“First, let’s tour the mansion together. Afterward, I’ll explain your duties.”
“I’ll be counting on you, Butler Squawk. Oh, wait—I mean…”
Now that I thought about it, I’d naturally started calling him Butler Squawk at some point. What was his actual name again? He definitely told me earlier. Something about it reminded me of something tasty.
Butler Squawk noticed my darting eyes and smiled gently, amused.
“My name is Almond, but you may call me however you wish.”
“Ah, then, is it okay if I keep calling you Butler Squawk…?”
“Indeed. It’s a fresh nickname—one I’ve never heard before. I quite like it.”
Encouraged by his generous approval, I quickly solidified the nickname. With a nod from him, Almond officially became Butler Squawk. Good job, me.
Touring the mansion didn’t take as long as I had expected, given its massive size.
“These are the main areas we use regularly. Although the mansion is large, our commonly used spaces are limited, so remembering them shouldn’t be too difficult.”
“Then what about the rooms you don’t usually use? Are they just left untouched?”
“Extra rooms are cleaned only once per quarter. As you can imagine, we’re quite understaffed.”
Of course—understaffed and likely with small paws, at that. I bet whoever did the cleaning was another animal friend.
“There are set working hours, but the schedule itself is generally flexible. As long as you complete your assigned tasks, you can spend any remaining time however you wish.”
“Well, I doubt Kalz-nim would just smile and watch me slacking off during working hours.”
Butler Squawk laughed softly. “Haha, I understand your impression. After all, your first meeting with the master wasn’t particularly pleasant. However, Kalz-nim is actually quite generous toward his employees. He’s not nearly as demanding as he seems.”
“Really?”
That was surprising. Kalz Lion seemed like the type who would criticize shirt wrinkles or complain about the saltiness of soup. Well, in any workplace, you could only truly understand an employer after working for them directly.
“Then, what exactly should my duties involve?”
“Rather than fixed tasks, I’d prefer if you assisted other employees overall. Truthfully, I’d love to keep you at my side exclusively, but it wouldn’t be fair to monopolize someone as valuable as you. For now, you should rotate among different workstations and learn from the various staff.”
“Understood.”
My energetic response seemed to please Butler Squawk.
“In that case, today, please help me catch up on some overdue correspondence. Even if I can’t monopolize your entire schedule, at least I can get ahead of the others.”
“Yes, leave it to me.”
I felt a bit nervous starting my first official task, but luckily, it wasn’t difficult. All I had to do was write down the letters as Butler Squawk dictated them.
“Oh! Your handwriting is quite elegant and refined. You must have practiced writing frequently.”
“Hehe, thank you.”
I accepted the praise, though it felt rather embarrassing. To tell the truth, this graceful handwriting wasn’t mine—it belonged to Briel, or rather, it was the ingrained handwriting of Briel’s body. My own handwriting in my past life had been more like illegible scribbles.
The language and handwriting skills remained intact even after my transmigration, something for which I was immensely grateful. Imagining the nightmare of having to relearn them from scratch made me shudder. I’d studied English for twelve years in my past life, yet it was still a disaster—never mind mastering an entirely new language.
“Briel-nim, could you please copy two more pages with the same content? Just leave the recipient’s space blank.”
“Sure. But please speak comfortably around me. I’m not exactly a guest anymore.”
“Ah, but formal speech is more comfortable for me.”
“Well, from the perspective of a newcomer, being called ‘Briel-nim’ feels a little overwhelming.”
“Then I’ll just call you Briel.”
Butler Squawk’s politeness wasn’t the only thing that felt overly generous. Even now, he was gazing fondly at my handwriting with an excessively pleased smile. Honestly, it was making me so self-conscious I feared I’d mess up even simple words.
But I couldn’t blame him. After all, how much effort had it taken him, using those tiny clawed feet to write letters all this time? Trying hard to ignore his gaze, I continued diligently transcribing the letters.
Immersed in my task, time slipped by unnoticed.
“I’m finished. Is this good enough?”
“Let’s see… Yes, excellent work. That concludes today’s duties. You’ve done well.”
“Thank you.”
“We still have some time before dinner. Would you like to chat a bit? If there’s anything you’d like to know about the mansion or your work, feel free to ask.”
“Hmm…”
Honestly, there was plenty I wanted to ask. Like, what was the most valuable item in this mansion, or details about the magic surrounding this castle. Most importantly, I wanted to know Kalz’s weaknesses. Life was uncertain—always better to hold an ace up your sleeve. However, all of these questions were suspiciously inappropriate for my very first day on the job.
“Hmm, is there anything I should be cautious about? Maybe certain places I shouldn’t enter?”
Usually, restricted areas were where important secrets lay hidden. My carefully thought-out question made Butler Squawk pause for a moment in thought.
“Well, generally speaking, there aren’t any strictly forbidden areas. Though, it’s probably best to avoid entering the master’s bedroom without permission.”
“I wouldn’t want to go there even if I did have permission.”
“Haha, you never know.”
Huh? What was this ominous hint supposed to mean?
“Aside from that… Ah, have you seen the greenhouse at the back of the mansion? There’s a rose garden inside.”
“A rose garden?”
Jackpot!
Although I couldn’t precisely recall the details, roses in Beauty and the Beast were strongly tied to magic. If there was a rose garden here, it certainly wouldn’t be just an ordinary flower patch.
“I see. So I shouldn’t go near it carelessly, right?”
“Hm? Oh, no, quite the opposite. I was actually going to ask you to visit.”
“You want me to go there? Aren’t you worried I’ll accidentally damage the precious roses?”
“Haha, the roses are indeed lovely, but they’re not especially treasured. It’s simply a shame that no one is around to admire them.”
Butler Squawk’s eyes sparkled sincerely, without a trace of deception. Wait—had I guessed wrong? If it wasn’t the roses, then perhaps another object was key to the magic.
“Ah, also…”
Butler Squawk hesitated, carefully watching my reaction before continuing quietly.
“By any chance, Briel… do you believe in ghosts?”
“Ghosts?”
“Yes. Do you?”
“I suppose it’s possible.”
Why the sudden horror atmosphere? What exactly was he trying to say?
“Then you should probably know that it’s best not to leave your room after midnight.”
“Why?”
“Mainly because it’s dark. At midnight, all the mansion’s lights go out, making it dangerous to wander around.”
“…Is that all?”
“And also…”
“And also?”
Honestly, I didn’t even want to ask, but stopping here would only make things worse. Glancing around to make sure no one else was nearby, Butler Squawk fluttered onto my shoulder and whispered discreetly into my ear.
“…they say that something comes out.”
“Something… comes out? Wait, you mean…?”
“Yes. Exactly what you’re imagining. There have been several sightings, especially on nights with a full moon. Just thought you’d want to know.”
Smiling brightly, I nodded.
Yep, absolutely not going outside. Belle will be asleep the moment the clock strikes midnight.
Of course, this wasn’t because I was afraid of ghosts—definitely not. From now on, I simply wanted to become a healthy, early-to-bed, early-to-rise kind of guy.
Totally.
