The Villainous Male Supporting Character Courts Death Every Day : Chapter 21

Outside the greenhouse, a group of servants stood neatly in rows, filling the entire garden. Although their number was less than half of what the young master had at the duke’s estate, there were still thirty or forty of them, varying in height, weight, and expression.

They had all been temporarily reassigned. Hearing that the young master had flown into a rage yesterday and even beat a few people, and then suddenly summoned them today for unknown reasons, some were uneasy while others trembled with fear.

Milo leisurely sipped his tea, saying he wanted to get acquainted, but he didn’t even raise his eyes, his mind full of how to come up with a bad idea to make things difficult for Kyle.

Listening to them line up and report their names and duties one by one, it went in one ear and out the other. He occasionally made sarcastic remarks and asked Allen a few questions, which Allen was able to answer one by one.

After several rounds, someone dressed in kitchen attire stepped forward and bowed: “Young master, my name is Rossi, I am your chef, responsible for your three daily meals.”

Milo showed a surprised look, seeing this person was lean, tall, and pale, looking nothing like a chef, but rather like a sickly patient in a hospital, and smiled with thorns: “Looking like you, can you even hold a kitchen knife? I’m afraid you can’t even slaughter a pig, so what should I do if I want to eat steak?”

Chef Rossi calmly replied: “Of course I can. If the young master wants to eat steak, just make arrangements, I can handle it alone.”

Milo was slightly surprised, and Allen added from the side in a brisk tone: “Young master, Mr. Rossi graduated from the Royal Medical College, has a lot of research on nutrition, and has a prominent reputation in the catering industry.”

Milo curled his lips and mockingly sneered: “Instead of being a doctor, you ran over to be a chef? Could it be that your skills weren’t refined enough and you couldn’t survive, so you changed careers?”

Chef Rossi didn’t care at all, and smiled calmly: “Cooking meals is this humble person’s hobby. Being able to make a living from your hobby is this humble person’s wish, and being able to cook for the young master is even more of an extreme honor.”

The reply was quite proper, so Milo waved his hand uninterestingly, and Chef Rossi stepped back. Stepping forward next was a young man wearing glasses and with neatly combed hair. His tone was steady, but it exuded a dull mediocrity: “Young master, my name is Charles, responsible for procurement and purchasing.”

Milo looked at his serious appearance, thinking of the rigid and formal math teacher from his student days, tapped his chin with his fingertips, and had a sudden flash of inspiration: “Since you are responsible for procurement, let me ask you, how much money did my breakfast cost today?”

Purchasing agent Charles unhurriedly replied: “The young master’s daily food budget is 5000 coins, and breakfast falls between 1000 and 1500 coins. Today’s breakfast reimbursement usage was three fresh goat milk breads, 15 coins each; two roasted eggs, 10 coins each…”

Seeing Milo stare in surprise, Allen whispered in his ear: “Mr. Charles previously worked in the duke’s accounts department. He does things in an orderly manner and also has a photographic memory. He was only transferred to be the young master’s purchasing agent in recent years, and he is very steady.”

Charles was still talking endlessly: “Two slices of smoked ham, 400 coins, two cups of milk, 30 coins each, a bunch of green grapes, 100 coins, a pot of tomatoes, 30 coins…”

Milo impatiently interrupted: “Alright, alright, step aside, next.”

Purchasing agent Charles still hadn’t finished speaking, and retreated unwillingly. A burly man stepped forward with a loud voice: “Hello young master, I am Bruno, responsible for managing your clothing, laundry and maintenance, and I usually also do some mending, embroidery, knitting, and decoration things.”

Milo looked him up and down in disbelief. This person was tall and robust, and one of his arms was thicker than his two legs. He couldn’t imagine the scene of him holding a needle and thread and embroidering against a blueprint, and said with strange curiosity: “You… you know how to sew?”

The big man Bruno laughed heartily, his laughter making the greenhouse slightly echo: “Young master, I am very good at needlework. In the past in the army, repairing 500 pairs of military trousers in a day was no problem at all, it’s all a piece of cake.”

Seeing Milo’s unkind expression, Allen hurriedly whispered in addition: “The young master’s clothing coordination is personally handled by Butler Kyle, and Mr. Bruno is mainly responsible for repair and management. He previously served in the knight order, and both rough and fine work are very outstanding.”

Only then did Milo’s expression clear up a bit. This blockhead actually compared the noble young master to the army, which was truly vexing. This account would definitely be blamed on Kyle.

Tapping his fingertips on the table, Milo frowned slightly, only feeling that these people at first glance looked like background elements, but upon closer inspection they were all weird, exuding an inexplicable sense of discord, feeling like cheaply reused asset modules in a game. At the moment he had no heart to listen further, and waved his hand to dismiss everyone.

The servants responded and retreated, filing out. The figure at the very end of the line, however, caught Milo’s attention. That person lowered his head slightly, shoulders and back straight, like a wild horse that had just been tamed, faintly exuding a stubborn drive.

“Why do I think he looks a bit familiar?”

Following Milo’s gaze, Allen said: “Young master, that is Mark, your dedicated groom. It’s normal for you to find him familiar.”

“A groom?” Milo’s gaze shifted, and not knowing what he thought of, he smiled lightly: “Call him over.”

Groom Mark strode into the greenhouse, coming before Milo. He was tall, dark-skinned, with a pair of deep eyes lowered, standing as straight as a wooden stake driven into the ground, neither speaking nor moving, neither listening nor hearing.

This is the way an NPC groom should look. Milo looked on with appreciative interest, picked up his teacup to take a light sip, and smiled: “You’re the one who served me on my outings usually?”

Mark lowered his head and said: “Yes, young master.”

“When I wasn’t around, did Butler Kyle say anything to you? Chat about anything?”

“He instructed the outing locations and routes, and urged precautions.” Although Mark lowered his head, his tone was unhurried and very steady.

“Just these?” Milo’s gaze narrowed, his tone slightly frivolous: “Didn’t you guys talk behind my back about me?”

“Never spoken of.”

Milo swallowed the last sip of tea and snorted coldly: “I don’t believe it.”

Mark didn’t speak, just standing straight in place like that. Milo put down the teacup, tapped the rim lightly, and Allen cleverly poured him more. After waiting for a long time and seeing that Mark had no intention of defending himself, the young master asked again: “Between me and Kyle, who do you listen to?”

Mark replied: “If the young master gives instructions, I listen to the young master. If the butler gives instructions, I listen to the butler.”

Milo twirled his teacup and asked: “Then what if my instructions and Kyle’s instructions are different?”

“If the butler instructs first, I listen to the butler. If the young master instructs later, I listen to the young master.”

Milo blinked, not quite understanding, and looked at Allen in confusion, only to see Allen making faces and frantically winking at Mark, but because Mark kept his head down, he didn’t see a bit of it.

The corner of Milo’s mouth hooked up, his gaze growing brighter, as if capturing some fun: “Then if I instruct you first, and Butler Kyle instructs you later, who do you listen to?”

Mark replied: “I listen to Butler Kyle.”

“You certainly have a lot of nerve, daring to listen to a butler and not me.” Milo smiled even more happily, his tone rising with questioning blame.

Mark still kept his head down, but his spine was held straight, neither dodging nor evading, as silent as a rock.

Milo stared at him, though not angry, and pursued with another question: “Why listen to Kyle and not me?”

“Because Butler Kyle instructed later, so I listen to Butler Kyle.”

Milo raised an eyebrow. He finally figured it out; this person was simply a piece of wood that only rang when struck. You had to use a question to get a response. He smiled and said: “Then if Kyle instructs later, and I instruct again, who do you listen to?”

Mark answered crisply and neatly: “I listen to the young master.”

Milo nodded, not knowing whether this person was slow-witted or of low intelligence, and not knowing if it was true or false, pointed to the center of the greenhouse and said: “Do you see the birdcage over there?”

Mark looked in the direction of the young master’s fingertip, and saw on the sculpted flower bed in the center of the greenhouse, an elaborate and intricate birdcage was placed, inside which was a parrot with golden, brilliant feathers and a mottled crest, and said: “I see it.”

“Do you know what that is?”

“It’s a bird.”

Hearing this, Milo smiled cunningly: “Go on, let it out.”

Mark did not say a word, walked straight over, and opened the birdcage. The golden parrot was hopping around inside the birdcage on its own accord and did not fly away. Mark gently shook the birdcage, and the parrot seemed startled, suddenly flying out of the birdcage, spreading its wings to soar and flying out of the greenhouse.

The series of actions flowed like moving clouds and flowing water. Milo’s gaze went from surprise, to astonishment, to a faint smugness, and then to a somewhat wicked interest, and he bantered: “Why did you let it fly away? That is a precious and rare Chrystal Gold Parrot, there is only one pair in the whole of Ousay, one in the royal palace, and this one has always been here, you just let it go like that?”

Mark’s expression didn’t change, and he only replied: “Young master, you are the one who told me to let it out.”

“What I said was to let it out, I didn’t tell you to let it fly away.” Milo picked up his teacup and smiled: “How should this be punished…”

Before his voice trailed off, Mark suddenly turned around and rushed out of the greenhouse. Neither Milo nor Allen reacted in time, and they just watched helplessly as he ran out of sight.

“Wh-What?” Milo stood up, furious. He had never encountered such a thing, and shouted: “Where is he? How did he run off? Bring him back for me!”

Allen hurriedly agreed and ran out of the greenhouse, but there was no trace of Mark anywhere. There were no guards around the garden either, so he hurried outside and saw a figure far away, just about to call out. Looking closely, it was Mark walking back, with his hands raised in front of his chest, cupping a golden parrot in his hands.

Mark brought the golden parrot before Milo, gently placing it on the table. Milo was stunned, watching the parrot hop on the table, its golden radiance shimmering and scattering stray lights.

His golden eyes narrowed slightly, shining brilliantly. Milo slowly curved the corners of his lips, clapped his hands, and smiled: “I want you. From now on, you will be my personal attendant.”