Chapter 380: Chapter 145: Bond Between Master and Servant
Pei Luo’s footsteps halted when he saw the silhouette in the room.
As the sheepskin flat shoes stopped, the person inside also turned their head.
In the room, the scattered toys still lay about, and when Housekeeper Dennis entered, he tried his best not to touch the young master’s belongings.
During the day, he diligently served as the butler of Olson Manor, and at night, he became the old butler who reminisced about Mussen Manor. At such times, he would say to himself: "Dennis, you’re not a qualified butler; you understand how to take care of living beings but failed to take care of young Mr. Pei Luo who is very much alive."
Housekeeper Dennis’s guilt acted like an intermittent stubborn affliction, regretting that he hadn’t stopped Count Olson back then; Viscount Peluo, who had just experienced the pain of losing his father, should not have engaged in such dangerous amusement. Just like this male guest should not be appearing here.
Dennis reverted to his daytime facade of a seasoned butler, and sternly said: "Respected guest, you shouldn’t be here. If you do not leave immediately, I will have no choice but to have the security escort you out."
That’s his seasoned butler. Pei Luo laughed, shaking his head; even when dealing with unwelcome guests, he still insisted on using ’please’ and ’you’.
Peluo’s ill-timed smile only infuriated Dennis further; he wanted to rush forward as he avoided the toys underfoot, intent on grabbing the collar of this unreasonable man and dragging him out.
"Nice, are you trying to throw me out?" Peluo did not resist; he leaned on the open door, tilting his head, his right lip corner lifted, speaking in a light tone.
Housekeeper Dennis didn’t have eyes under his feet, and couldn’t stop his momentum in time, but his anger was already crushed by that affectionate "Nice".
In the entirety of Olson Manor, neither the master nor the young master would call him so affectionately, despite having served them for over ten years. As for those servants under his jurisdiction, they wouldn’t dare to address the stern-looking yet inwardly gentle old butler in such a way.
"Nice, is mom never coming back," the six-year-old young master Peluo, waking from a nightmare, asked—words that Dennis would never forget for the rest of his life.
"Nice, don’t worry, I am already a man and won’t get frightened by the animals in the snow," twelve-year-old young master Peluo carrying a hunting rifle taller than himself, assured him while thumping his chest.
"Nice, are you trying to drive me out?" Peluo asked once more.
To avoid stepping on a remote-control toy car, Housekeeper Dennis jumped up, then the next moment, he fell to the ground.
"Mr. Pei Luo?!" Housekeeper Dennis was no longer young, so after falling, he did not get up quickly, but his spine straightened immediately with a firm look, raising his head to look at Pei Luo.
Dennis didn’t find anything wrong with his current posture; if falling could let him see Mr. Pei Luo, he would rather fall more often, even if it resulted in being paralyzed from the waist down.
"Nice, you’re much older," Pei Luo crouched down, not using much strength on his shoulders, and helped him up.
The tears freely streamed down Dennis’s face as Pei Luo supported him. "It really is the young master, just look at your figure and the way you walk, you look exactly like Count Mussen."
"I resemble the Countess more, don’t I?" Pello said with a smile, making him sit on the bed.
"What’s going on?" The joy of meeting the young master again was soon replaced by a string of questions. Housekeeper Dennis had always thought that Pello was dead, so why is he standing here alive tonight?
"What version did Olson tell you?" Pello was curious, how did his dear uncle make all the old servants in the family accept the sudden bad news.
"He said that you ignored the hunter’s obstruction, broke away from the main group, went deep into Great Snow Mountain to track the prey, and were shot dead by the firearm of a hunter who was also hunting outside." Olson even showed a photo of the "culprit" hunter who "killed" Pello. That unfortunate hunter was imprisoned for fifteen years for "involuntary manslaughter" and "poaching", and it is said that he even died in prison.
"Did you believe it? Did everyone believe it?" Pello sighed. Although he was still immersed in the pain of losing his father at the time, he hadn’t lost his reason. Going hunting alone in Great Snow Mountain is undoubtedly a death sentence.
Housekeeper Dennis exclaimed, "Oh my," indeed, unlike Mr. Orleans, although Mr. Pello was also pampered, due to strict family education, he was never an unruly child. How could he have ignored the advice of his only relative and left the main hunting party alone?
Pello recounted the whole sequence of events. Afterwards, Housekeeper Dennis covered his mouth in horror, unable to believe that Count Olson, whom he had served for so many years, could be such a person.
Seeing that Dennis still refused to believe, Pello unbuttoned his shirt and revealed the gunshot wound.
On the solid abdominal muscles, just below the left chest, almost a finger’s distance from the heart, was the bullet hole. Around the gunshot wound were some raised small granules due to the shrapnel from the inferior shotgun.
If it wasn’t for aiming at the target, fired by the most skilled gunner, in the open sight of the boundless snowfield, it would not have been possible to hit a twelve-year-old child.
Pello buttoned up his shirt again, refraining from further explanation. The old housekeeper fell silent for a long time, as if the shock had jolted his soul out of him.
"Young master, how have you been all these years?" Dennis asked, trembling as he stood up, now that the truth was laid clear before him.
"It’s all in the past now, the most important thing is, I have returned," Pello stood in the center of the room, looking at the traces left from his childhood.
All of this was like the gunshot wound on his chest, each midnight it throbbed faintly with pain, today, he had finally returned.
"Young master," the old housekeeper tried to make the atmosphere more amiable, "The guest who came with you, is she your lover?" he was about to compliment how well-matched they were.
Pello quickly interjected: "Nice, you are mistaken. She is not my lover; she is my enemy."
The old housekeeper was stunned again, an enemy? That young and beautiful lady? How could it be, the scene on the hillside that evening was still vividly in mind. Yet the young master said they were enemies?
"Where is the studio, I want to take a look," Pello no longer wanted to mention Su Ziceng, urging the old housekeeper, walking towards the studio once shared by Mussen and Ye Taina. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, feel free to drop by Qidian () to cast your recommendation tickets and monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation.)