Chapter 741: Butler
9 a.m., Hillston Borough, inside a high-class hotel.
Klein picked up a bottle of exquisitely packaged white wine as he handed
it over to the elder opposite him.
"Mr. Asnia, thank you for coming. This is a gift of mine. Please accept
it.
"At the latest, I'll make my decision by tomorrow. When the time comes,
I might come and visit you in person."
He was using such a euphemistic manner to inform the man that he had
failed to be selected.
To be frank, he was actually rather pleased with Mr. Asnia. He perfectly
met his image of a butler---stern, well-mannered, professional, a high
level of mental understanding, and was good at handling all kinds of
thorny issues.
As the oldest candidate who lived the furthest away, he had arrived half
an hour ahead of time. He had been patiently waiting outside while
Rebach and Walter were only fifteen minutes early.
If not for Arrodes mentioning that the latter two allowed for additional
developments, Klein felt that he would've chosen this old gentleman.
After all, his main goal was to use the butler's social connections to
more easily enter high society so as to make contact with the
corresponding targets.
The white wine was specially bought from the Intis Srenzo Restaurant,
costing him two pounds since he knew someone was destined to be
disappointed while wasting money to travel to and fro by carriage.
This could effectively accentuate how generous Dwayne Dantès was and how
gentlemanly he was as a mysterious tycoon.
In addition, he didn't think it was right to belittle a butler from a
noble family. Such people definitely knew plenty of people in high
society, many professional butlers, and countless servants due to their
past professional experiences. They covered the entire spectrum of
people, and they could affect a gentleman's image, and this was a
necessary consideration for entering even higher social circles.
At present, the fifty-five-year-old Asnia had plenty of white hair. His
blue eyes were ingrained with the wisdom that time had given him, so he
didn't reject Dwayne Dantès's gift. He received it and glanced at it
before bowing.
"I love white wine from Garrod. Thank you for your kindness. Your grace
is admirable."
*Garrod? Yes, the waiter yesterday mentioned that it's a brewery in
Intis's Champagne province. It's well known for producing high-end grape
wine. Some of the wine of certain vintage years are considered
top-notch. Sigh, a butler knows more about wine than me. That's right.
Mr. Asnia had mentioned that wine cellars are directly under the charge
of the butler or a butler assistant among nobles and the rich... Does
this mean that I need to have a wine cellar in the future? Wine costing
two pounds is at the bottom of the totem pole, while even Aurmir red
wine from 1330 which costs 126 pounds isn't even considered the best...
How much would such a wine cellar cost...* As he thought it
over, Klein felt heavy in the chest. He began to suspect that the 2,888
pounds he had set aside from the gold coins weren't going to last long.
If not for the training he had during his time as a Clown, he definitely
would've lost his cool and not reply with a smile.
"Your fondness for it is the greatest form of praise for me. Mr. Asnia,
please invite Mr. Rebach who's at the coffee house below up."
Asnia didn't hesitate to agree to it. Less than five minutes later,
Rebach knocked on the door and entered the living room.
This gentleman had his blond hair combed neatly. The edges of his eyes
and mouth had some wrinkles which weren't too distinct. He had a ruddy
complexion and a masculine bearing. It was obvious that he was a butler
who could accompany his master hunting or even fend off enemies.
After exchanging greetings, Klein invited him in to take a seat while
smiling. He went directly to the point.
"Forgive me for being honest. I don't understand why you would become
the butler of Baron Syndras. Your father was the assistant butler to the
Negan family, and your grandfather was the land steward of the same
family. Many of your ancestors served the duke and his relatives until
they returned to the arms of god. You should have had such a life
trajectory as well."
Due to Emperor Roselle's influence, the various countries in the
Northern Continent went from using their fief and aristocratic title to
indicate their nobility to just their names and aristocratic titles.
Only under special formal occasions would they use the former. Of
course, there were a few nobles whose names stemmed from their fiefs.
Rebach gave a standard smile and answered, "Baron Syndras is a newly
promoted noble, an old friend of the late duke. Therefore, I was sent to
his family to help him and his family get accustomed to noble life and
grasp the corresponding etiquettes."
*The late duke he was talking about was the present Duke Negan's father,
the Pallas Negan who had been assassinated the previous year.*
"Then, why did you leave the baron's family later?" Klein deliberated
and asked.
Rebach answered honestly, "Although Baron Syndras obtained his
aristocratic title via the Conservative Party, he is one of the most
famous bankers, investors, and enterprise owners in the kingdom. He was
one of the earliest multi-millionaires, and he had a strong penchant for
the New Party. He was willing to provide a certain degree of support to
them, creating friction between him and the Conservative Party nobles,
including the younger duke.
"Therefore, to prevent the baron from being put in a difficult position,
I offered to leave. He actually tried to keep me, and he was an
excellent employer."
Klein nodded and asked, "You believe in the Lord of Storms?"
Rebach seriously replied, "Yes, the Lord gives us courage, zeal, and a
sense of responsibility."
Klein asked a few more matters about butlers and received a detailed
response. Then, he said with a smile, "Might I trouble you to invite Mr.
Walter who's at the coffee house up?
"After I'm done chatting with him, I'll make the decision. You can wait
in the coffee house for about ten minutes."
"Alright." Rebach didn't harp on the matter and immediately got up to
bow. After bidding farewell, he left in a manner that exuded the air of
a military man.
As he watched him leave and close the door, Klein sat back down, picked
up his black tea, and took a sip. He muttered silently, *If I were to
choose him, I'll likely establish certain connections with the present
Duke Negan and the Conservative Party. The additional development might
include the situation before the assassination...*
Before long, Walter arrived and entered after knocking on the door.
Klein first exchanged some pleasantries before asking, "What conflict
did you have with Viscount Conrad's butler? You should understand that I
need to understand the situation. I cannot afford to risk offending a
noble."
Walter had a broad forehead with raven-black hair and brown stern eyes,
but he wasn't a person who appeared taciturn. He thought for a few
seconds and said, "As a butler assistant, I was responsible for the
viscount's children. During this process, due to certain matters, I was
appreciated by a particular important figure. As such, I won the
recognition of the viscount, which made the butler wary against me.
"Later, that important figure passed away due to an accident, and as a
result, the viscount's attitude towards me changed. The butler treated
me even worse, making me believe that it was pointless waiting for
things to improve."
*In charge of the viscount's children, and he got to know an important
figure... Hmm, Talim also got to know Prince Edessak from teaching
Viscount Conrad's youngest son. And the prince passed away a few months
ago because of the Great Smog of Backlund... This matches Walter's
explanation... From the looks of it, this butler was one of the
peripheral victims of that matter... He's rather cautious and
professional. He didn't expose his former employer's negatives or reveal
the matter about the prince, nor did he speak ill of the viscount's
butler... If I select him, the additional development is something to
look forward to...* Klein listened silently as he made some
connections.
He then switched to asking some professional questions, expressing his
desire to enter high society. After receiving a satisfactory answer, he
straightened his clothes, got up and smiled.
"Let me introduce myself again. I'll be your employer, Dwayne Dantès."
Walter immediately bowed and said, "Sir, how may I be of service?"
He kept maintaining a stern, old-fashioned, and unperturbed demeanor, as
though these were the professional traits of a butler.
"Two matters," Klein replied with a chuckle. "First, help me hand this
bottle of white wine to Mr. Rebach who's waiting at the coffee house.
Please express my apologies and gratitude to him. Second, hire a
solicitor to write up a professional contract that will include you and
the other servants."
"Alright, sir." Walter bowed once again.
As Klein handed the white wine over, he asked, "Walter, how many
servants do you think I need to hire in order to not appear improper?"
While Walter received the bottle of Garrod white wine, he replied
without any hesitation, "You should first determine where you will be
living. Only then can you know how many servants you actually need."
"Oh, do you have suggestions? My requirements are simple. I wish to live
in North Borough, as I'm a pious believer of the Goddess." Klein drew
the crimson moon on his chest in passing.
*According to the information I read on the papers and magazines, a
gardened villa in a high-end district has to be at least 3 pounds a
week. That makes it 156 pounds a year... Although there are no direct
numbers, I can infer that the suburb's best gardened villas cost about 2
pounds a week. A high-end apartment with a few rooms and halls would
cost about the same. It's been mentioned that that's relatively
extravagant, a place where only the richest of the middle-class can
afford to rent. Yes, from that, I can preliminary estimate the rent of a
tycoon's house...*
*It's expensive just thinking about it. Back in Tingen, Benson, Melissa,
and I spent 13 soli a week on a gardenless terrace house. There was an
additional 5 pence for the use of furniture. In the house I lived in
Minsk Street, it didn't even reach 1 pound...*
*Sigh, so be it; even if it's 3 pounds. I have 2,888 pounds. It
shouldn't be a problem renting a slightly better one... No problem at
all...* While awaiting Walter's answer, Klein silently recalled
the information regarding rental costs. He began calculating how much he
needed to pay every week and every year.
Walter considered it for two seconds before replying in a serious
manner, "Sir, you can choose 32 Böklund Street. It's close to Saint
Samuel Cathedral, and it's a three-story manor with more than ten rooms.
It comes with a stable, a servants' quarters, and a rather large garden.
Living nearby are baronets, House of Commons members of parliament, and
senior lawyers...
"The interior design is especially tasteful. There are plenty of famous
paintings and antiques. All the furniture and wares are enough to
accentuate your identity. You can rent it for a year first. If you find
it satisfactory, you can consider buying it entirely."
Sounds pretty good... Klein asked with a smile, "How much is
it to rent for a year?"
Walter sternly and skillfully reported the number, "Including the use of
furniture, 1,260[Author's Note: The rental prices of houses are referenced from "Money in the Past - on the Economic Life of People in Beijing, Paris, and London in the 19th Century" and "British study of Victorian middle-class marriage and family life". A house costing 1,260 pounds is an embassy rented during the Qin dynasty. As for whether there was a premium to it, I've no idea.] pounds a year."
"..."
Klein was glad that he wasn't drinking any tea, or else he would've
spewed it all across his butler's face.
He mustered nearly all of a Clown's control in order to prevent any
abnormalities from showing on his face.