The moon reflected the light of the sun on the cold winter night, as magic lamps illuminated the streets around us. The people of the world thought the moon had its own light, and that the lousy brat served the mortals in the night, just like the sun in the morning. ‘Served’ is a punitive word, but you shouldn’t really be surprised at the conceitedness of mortals because the ignorant ones only see things the way they want to believe.

Carriages trudged around us, and drunkards made it hard for them to move around with ease. Shops lining the market plaza were almost shut, some merchants still lingering for a final assuage of customers to get rid of their goods for the day. Many drunkards would probably die today, should they decide to sleep on the dingy streets, but guards helped them at times, sprawling old rags over them or just dumping them with a fire attribute mage.

My lady’s shoelaces had come undone, so I stopped her, knelt in front of her, and tied them. Her green frock covered the shoes underneath, so I hadn’t noticed when it had come off. Not that she had tripped, but my diligence was necessary as her butler since incidents ought to be prevented before they escalated. The back lace-up frock annoyed her as she had to wear multiple layers of clothing, but this was the only choice she had for the day.

 She held my head for balance and her eyes paced around the streets with evident disgust. I patted her head with a smile once I was done and led her through lighted streets, away from the market plaza, toward Baron Hesroeder household.

A short walk across the market was all it took to reach their residence, so we had decided to walk through the cold winter night. My lady walked on my right, holding my hand that adorned her bracelet, or leash as she might call it, and smiled at me ever so often. It gave me chills, for I didn’t know what she would do if I ever lost it. Undead were careless when it came to their belongings, and they didn’t really have many.

The mansion gates stood before us as we reached the noble locality. Garlan was pacing around the gates restlessly, wearing a fresh blue shirt that exemplified his bulging tummy and black trousers, with his dirty shoes. He never really cared much about his appearance, but he looked presentable today.

“Yo, Rudolf!” Garlan hurried to my side. “Why are you late?!”

I glanced at the moon and said, “We aren’t. You are early, bread lad.”

“That fucking guard has been glaring at me for a while,” he said, pointing to guard stationed within the enormous spiked gates of the mansion that divulged into compound walls on either side, splashed with grey paint.

The mansion was massive, perhaps as large as the Marquis manor, with a porch that stretched out from the entrance, beckoning us warmly. The gable decked the top, ridges running along either side, extending the mansion beyond the central porch. Adorned columns lined the entrance, and I glanced at the guards, whose gaze held more suspicion than necessary.

“Identify yourself,” the guard said from within the barred gates.

“As I told you already, bastard, I am Garlan,” my bread lad snarled. Well, I don’t see why anyone should recognize that name.

“He’s the pervert who has been invited for the banquet,” my lady said to the guard. “I am Letitia­–“

“Lady Letitia,” the guard opened the gates instantly and glanced at me. “Rudolf, and pervert. Yes, we have received an order from the lord. Please,” he gestured for us to enter the mansion, and Garlan was dumbstruck.

“Who the hell will introduce himself as pervert?!” Garlan grunted and stopped short of kicking the guard’s groin.

I was wearing my butler suit, so they disregarded me completely, for servants didn’t really get anything other than bread from the owners. The lawn flanking the pavement was well-maintained, mana lamps lighting up every nook and corner emanating the lush green ambiance of the yard. Ornamental trees sprung up occasionally, including my nameless tree from the Academy that glorified the monotonous beauty of the lawn.

The guard left us to the maid standing at the porch and returned to his duty. We entered the mansion, replacing our shoes with indoor flip-flops in the foyer. The hallway opened into a large courtyard that had corridors spanning all sides along the periphery, and we walked toward the right, which was the right direction leading to the stairs.

Beth and Casey were chatting at the top of the stairway, and their eyes lit up when they noticed us.

“Ahoy, Ruddy and Leti!” Beth shouted from the top with a grin, pecking Casey’s cheeks before rushing down. The lady with us was probably Casey’s personal maid because she wasn’t affected by the intimate exchange. “And pervert’s here too.”

Garlan face contorted, and he grumbled. “I will get back at you one of these days, lady Beth.”

“Sure, sure,” Beth snickered and dragged Letitia upstairs.

“Rudolf, don’t loiter around,” she said, pulling her hand out of Beth’s grip in annoyance. Beth gave her an apologetic look, and my lady followed her, probably for some pranks or adolescent talks that I wasn’t much interested in. The maid followed them silently, after a brief bow in Garlan’s direction, ignoring my presence entirely.

“What now, Rudolf?” Garlan asked, lazily leaning against the railings of the stairway. I wonder if my bread lad could pay for the damage if the stairway ever broke.

“My lady told us not to loiter around, Garlan,” I shrugged and looked around the large room that had exotic antiques stationed on wooden plaques with intricate carvings. Paintings hung on the walls on all four sides, along with a portrait of the late Baron. Funerals never really mattered much in this world, for only some noble families took them very seriously and indulged in mourning for more than a year.

“Doesn’t that excite you more?” he grinned mischievously, and I sighed.

“If you don’t mind getting tortured with me, please lead the way, Garlan.”

His smile froze, and he repeated my sigh when a young man entered the large open room from the opposite side. He wasn’t a visitor, which meant he was either Volch, or one of the servants, but I dismissed the latter soon after glancing at his lavish black robe and the grey muffler around his neck.

“Garlan and Rudolf,” he smiled at us politely. “I’ve heard a lot about you from Casey. I’m Volch Hesroeder, the head of Baron household.”

“So you are that bastard,” Garlan said, draping his arms over the nobleman’s shoulder with a crafty smile. Well, that’s Garlan for you, so I wasn’t really taken aback. “How come you got caught?”

“W-what?” Volch was taken aback, but his gaze wasn’t repulsive like usual noblemen.  He was nervous, and his previous proud mood crumbled instantly.

“Don’t act cheeky, Baron,” Garlan laughed. “How much will you pay us for keeping the secret?”

I stayed silent when I noticed Casey and Beth at the top of the stairs. Letitia came by soon, and I blithely slipped to the side, admiring the painting that didn’t make much sense. Even an undead didn’t want to eat spicy bread the second time.

“How much do you want, Garlan?” Volch asked with his quivering voice.

“How about we give it to you, perv?” Beth shouted, walking down the stairs with a heavy gait.

“Ah, lady Beth,” Garlan looked around the vicinity in search of my silhouette, but I was pretty far away from him.

“You threatening my family?” She pulled him by his collar.

“Well, it isn’t your family, lady Beth. And we were just discussing some trade amicably,” he stared in my direction.

‘Bastard,’ he mouthed me the words, and I just shrugged. Nobody asked him to rob the guest of honor.

“Don’t mind him, brother,” Beth said, too politely for my taste. “He’s a pervert and a schemer. After all, it was his plan to use the second prince.”

“Ah,” Volch smiled again. I wonder if such a frail person can ever be corrupt. But then again, I don’t judge a bread by its crust, for it is possible that the fluffy insides might be tastier than ever. Nevertheless, burnt bread inside-out should be avoided at all costs.

“I am grateful to you, Garlan. It was your hindsight that saved our family, so we will obviously reward you handsomely,” he patted his shoulder.

“A hundred thousand shins would do, Baron,” Garlan laughed, rubbing his stubble when lighting battered his straight hair back to a bush.

“You want me to give you hundred thousand lashes, scum?!” Beth snarled and kicked his legs. I doubt it hurt him, but the satisfaction on Beth’s face told otherwise.

My lady had somehow walked around the commotion to stand beside me.

“We’re sleeping together today, mongrel,” she whispered in my ear, pulling my collar.

“Okay,” I replied, watching the commotion with great interest. Garlan was almost on his knees now, apologizing fervently but backing down by a thousand shins for every [Spark] he received.

“We are sleeping together today, mongrel,” she repeated, her glare sharper than before.

“I heard you, my lady,” I looked at her, confused. She usually slept in my room, so there was nothing new with the change in ambiance.

“Bastard!” she pouted and held my hand while Garlan earned a punch across his face for not budging on his amount.

If Garlan was undead, too, I would have seriously started doubting our status as malevolent beings that caused people to shiver in fright.

If you don’t believe me, just try buying all the bread the world can offer.

Two more noblewomen interrupted the commotion as they ambled down the stairs. Their black frocks and white embroidery gave me some insight into designing my lady’s clothes. Letitia pulled my tailcoat, and I ruffled her hair, staring at her pout that hadn’t decreased in the least.

“They have them big,” she said, staring daggers at Casey’s sisters.

I chuckled, attracting everyone’s attention to myself, mostly the maids, before bowing apologetically. Servants maintained decorum, but I was undead first and then a butler, so you can’t expect me to behave like a meek mouse always. Even a wolf bares its fang at times while hiding amongst dogs.

“My sweet sisters,” Casey stepped forth, introducing her two sisters with a smile. “Rudina,” she leaned toward her right, her head reaching the shoulders of the taller brunette, who adorned a stoic face befitting a noble lady, “and Heathe.”

The second sister was smiling throughout the exchange, and I didn’t miss the mischievous glint in her eyes that undoubtedly paused at me. It was about to become a long night for me and Garlan, no doubt. They didn’t exchange any pleasantries, except for a few nods, and my lady was glad to stay silent.

“This is Letitia Valorat,” Casey spread her palm in our direction, “and Rudolf, while the man with a swollen cheek is Garlan.”

No one curtsied as if they had reached a mutual understanding not to indulge in pointless actions. That was good because expecting my lady to curtsey the ignorant nobles doesn’t do justice to her villainess title. At least, corrupt households were better in this aspect than other noble families.

“The dinner is ready, Baron,” a maid bowed respectfully from the second floor, and Volch waved his hand at her politely.