Chapter 38

# Chapter 38: The Servant Cedric (4) – This Servant is Truly Excellent

The Gold Cloud Palace of the Eizer Empire.

While the Crown Prince was busy engrossed in paperwork, Lucidra, who had been observing Cedric’s actions through his shadow, asked with a dissatisfied expression:

“…Wait, is the current concept really about a servant?”

The Crown Prince answered without lifting his eyes from the documents.

“Yes. Ideally, we’d have more specialized roles like butlers or cooks with distinct personalities, but since the employer can’t know in advance what tasks will be assigned, quite a broad concept has been chosen.”

“Anyway, it’s all about doing jobs for others. But, will this really work?”

As much as she looked, it didn’t seem like a real servant but more like something else in disguise.

Whether Lucidra knew or not, the Crown Prince calmly responded:

“I already mentioned it, didn’t I? The servants of the Gold Cloud Palace are known for speaking their minds freely.”

“But from what I’ve seen so far, no one’s gone this far off the rails.”

After pondering for a moment with a “Hmm,” the Crown Prince replied.

“Well, since my image is quite mixed in, there might be ‘some’ differences from the original.”

What kind of existence did this man picture as a “servant” in his mind? Was it someone who made their employer’s life miserable as their ultimate goal? Even though he was also the employer?

Though finding it absurd, Lucidra continued to observe through the shadows.

After all, it was quite a rare spectacle.

***

“Yes, this is a most satisfying contract. I will do my utmost from now on! My lady!”

“That’s… good…”

The atmosphere in the room was truly delicate.

While Cedric wore a bright smile on his face, by contrast, Claudia lay sprawled out on the sofa as if all her energy had drained from her body.

She grit her teeth inwardly.

‘How did it come to this?’

Looking back, the whole ordeal began when Claudia decided to take over the servant employment contracts usually handled by the head butler, Bastian. That move turned out to be the root cause.

The head butler, fully aware that Claudia had never handled employment negotiations in her entire life, had desperately tried to dissuade her. But once Claudia started being stubborn, there was no stopping her.

Of course, Claudia herself had her own plans.

Since Cedric kept bringing up things like “it’s not in the contract so it can’t be done” or “this is legally allowed under the contract,” she had taken it upon herself to craft a contract filled with clauses to try and force him to bend to her will.

The results, however, turned out to be futile.

“Regarding this clause about ‘having the obligation to perform any miscellaneous tasks requested by the employer’—it feels a bit too vague. It would be better to specify the miscellaneous tasks. If not, at least a right to refuse should be included.”

“24-hour work? That’s impossible, my lady. Without proper rest, workers will become both mentally and physically fatigued, which would be unfortunate for both the worker and the workplace.”

“Do you know who I am? Lady Claudia of the Redval household, correct? And are you not afraid of future trouble? But what do I have to fear when I’ve done nothing wrong?”

“You’re asking me to slap someone? While I respect your personal preferences, exposing such desires at a holy workplace isn’t ideal behavior. You want to change the fifteen silver coins to fifteen gold coins? Haha, no matter what, it’s still not possible!”

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*Employment Contract*

-The worker must faithfully serve the employer and perform household duties and any other miscellaneous tasks as requested by the employer.

-The worker has the right to refuse requests for miscellaneous tasks not agreed upon in the contract. However, once consented to, the task must be completed.

-In case the worker fails to perform their duties adequately, the employer may issue appropriatepunishments.

-The worker will work for 16 hours a day, excluding designated rest times.

-The employer shall provide food, accommodation, and clothing and shall pay the worker fifteen silver Virka coins per month.

-The duration of the contract is three months, during which the employer cannot arbitrarily dismiss the worker.

-The worker is obligated to keep the employer’s secrets confidential…(to be continued)

…

…

…

Signature:

Employer: [Claudia Redval]

Worker: [Cedric]

============================================================

Claudia stared at the contract lying on the table and shivered.

No matter how she tried to cleverly add predatory clauses or pressure him using the Redval name, or how she tried to tempt him with huge pay, Cedric didn’t budge even a little.

Instead, she found herself writing things into the contract that she’d never even thought of, the text expanding to an impressive five-page length.

Despite wanting to throw the table over again and again while thinking this was too much effort just to hire a servant, the contract was finally completed.

‘Anyway, this guy is my servant now. I’ll torment him thoroughly…!!’

She glared fiercely at Cedric.

“Hey you.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“My throat’s sore from all that talking. Bring some tea.”

“I understand! Please wait a moment!”

Cedric left the room briskly after greeting her energetically.

Claudia, left alone, watched his retreating figure with an unpleasant expression, but a sinister smile soon spread over her lips.

Truthfully, she wasn’t much of a tea drinker.

She would sip it occasionally at social events as a kind of pretense, but honestly, she couldn’t understand how anyone actually enjoyed it.

It tasted bitter, the aroma felt strange, and frankly, she had no sense of taste for it.

But at the moment, that suited her just fine.

Regardless of how perfectly Cedric brewed the tea, she could dismiss it at a moment’s notice.

She could pour the tea into Cedric’s hands while questioning how such filth could be drinkable.

It would be amusing to repeat this whole process, forcing him to continually brew it again.

“Ho ho ho. Excellent.”

Absorbed in her happy daydream, Claudia chuckled until a knock came at the door, quickly snapping her back to reality.

“May I come in, my lady?”

“Yes, come in.”

Claudia immediately regained her composure and resumed her cold demeanor.

While Cedric expertly prepared the tea, pushing the cart into the room, Claudia silently stared him down, knowing from experience that this made servants nervous and prone to make mistakes.

But she inwardly sighed when no such reaction came.

As much as Claudia glared, Cedric calmly and composedly began preparing the tea without any hint of agitation.

‘Ugh, this is so annoying…’

Claudia’s inner complaint trailed off.

She involuntarily focused on Cedric’s movements in preparing the tea.

The motions of experts often have a kind of magnetic appeal once they reach a certain level of skill, and Cedric’s technique was unmistakable. Trained by the servants of the Gold Cloud Palace, his skills and expertise were unmatched in the industry.

Graceful yet restrained.

Cedric’s movements, carrying both conflicting qualities, held Claudia’s gaze as if they were a true piece of art.

When the tea, subtly sweet and fragrant, was carefully poured into the cup and presented to her, the liquid with its strikingly alluring red hue rippled invitingly in the white cup.

Completely spellbound by the perfect harmony of aroma and color, Claudia brought the cup to her lips.

Its temperature was neither too hot nor lukewarm.

It was slightly tangy and sweet, perfectly matching Claudia’s taste.

The fragrance brought a wave of pleasure to her mind, and as the warmth passed down her throat, it soothed her tensed nerves, spreading tranquility throughout her body.

“Hmm.”

A soft sigh escaped Claudia’s lips.

As she indulged in this half-sleeping reverie, she suddenly snapped out of it.

Then, with movements reminiscent of a wooden puppet, she turned her head.

Smiling cheerfully, Cedric was looking at Claudia with an insufferably bright and energetic smile.

“I’m truly glad you seem to enjoy it.”

“Shut up!!”

Claudia, her face flushed, hurled the cup.

Cedric easily caught it and returned it to the table without hesitation.

This risky game of tea-cup catch-ball continued until Claudia, exhausted, collapsed.

***

“Clean the house! The whole house! Don’t even think about resting before it’s finished!”

“What? You’re done already? Ha! Is this a joke? All these dust… they’re gone? And the leaves… no, not even there! The window water stains… why are they not there!?”

-Cleanliness Complaint Failure.

Respect for Cedric among other servants increased.

“Bring me a satisfying meal without using meat, eggs, fish, or milk. If you fail to achieve this, can you really be considered an accomplished chef?”

“Hold on, is this actually meat? No? Mushrooms and tofu? Bah, a clumsy imitation, right? How could anyone think these trash will satisfy me…? …What’s with that stare!? Take that look away!!”

-Cooking Complaint Failure.

Claudia’s food intake increased.

“I need you to take care of my blood beasts. You’re not allowed to hit them or yell at them forcefully. They can’t be properly raised through violence. If even one expresses dissatisfaction, be ready to enter their pen.”

“Tch, they’re quieter than expected. They seem to take at least decent naps, though. Could this work without you, if the weather was good, hmm? ‘Hands’? …Right hand! Left hand! Right foot! Left foot! Flip over! Ha ha ha! What’s this?! Tell me, what’s the rest of your tricks… Wait, this isn’t what I meant!!”

-Creature Complaint Failure.

Later on, it was often seen in the eyes of the servants – Claudia occasionally issuing random commands to her blood beasts, playing with them.

***

“What the hell IS that?!”

Claudia furiously punched and thrashed her pillows in her bed.

The exquisite bedding that even the wealthiest commoners couldn’t afford was mercilessly torn to shreds.

As she carelessly threw the ruined pillow aside, she grit her teeth.

“Cedric, Cedric!!”

In Claudia’s life, there wasn’t a single instance where she’d ever called for a simple commoner so fervently.

And it was equally unprecedented that she was unable to manipulate this single commoner as she pleased, leading her to explode with rage.

He was, in every sense, an unusual being.

Although his ability as a servant outshone even the best, there was something subtly disrespectful in his demeanor despite his apparent politeness.

While Cedric served under the contract, there was no trace of the unconditional fear or reverence commoners should feel towards nobility.

Claudia, rolling about in bed, lost in thought, suddenly glanced at the large mirror in the corner of the room.

The messy yet undeniably alluring sight gave her an idea.

She didn’t bother to tidy herself up but draped herself slightly with a blanket and rang Cedric’s special bell (created specifically for her frequent summoning of him).

“Did you call me, my lady?”

When Cedric’s voice reached her after a knock, Claudia greeted him with her smug expression undiminished.

Then she imperiously ordered,

“Clear away the ruined pillow. Neaten up a bit here.”

Obviously, cleaning up the feathers scattered all over the bed would require him to glance at it.

In other words, Cedric would have to see Claudia in a particularly disheveled state.

If his eyes lingered even for a moment on her exposed skin, it would be a breach of conduct.

If he averted his eyes, trying to avoid looking at her, that would give her amusement.

As Claudia thought this, she smiled.

“Understood, my lady!”

Before Claudia’s eyes, Cedric donned a bread bag (with uncut eye holes) and proceeded to clean up with professionalism.

“What the hell? What’s THAT supposed to be?!”

“Haha, I’ve been practicing to focus on work without seeing anything, just in case such an event arises. While it hasn’t been useful daily, thanks to you, my lady, I now have an opportunity to put it to use! My lady, I am deeply grateful for your benevolence!”

Enraged, Claudia hurled the pillow’s remnants.

The masked Cedric caught it with unnecessary grace and tucked it into a leather sack before continuing with the cleaning.

Claudia was left staring in frustration.