The Exiled Slave Becomes the Master

“We will now begin the dining etiquette lesson. Please take your seat, Master Leon.”

“Okay.”

Ignoring the glares of the two girls who looked like they wanted to kill me, I sat down in the empty seat.

“Ha! Why does Father make us take lessons with that commoner?”

“Right! Just being near him will surely give off a disgusting smell and ruin my appetite!”

“Lady Tania, Lady Serena, you shouldn’t speak so harshly to the young master.”

“What young master? He’s just an orphan!”

“With no mother or father, the only thing he probably knows how to do is steal!”

“…”

I can tolerate being called an orphan, because it’s true.

But calling me a parentless thief?

Of course I can forgive them. They’re still children, speaking as their emotions guide them, so I can understand.

Of course, they need ‘education’ to prevent such behavior in the future, but that’s not my role.

‘Well, I didn’t have a harmonious family in my past life either. With an alcoholic father and a gambling-addicted mother who ran away with another man, I would actually have been grateful if someone had insulted my parents.’

Whenever that man drank, he would beat me and my younger sister as if he wanted to kill us, and at worst, he would even choke us. Because of him, even after I became an adult, I would wake up startled at the mere sound of someone entering the door lock password.

My face involuntarily grimaces at the unpleasant memory that suddenly surfaced.

“You look upset? What can you do if you feel bad?”

‘If I feel bad… there’s nothing I can do, hmm.’

“Lady Tania…”

The elderly maid was fidgeting anxiously between Tania and me.

Normally, she should be more actively restraining Tania, but she seemed cautious, perhaps because of my position as an adopted orphan.

‘It must be difficult for the people around us, but I should endure.’

In this ducal family, although I am the heir, I am ultimately an outsider.

The Duke clearly treats me as his heir, but in the end, I won’t be the one to inherit the ducal family.

So if I fight with Tania or Serena here, the Duke might take my side in the short term, but it won’t benefit me in the long run.

Therefore, what I can do now is to bow appropriately to prevent the worst from happening and avoid conflict with the noble daughters as much as possible.

“…Just start the lesson.”

“Yes, young master. Lady Tania and Lady Serena, we’re about to begin the lesson, so please focus.”

“Hmph!”

“Shouldn’t you set a good example for the young master who is learning for the first time?”

“That’s right! I’ll show you properly that someone like you can’t easily follow along!”

“First, we’ll start with the order of using utensils. Usually, you start with the utensils on the outside…”

For a while, I listened to explanations about the order of using utensils and which utensil to use for which food.

“Now, please try using them as I’ve instructed.”

First, I picked up the soup spoon and scooped up a full spoonful of the rich soup that gave off an appetizing aroma.

“Heh…”

“Hehe…”

Just as I was about to bring the soup to my mouth, Tania and Serena were looking at me with evil smiles and expectant eyes.

“What is it?”

“Hmm… Nothing, enjoy your meal.”

“Hehehe”

Something seems suspicious, but I doubt they’ll give me more of an answer if I ask, so I put the soup in my mouth.

“Ugh!”

It was as if I had put a lump of salt in my mouth instead of soup.

The soup was so salty that it tasted bitter when it touched my tongue, and I couldn’t swallow it and spat it out.

Tania and Serena had satisfied expressions as they watched me grimace and spit out the soup.

“Young master?”

“…The seasoning is off.”

Tania and Serena must have played a prank on my soup.

“Can’t commoners properly taste food?”

“Spitting out food prepared by the chef is reaaally bad manners.”

Should I just let this slide?

‘No.’

My inner Confucian dragon cannot forgive those who play with food without knowing its value.

“Call the chef who made this food.”

“Y-Young master?”

“What are you saying?”

From my position, where assassination attempts will continue to come in the future, tampering with my food is something that must be corrected early on.

If I let it slide, poison might be put in my food someday.

“Bring me the chef who played tricks with the food of the Normann ducal heir right now! Or should I go directly to Father and report this?”

“…Understood.”

When I shouted loudly, the pale-faced maid sent another maid to the kitchen.

“Who do you think you are to order the chef around?”

“Right! Know your place!”

“Place? Those who don’t know their place are the ones who tampered with my food. This is a serious issue where poison could have been put in the food of the heir directly chosen by Father, the Duke.”

“Ugh…”

Not having thought that far, the two of them became speechless.

Shortly after, the chef was dragged in with a bewildered expression and knelt before me.

“I heard you called for me, young master…”

“Did you make this soup?”

“Yes…”

“Taste it.”

The chef, looking confused, received the bowl I handed him and dipped his finger in the soup to taste it.

“Ugh! This is…”

“Yes, someone tampered with my food. If this had been poison instead of salt, the ducal heir would have been poisoned.”

“I-I know nothing about this! The food for the young ladies and your food were prepared together and served at the same time!”

The chef insisted on his innocence with an aggrieved expression.

Of course, I didn’t think the chef was behind this either.

And who the real culprit is doesn’t matter much.

It must be one of the maids who follows Tania and Serena anyway.

“Really? Then someone must have added salt while the food was being moved?”

This is a warning.

A warning to others who think they can take me lightly because I’m a commoner orphan, despite being the ducal heir.

I’m making a scene now to warn that I have the Duke’s favor, and those who disrespect me will regret it.

The Duke certainly won’t reprimand me for what I’m doing now.

He might even praise me, wouldn’t he?

The more I act like this, the more I’ll appear to be the Duke’s definite heir.

“Find the culprit who tampered with my food and bring them to me soon. After we finish the lesson, I will take the culprit to report to Father.”

“Understood, young master!”

“Let’s continue the lesson then.”

“…”

Tania and Serena seemed perplexed by my resolute attitude.

Perhaps they’re afraid of being caught and scolded by the Duke for what they did?

“What are you doing?”

“T-Then, let’s continue…”

My appetite was ruined because of the soup, but I still needed to eat the other dishes.

Wasting such precious food would be a sin.

For a while, in the dining table with a chilly atmosphere, only the gentle voice of the elderly maid and the sound of utensils clinking could be heard.

A cold air flowed through the Duke’s office.

The Duke with a stern expression and Alfred standing expressionlessly beside him were glaring at a kneeling maid.

Trembling at the thought of the punishment she would receive, the maid was overwhelmed by the atmosphere and could only shake, unable to utter a word.

“…So this maid sprinkled salt on Leon’s food?”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“She’s a newly hired maid, I see. Leon, what do you think should be done with her?”

Should I kill her? Or should I show mercy and let her go?

If I kill this maid, what benefit would I gain?

I would instill fear in those around me and not be disrespected, but…

This maid clearly acted on the instructions of Tania and Serena.

‘Then there’s no need to kill her. It doesn’t feel right to kill her just for following orders, especially when she’s a maid who follows Tania and Serena, not a spy from another family.’

“While it may not be necessary to kill her, she must certainly be expelled. This is no different from an attempted poisoning of the ducal heir.”

“Quite a merciful punishment. Very well, Alfred, dismiss this maid from the mansion effective today.”

“I will do as you say.”

“Th-Thank you!”

Grateful for the rather lenient punishment, the maid repeatedly expressed her thanks and followed Alfred out.

Left alone in the office, the Duke looked at me with a tired expression and said:

“…Well done.”

“Aren’t you going to scold me for arbitrarily using your authority?”

“No, it was actually a commendable action. It was something you should naturally do as the ducal heir. Act the same way if similar incidents occur in the future.”

“I understand. Oh, and please don’t scold Tania and Serena.”

“I know they’re behind this, but why?”

“They’re still young. I know they don’t like me, but they must have learned something from this incident.”

After this incident, they’ll probably refrain from actions that directly harm me, the ducal heir, in the future.

“Tania is 2 years older than you, and Serena is the same age as you, so I’m not sure if it’s right for you to call them children.”

Not having anything particularly to refute with, I just shrugged my shoulders.

“By the way, I have a request.”

“Tell me anything.”

“I need a person.”

“You need a person?”

“Father, please buy me a slave. A young girl, if possible.”