episode_0001

One day.

When I woke up, a man I’d never seen before was looking at me and said something strange.

“Virdem, that is your name. My son.”

“…?”

I tried to protest, but it came out as babble.

Wrapped in a swaddle, I watched as the man with wild, unkempt hair shed tears, and I wondered if I was dreaming. A really bizarre dream, at that.

But no matter how long I waited, I didn’t wake up.

“Sylvia… I swear, I will protect the son you left behind—”

…What the hell is this?

My denial lasted until a year later—when I finally learned to walk.

Only after pinching my cheeks countless times, tumbling around, and even putting bugs in my mouth did I finally accept it.

Apparently, this was what they called reincarnation in another world.

‘…Why me?’

It made no sense.

I had no particular complaints about my previous life. I wasn’t hit by a truck, and I definitely didn’t write some obscure web novel with an absurd number of chapters that no one read.

Why, out of all the desperate people in the world, did this bullshit happen to me?

I sighed as I looked down at the hardworking villagers from the top of the castle.

I wonder what’s happening back on Earth.

What about Hyejin? What are my parents doing?

…No idea.

The future was daunting, but at least one thing was good.

The fact that I was a noble.

It was a small territory, but a territory nonetheless. The villagers numbered barely over a hundred, but they were still my villagers.

It seemed like life in this world would be smooth sailing.

Maybe I could even find a way back in the meantime.

That’s what I thought—until the day before my seventh birthday.

That year, my father suddenly called for me, his expression grave, and said something strange.

“Virdem, whose life do you think yours belongs to?”

“Mine…?”

“No. It belongs to Lord Pitus.”

What kind of nonsense was this?

Who the hell was Pitus?

Patting my bewildered shoulder, my father began explaining slowly.

“Lord Pitus is the head of the Seriratus family.”

“I see. But why does that matter?”

“Our Serbus family has served the Seriratus family for a thousand years. You will do the same.”

“?”

It took about thirty minutes of my father’s rambling before I finally understood.

In short, the Serbus family—the one I was born into—was a prestigious butler family that had served the Seriratus family for generations.

In the past, during the bloody feuds between nobles, they had been an assassin family, carrying out the Seriratus family’s orders to eliminate key figures in rival factions. But now, in this peaceful era, they served as butlers.

Frowning, I asked:

“Do I have to be a butler?”

“…?”

My father’s bushy eyebrows shot up in shock, as if he’d never even imagined such a response.

“—Are you refusing the duty our family has upheld for a millennium?”

“Sorry, that’s not what I meant.”

“No, you’re still young. But think carefully. We must serve someone.”

“Huh?”

“Look at this.”

He pulled back my collar and touched a small, cross-shaped scar on my shoulder—one I’d had since birth.

Confused, I watched as he did the same to himself, revealing an identical scar in the same spot.

“This is the Scar of Obedience. Every descendant of the Serbus family is born with it.”

“…That’s a really ominous name.”

“If you don’t choose a master by the time you come of age, this scar will rupture, and you will die.”

“?”

“Moreover, should you betray your master or defy their orders, the wound will never close, and you will bleed to death.”

I stared at him, demanding a real explanation for why the hell I had what looked like some creepy internet urban legend tattooed on my shoulder.

Scratching his head, my father answered:

“It is a Blood Oath, carved into our ancestors during their days as blood-soaked assassins, to keep them in check. Of course, you could serve a family other than the Seriratus. That is your choice. But tell me—what family could you trust? The Seriratus, at least, have a long history of treating us well. Their rewards and punishments are clear.”

“…So, I have to serve the Seriratus family until I die?”

“No. Just ten years. After that, they usually grant an unspoken order: ‘Live freely.’ Exceptional retainers may serve for decades, but such honor isn’t easily earned…”

So, it was like a ten-year military service.

I sighed at the sudden boulder of fate dropped on me—then realized it wasn’t so bad.

Even as a servant family, nobles were still nobles.

This was a far better starting point than being a commoner.

I’d beaten 0.001% odds to be born a noble. Losing ten years was nothing compared to the eighty I’d lose as a commoner.

More importantly, I knew the best way to handle a ten-year service.

“Father.”

“Yes, do you have a question?”

“I suddenly feel an overwhelming love for the Seriratus family.”

“Wh-what?”

“I can’t wait any longer—I must serve Lord Pitus, my future master, at once!”

“Oh…? Well, that’s… good.”

My father looked at me with concern, as if wondering if I’d lost my mind.

He probably didn’t know the universal truth:

The earlier you enlist, the better.

My father’s worry turned to joy in less than a year.

All because I showed exceptional enthusiasm in butler training.

“Such incredible passion, Virdem!”

But after another year passed, his joy became… uncertain.

“Th-that’s… impressive, Virdem. But maybe take a break…?”

Another year later.

He started worrying again.

“No, slow down a little…!”

Not a chance.

Swordsmanship, pastry-making, cooking, estate management, bodyguarding, etiquette, ceremonies, manners, carriage-driving, appraisal—even flower arrangement.

I mastered them all in under three years.

Guess I had a talent for it.

On my tenth birthday, my father took a sip of the tea I’d prepared and muttered in disbelief.

“This tastes just like the butler’s brew. And yet, the leaves you used were of much lower quality…”

“A light roast brings out the flavor.”

“Why the rush? They’ll call for you when the time comes.”

If anything, I was already late.

Including training, my “military service” had stretched to thirteen years.

I wanted to cut it down to twelve at least.

“I just can’t wait to serve my master.”

“You haven’t even met them yet… You truly have the blood of the Serbus family.”

Shaking his head, my father drafted a letter.

“I’ll send you for the butler exam since you’re so eager, but don’t expect to pass on your first try.”

“Why not?”

“You’re too young. At the very least, you should be over ten to perform your duties properly.”

“Uncle said youth can be an advantage, though.”

“There’s a limit to that.”

I had to choose a master before turning twenty.

But the Serbus weren’t the only family with an obedience scar. The Seriratus seemed to have scattered these terrifying marks everywhere.

Countless servant families gathered to serve them, with only a select few becoming butlers. The rest had to try again later.

Once a year, he’d said.

If I failed this time, my service would stretch to fourteen years.

Obviously, I wasn’t going just to scope things out.

A few weeks later, a notice bearing the Seriratus family’s seal arrived.

My father handed it to me with a complicated expression.

“Honestly, I thought they’d reject you once they heard your age… But they accepted.”

“Lucky me.”

“You memorized five entire books on etiquette, so I doubt you’ll cause trouble. But be careful. The capital is dangerous.”

Taking his sincere advice to heart, I boarded the carriage.

My father, who had once passed the exam himself, couldn’t accompany me as an observer.

His face was a mix of pride and “Isn’t he still too young…?” as he saw me off.

The other examinees in the carriage stared at me oddly.

“A… child?”

“They sent a kid to the exam?”

“Heh, I didn’t know the Serbus family was this desperate for results. This is just self-sabotage.”

For me, it was a blessing.

Even as competitors, they didn’t see me as a threat, so they treated me kindly, even doting on me.

I also picked up some useful information along the way.

“What happens if you fail the butler exam before turning twenty?”

“In that case, you serve the Seriratus family’s head butler as your master. At least you won’t die for lacking one.”

“So, you become an attendant?”

“Yes. But for a noble’s child, being a mere attendant is dishonorable. Some leave the Seriratus family entirely to serve elsewhere.”

“Is that allowed? Father said it wasn’t.”

“It’s a matter of risk. The Seriratus family never gives us unreasonable orders—they treat us purely as butlers. But other families might exploit our inability to resist, forcing us into dangerous or dirty work.”

“I see…”

Far more helpful than I’d expected.