Chapter 14: Chapter 14: Deputy Butler
"Please sit down and make yourself comfortable."
Standing before the master of the palace, Nicholas can't help but has a little trouble breathing. Looking down toward the floor, as he is afraid to make eye contact with his master's eyes, which are as deep as the abyss, he nods his head and takes a seat as he is told.
He doesn't know what he has done to suddenly be summoned to his master's study, but he hopes it is not about his work performance. He has seen many servants fall after they had a work performance conversation with his master. He only hopes it is about something else.
Judging by his master's tone, he seems to be in a good mood. But as he has worked under him for a significant period of time. He knows that every time his master is in a joyful spirit, he is not actually. As his master is a quiet man, his emotion is quite unpredictable. While he sometimes can read it, unfortunately, that time is not now as he is shaking to his core currently.
He might be the second-in-command after Sebas, but still, he is not like Sebas. That old-man has been serving his master since he was born. He only starts serves his current master after the old master dies. The time difference between him and Sebas is enormous.
"Wh...what can I do for you, master?"
"Relax, Nicholas. We will not be having a conversation about your work performance. How many times do I have to tell you? You always have been an excellent worker, Nicholas."
"Thank you for your praise, master."
Hears that it will not be about his work performance; Nicholas signs in relief. Finally, he can breathe a little. Even so, he did not put his guard down. Anything can come out of his master's mouth. It is still not the time to rejoice.
"I just want to ask you something, Nicholas."
"Anything, master! I will answer it to the best of my knowledge."
"Good. Do you see anything weird happening these past few days within the estate?"
"To my knowledge, there is nothing weird happened, master. All the guards and servants perform their duties as they are instructed."
"No scandals?"
"There are a few, but it's all just the normal ones."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure."
"Very well then. Do you aware that Sebas will come with me to Vetican and put you in charge of the estate?"
"Yes, master. I have been told."
"Good, then. I have a task for you, deputy butler, Nicholas."
Look at Nicholas, who instantly changes his expression as he calls him by his title; Agnes drops down his smile. No need for him to act anymore, Agnes stares into his eyes as he does the same. The change is one-eighty. The timid Nicholas was nowhere to be found, and he was replaced by someone else entirely. And only to be sure, Agnes asks him a series of questions.
"Name?"
"Nicholas Claus."
"Age?"
"Thirty-two years old."
"Occupation?"
"Deputy butler of Luther's Palace."
"Good, who are you?"
"The eternal servant of the great Von Wailheim family."
"Who am I?"
"The head of the great Von Wailheim family and the only master I serve."
"Good. It seems like you still remember yourself, deputy butler."
"A servant's duty is to serve its master. It will be a disgrace to call this self your servant if I can't recall myself, master."
"Now, enough talk. I have a task for you, deputy butler."
"Your servant is ready, master."
"Sebas and I will be departing to Vetican tonight. You will be in charge of the estate in his absence. I wants you to observe the servants and guards for any suspicious behavior. If it's only a normal scandal, let them be. But if there are something unusual, capture them and lock them up in the dungeon. I give you full authority to use any means possible."
"Yes, master. I will not disappoint you."
"Get going now. I will depart after dinner."
"Yes, master."
Look at the back of departing Nicholas; Agnes sips his water as he continues staring at Nicholas until his silhouette disappears from his sight. Born and raised as a servant in his family, his loyalty to Agnes is unquestionable, but because of the same reason, he is the most challenging servant Agnes ever recruited to be under him.
Devoted only to the family. Dedicated only to the head. No matter how persuasive Agnes was in the past, he will not budge even a millimeter. His loyalty to the head of the family is so firm it is almost impossible to recruit him. But ultimately, he became his.
Look at himself in the mirror, Agnes try his hard to look into his soul. But no matter what, he still can't see his own soul, and this truly perplexes him. Why can he see the soul of others but not his own? Maybe this is his power restriction or limitation, but still. Eventually, he will find it someday.
Going downstairs to have his dinner, Agnes found Nicholas standing beside Sebas. Like how he entered his study, he is already returning to his other personality. But did not even give it a thought, Agnes sits himself at the dining table and enjoys his dinner.
While the current Nicholas is unreliable according to his standard, he is still a good worker. Every work handled by him except killing, he can perform it brilliantly. Cooking, cleaning, managing, etc. He is an example worker to all servants. There is a reason why he is the deputy butler.
Finish his dinner, Agnes gives him a nod, and instantly he can see changes within him. While others can't see it, he, Sebas, and Veronica can. His eyes and aura shifted dramatically from bright to dark. The happy-go-lucky Nicholas now disappeared and turned to the serious and dreadful Nicholas.
"Let's go. The holy city is waiting for me."
Enters the car and lets Sebas be the driver as always; Agnes arrives at his private aerodrome several minutes later. Located several kilometers away from his palace, and just a few kilometers away from the mouth of the wilderness, it is not big enough to be called an airport but big enough to house several economy size planes.
Look at his private jet; he let all his two maids and six guards enter first. See that all of them have entered; he gets close to Nicholas and gives him a set of keys. Others might not know what it is, but Nicholas knew. It is the key to the secret room somewhere within the palace.
"Do not lose it."
After saying that, Agnes enters his private jet, followed by Veronica and Sebas. There are many reasons why he gave the set of keys to Nicholas. But the main reason is to restrict Nicholas from switching to his other self. With such an important item in his hand, he will trust no one but himself. Not even his other self. His loyalty to the family is so strong; he will not let himself disappoint his master, as that goes against his code of servitude.
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