Chapter 2: The Hero’s Unexpected Reward
“I want you.”
The hero’s slender finger was pointing at me.
“Choosing me, the Second Prince Hendrick? I commend the hero’s taste.”
Suddenly, Hendrick, who was sitting beside me, stood up with a flushed face, praising the hero’s choice.
What? I thought she meant me. But her finger seemed to be pointing at Hendrick.
“No, I meant the butler next to you.”
– Pfft…
Hendrick, who had stepped forward in his misunderstanding, became the laughingstock of the nobles and awkwardly sat back down, his legs giving way in embarrassment.
“Hero, are you saying you want Leni, the princess’s butler, as your reward?”
“Yes, I want him.”
The emperor himself confirmed it, sealing the deal.
It wasn’t a misunderstanding. The hero really did want me.
Why, though? Did she somehow figure out that I’m the mysterious benefactor?
As I was lost in these thoughts, I noticed the crowd growing noisier.
Looking around to gauge the atmosphere, I saw clear signs of bewilderment among the nobles—a natural reaction.
– Who’s that butler?
I was just Princess Aria’s butler, unknown to most people.
To put it in perspective, it was as if a famous celebrity had publicly confessed to a random office worker passing by.
In an instant, I became the shining star of the room.
‘This is a disaster.’
This wasn’t the ending I wanted.
The hero was supposed to choose money as her reward and live happily ever after with it.
That was my hope, the ideal use of her reward. But choosing me? That was nonsense.
At that moment, Aria’s heart was burning with rage.
‘That insolent wretch…’
Aria didn’t like the hero trying to take Leni away from her. She was furious.
‘No, stay calm… Aria, you can do this. You’ll get praise from Leni later.’
Aria opened her tightly shut mouth and began speaking calmly.
“Hero, in this day and age, slavery has long been abolished, and it’s not proper to treat people like objects.”
Despite her calm tone, her heart was boiling with anger, but Aria barely held it together.
‘How dare she covet what’s mine? Leni belongs to me.’
Ironically, it was the princess who treated Leni the most like an object.
“I’m not asking Princess Aria. I only want to hear the hero’s answer.”
The emperor spoke firmly.
He was telling her to stop talking.
Aria was clearly saying no more.
“But…”
“I don’t like repeating myself.”
Aria tried to protest, feeling wronged, but the emperor wouldn’t budge.
He was a man who never said the same thing twice.
“Eren, asking for a person as a reward goes against the teachings of the Goddess. Why not choose money instead?”
Thankfully, there was someone sensible besides Aria.
The devout Saintess scolded the hero for her improper actions.
‘Please, someone, anyone, save me…’
I didn’t care who. I just didn’t want to live as a slave.
“How about asking for half the treasury’s gold… huh? What do you say?”
The Saintess’s golden eyes sparkled even brighter.
She seemed to care only about the money.
“I’m not changing my reward.”
The hero was more resolute than anyone.
Despite the strong objections from her party, she chose me as her reward.
No matter what her party members said, she stood firm like an unyielding tree, never wavering.
“Leni, I’m sorry to do this to you, but for the sake of the empire, you must sacrifice yourself.”
“…”
That was the gist of it.
Giving me to the hero was cheaper than handing over money. It was the emperor’s decision, always thinking of the empire.
I was practically a member of the hero’s party anyway. It felt unfair, but I couldn’t say anything. I was just a commoner.
“And so! The hero’s reward is Leni, the princess’s butler!”
– Woooo!!
It was a scene of human rights violation.
It felt like being dragged to an old slave auction.
I was taken away as the hero’s party’s reward.
The hero’s party entered with four members but left with five—a bizarre situation.
‘Leni, don’t go…’
Aria could only watch helplessly.
And so, I was dragged to the mansion where the hero’s party was staying. At least they didn’t tie my hands or feet, so it didn’t feel entirely like slavery.
“Eren, why did you bring this guy?”
‘Yeah, why did she bring me?’
Once we arrived at the mansion, we gathered in the lobby, and a woman with pointed ears asked the hero on my behalf.
Perfect timing. I was curious too.
“The mansion’s big, isn’t it? Don’t we need a butler?”
“…”
Including the hero’s party, I understood what it meant to be speechless from shock.
You know those moments when something is so absurd it leaves you at a loss for words? This was one of those.
The Saintess was shouting, clearly furious.
The other two seemed angry too but thought restraining the Saintess was the priority, quickly subduing her.
“Let me go…!! I’ll kill the hero and ascend to sainthood…!!”
Despite her shouting, her physical strength was lacking, and the elf archer with pointed ears easily restrained her.
“Stay still, you idiot! Have you ever seen Eren act without a reason? She does weird things sometimes, but the results are always good.”
At least the elf girl trusted the hero to some extent, trying to understand her.
– Zzzt!
“Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not going to be nice to you.”
“Uh, yes…”
I couldn’t tell what tune the elf was dancing to.
– Tap, tap.
Feeling a tap on my shoulder, I turned to see the hero standing behind me.
“Come with me. We need to sign a contract.”
“Yes… a contract?”
“You’ll work as the butler for our mansion.”
Was she serious?
It seemed she really brought me here to be a butler.
I followed the hero to where she was leading me.
‘That holy sword is cool.’
As I followed her, the holy sword hanging at her waist caught my eye, and I felt a surge of pride knowing I helped her find it.
“Come in.”
The room she led me to seemed to be hers. It was simple, with just a desk, a chair, and a bed, reflecting her personality.
‘She’s grown up well…’
Living frugally, without extravagance. She was living by the motto I’d written in my letters.
– Creak… Slam!
The hero closed the door nervously but then smiled brightly as if nothing had happened and approached me.
“Hero! What are you doing?!”
She came closer and started sniffing me. My scent, to be precise.
“Stay still.”
I couldn’t make a sound and just stood there.
‘Is she… trying to eat me?’
Not metaphorically, but literally, like she might devour me alive.
Eaten by the hero I raised?
‘Is this some kind of twisted trope…?’
Fortunately, it seemed the hero had no intention of eating me.
She stopped sniffing and opened a desk drawer.
– Creak…
Inside were stacks of letters filling the drawer. Those were mine, weren’t they?
She brought one of the letters to me and showed it. It was definitely one I’d sent.
“You. What’s your connection to the person who sent these?”
She interrogated me, saying the letter carried the same scent as me.
The reason the letters smelled like me was tied to my insomnia.
In the original story’s latter half, the hero couldn’t sleep despite being exhausted. There was a remedy for her, worn out and unable to rest.
White roses from the north, ground up and burned.
The faint fragrance was effective for those who couldn’t sleep despite exhaustion, making even a short nap feel deeply restorative.
I’d been careful to change my handwriting, but I hadn’t thought about the scent.
“Answer me!”
The hero gripped the letter tightly, speaking with anticipation.
She’d always written in her letters that she wanted to meet me, so I knew her expectations were high.
But I couldn’t meet those expectations.
‘I’m sorry, Eren.’
“What’s that…?”
I did my best to play dumb.
I still planned to escape the empire. If I admitted here that I was the mysterious benefactor, I’d never get away.
‘Avoiding the princess’s eyes is hard enough. Adding the hero would be a disaster.’
I was still determined to flee the empire.
“…”
The hero stared at me silently, her eyes slightly watery.
‘The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment…’
“Fine. If you say it’s not you, then it’s not.”
“But I’ll be watching you.”
She didn’t seem ready to let go of her suspicions. She probably thought I was either the benefactor or connected to them.
‘How did she figure it out from the scent?’
Leni would never know that it wasn’t the scent but the holy sword that led the hero to choose him as her reward.
“Now, let’s get to the point. Please become the butler of our mansion.”
“What?”
It was a shocking request for me.