—Why is it so hard to breath?

…Silver was just my attendant, was he not?

Someday, he’d get married and have children of his own. To be able to become the butler of the Lamneria family was a feat on its own. Therefore, even if he didn’t have a title, there’d be a lot of nobles who’d like to welcome him as a son-in-law. Even more so considering that he was good-looking, young, and competent.

Furthermore, he was somewhat laidback—be it in his words, or his deeds. Thus, even if he were to start a relationship with a woman outside of work, there was nothing wrong with that.

—That’s right…

As his master, I shouldn’t get involved if it didn’t concern me.

I was his master, and he was my attendant.

He had his own business to attend to.

“Milady, why did you return by yourself!?”

“Well, weren’t you busy? Why should I go out of my way to find you?”

…Afterwards, I shared a carriage with an acquaintance and returned to the dormitory.

While Silver often teased me for not having any friends, I did have others I could turn to. After all, as a duke’s daughter, interacting with my peers was also part of my duties.

…I just didn’t have anyone to open my heart to.

“…Milady, are you sulking?”

“Nope.”

“You are.”

“How stubborn.”

Apparently, Silver rushed back upon noticing that I had returned first.

His hair was messier than usual. When he removed his necktie, his red collar became visible.

—If you’re my pet dog, then only wag your tail for me.

Of course, I didn’t convey such an egotistical thought to him.

“—More importantly…”

Instead, I only informed him of what had taken place while we were acting separately.

Thus, I told him that Bruno was under a lot of stress because he always came in second place.

After being encouraged, he regained his sanity for a moment, but his yandere relapsed soon after.

Then, after meeting with Prince Redmond, the two went to the royal castle to find a way to lift my curse.

Silver, who silently listened to the general report while sipping tea, raised an eyebrow.

“…Then, I assume Milady didn’t break character the entire time?”

“…That’s right. I got through the entire thing using ‘Kyururun.’”

During my time with Bruno—which lasted around three hours—I didn’t recall saying anything else other than onomatopoeia. Upon hearing that, Silver’s head sternly dropped.

“Milady, I respect you from the bottom of my heart.”

“Why!?”

When I questioned his unexpected admiration, Silver rushed to praise me.

“No ordinary person could have possibly achieved such a feat! Sooner or later, they tend to mess up!”

“Are you making a fool of me?”

“No, I’m praising you! You have to be quick-witted to do that. How amazing, what a waste of potential!”

“You aren’t praising me at all!”

I was still a candidate for the crown princess. There was no way I could afford to be a fool.

Despite that, Silver still laughed at me, and I found myself sighing.

“…More importantly, there’s something I’d like to ask you—”

“Oh, if it’s about Lady Irene, don’t worry! …Is what I’d like to say, but…”

…It was rare for Silver—an overconfident man—to hesitate.

“Unexpectedly—no, as expected, she’s a hassle. I’ve given her solid advice, but predicting her next move is still difficult…”

—A hassle?

But weren’t they close? I recalled the scene where Silver was coming on to Irene in the back of the academy…

…For some reason, my next sentence was full of sarcasm.

“Even though you were so affectionate with her…”

“Eh?”

“Never mind. You’re excused. I’m tired.”

As I turned away, Silver placed his tea on the side table and asked me.

“Shall I give you a massage?”

“No, it’s fine.”

I dismissed the offer with an order.

“Just leave. I don’t want to see you.”

At my selfish words—

“—Understood.”

He was taken aback for a moment, but soon bowed respectfully.

***

Hielo Von Surmelo.

The only son of the knight commander. His goal was to surpass his father. Personality-wise, he was a stoic youth who never missed a day of training. He worked hard every day to improve his body.

“Even if I have to switch my sword, I’ll definitely protect Lumiere.”

The sword that he showed me was a fake one with dulled blade. As a matter of course, the possession of weapons was prohibited in a peaceful academy. In spite of that, I heard that he’d gotten into various problems when he first enrolled—but none of that mattered anymore…

—Yes, because there was something more urgent.

“Funyuu…”

On my third step off my carriage, Hielo lifted me up and wouldn’t let me walk—!

…Even though His Highness is away from the academy, how embarrassing!

If he were carrying me sideways, then I could at least humor myself with some romantic thoughts. However, he hoisted me up like a small child. As a 16-years-old, I wasn’t sure what to think about this situation at all. It was one where I was being carried to prevent me from getting injured in public…

…To avoid making eye contact with my surroundings, I drew closer to Hielo’s shoulder.

Thinking that I’d grown comfortable with him, Hielo smirked.

“Haha, carrying you is also part of my training. You can be selfish with me. After all, it’d be troublesome if you were to trip over a pebble!”

—Upon reflecting on my situation, I expected Silver to burst out laughing.

But that day, he followed us quietly.

—Did he lose interest?

I’d known Silver for a long time.

I was only 5-years-old when I found him in my backyard.

I was born in a duke’s family. Naturally, my house was under strict security… As such, I didn’t know where did he came from. Nevertheless, because I was only a little girl, I secretly took care of him, feeling as if I’d picked up an injured puppy.

Of course, I soon got found out by a family member who then reported it to my father. But after he exchanged a few words with Silver, he allowed him to serve our family.

Afterwards, he received the minimum education required and began to stand out from the crownd. In no time at all, he rose to the rank of a butler, yet insisted on following me to the academy—the rest was history.

—Thinking about it, I had many questions about him.

—What was he doing in our backyard?

—Why is he so talented?

—Why did he insist on coming to the academy?

Sometimes, he’d joke in passing, saying that he was a ‘reincarnator’, or that he received a ‘gift from the Goddess’—but he never told me the truth.

—After all, such was the extent of our relationship.

I was the only one who thought we were close.

…But it turned out that he’d been dating behind my back.

It’s as if I’ve fallen in love.

Even though I don’t have a clue about what love is supposed to be…

Without even having time to be depressed, I arrived at the classroom.

“Well, separation is lonely, but it’s a student’s duty to study! Let’s do our best today, for the sake of a bright future!”

—As expected of a sportsman…

Even among yanderes, he’s the most passionate.

After asking Hielo to gently put me down, I said ‘Kyururun’ as a token of my gratitude.

“I look forward to seeing you again at noon.”

Behind Hielo, whose white teeth was on full display as he grinned, Silver bowed his head.

“Excuse me.”

—Which was quite uncharacteristic of him.

I spoke to him like a master would to one of her servants—

“—Thank you for your hard work.”

---

***T/N: Ugu, butler x milady intensifies ugu, yellow dude who? Get outta my ship!

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