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“Wow….”

As soon as we arrived at the mansion on the outskirts of London, an exclamation automatically popped out.

The sheer size of the mansion overwhelmed us.

It’s different from the mansions of the wealthy we’ve seen in movies and dramas.

It feels like looking at a lord’s castle from a historical drama.

Even though it’s on the outskirts, it’s still London.

But I’ve never heard of such a mansion existing until now.

Shouldn’t something like this be registered as a cultural heritage?

It’s not the kind of artificial, extravagant luxury.

It’s delicate and elegant.

Not the kind of flashy nonsense from nouveau riche.

It felt like a mansion made for real nobles.

But…

Is this really the right place?

I think we might have come to the wrong house.

Just as everyone except Jeong Ha-yul was standing there with their mouths open, stunned,

the mansion’s door slowly opened.

A middle-aged man walked out.

He was dressed in a butler’s uniform that matched his slicked-back white hair.

It’s amazing that someone actually dresses like that.

But it’s even more amazing that he pulls it off so well.

“Welcome. I’m Grundael, the butler. I’ve heard about you. Please come in.”

He was a middle-aged butler with a sly look in his eyes.

Butler Grundael guided us to the reception room.

Everywhere, people dressed in maid uniforms were bustling about.

Seriously…

Is this really the modern era?

A butler greets us at the entrance of a mansion that could easily be called a castle, and inside, there are maids in uniform.

It felt like we had stepped into a fantasy world.

“Since you’ve arrived earlier than expected, our preparations are not yet complete. If you could wait in the reception room for 30 minutes, we would appreciate it.”

“Sure, that’s fine.”

The mansion already looks perfect.

What could possibly be missing?

Anyway, since we arrived an hour early, we should behave ourselves.

“Would you like some tea?”

“Yes, please.”

While waiting for the butler to bring the tea, I glanced around the reception room.

The wide paneled walls were adorned with various paintings.

The first thing that caught my eye was the large emblem hanging on the central panel, made of swords and shields.

It probably represents the family crest of the mansion’s owner.

As expected from the outside, the original owner was definitely a noble.

The moldings were simple, repetitive classical decorations.

Elegant curved furniture caught my eye.

Golden candlesticks.

A refined fireplace that showed its age.

It seemed heavily influenced by the Rococo style.

‘This must be a noble family that’s been around since at least the 1700s.’

But the interior decor wasn’t limited to just Rococo.

Whether it’s the owner’s taste or the butler’s, I don’t know.

But who cares whose taste it is.

I feel like I’m staying in the most beautiful house of my life.

The butler who served the tea excused himself and left.

‘…!’

Seriously, I’m considering abandoning Korea and staying in England just for this incredible taste.

The tea I had in the bald grandfather’s office was delicious.

But this is on a whole different level.

Is it the tea leaves, or the skill of the person brewing it?

Or both?

It’s like the difference between drinking cheap coffee at a café and having a barista brew you an Americano.

If the butler has time, I’d love to get a one-on-one lesson.

I’ll ask him later.

As soon as the middle-aged, sly-eyed butler Grundael left, Kang-woo and Eun-chae finally relaxed.

They must have been really tense.

“How did you manage to rent this place under such conditions?”

“They just said they’d rent it cheaply after seeing my face.”

“Did you threaten the owner or something?”

“What are you talking about? They practically begged me to stay for free. The owner is quite the businessman. I offered 6,000 pounds, but after the conversation, it dropped to 600 pounds.”

“…?”

For a moment, I thought there was something wrong with my reading comprehension.

Usually, tenants try to lower the rent, and landlords try to get more.

But this was the complete opposite.

Jeong Ha-yul offered 6,000 pounds a month, and the owner slashed it to 600 pounds.

“I felt bad because they’re probably richer than me, so I had to let it go.”

Jeong Ha-yul genuinely seemed disappointed.

I glanced at Eun-chae and Kang-woo, wondering if I was the weird one.

But their mouths were hanging open just like when they first saw the mansion.

Good.

I’m still normal.

“600 pounds… that’s about 1 million won? The monthly rent for this palace-like mansion is the same as Gyeoul’s snack budget for a month?”

….

Why is my name coming up here?

And when did I ever eat that much…

This is unfair.

How much time had passed?

The butler returned, saying everything was ready.

We left the reception room on the first floor and walked up the central staircase to the second floor.

“You can use all floors except the fifth. But we thought the second floor would be the most suitable for your private rooms, so we’ve prepared this area.”

“What’s on the fifth floor?”

“The master’s study, storage, and my room. I’m sorry, but guests are not allowed on the fifth floor.”

“Okay, we won’t go to the fifth floor.”

The owner must have lived on the fifth floor.

It’s surprising that the butler’s room is there too, but it seems like he stays on the same floor to handle any situation quickly.

A true butler through and through.

The maids, servants, kitchen staff, and gardeners all stay in the annex.

They said we could move their rooms and stay in the annex if we wanted.

But we’re not that kind of bad people.

“The second floor is fine. Thank you.”

The room at the end is mine.

Across from me is Ha-yul’s room.

Next to me is Eun-chae’s room.

Across from Eun-chae is Kang-woo’s room.

Once the rooms were decided, the maids brought all our luggage from the reception room.

They’re all older than me, yet they’re serving me.

Honestly, it’s quite burdensome.

The butler, noticing my discomfort, smiled and said,

“If you’re going to stay in this mansion, you’ll need to get used to it. If you take away the servants’ purpose, they’ll have no choice but to be fired.”

If we start feeling uncomfortable and burdened and start doing things ourselves,

they’ll have to be let go.

He said all this with a smile.

Truly, a sly-eyed, white-haired butler.

Now that the rooms are settled, we were about to head to Koreatown.

“Shall we prepare a meal?”

How did Butler Grundael know we were hungry and came to find us?

“Ah, we were planning to go to Koreatown.”

“If it’s because British food doesn’t suit your taste, don’t worry. Our chef can cook dishes from all over the world.”

“R-really?”

Dishes from all over the world?

For someone like me, who’s been stuffing my face with whatever’s available after arriving in England, this is great news.

‘Honestly, even the food in Koreatown isn’t that great.’

It’s unthinkable that a chef in a noble mansion like this would lack skill.

That means we can enjoy world-class cuisine at an incredible quality.

“Let’s not go out and eat here!”

“Y-yeah, let’s do that.”

No one in the group refused my half-crazed request.

We all gathered around the dining table.

It would be nice if the servants joined us, but they said they’d take care of themselves separately, so not to worry.

‘There’s nothing sadder or more unfortunate than not being able to eat.’

Judging by the servants’ expressions, it didn’t seem like a place where they were mistreated, so I felt relieved.

We sat at the table and waited, and soon the food started pouring out.

First, soup.

Isn’t soup just soup everywhere?

I wish they’d just bring out the main course.

But as soon as I slurped it down,

“Could I have another bowl, please?”

“Of course.”

The woman who smiled at me took the soup bowl and brought a new one.

Slurp—

I drank it down like water and looked at her again.

“Hehe, I’m sorry. You’re just so cute…”

“It’s okay. Feel free to relax.”

The woman holding the soup bowl headed back to the kitchen.

“Are you going to fill up on soup, Gyeoul?”

“Can you even fill up on soup?”

“…Well, considering you snack before meals, soup probably doesn’t even register.”

Kang-woo’s teasing started again.

He keeps painting me as a pig who spends millions on snacks.

Anyway, I’ve never spent a million won on snacks.

Really.

Just as I was about to glare at Kang-woo, the soup was refilled.

“Here’s your soup.”

“Thank you!”

It looks like a simple cream of mushroom soup, but how can it taste this good?

If the soup is this good, how amazing must the main course be?

Sip—

I barely managed to stop myself from drooling.

Only then did I notice the looks around me.

Each of us had a maid dedicated to serving us.

Plus the servants moving the food carts, there were five servants in total.

…Do I look too greedy?

From now on, I should eat with proper table manners.

After that, the course continued with salad, fish, meat, and dessert.

Table manners? By the end, it was more like a mukbang, tearing into meat with my hands.

That day, at that table, I tasted heaven.

“I could die happy now…”

“What? What is she saying now?”

Jeong Ha-yul looked at me like I was crazy.

But even that gaze feels like happiness to me now.

 

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