Contrary to everyone's belief, Tanaka was not okay moving to a new place. Sure, he was a go-with-the-flow type of person, and usually, he had no complaints about people moving him as long as he wasn't actually the one moving his own body, but living in a new residence meant having to make the effort to scour for new napping spots! And would the library in Wisteria Manor be any better than the library in Rosetta Estate? Surely not! Would the gardens have the lavender bushes he liked? Of course not! Did his new bed have the number of pillows he usually liked? He doubted so!

Granted, the majority of those things could be moved to the new estate, but it still wouldn't be the same. Especially the smell! He had the West Wing covered in the scents that he liked. Lavender, baked goods, and the occasional spices here and there; the West Wing was his haven. But now he had to re-scent the new place, and it would take months to get the desirable mixture of smells he wanted.

Pouting, Tanaka allowed Clarisse to carry him out of the bedroom as he clutched onto the small pillow in his arms, watching as several footmen, butlers, and Johanna carried the rest of his bed in pieces to the loading carriage. It was rather a long distance from his bedroom to the manor's side doors but he could feel the magic particles in the air and some surrounding the furniture so his help was probably not needed. Not that he could help with how firmly the maid was holding him, determined to keep him away from the chaos.

So the one time he tried moving something heavier than a few books at a time, just because he wanted to make sure his favorite napping armchair was taken along, might have been a bit of a disaster. He had forgotten to consider that a bigger object meant more surface area, which also meant a larger distribution of magic particles was needed to cover said object. So maybe he might have ended up being squished under the chair if it wasn't for Johanna grabbing him before he received a rather untimely injury but now, he had learned from his mistake and would be better prepared for heavy lifting.

Tanaka had every intention of rectifying his last mishap, but Clarisse was very reluctant to put him down afterward, and at this moment...

Turning away from all of the commotion, Tanaka snuggled his face in between Clarisse's chest and the pillow in his arm, his dark-brown eyes half-lidded as he breathed in the maid's sugared-flour and sweet-milk-like scent.

Eh, it's comfortable. He's very comfortable right now.

He heard Clarisse ordering some of the maids to carry his luggage as she followed the direction where his disassembled bed had gone, and there was so much going on that it was a bit hard for him to understand what was happening but that didn't stop him from dozing off until they made it outside of the manor.

The whole yard was loud and noisy with people trying to direct each other as carriages moved in and out through the estate's side gates. He heard several familiar people in the fray but didn't bother to pinpoint them as he heard Clarisse call him in a soft, careful voice.

Looking up at his caretaker with large, blinking brown eyes, he saw her dead-like face. While her expressions lacked feelings, her voice was full of somberness with a hint of distress. "I know the young master feels confused and hurt," she began gently but determinedly, making sure to contact her eyes with his as they were talking. "But this servant will always accompany the young master as long as he will continue to have her."

Tanaka: "......" A little dramatic, but okay.

Though he was not entirely sure of the details, apparently Edward's mother had banished him from the main house and suggested to shack him up in Edward's grandmother's uncle's old manor. At least, that was what Fifi had told him. He was going to miss Fifi now that he was moving to the other side of the city. Of course, it was not like he couldn't visit her... but Rosetta Manor was now too far from his current residence... How many kilometers was that? How long would it take to ride a carriage from there to the Rosetta Estate?

...Maybe Fifi could visit him instead.

Tanaka laid his head on her shoulder, his eyes limpid and solemn. "Clarisse is coming with me." It was less of a question and more of a declaration. If Clarisse was not joining (carrying) him in the carriage that was supposed to leave to Wisteria Estate, then he planned on jumping out the window. Well, maybe not jumping out. Fall out, really.

"Yes," Clarisse agreed, her eyes shining in amusement even if the corner of her lips did not move in the slightest. "Along with Conrad, Nina, Fifi, Johanna, Sir Henry--"

"Really?" Tanaka suddenly perked up from her shoulder, and there was a small bounce as the child's lazy and despondent attitude bloomed like wildflowers after a rainy day. "And Mr. Sadik."

"Yes, and Mr. Sadik."

"And Sven."

"And Sven."

"Angus?"

"Angus as well?" Clarisse asked in a teasing tone, amused by her little master's serious nod.

"And Calum."

The maid tilted her head as if she was considering whether they would take the two young knights or not.

"Is Young Master Thomas sure? Once we bring them, the manor will never have a moment of peace."

"WE HEARD THAT YOU SKAN--" Angus' voice was muffled by someone, effectively cutting off what was probably an insult towards the dead-faced woman.

"Eejit!" Calum hissed rather loudly, his voice booming over the rest of the commotion in the yard. "Do ye want the birds eatin' oft yer head?! The Johan's dragon-meat muscle's right there!"

"Shut your gob, you culchie! Doncha know the meanin' of whisperin'?!"

"You oft'all fellas tellin' me that?!"

Everyone watched as Johanna promptly dropped the large, heavy, and intricately carved headboard that she had single-handedly carried inside of a horse-drawn wagon before she turned around, cracking her knuckles as she made her way towards the noisy duo. Everyone also made the choice to become both deaf and blind when the two guardsmen shrieked as if a thorned viper was nipping at their ankles.

Tanaka took a glimpse over at their direction before determining that the two knights were fine. Johanna wouldn't be too harsh on them.

"I want them to come," Tanaka declared stubbornly, not paying attention to the tearful and joyful cries from the two guardsmen somewhere in between the grunts of pain. "They must come."

Clarisse seemed amused, even if her face didn't show it. Adjusting her grip on the child, she moved towards the carriage furthest away from the rest. "If that is what Young Master Thomas wants, then, of course, they shall accompany young master to Wisteria Estate." She was also certain that even without the little one's insistence, those two noisy characters would follow regardless of what the eldest young master had said. And even if they were forced to stay, they would probably be kicked out due to their disruptive nature.

Tanaka looked rather satisfied by the maid's agreement and took another glance around before looking up at this caretaker with imploring eyes. "...Amir?"

Under the pressure of the little one's clear eyes, Clarisse slowed down, her mouth opening slightly out of hesitance. Though she knew of the child's fondness for the Zafarian, Amir was Young Master Edward's personal attendant. Unless the eldest young master dictated otherwise, or come to Wisteria Estate himself, there was no reason for the other to follow them even if Thomas' had requested it. Only the Goddess knew why her charge was so attached to the young butler, but once she spoke of the truth, he would surely be dispirited.

The maid stalled on dashing the child's expectation until she saw a familiar young man placing a suitcase onto the back of the carriage. In an understated black tophat and a long, dark gentlemen's coat, the Zafarian in discussion looked ready for a trip outside, and obviously, that luggage wasn't one of Thomas'...

Frozen in mid-step, mostly out of shock and bafflement, she had barely noticed the child in her arms squirming towards the ground. Automatically, she let Thomas down, and with the pillow in his arms, he pitter-pattered his way towards the older man.

The butler had long noticed the pair from the corner of his eyes, so when the little one was put down and had made his way towards the Zafarian, Amir allowed the young master to catch up, his expression discreetly amused when the child grabbed onto the tail end of his coat.

Tanaka, with a firm grip on the butler, looked up at the Zafarian with star-filled eyes. "Is Amir coming?"

The corner of the older man's lips perked up in response, his dark, abyss-like eyes narrowing ever so slightly. "Yes," he answered promptly, and there was no further explanation to his presence afterward. It didn't seem that Tanaka cared for one since he lifted the hand clutching onto the butler's coat up towards the other in a silent request to be picked up.

A flash of amusement showed in Amir's dark eyes before he yielded to Tanaka's demand, indulgently allowing the little one to snuggle against his chest with the young master's plump face buried in between the butler's broad shoulders and the pillow in the child's thin arms.

Tanaka closed his eyes contently as he could smell the bits of lavender in between the Zafarian's spice-like fragrance. Nowadays, all of his favorite people would have some lavender interwoven into their natural scents, and just being near them to smell it usually made him very happy.

"...Amir," Clarisse called out after a short period of confusion, walking closer to the pair with something close to perplexity in her stiff expression. "You... What about Young Master Edward?"

Generally, there would be no way for Amir to suddenly transfer his services to the youngest Rosetta unless it was within the eldest's permission, but why would Young Master Edward give away his personal butler to his younger brother? Not that Edward didn't dot on his siblings, but as far as she knew, the Zafarian was involved with a lot of sensitive businesses...

"I'm still under Young Master Edward's employment," Amir explained in a perfunctory manner, probably out of obligation rather than generosity. "He tasked me to insure Young Master Thomas' safe travel to Wisteria Estate. He also wishes that I could help the young master adjust to his new surroundings."

In other words, Clarisse slightly underestimated the eldest young master's affections for his younger brother. To think he would let go of his best attendant just because he was well aware of how much the youngest adored the Zafarian. Then again, it was not like Amir would stop what he was doing for the Rosetta Heir just because he stopped personally serving his employer. More likely than not, the butler would continue to undertake errands despite the distance.

Everything about Amir's circumstances seemed to be well taken care of as if the possibility had been planned weeks beforehand and if Clarisse wasn't aware of the Zafarian's bad habits of controlling people from the shadows, she would have been a little bit more concerned about his involvement with her young master. But Tanaka was frankly disinterested in the whys and hows and clung onto the older man whose magic began to stir at their closeness. The transmigator prodded it with his own magic out of familiarity before they both settled down beneath their owners' skin. He couldn't help but think that the feeling of the butler's flowing and pulsating magic to be comforting, no matter how overwhelming it seemed.

Witnessing the child's comfortable expression, the maid hesitated on further questioning the young man. Either way, regardless of the other's intentions, Amir had constantly humored the little one despite his indifferent mannerism. Even though Thomas tended to be the first one to reach out to the butler, the Zafarian never tried to reject the child's approach. Every time Clarisse saw them together, no matter what her charge had asked of the other, the older man would follow the youngest's request to the best of his abilities (even though his 'best abilities' tend to look a lot like how a scheming cat would play with an innocent canary.)

So despite the urge to take her child back into her arms, since the young master looked very much content with his current position against the dark-skinned butler, she held back and replied with a stilted, "I see."

Clarisse was given a smile in response, the type of smile that she recognized not as a smile, but a gesture of polite (or not so polite, depending on the atmosphere) apathy, and for some reason, with her young master in the other's embrace, it felt rather mocking.

"... Young Master Thomas, let's not disturb Amir and be on our..." When she took a closer look at her charge, she found him very much asleep, causing her mouth to automatically snap shut.

Tanaka: "Zzzzzzz..."

Clarisse: "......"

Amir looked suitably (superficially) distressed. "Ah, I'm afraid the young master fell asleep on me," the Zafarian sighed as if it was more of a problem rather than a blessing to most people. "I would have to trouble Ms. Baker for sharing a carriage with this servant so to avoid disturbing Young Master Thomas."

"...It's no trouble," the maid managed to spat out woodenly, her dead-like face becoming even deader.

The replying beatific smile was blinding in a way that made her wished for someone to poke her eyes out. "Then, would Ms. Baker ever be so kind as to help this lowly servant with the carriage door?"

Clarisse: "......................."

Clarisse stared at her co-worker with narrowed eyes before stiffly carrying out his request by moving towards the carriage and opening the door to the inside cushioned seats. As the butler carried the young master inside of the vehicle, she then recalled: though she got used to Amir's soft and restrained attitude towards her charge, his real personality was like this. It had been a while since she was a victim of his sardonic nature.

As the maid and the butler proceeded to settle down into the carriage, in his unconscious state, Tanaka was unaware of the strange (hostile?) interaction between his two favorite people, dreaming of living a pleasing, future lazy life with his family.

------------

"My Lord, I will be leaving now," Henry announced with his coat hanging on his arm, one hand holding a brass-handled cane and the other holding a bowler. The elder man gazed at his employer's solemn figure, at his stoic face and remote personality, and suddenly felt somber. He had been with Kyron ever since the old madam had birthed him and so many things had happened in between since then. The old butler wished, had hoped, time would resolve everything, but if he really believed that, then he was definitely becoming delirious in his old age. The Zafarian War was not resolved with time but by the death of Dominus Regale. And even then, it had left unimaginable scars that could never be covered by the passage of time. "I have already informed Mr. Beck of your medication schedule. Please take your prescriptions accordingly. The documents in concern towards the recent reports of mana stone smuggling are within cabinet 15G. Also, remember that your favorite type of ink is in the bottom-right cabin closest to your Alfin Journals. And you should be supplied with your favorite brand of Earl Grey for the next month, but Mr. Beck should know how to restock just in case--"

"Henry," the Lord over Rosetta Estate suddenly spoke without a fleck of emotions in his voice, but the butler recognized the exasperation even if his old charge hadn't bothered to look up from his work. "You shouldn't leave them waiting."

"Nonsense. Everyone is aware that my bones are old and that I need time to get down from all those stairs."

Kyron: "......." Then the day, not even a month ago, that he had happened to witness the Queen and his head butler dueling toe-to-toe using all mannerism of swordsmanship and magic spells as if the elder man was 40 years younger-- was that supposed to be a fevered dream?

The Prime Minister paused in mid-writing to elicit a sigh before continuing on. "...The estate won't fall apart as soon as you leave. Klem has it under control."

"Does he?" Henry asked with a skeptical brow, causing Kyron to pause in his work once again.

"... Klem is your successor. You've trained him."

Henry: "That's exactly why I asked such a thing."

Kyron: "........"

With another sigh, Lord Rosetta raised a hand to massage the area between his brow.

"Javier will be here to help as well."

"Oh, that is a relief. I suppose I don't have anything to worry about."

Kyron: ".............."

While Klement Becker was well-read, once a high-ranking knight in the Royal Army, and one of the most sought out bachelors in their youth, he had never lived up to Henry Volkov's ridiculous standards as head butler. The closest one to have ever reached the old butler's criteria was that Zafarian his son had chosen and hired.

"...I'm sure there are more pressing matters to attend to at Wisteria." It was a rather subtle (and slightly desperate) dismissal, but one that even Hard-Headed Henry could hear.

With a huff, the elder man placed his hat on top of his completely white hair in an indignant manner and made his way towards the door that led out into the hallways. Fine, this old man could tell when he was not wanted. He should stop butting into the younger generation's business anyway. He can't be around to baby them all the time.

Just before he was about to reach for the doorknob, Henry hesitated, his gloved-hand frozen in mid-air as he turned his head slightly towards the desk where his old charge sat. "...Would you like to see Young Master Thomas off, my Lord?"

There was a sudden and deafening screech, the pen meeting wood when the utensil veered off from the paper it was writing on. It was a gesture louder than anything the man could have said.

Henry exhaled in a way that rattled his entire body, his expression melancholic and mournful. "Forgive this old man for speaking out... but the Lord should talk to someone." The advice was sincere and full of woe, and a death-like silence filled the air until it hung above the two like dark clouds. It was a long time before Kyron replied back.

"There... is no one to talk to." The people he could talk to had long been dead.

Slowly turning his head back towards the door, Henry closed his eyes and lowered his head. While the previous lord loved his son, in between the war and Astria's political turmoil, he was unable to give his child the affection he needed. Then the madam fell sick and the estate was temporarily managed by the madam's relatives... which ended up being a tragedy in the long run.

Regardless, Kyron loved his parents... but he was unable to confide in them. And now that he wanted to talk to them, to seek their advice and their comfort, they were beyond his reach.

With a deep breath, the old butler placed a hand on the knob but when the man he had known since he was babe spoke in a voice so quiet, it was closer to a whisper, the elder stood still once more.

"He... hasn't been visiting her."

The moment of revulsion and ire was so sudden that Henry was briefly unable to pull back his strength from deforming the metal under his hand. Without having to turn his head, he could picture the younger man's trembling hands and pallid face just at the reminder of her existence.

"It's good that Young Master Thomas is not--!" The butler stopped himself from saying anything more, his words coming out more caustic than he had intended. He cleared his throat and forcefully swallowed the spite that threatened to spill from his lips. "It's not good... for Young Master Thomas to see her so often. He's too young and she's too... disturbed." In fact, it would be better to cut off their relationship entirely, but... since she was the child's mother he could not admit such a thing out loud. But in the present circumstances, Thomas had better support and people who clearly adored him. As cruel as it may sound for the mother, he didn't need to only rely on her anymore.

"....Take care of yourself, my Lord," Henry bid as a farewell, stiffly prying his fingers from the slightly distorted doorknob before leaving the study with the lip of his bowler shadowing the grimness in his eyes.

If both the child and father could forget about that woman, they would be happier.

...--------...

End of Book 1

Author's Note:

#ILoveMySassyButlers （*'∀'人）♥

I told you that it would be a short chapter lolololol. Don't worry, Editor-chan didn't believe me as well when I told her that either.

Anyway, as I have stated in the last chapter, I will be taking a 'break' and will be concentrating on mass editing and revising everything in Book 1. So if you see any mistakes, please point them out!

A warning for all of my re-readers though, Chapter 1-3 are going to go under heavy revision. I'm basically going to rewrite those first three chapters, and that's because when I first wrote this book, I had no clue where the plot was going. Edward, Katherine, Kyron, and Anais were also supposed to be cannon fodders that I was supposed to dump a few chapters later but now, they have personalities and an identity so I need the first few chapter to reflect some of that as well.

Don't worry, the bones of it won't change so hopefully, nothing would look too different. Just improved.

Also, as soon as I finished re-editing the first chapter, I will be posting all of my re-edited chapters on Web Novel. But only the re-edited chapters. I'll probably post the entirety of Book 1 and leave it complete. What's going to be different on Web Novel vs Wattpad is that Web Novel won't have any of my lovely author notes unless I wanted post a disclaimer. And I probably won't post any future chapters after Book 1 (except for the extras, maybe) on it unless they go through the same process as they did with the previous chapters.

My Web Novel account would be more strictly professional and my Wattpad account--

Well basically, you guys are my guinea pigs~ ❤⃛ヾ(๑❛ ▿ ◠๑ )

Jk Jk, I'm just too lazy to completely manage two accounts at the same time.

See you guys at Web Novel or at the next extra~ (￣▽￣)ノ

Edited 08/03/2020:

Okay, I apologize for not clarifying more about Wattpad VS WebNovel.

First thing to address: I AM POSTING THE SECOND BOOK HERE. But I won't post the second book on Webnovel. That's because the original first book is here, and YOU GUYS ARE HERE ALSO. YOU GUYS ARE MY PRIORITY. I'm NOT MOVING TO WEBNOVEL, just expanding my audience.

Second, I'M DOING THIS FOR FREE DO YOU GUYS UNDERSTAND? So no locked stories on Webnovel (I think that's an option if it's a paid novel. If not, you guys got free access here, why in the hell would that change in Webnovel? Do you not believe in your lovely and selfless author? *Editor-chan laughing in the background*)

Lastly, I see a lot of bad feelings involved with Webnovel? I'm just posting the first book to reach a common and bigger audience. Wattpad is great but has a lot of communities and not everyone in our community has a Wattpad. A person reached out to me some time ago asking if I could also use Webnovel as another platform because their friends find the features there easier to maneuver. I promise those who are worried about me that I'll read their policies and make sure I won't be taken advantage of, but I'm not monetizing my book so can they really use it if they're not getting money out of it?

If I needed monetary support from all you kids, I would have gotten a patron or a coffee-thing long ago. (￣▽￣)ノ

I'll post try to post this on my conversation/announcement page (if Wattpad decided to be cooperative. And it's not. Support is not helping either), and on twitter to clarify my intentions about Webnovel. Peace!