The Butler’s Grand Entrance

Silver Bud’s first class of the new semester was “History of Magic’s Origin,” a course focused on the ancient records of the world.

The grand tiered classroom, resembling a national assembly hall, was already packed. The moment she stepped through the door, every eye in the room fixed on her—some staring directly, others glancing covertly. Everyone had, to some degree, heard rumors of this prodigious girl, and their gazes reflected a myriad of curiosities.

The shower of gazes did not cause her the slightest discomfort. With the elegant stride of a queen, she slowly made her way to a window seat and settled down. Such unwavering perfection was simply her nature.

Several male students, noticing the empty seat beside Silver Bud, began to stir with hopeful anticipation. However, her next words shattered their illusions.

“What are you still doing dawdling outside? Come sit next to me.”

“Yes,” a slightly hesitant male voice replied from the hallway.

Instantly, everyone’s attention shifted back to the doorway. Normally, Silver Bud was an unattainable flower, immensely proud and having rejected countless boys hailed as “prodigies of heaven.” Yet, she was now inviting a man to sit beside her?

Who was it? What kind of genius could possibly earn her favor? Everyone was eager to know. Even Viscount Renitz, seated in the front row closest to the instructor’s podium—a boy renowned as a “bookworm”—raised his head and peered toward the door. It was well known that he never bothered with such trivial spectacles.

The protagonist everyone awaited, Tang Wenxu, appeared somewhat timid as he stood outside. He repeatedly reminded himself: ‘As Silver Bud’s butler, I absolutely cannot bring her shame.’ With renewed resolve, he patted his cheeks, straightened his tie once more, and strode into the classroom with his head held high.

The moment he entered, expressions of disappointment dominated the room. His appearance was unremarkable, his expression humble, and though he tried to hold his head high, his legs trembled incessantly. Could Silver Bud truly be fond of someone so ordinary—someone who would disappear into a crowd on the street?

Perhaps it was precisely because of his ordinariness that he stood out; his very commonness made him conspicuous in an academy teeming with dazzling geniuses. Yet, there were also those who cast curious glances, believing that if he had earned Silver Bud’s favor, the young man must possess some hidden, extraordinary quality—perhaps he was a magic prodigy in disguise.

Only one person wore an expression of fury: Renitz. He stood up abruptly, locking eyes with Tang Wenxu.

“Hey, Renitz, long time no see,” Tang Wenxu greeted him softly as he passed by.

However, Renitz completely ignored him, merely letting out a cold scoff before sitting back down and flipping through his book with renewed irritation.

“Ah, hahaha.” Tang Wenxu let out a dry laugh. It seemed the misunderstanding with Renitz had not only failed to resolve but had deepened.

‘Never mind, I’ll deal with Renitz later. For now, I should sit beside Silver Bud.’

Tang Wenxu thought this to himself, then began walking toward her seat. ‘I must not bring shame upon Silver Bud.’ With this conviction, he took one careful, cautious step after another, understanding that he represented not just himself, but her reputation.

For this very day, he had even consulted a book titled The Butler’s Self-Cultivation. As a result, many of his questions had been answered, such as whether to lead with his left foot or his right.

— In short, my preparations are foolproof.

Tang Wenxu took his first step with his left foot, ascending the bottom stair.

Then… he fell.

The supposedly foolproof Tang Wenxu stumbled. He missed a step, lost his balance, and tumbled down. In that split second of falling, Tang Wenxu was unsure whether he should regret the shame he brought upon Silver Bud, or if he should be grateful that the book had actually mentioned how to handle “unexpected situations.”

Regardless, his meticulously crafted facade was effortlessly shattered by his own feet, yielding an immediate “GG” in his mind amidst the students’ booming laughter.

“Pfft, hahahahaha!”

Instantly, the classroom erupted. Though it was impolite, and despite many students from noble families typically maintaining their composure, they all laughed at the butler’s tumble.

‘What in the world? Where did this comedic character come from? Did Silver Bud hire a clown?’

Several ill-intentioned students glanced at Silver Bud. This clumsy boy was the one who had earned her favor; surely her expression would be priceless. Yet, to their surprise, Silver Bud actually revealed a faint smile—a smile as warm and gentle as a spring breeze, so beautiful it was breathtaking.

“Silver Bud smiled!” a voice suddenly cried out.

Immediately, everyone’s gaze refocused on her. Seeing her expression, they realized that the ice queen could, in fact, smile. Ever since she had entered Delberu Military Academy, she had maintained an unreadable poker face, yet now she was smiling, and it was radiant.

Following this, a wave of applause swept through the room. Everyone looked at the boy who had just made a fool of himself with expressions akin to those reserved for heroes.

Faced with this applause, which contained more mockery than goodwill, Tang Wenxu was somewhat bewildered. He scratched his head in confusion, unsure of what to do, as the book offered no guidance for this particular level of failure…

‘In any case, I can’t neglect etiquette.’

Thus, he walked to the center of the classroom, stood before the instructor’s podium, and performed a graceful, if awkward, bow to all the applauding students.

The applause grew even more enthusiastic. At that moment, Tang Wenxu felt like a clown whose performance had achieved unexpected success.

After completing his bow, he once again carefully—and very cautiously—ascended the steps that had caused his embarrassment, finally taking the seat beside Silver Bud.

“I’m sorry. I brought shame upon you,” Tang Wenxu whispered.

“It’s fine. That was an excellent performance.” Silver Bud smiled. “I look forward to the next one.”

From her gaze, Tang Wenxu could tell she was serious.

“Please, have mercy on me.”

Suddenly, he felt a cold gaze from the front row. He followed the line of sight and saw Renitz staring coldly at him. Renitz was mouthing something. Reading his lips, the meaning was clear:

“Cheap show-off.”