Chapter 10: Settled

Chapter 10: Settled

After a brief silence, Klein lifted his black tea, took a sip, and said with a smile, “That is one option, and it may be considered. However, Emperor Roselle once said that one should never rush into a decision. Only through repeated comparison can the best answer be found.

“Are there any other choices?”

Wearing white gloves, Walter spoke without the slightest change in expression.

“Phelps Street can also satisfy your requirements. I recall that No. 9 is currently seeking a tenant. It is villa-style, two stories, with more than ten rooms, stables, servants’ quarters, and a modest garden. The furniture and utensils are rather old, but still presentable. The annual rent is 220 pounds.”

That price is still reasonable… reasonable… However, No. 9 Phelps Street means it is less than a hundred meters from Saint Samuel Cathedral. Although that fits perfectly with the principle of hiding under the lamp, a great many Nighthawks must be among the passersby coming and going. When I want to leave or return in secret, it will be extremely inconvenient and prone to problems…

Klein, whose original rent budget had been only around one hundred fifty or sixty pounds, had been tempered by the price of the previous garden house and suddenly felt that 220 pounds was not bad at all.

This made him suspect whether Walter had deliberately mentioned the expensive one first.

After thinking for a few seconds, Klein said, “Anything else?”

Walter answered without the slightest impatience, “The house at No. 160 Böklund Street is also for rent. It is likewise a three-story building with a garden, stables, and servants’ quarters, with more than ten rooms in total. However, its location is not as good as No. 32. Its decoration, furniture, and utensils can only be called presentable. The annual rent is 315 pounds.”

315 pounds… The number flashed through Klein’s somewhat numb mind. After a moment of contemplation, he asked, “What is your suggestion?”

In truth, he already had an answer in his heart, but as an employer, he could not be too quick to reveal his attitude. If there were some common-sense flaw in the decision, it would be easy for others to look down on him.

Walter considered it carefully and said, “The one at No. 160 Böklund Street.

“By comparison, the neighbors there will be more helpful to your entry into high society. As for No. 32, that house is far too extravagant. Renting it directly would make the surrounding neighbors think you lack the necessary cultivation and propriety.”

Simply put, renting a house that costs 1,260 pounds a year the moment he arrived would easily make the neighbors define him as a nouveau riche eager to show off… For a tycoon dedicated to entering high society, such a reputation would be extremely detrimental… Klein savored a mouthful of black tea and asked with a smile, “Then why did you propose No. 32 Böklund Street as an option?”

Walter bowed without haste.

“Respected sir, I am only a butler. My responsibility is not to make decisions, but to present all suitable options and provide certain suggestions for your reference.

“Without knowing your precise preferences, I must offer as comprehensive a range of choices as possible.”

Very professional… He was probably worried that Dawn Dantes might be the kind of nouveau riche who liked to show off, so by presenting No. 32 Böklund Street first, he was testing me to a certain extent, allowing him to adjust the direction of his later advice and his management style accordingly…

Klein gave a laugh.

“Exclude No. 32. We shall choose between the other two.

“Before making a decision, I am accustomed to seeing the site in person. We will set off after lunch.”

“Yes, sir.” Walter remained as solemn and old-fashioned as ever.

…

In the Harvest Church in the South Borough of the Bridge.

As Emlyn White wiped a silver candlestick, he thought about the clue Miss Magician had provided.

“A secret Beyonder gathering… That’s practically the same as providing no clue at all. If I want to investigate further, it will be quite difficult. And I can’t join that gathering in a short period of time…”

Facing the surface of the silverware, Emlyn examined himself, then lifted a hand to tidy his hair.

After that, he put away the cloth, retreated to the first row of pews in the church, and sat down. His unfocused gaze rested on Bishop Utravsky, who was praying earnestly before the altar.

Thought after thought sprang up, occasionally colliding to produce sparks. Emlyn suddenly grasped a detail.

“Why would a doll capable of stirring extreme interest in believers of the Primordial Moon appear so coincidentally?”

Moon doll, moon doll… It feels like bait for fishing. Could it be… could it be a trap designed by Rus Bathory and the others? Emlyn’s eyes brightened, and he abruptly stood.

Rus Bathory was a Sanguine baron participating in the hunting contest, and Emlyn regarded him as his strongest competitor.

The more Emlyn thought about it, the more possible it seemed, because he remembered that Bathory was a lover of antiques, particularly fond of collecting strange and peculiar objects from the Southern Continent.

He paced back and forth a few times. The corners of his mouth slowly curled upward, and he gave a silent chuckle.

“I can’t enter that Beyonder gathering to investigate Windsor, the believer of the Primordial Moon, but I can monitor Rus Bathory, then resolve the target before he does!

“Haha, I very much look forward to what kind of expression he’ll have.

“Mm, Miss Magician’s clue is indeed worth 100 pounds.”

Just as Emlyn was unusually excited, Father Utravsky finished his prayers and walked over. Looking down at him, he said gently, “Our piety does not lie in words. It must be reflected in every detail, and you were not focused enough today.

“Wipe the candlestick again.”

“O-okay.” Emlyn suddenly replied with a sense of shame.

Only after the priest turned and walked toward the confessional did he come back to himself. Amused and annoyed, he muttered under his breath, “I’m not pious at all. I don’t need to reflect piety!”

…

Rows of straight Intis plane trees stood on both sides of the street, giving it a quiet and tranquil air. Holding his gold-inlaid cane, Klein slowly walked out of the house at No. 160.

He silently breathed in and turned his head to say to his butler, Walter, “Tell the owner here that I am very satisfied.

“For the time being, we will rent it for one year. Later, we may move to a better place, such as the Queen Borough.”

This sentence hinted at his ambition to obtain a title, because the Queen Borough was where the nobles gathered.

As for why he did not rent for only half a year to save money, it was because high-end houses of this sort only accepted long leases. One year was the shortest term.

To be honest, if money were no concern, Klein rather liked this house. The lawn was clean, the garden beautiful, the furnishings appropriate, the objects refined, and there were many bedrooms. The furniture was sufficient, each floor contained several washrooms, and the stables and servants’ quarters at the side and rear had not been made with shoddy workmanship. It was the best residence Klein could previously have imagined.

Walter immediately replied, “I will go and invite a solicitor shortly.

“Sir, do you have any specific requirements regarding the servants?”

Strolling beneath the Intis plane trees, Klein smiled and said, “I would first like to hear your suggestions.”

Walter thought for a moment and said, “Sir, no matter what, you will still need a housekeeper.”

During the earlier interview, Klein had mentioned that Dawn Dantes was unmarried, had no children, and had no mistress in Backlund, so there was no need for a lady’s maid.

Seeing that Dawn Dantes merely gave a slight nod without expressing an opinion, Walter continued, “Her responsibilities will be managing the maids and the household’s financial expenditures. Sir, you must not entrust everything to me, to one single person. Checks and balances are an art in politics, and they are also an effective method of household management. Emperor Roselle once said, absolute power leads to absolute corruption.

“When faced with money, I have confidence in myself, but that confidence extends no further than confidence.”

Mm, very candid… A housekeeper is still necessary. Her annual salary should be around thirty or forty pounds… Klein nodded.

“Very well.”

At that moment, Walter walked upright and proper half a step behind Klein, extending a hand to hail a rental carriage for him.

After they entered the carriage, he continued, “For the choice of housekeeper, I will have the Helping Household Servants Association provide a list, and you will personally make the selection. I will not offer recommendations.

“Based on your present residence, you will also need a household property manager, male or female; a personal valet; two first maids responsible for the bedrooms; two second maids responsible for the drawing room and sitting rooms; two footmen responsible for receiving guests; one storeroom maid; one kitchen maid; two laundry maids; and two rough-work male servants.

“In addition to these, you will need one cook, two gardeners, two coachmen—or one coachman and one coachman’s assistant. If necessary, you may add a page, an odd-job man, a household nurse, and an assistant cook.

“You do not yet have a carriage. In the future, you must own two: one four-wheeled enclosed carriage, about 300 pounds, and one two-wheeled carriage, roughly 100 pounds…”

Listening to his butler’s detailed introduction of the servants he required, Klein’s mind went slightly numb. He no longer wished to calculate how much this would cost him. In any case, they would be paid monthly or weekly, not all at once for the entire year.

Not counting the page, odd-job man, household nurse, and assistant cook, there would be ten or eleven male servants, and nine or ten female servants including the housekeeper… That’s nearly double what I estimated before. The weekly expenditure will probably exceed ten pounds, won’t it… I’ll only know for certain once they are all hired and their wages negotiated… And there are the carriages…

Klein watched Walter’s mouth move on and on. His thoughts began to drift away of their own accord.

Seeing that the steady, refined, and extremely gentlemanly Mr. Dawn Dantes was nodding repeatedly, Walter subconsciously expanded on the topic.

“Later, you will also need to rent a manor in the suburbs, where you may entertain friends for pleasant weekends. There is no need to hurry about this. It can wait until after you have hosted several balls and dinners at No. 160…

“Sir, you should not mention maids-of-all-work before the neighbors in this district. Only families with annual incomes below 500 pounds, who cannot hire enough maids for different tasks, employ maids-of-all-work…

“…”

Klein listened numbly, reflexively wearing a gentle smile.

After returning to the hotel and watching Butler Walter leave, he finally sat down, all expression gone from his face.

At two forty, Klein rubbed his temples, slowly rose, and entered the bedroom, preparing to convene this week’s Tarot Club.