Aiming to be the perfect butler for my lady

The atmosphere inside the conference hall was palpable with tension, the air thick with unspoken concerns. Around the expansive round table, the participants sat with furrowed brows, their serious expressions reflecting the gravity of the situation. Documents were passed back and forth, each report was meticulously scrutinized as department heads detailed their challenges and achievements.

The person to whom all these reports were reaching was a tall and chiseled man who, despite being in his late forties could be regarded as a man in his prime age.

The golden long hair and violet eyes of the man shone brightly inside the dimly lit room as the man read the document presented before him.

"The trade has been showing great results, thanks to the transportation security Prince Edward's arranged."

"Yes, my lord. The bandits who often target the trade carts are now appearing less and those who do, either get captured or slaughtered on-site." The administrator of the trade department voiced his gratefulness followed by the Prime Minister's approval.

The one who was being praised here didn't show any reaction as he nonchalantly read the report on finance while sitting beside his father.

"What about the foreign relations? Did we manage to draw a line with the Northern Empire?" The voice of the Emperor was heard by all but answered by one,

"They did not agree with the agreement of trade allowance and resource sharing. We tried negotiating but they are behaving like children."

"Or are they purposely trying to provoke us?" The words spoken by Edward made everyone speechless.

However, before anyone could have asked why Edward would say something like that, the one with the utmost authority in the room, spoke up, "The Seventh General. I want her to be on the way to the North with her army and the mage support team."

The eyes of many widened upon hearing that. The Seven Commanders serving the Valenchide Empire are the pillars of defense and the one who was infamous for her brutal problem-solving methodology is the Seventh Commander.

"Your Majesty...sending Captain Diana to the North..."

"Forget about battle, she might end up destroying the Capital of North." The shared opinion of the Prime Minister and Prime Adviser made everyone nod in assent.

Commander Diana Victoria Reid is not a name just to be respected. That name creates terror and the person herself is the personification of chaos. Despite being just twenty-one years old, she has shown strength surpassing many of the other warriors from ancient times and her Unique Skill was just as formidable as the person herself.

Regardless of their concerns, the Emperor didn't show any hesitation, "Despite being young and a little hot-blooded, Diana has good judgment. If she ends up destroying the North, then it means they deserved it."

No one spoke about it anymore. The Emperor wasn't just a man with authority. He has a good eye for people.

A brief silence ensued in the conference hall before the Prime Minister initiated the topic about which he has been concerned about for some months now,

"Your Majesty, about Princess Alatia's butler..."

The Emperor, for the first time since the meeting began, showed a change in his expression. His eyes grew sharp and his demeanor somehow shifted into a more profound one.

"Send her a letter." Those words signified that the Emperor had decided to hand over the ancient armor to the butler named Kyle.

However, only Edward knew that this invitation was not just a rewarding ceremony.

Kyle would have to go through a trial that would decide his future as a butler...and as a person.

*******

Not many things in this world can make Alatia nervous. But among those few things, there is something that she feels troubled about the most.

Chopping.

*Gulp*

Standing in front of the chopping board which had some vegetables resting over, she hyped herself for the work.

The soup she wants to prepare cannot be made without some diced vegetables. Surely she knows how to cook since along with the training of etiquette as a princess, she was trained as a warrior as well.

However, chopping vegetables has never been her forté nor has she ever built confidence regarding her knife skills.

In the past whenever she tried chopping anything, she ended up cutting her finger and the ingredient went to waste.

'How about I freeze the vegetables and break them into pieces....not good. They would taste bland...' She couldn't think of any possible route she could tread on, to perfectly dice the veggies.

But, she wants to feed Kyle some good food!

'I can do this. In front of Alatia Valenchide, this much is nothing.' She picked the knife which was about seven inches in length, and picked a mushroom before placing it on the board.

The hand with which she held the knife trembled a little as she brought it on top of the mushroom.

Sweat dripped down her neck as she held her breath and lifted the knife.

'Here goes nothing!' She closed her eyes and intended to chop the mushroom in two with a single slash—when suddenly she found her hand halting in mid-air.

"Are you trying to slice your hand off or something?" His crisp voice made her shudder as she looked over her shoulder and found him glaring at her.

"I-I...just wanted to make something good for you when I have the opportunity," Alatia spoke in a trembling tone.

Those pitiful eyes rendered Kyle speechless

He wasn't a heartless being to stop her, but he surely could help her.

Hugging her from behind, Kyle held her hands and said, "Now follow my lead..."

Alatia nodded at that with a fresh wave of enthusiasm washing over her.

Kyle was a head taller than her so he was easily able to guide Alatia in chopping vegetables.

"Yes....like this....just never close your eyes while using a knife, okay?"

"Mmm." She hummed as she found her hands finally moving in the required fineness, and the vegetables getting diced perfectly (they were asymmetrical and rough around the edges).

Along the way, Kyle was just touching her hands and Alatia moved by herself.

Once Kyle was assured that she wouldn't hurt herself he slowly backed off.

Alatia continued to slice and dice easily with a happy smile extending her lips.

Kyle slowly backed away, when suddenly he stumbled on a mushroom that had fallen earlier, and a slight exclaim left his lips.

"Kyle-ah!" Alatia was startled and while moving her hand she turned to look at him—only to feel her finger getting grazed by the knife.

"Careful!" Kyle walked forward and found her clutching her hand. Her index finger was wounded with crimson fluid already trailing down her finger.

On instinct, Kyle brought the finger to his lips and sucked her finger—to stop the bleeding.

"Kyle, no!!" Alatia suddenly pulled away her finger which startled Kyle.

However, before he could realize the reason behind her sudden reaction, his vision turn

ed blurry and Kyle fell to the ground.

—TBC

*******

A/N:- Welp, if you know, you know.

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