Chương 33: A Date

CHARLES THE BUTLER My good friend pondered to himself. His face was serious as connections formed in his mind as he thought of new plans, throwing out old ones. Kurt stood at attention with sweat on his brow from what I assumed was training. With my previous spar with Tarion cut short, I felt a pang of jealousy. Every minute of every day, Tarion is on the go. Aiming for the mysterious goal that motivated him to work almost to death. And with the little free time he has, he spends training one-on-one with Kurt.

He had even been absent as of late for the morning training. But still took the time to fight with Kurt. I looked down at my white gloves. Should I have declined? Said no to being a butler and became a guard instead? Tarion chose me specifically; I could never say no. Then I remember how we played in the forest with practice swords. Wide smiles were on our faces. When a stable boy and the duke's son were true friends.

"I think I will have to retire to my room early for meditation. See you tomorrow." Tarion spoke in a low tone. Beatrice and I bowed as Tarion withdrew the training platform, with Kurt following behind. The Duke has been having problems forming his fifth circle. Perhaps I can help him in another way. I will fulfil my promise. TARION Vioden. A duchy and our close southern neighbour.

Although smaller in size, with its grassland, it is known for its arable lands, which produce a lot of the wheat that Osberg and Friedland eat. As the food basket of the empire, it has a lot of soft power, with influence spreading through the Friedland. This power has given its nobles gold, only matched by the royal family. Which made my father's second marriage such a strange affair. Households that had quietly been competing with each other for generations joined together in marriage.

Why would an Umbra go straight to them? Maybe on her orders? I walked to the dining room, where several of the knights cheered and clinked beers together. They cheered at my arrival, almost hurting my heightened hearing. My uncle sat at the end of the long table near the patriarch's seat, leaving it open for someone.

"AH, Nepheeew!" Said my uncle with a mug of maybe his seventh serving.

"JOooin Us!"

"Sorry, Uncle, I'm not much of a drinker."

"FlipPing kiLljOy!" The knights shook the room with laughter.

"I do have a question, though."

"Go! ASk awAAY!" He slouched on his chair, waiting.

"It's about Davis."

"OH, the skinNy priCk!?"

"How long has he been with us?"

"Let me thINk?" He closed his eyes, scratching his salt-and-pepper beard. Seconds passed, and he still scratched.

"Uncle!" He jolted.

"OH yEah! A bUtler sINCe YouR dEar mOtHer paSSed. BuT hE hAs bEen WIth us SiNCe befoRe mARy MArriEd iN. HE Is a vAsSEl oF tHe FaMIly afTer aaaalll." How could he betray us so easily? No, maybe he wasn't on our side to begin with. His family should be investigated.

"Thank you. And slow the fuck down. I don't want you complaining about vomit tomorrow."

"FUck YOU! I cAn hAndLe it." Uncle said as he chugged his mug. Chuckling, I walked away from the party. I would have to hold off on telling him everything. Let him relax after such a hard campaign. Through the long corridors and the many steps, my mind thought about what my uncle told me until I reached the master bedroom. I looked at the opposite door, wondering how my duchess fared after such a long day.

"Take her to a picnic," Kurt suggested. I jumped.

"Mmm", I feigned stoicism.

"How long have you been following…?"

"Since underground. Take her to a picnic."

"Vanessa?"

"Yes. I have heard that women like considerate men. Surprise her tomorrow. She has her weekly horseback riding training tomorrow."

"Heard from whom, Jen?"

"How did you know…?"

"She's the only woman other than Her Grace that you would be willing to converse with. You barely speak to anyone anyway." Kurt looked to the left in thought.

"You're wise as always, Your Grace. I bid you farewell." He bowed and saluted before leaving in his robot-like manner. Poor Jen. I cannot be as dense as the captain. I should do just that. A little food on the grass might be fun. My spirits were high in anticipation of tomorrow, and I entered my room gleefully. The large, stained-circle window draped the large room in a rainbow of colours. I blew out the already lit candles and noticed several paintings on the floor by the last candle.

"Should I hang them near the sword rack or the other wall?" I snuffed the candle and proceeded to take my clothes off to my underwear. Flying onto the bed. I relaxed. My tea… On the left bedside table, a teacup steamed with an earthy aroma. Taking a sip, I began to meditate. Gently, with my circles slowly spinning, mana travelled through the meridians to my heart. The same pain. Like glass scraping through my skin. I need to endure. Fuck it all or nothing; I must make the fifth circle. Many lives depend on me.

My people, my household, Osberg,... Vanessa. Gold finally formed. A smile flipped as I kept going while I had momentum. I squeezed and contorted. My heart warped, like an old engine cracking on the strength of the vibration. Sweat soaked onto my covers. Muscles and veins pulsed and tensed. My teeth grit together as I collect ambient mana. I can't… I let it go, falling back in a huff.

"Fuck me…" Status… Is this my limit? I never remembered any Manhwa MCs having this much trouble getting stronger. But I am not the MC, just another lucky idiot. An idiot with a system… So an MC? I chuckled to myself. At this time of the night, I would've been lying in my bed with no frame, reading the fiftieth manhwa I had discovered that month to pass the time. Now I was training with mystical energy in the massive master bedroom I claimed back from the flipping villainess. This life is madness.

But a madness that suits me more than I care to admit. With Tarion's memories, this world felt more like mine than the concrete pillars I was so used to. Here I have something to strive for. I am not just another grunt anymore. I am disposable no more. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. What I did here mattered. I closed my eyes, waiting for rest to come and tomorrow to quickly arrive so I could make more of a change in this strange world.

Bieye the Bartender. I knocked on the door.

"Finally, you're here! Come in already!" I twisted the doorknob, and out of the dark room, a blonde woman and a girl of darker skin rushed out. Holding each other naked in shivering fear, tears stream down their swollen, bloodied faces. Please wait. It will end.

"What are you waiting for? COME IN." I hurried in at his order. I walked to the dirty bed where he waited by the candlelight with a robe, surrounded by the broken pieces of the bedside table. With my arm around his waist, I tried to calm the monster down from his rage, lest he harm me next.

"Problems outside, my darling? Is Drac still refusing to work with us?" I said as my arms rubbed his belly, slowly descending to relieve him like a bull in heat.

"Fuck the southern bastard! I'm losing gold by the second! This is the third business they have targeted. My men are getting wiped out of their holdings. We may have a leak that needs plugging up. Who are they? My partners? A noble customer? Or…" I turned him around and slowly pushed him down on the bed. My robe slipped off, revealing my all, and he appraised me like a piece of meat on a butcher's hook.

"I must return what they give tenfold. Make them understand why I rule these streets." I pulled his shaved head to my bosom.

"I know, I know," his voice became softer.

"I best leave worries for tomorrow. This is why you are my favourite. You understand me. My needs. My wants." He pulled me with enough force to sprain my shoulder, laying me down for a long night. Fjord snored next to me. I could've strangled him. Although my fingers could've broken trying to squeeze. Poison him and a sixth circle like him may struggle for only a few days. Maybe if I had some of that GU. I searched the floor, picking through the pieces of wood, finding a message.

He turned in his sleep, and I flinched. I slipped out of the bed, and a large hand grabbed my hand.

"Where must you go, Beiye?" I dropped the paper on the ground. And turned to him with a smile.

"I must sleep to open the doors early."

"Silly woman, just stop working and stay by my side." He rubbed my palm.

"There is no better place." He tried for a kind smile while his cold iris reflected the toy he saw me as. If I stay a moment longer, he might require a newer one. I pulled away from his grasp.

"The door still needs to be open, sir. And it was you who gave me the position." I picked up my robe from the floor, making my way out, and I was pulled again.

"Then you will awaken tomorrow in this room." He gave me a look. It wasn't a request. This will be worth it. The duke will make it so. Beatrice promised. VANESSA Dairy log 34 I waited by the castle stables in my riding clothes. The sun beats on my skin on a surprisingly sunny day. As I drank my tea, I watched the insects fly among the little flowers sprouting out of the grass. It's hard to believe that the city was hit by snowstorms two months ago.

"Here is your steed, Your Grace." An elder stablehand gives me the reins of a beautiful white horse. I gave my empty cup to Jen with a silent thank you and started brushing the calm beast's mane.

"Say where's the newbie?" I asked the worker.

"Ah, the young fellow. Duke Greystone sent him to get a new steed he ordered from Vioden. I don't know why he didn't think to ask me, but knowing this boy, the task will be completed in a jiffy." The stable hand regarded my brushing.

"Gotten used to her fast." I remarked.

"I remember when you met her shaking in your breeches like a leaf in a storm. Hahahahaha." Jen and the stablehand laughed.

"Hehe. She's gorgeous… I was shaking because of her cuteness."

"Yeah, not because she is a massive beast twice your height, not at all~!" A gruff voice mused. J en tapped me on the shoulder and pointed at a tall figure. My heart started beating as I turned.

"Tarion! Why are…" Beauty, which only the gods were thought to possess, stared back at me. His dark, shiny mane waved in the early spring breeze. His sharp eyes were brighter than any jewel my father had ever adorned. Below his dignified nose, his clean shave showed a jaw as sharp as his favourite sword, which was absent from his cloaked back. He walked with a confident stride, carrying a rolled-up blanket and basket in one hand, with a lovely smile.

"Damn, he cleans up well." Jen whispered from the side of her mouth as she backed away. The stablehand bowed to me and my husband before they followed Jen back inside. Jen and the Duke exchanged winks. He glanced back at me and felt immobilized.

"Morning, dear." I shuddered from hearing his rumbling voice.

"Mind if I interrupt?" He held the basket and blanket.

"I was thinking we could ride somewhere to relax and have some snacks." Out of the basket, Tarion found a carrot for the horse to eat and rubbed its mane.

"S-Sure," I said excitedly.

"But where's your horse?" Tarion smiled.

"Right here." He bent down until I felt his breath on my cheek.

"Hold on." He brought an arm around his shoulder and put the picnic blanket in my left hand.

"Okay-WOAH!" Scooping me from under my legs, he carried me with one arm. I sat on his forearm, holding onto him for dear life. His handsome face was nonchalant, barely feeling the weight on him.

"Tarion!" He chuckled as he mounted the white horse. Placing me between his long legs with my arm on the saddle, he whipped the reins to get the horse to gallop.

"There is a little spot I would like to show you." We kept riding through acres of the Greystone Compound, going higher up the hill. The blanket and basket were on my lap while I was on his. He held me close to his chest to prevent me from falling.

"Confortable?" I looked up at Tarion, who concentrated on riding.

"Very..."

"Mmm." A knowing smiled emerged on his face.

"Good." And his eyes were back on the grass ahead.

"Heard about the mage. Quite the talk of the town."

"The silver-haired?" I asked.

"The one."

"Other than that he may be more handsome than you, I had not heard anything about the man." I Tarion scoffed.

"Well, is it a credible rumour?"

"Believable if they haven't met you." Joy beamed from Tarion like a second sun. He coughed to hide his glee away.

"Well, of course you would say that; you're my wife."

"True, true. And thinking of my childhood friend as a handsome man gives me chills." The horse slowed, and finally Tarion's red eyes looked down.

"You know him...?"

"Know him? We used to play hide and seek with each other, although it was strange when he came back with an entirely new face..."

"You met him?" the horse stopped.

"When?" asked Tarion, who seemed to be suppressing his urgent need for answers.

"Before you came back from the mines, he came to the governor's office. Did I do something wrong? Did George?" An arm coiled around me. I am snug in his warmth.

"I am sorry. You did nothing wrong. Just wasn't aware of such a guest, that's all." He whipped the reins and continued.

"In fact, I am glad you reunited." I looked up at him, my hair brushing his chest. His eye wandering, his thinking mind going through the motions. But all I could think about was his lips. As if pulled by strange magic, my eyes can't escape them.

"You don't need to ever worry about him. It will never be like that with him." Chin high, I watched him. He held his mouth. The wind loved Tarion's mane, swishing it around majestically.

"I believe you," Tarion spoke with a charming smile. The horse stopped by a tree at the highest point of the hill.

"Here we are…" With ease, he dismounted from the horse. I fetched another carrot from the basket to feed the horse, and Tarion chuckled like I had read his mind. Still sitting on his arm, he carried me up to the tree, and I saw a spectacular sight. Osberg City from hundreds of metres high in full view. The city I have spent so much time and energy helping.

"This was my favourite spot. A great view of everything we are trying to protect." He turned to me, his hair blowing and his ruby eyes shining off the sun.

"Thank you. Without you, I would be lost. I would be unable to help the many lives below. Without you... I am nothing but a savage brute. If you feel you could find a better place to make your home, a better man... to hold you..." These words meant the world and more, yet they broke my heart. A brute he is not. A better man?! I had not seen one ever. Wind blew on us again, and I noticed I still sat in his arm.

"Oh, sorry! You were so light, I forgot." He bent to put me down gently, and I did something brave. With my hand on his shaved chin, I let myself be drawn into those gentle lips. Ecstasy filled my body, and time stretched as our lips touched. I pulled back before I got addicted, and I found a kneeling, stupefied man, eyes wide with shock. I don't know why you would want us to separate. But I will convince you otherwise. Those eyes show me I have a chance.

"I'm getting a bit hungry." I blushed, licking my lips.

"I hope you brought cheese."