C32
I finally understood.
At that moment, why did the head butler give Liena a significant look? Why didn't he cause a scandal and didn't like Liena like the other employees?
He had observed Liena up close for a long time and naturally must have felt affection for Liena due to the blessing of the goddess.
"But he couldn't have loved her."
Every time he looked at her, he thought of his son.
His son was injured and even mentally ill because of the love he received from Liena.
At the same time, I didn't understand.
"Stories are as diverse as the number of families in the world. Therefore, one should not comment carelessly on other people's family matters. But I can say it categorically."
I looked at the particularly disheveled man.
"You're an irresponsible father. Although it was beyond your control that you couldn't protect your son at that time, you shouldn't have continued to work for the Duke. You shouldn't have left Joshua like that."
A brief incident that remained a memory for the Cassius family became a lifelong trauma for Joshua.
Joshua, a year older than Liena, was only nine years old at the time. The tip of a sword was pointed at the neck of an already weak child, and his life was threatened.
Of course, the perpetrator, the Duke, showed no reflection or remorse. Furthermore, the father, who should protect his son, cannot protest even once and continues to serve the perpetrator.
How can that be okay inside?
"Then what should I do?!"
The butler pounded the table.
"He is the master to whom I dedicated my youth. There was a time when he was a master who sided with the powerless and rebelled against his own father."
He had a flushed face and waved his arms, trying to make us understand something.
"I said his dream was to create a land where no one would go hungry, be robbed, beaten, or die alone because of their low status! I thought that dream was my dream!"
However, it was difficult for us to understand because he referred to the past.
"For the sake of that dream, I didn't stay by my wife's side while she was dying of an illness but delivered a secret letter to get my master out of prison! However! Look now!"
He hugged his head. A few hot tears fell on the table.
"It's impossible. I've lived this way for half of my life, and I can't change even if I try. I can't let go of a single penny from Cassius because that child won't be able to lead a normal life."
"......"
"It's fine to go to another noble and seek profit, but who would want to employ a servant who abandoned their master for a long time? Besides, the Duke is not someone who lets a traitor go free. This is the best."
I was angry, but I held back. What's the use of being angry?
The butler was a person who narrowed his perspective and rationalized by looking at only a limited landscape. He had lived like that for more than ten years.
If you could change people with just a few words, there would only be good people in this world.
"You know better than anyone that all the reasons you gave were just excuses."
The skin under the butler's eyes contracted.
"I'm disappointed. I thought if you felt sorry for me, you might testify for me in court."
"It's impossible. How could I act against Cassius?"
"Yes. There's no way a person who can't act on behalf of his son can act on my behalf."
"... you're right."
"But you must know one thing."
I got up from my seat.
"If you have any sense of responsibility and concern for your son, leave."
I took a piece of wood from my pocket. It was an item I had accidentally kept because a series of things happened while I was looking at it.
"If you want to receive a formal apology from the Duke. If you want to cure Joshua's mental illness."
I approached the head butler.
"Try to find me. You can contact me anytime through lawyer Sharon Matings in the capital."
Then I handed the human-shaped sculpture that Joshua had made into the head butler's hand.
"Since you've lived as your master's servant until now, why don't you live the rest of your life as your son's father?"
I sincerely hoped for that and treated him as a person, not as a subordinate. Anyway, I won't be someone from Cassius soon.
The rough wooden sculpture had a monocle. Despite its lack of skills, it was clear that he had put all his effort into creating glasses with a single lens.
It was the work of a son who must have deeply respected and loved his hardworking father.
The butler looked at it helplessly until we left the house.
When I reached the train station, it was already late, and the last train to the capital had long departed. We had no choice but to spend the night in Ashton.
As it is the largest city in the North, I was very satisfied with dinner and the condition of the hotel.
—Today, I'll treat both of you as a token of appreciation!
Terence stubbornly insisted on paying, but my calculation speed was much faster.
Hehe, no one can stop me from stealing jewels from the Cassius mansion and padding my pockets.