“Sir, this is a private residence. Please leave.”

Yifia was standing right at the door, so there was no way anyone could ignore her.

After the new butler finished instructing the two burly men, he turned to look at Yifia. His brows couldn't help but knit slightly, but his tone stayed polite as he prepared to send her away.

Even though the nobles at Pris Academy looked down on commoner students, anyone who graduated smoothly from Pris Academy could still land a decent job. If they studied hard enough, or got lucky enough, they might even be granted a noble title.

Because of that, the butler, Hiber, didn't dare look down on anyone. He treated everyone politely.

If he acted arrogantly like Nissen, he might very well end up dying a miserable death too.

At that thought, Hiber's gaze drifted uncontrollably toward the previous butler again. He had always been impeccably dressed, always carrying himself with the pride of a noble. Seeing him reduced to this bloody, mangled state now... before today, Hiber would've found it unimaginable.

Life really was unpredictable!

And who knew what Nissen had done to make Lady Barron this furious?

Still, now that this chance had fallen into his hands, Hiber had to seize it tightly.

If he could satisfy Lady Barron, his status as butler would naturally rise with it. Maybe later, he could even transfer to Duke Barren's residence as a household butler, earn a higher salary, and when he retired, perhaps even receive the title of baron.

There were plenty of benefits to serving in a duke's household. Otherwise, so many people wouldn't be fighting to get in.

The benefits were great, sure, but you had to stay alive long enough to enjoy them... The more exalted the noble, the more filth lurked beneath.

But wealth and rank had always come with risk. If you wanted to make something of yourself, you had to gamble at least once!

“Hello, I'm here to see Ah... Lady Barron. I have something to discuss with her.”

In this situation, Yifia had completely chickened out, and even her wording turned cautious.

She was even wondering if she should just turn around and run.

It had only been an hour since she left the villa and came back.

What the heck happened in the meantime???

How did the previous butler end up this miserable?

Looking at how bloody and mangled he was... was he even still alive?

At that moment, Yifia's pale face looked even whiter as her mind spun wildly. She started doubting whether Amelia really was the person she thought she was. The butler's miserable state was right in front of her. No matter how she looked at it, she couldn't whitewash Amelia anymore.

Was Amelia really a brutal noble?

Yifia didn't want to believe it, but... she really was scared now.

【System, am I about to die? Like, I found out the truth and now I'm getting silenced?】

The useless system played dead and vanished as usual, leaving Yifia trembling in place.

Pitiful, helpless, and very, very cowardly.

Still, thinking about how the nobles at Pris Academy treated commoners, maybe this new butler was the same... Just like the previous butler had ignored her completely. If Amelia hadn't been there, he might've even rolled his eyes at her.

Like she was some poor freeloader trying to mooch off them.

Though, in truth, she kind of was...

At that thought, Yifia instantly perked up again. She looked at the new butler with hopeful eyes, wishing he'd mistake her for some troublemaker and throw her out on the spot.

That way, she could just go with the flow and head back to the dorms to process things first... Compared to the possibility that Amelia might be a bad person, Eileen and Fina teaming up to cause trouble was nothing.

Even if there was a chance she'd guessed wrong, right now, she really didn't want to see Amelia.

You could call it the fear a small animal feels when it runs into a predator.

“May I ask your name?”

“Yifia.”

“Very well. I'll go inform Lady Barron at once. Please wait a moment.”

But Yifia's plan fell through. The new butler's attitude was so good it was almost moving.

The moment he heard she had business to discuss with Amelia, even the way he addressed her changed from casual to respectful, like he was speaking to a noble.

“Um, it's actually not anything urgent. I could come back tomorrow too.”

Yifia watched the new butler smile, finish speaking, then turn and leave. He didn't even give her time to stop him. A mask of pain instantly appeared on her face. She knew there was no escaping today.

A true warrior dares to face danger!

If Amelia really was the final boss of all villains, then she'd run!

With this many people around, they couldn't possibly force her to stay, right? Even if they beat her up, whatever.

As long as she stayed alive.

But then she thought of the kindness Amelia had shown her. The help she'd given when Yifia was in a bind. The gentle voice that had soothed her the moment she was afraid. It was like it was still echoing in her ears... Yifia really didn't want to believe Amelia was a bad person.

For a while, Yifia was tangled in indecision. Her hands unconsciously twisted together, and the tip of one foot kept tapping the ground. It was more than enough to show how strong her unease was.

Maybe... she should just run after all!

Yifia secretly lifted her head. She had planned to slip away the moment she saw no one was watching, but instead, her eyes met those of the two burly men. Her body froze on the spot.

She blinked speechlessly, then looked at the men not far away, and at the miserable former butler. She couldn't understand why they still hadn't left.

Why were they standing here staring at her?!

“Kid, you look like a commoner too. You actually know Lady Barron?”

Yifia's commoner status was obvious at a glance. That was exactly why the two burly men were so curious. How had some commoner brat gotten connected to a noble young lady?

And not just any noble young lady, either.

The daughter of Duke Barren!

Compared to Hiber, the newly transferred butler, the two brothers had been here for quite a while. As trash cleaners who handled things that couldn't see the light of day, they knew very well that Baron Amalia wasn't some noble miss who only knew how to eat, drink, and have fun.

Her methods were decisive and ruthless. Once someone got in her way, their end would be even worse than the arrogant butler at their feet.

And yet she wore the cold, aloof skin of a noble lady so perfectly that no one would ever connect it to the ruthless cruelty she showed in private.

If the kid in front of them really did know Lady Barron, the two men honestly didn't know whether to call him lucky or unlucky.

But either way, he was living in constant danger. Who knew when he'd just suddenly be gone.

Not just other people. Even the two brothers themselves were the same, always walking on a knife's edge... If Baron Amalia were only a vicious noble with no combat ability, that would've been one thing. At least they'd feel a little safer.

But unfortunately for them, they'd seen Lady Barron take action personally a few times.

Those cruel scenes were something they absolutely did not want to remember!

What they could be sure of, though, was this: even after years of doing dirty work in the underground black market, even with the skills they'd honed by facing life-and-death danger regularly, they were still no match for Baron Amalia in a direct fight.

Who knew where a noble young lady had trained such terrifying combat skills...

Yifia was already panicking enough as it was. Now the burly men were looking at her with pity, which made her panic even more!

Since there was no way she could sneak off now, she figured she might as well ask them for some information.

“Miss Yifia, Lady Barron invites you in.”

But before Yifia could speak, the new butler came hurrying out of the villa at a small run. After quickly delivering the message, he pulled a white handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the sweat from his forehead, thinking how lucky it was that he hadn't looked down on her.

The moment he had mentioned the name Yifia to Lady Barron, who had been surrounded by a low-pressure aura, she froze for a second. Then her brows quickly relaxed, and she smiled as she told him to bring her in.

She looked delighted, like she'd just seen a naughty little pet come over on its own, asking for kisses and cuddles.