. It was the best residence Klein couldâve ever imagined in the past.
Walter immediately replied, âIâll hire a solicitor in a while.
âSir, what specific requests do you have regarding servants?â
Klein strolled underneath the Intis parasol trees and smiled.
âIâd first like to hear your suggestions.â
Walter thought for a moment before saying, âSir, you will need a housekeeper regardless.â
During the interview, Klein had mentioned that Dwayne DantĂšs wasnât married and had no children, nor did he have any mistresses in Backlund; therefore, he didnât need a ladyâs maid.
Dwayne DantĂšs nodded gently without expressing any intentions. Walter continued, âHer duties would be to manage the female servants and the expenses of the household. Sir, you canât leave everything to me or the same person. Balance is an art in politics, and itâs also a good method when managing a household. Emperor Roselle once said that absolute power definitely corrupts.
âIâm confident in myself before money, but itâs only confidence.â
Hmm, very honest⊠A housekeeper is needed. Sheâll cost about thirty to forty pounds a year⊠Klein nodded.
âOkay.â
At that moment, Walter was walking behind Klein to his side. He extended his hand to stop a rental carriage.
On the carriage, he continued, âI will get the Family Servant Assistance Association to produce a name list for the selection of the housekeeper. You shall choose her personally, and I wonât provide any suggestions.
âBased on the current residential situation, you will also need a steward who can be male or female. You will need a valet, a ladyâs maid in charge of the bedrooms, and two chambermaids who will be in charge of the living room and activity room. Two footmen to valet guests, a parlor maid, a scullery maid, two laundresses, and two handymen.
âApart from those, you will need a cook, two gardeners, two coachmen or one coachman and an assistant coachman. If necessary, you can have an additional attendant, a stewardâs boy, a nursery governess, and a second cook.
âYou currently do not have any carriages, but youâll definitely have two in the future. A four-wheeled carriage costs about 300 pounds. A two-wheeled one costs about 100 poundsâŠâ
As he listened to his butler introduce the required servants in detail, Kleinâs mind went numb. He didnât wish to do the accounts on how much he needed to spend. After all, it was paid on a weekly or monthly basis, and not an annual basis.
Ignoring the attendant, stewardâs boy, nursery governess, and second cook, there will be ten to eleven male servants, and the female servants with the housekeeper will number about nine to ten⊠Itâs basically several times what I calculated. Each weekâs expenses will exceed 10 pounds⊠This can only be determined after all of them are hired and their salaries are negotiated⊠Thereâs also the carriage⊠Kleinâs mind couldnât help but drift when he saw Walterâs mouth moving nonstop.
Seeing the staid and extremely dignified Mr. Dwayne DantĂšs nodding from time to time, Walter subconsciously broadened the topic.
âIn the future, you will also need to rent a manor in the suburbs to entertain friends to have a wonderful weekend over there. Thereâs no rush. It can wait until you hold several dances and banquets at Unit 160âŠ
âSir, do not mention housemaids in front of the neighbors of this street. Only those with salaries below 500 pounds a year will hire housemaids because theyâre unable to hire enough female servants to handle the different parts of the householdâŠâ
ââŠâ
Klein listened numbly as he reflexively wore a warm smile.
Back at the hotel, he watched Walter leave before he sat back down, his expression collapsing.
When it was twenty minutes to three, Klein rubbed his temples and slowly got up. He went into his bedroom and prepared to begin this weekâs Tarot Gathering.