That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Butler

I kept looking behind us as we entered the ramshackle city around House Taizune, watching for pursuers who never came. We had entered the outskirts of the domain, which must’ve been an industrial district. Hammers clanging on anvils, and people yelling over the noise, kept making me jump. Cecilia must have been ruminating over the day’s events as well. She was silent the whole trip back.

The exhausted jackal pulled our defunct transport truck through the streets. We approached a collection of skyscrapers which somehow still stood. The buildings were a dozen stories, maybe more. Their walls were eroded and partially crumbled. The windows were busted. However, the bulk of the buildings were still standing.

“It’s a marvel, huh?” Cecilia said, proud of the collection of skyscrapers. “The glorious Taizune palace is a miracle amongst the city’s downfall.”

We rolled into a plaza between the buildings. On the ground floor of one of the skyscrapers—the shortest—was a makeshift stable. Cables were tied between concrete pillars to create makeshift enclosures for multiple oversized jackals like the one pulling our carriage. Most were eating from piles of random meat. Leftovers from the nobility’s lunch perhaps? It was around that time, after all.

Despite her grumblings about being above the job, Cecilia hopped out of the truck and unattached the jackal from it. I hopped out of the carriage to help, but Cecilia waved me away with her hand, saying “Don’t. Baxter still doesn’t trust you.”

I leaned against the carriage and let her continue. She tied a rope around the beast’s muzzle and led it to an empty stall. The jackal suddenly snapped its gaze elsewhere, and Cecilia cursed as she was pulled along by the rope around it, falling into the mud. I chuckled, and she glared at me in response.

Despite the obvious lack of experience, I wondered how she was familiar with this process. How did she know the jackal’s name? Perhaps she had seen her chauffeurs do this? Overheard them talking to their animals? Or maybe it was her Yanta mind-reading abilities.

As I ruminated on this, Cecilia's call interrupted me. She wanted me to follow her, and as I jogged to her side, she muttered, “I’m gonna get an earful for this…” She stared at her tattered dress and sighed.

We approached another building with makeshift ornamentation around its entrance. Using random sheet metal, they constructed an elegant archway that was tinted red, partly from paint, and partly from the rust spreading across it. I felt like it was meant to make this building appear important.

I followed Cecilia inside. There was a large lobby with pillars dividing the place. Instead of square, concrete pillars like in the stable, these ones were circular and fluted. They were once painted white as well, but the paint was now flaking off. On the pillars were banners, Colored purple and yellow with, presumably, the Taizune insignia upon them. Upon closer inspection, those banners were patchworks of cloth and fabric.

At the other end of the room, there were two thrones constructed from random scraps of metal bolted together. An older Yanta sat in one of the thrones. She looked similar to Cecilia, and as my gaze jumped between the two, I put two and two together.

“I have returned, mother,” Cecilia greeted, kneeling in front of her. She grabbed my arm and dragged me down into a kneel as well.

“Who is this?” her mother asked. Her voice was authoritative—more so than Cecilia.

I opened my mouth to speak, but Cecilia started before me: “This man is a merchant affiliated with the Johnston Company. His ship was caught in the crossfire between the Interstellar Police and some pirates; he landed in my garden.”

Her mother—presumably the queen of this place—stared at us, as if judging Cecilia’s truthfulness. Being an older Yanta, the queen’s telepathic abilities would’ve been more developed. She could’ve definitely told lies from truth. Now I was thankful Cecilia had started speaking before me. She had actually bought into my lie!

“And what is he doing in our palace?” the queen questioned. I looked towards Cecilia, and she spoke again.

“I was going to transport him to the Johnston Company scavenging base. However, he escaped, and I pursued him, and we eventually got chased by some jackals, but then this man saved me, and to repay him I thought to bring him here because he really didn’t want to go—”

Her mother waved her hand, which shut Cecilia up.

“You’re being improper,” she said curtly, before staring at me. “Do you even know this individual’s name?”

Cecilia paused before looking at me expectantly. Thinking about it, I hadn’t actually told her!

I cleared my throat, and in my most proper voice, announced, “Greetings. My name is Kai. Kai of House Stetson.”

“You’re a man of no royal house,” the queen interjected. That was true. I was just trying to be fancy. The queen sized me up, then glared back at her daughter. “So you’ve taken it upon yourself to repay this man?” Cecilia only nodded in response. The queen sighed, continuing, “A future queen should not be dependent on the goodwill of others, nor should she find herself in a situation in which repayment is necessary. You are aware of this, yes?”

“Yes, of course,” Cecilia responded listlessly.

“That said, we can use this as discipline.” Me and Cecilia glanced at each other. She seemed worried about her impending punishment. Yet, her mother continued, “A future queen must also use the resources and people around her. We have a man who seeks sanctuary, but more than that, we have a resource who is not in a position to deny our aid. Is this correct, Kai?”

Having been staring at the floor in reverence, I snapped my gaze up to the queen. As much as I hated to admit it, I affirmed her deduction.

“So, we will provide you with lodging as repayment for your aiding my daughter. This fulfills what was promised, yes?” she started, and I almost sighed in relief before she added, “However, to teach my daughter the independence and opportunism that she must learn, and to show you both your respective places in the hierarchy, I hereby put you, Kai, in service of my daughter as her personal butler.”

Whether for her sake or mine, Cecilia opened her mouth to object, but before she could, her mother spoke over her: “And I understand that you are a merchant, Kai. And a merchant can’t be out of the job for long. However, remember that we are providing this lodging only as repayment. I am not your mother; we have no obligation to provide additional resources. If you desire a way off this planet, you must procure them yourself. Understood?”

I grumbled to myself. The queen must’ve known what I truly wanted out of this! Figured. I glanced towards Cecilia, and she stared back awkwardly. However, before we decided how to continue, the queen made that decision for us. She grimaced, and said, “Now go wash up. You two are filthy.”

“Yes, mother,” Cecilia said, standing up and walking to a doorway at the side of the room. Soon after, I jumped up, ran ahead, and bowed like I had seen butlers do in movies. I hated degrading myself like this, but I wasn’t about to let my ego make the queen change her mind about my staying here.

“Let me start the bath for you,” I offered, though after a brief pause, I looked at Cecilia and scratched the back of my neck. “Though, you might need to show me where that is first…”