In reality, her nickname in the palace was ‘The Irredeemable Cecille’ around this time.

The saying that an extraordinary talent emerges once every hundred years was a phrase often heard by the Crown Prince.

Many nobles would lavish praises on him, trying to gain favor with the Emperor.

Impersonating the nickname of the Crown Prince who received the Emperor’s favor seemed somewhat amusing. It felt even more amusing because Isaac seemed to completely accept it.

“So… are you going with me and talking to me?”

When Cecille asked with a subtle tone, Isaac answered seriously.

“Are you joking now? If you’ve received advice from the genius lady, it would be foolish not to go. Let’s go. I’ll make sure the Duke concludes the contract.”

His assertion, which was one of the most annoying moments, felt quite reassuring.

As she watched Isaac prepare for the outing, Cecille secretly smiled.

* * *

After Isaac entered Duke Bartholomew’s residence, it didn’t take much time for him to be hired as the temporary steward in charge of improving the mansion’s environment.

The Duke hadn’t been lax in the verification process. On the contrary, he scrutinized Isaac with far stricter criteria than usual.

‘Hiring by a cautious Duke indicates that Isaac demonstrated abilities that far exceeded his expectations.’

Cecille couldn’t see the specific verification process, but she was fortunate to witness the Duke signing the contract.

Unlike in the office, Isaac was wearing formal attire as he stood in the Duke’s study.

“I don’t care who you believe in or what kind of human you are. I’m not interested. I’ll give your abilities a chance.”

The Duke signed the contract with a fountain pen.

“If you live up to the contract, you will receive rewards that won’t disappoint. However, if you can’t… remember the name of Bartholomew. Even if you run away, Bartholomew will use all means to track you down.”

As someone who had experienced being chased by the unscrupulous Duke, Cecille keenly understood the veracity of these words.

The Duke’s voice and expression were so cold; it felt like he would fly into a rage against the office window at any moment.

Isaac had never done anything like this in his life and was also visibly pale under the Duke’s intimidation.

“I will keep that in mind.”

He tried to smile, but his lips were trembling.

“Let’s go.”

Duke Bartholomew coldly remarked to Isaac, not sparing him a glance.

Cecille followed Isaac as he left the study.

Isaac was rushing somewhere as soon as he finished signing the contract.

“What are we going to do first?”

“First, we need to hire some employees. For cleaning the mansion and managing supplies, we need people.”

“That’s a good idea. But the Duke has a bad reputation, and it’s not easy to find people willing to work. Can you handle it?”

In response to Cecille’s question, Isaac turned his head to face her. He smiled faintly.

“It seems you’ve forgotten that I’m the Empire’s top problem solver.”

* * *

What does being a problem solver have to do with hiring employees? This question became meaningless the next morning when hopeful employees were lined up in front of the Duke Bartholomew’s mansion.

There were so many applicants that the lobby and even the garden were filled with people.

“Where did all these applicants come from?”

“I don’t know. Do you understand? The most important thing for survival as a problem solver in the back alleys is connections.”

Now that she looked and listened, it was true… Each applicant seemed extraordinary in some way.

People with prominent scars on their faces, incredibly muscular individuals, and people with tattoos on their bodies, among others.

‘It’s a good idea. To work at a villain’s mansion, people like them are perfect. As long as they do their job well and behave decently, there shouldn’t be a problem. Those with issues will be filtered out by Isaac.’

Indeed, it appeared that Isaac had some quite discerning criteria for selecting applicants.

“Those with visible tattoos outside of their uniforms are not acceptable.”

“But it’s barely visible outside. Is it still not acceptable?”

“No, it’s not acceptable. The Duke’s employees represent the Duke, so it’s the same.”

A man with a shaved head and a large, colorful dragon tattoo on his body looked disappointed and turned away.

“I thought I could finally work at the Duke’s mansion this time… But I failed to get a job again because of this tattoo. I wonder what kind of face I’ll make to my grandma…”

After nine days of bustling in the lobby and garden… Something remarkable happened at the mansion.

The mansion started filling up with people.

Not just housemaids but kitchen maids, laundry maids, chambermaids, and reception maids, as well as a nanny to take care of Cecille.

The male employer had a head gardener, a chef and a baker, a footman, a stableman caring for the horses, and a groom, as well as common house servants, and even a lamp-man who only managed the lamps.

From the scullery, where dishes were washed, to the steel room where preserved food was made, every nook and cranny of the mansion was filled to perfection.

To maintain discipline and convey both large and small instructions, Isaac gathered the servants in the lobby in the morning and evening.

The appearance of so many people, dressed in uniform and neatly organized, was truly impressive.

Each of the servants was carefully chosen by Isaac, who had struggled to reach this point. Perhaps because of the difficulties they had endured to get here, their faces all showed determination and dedication.

After taking attendance, Isaac cleared his throat and spoke to them.

“I know why each of you is here, having faced various hardships in your lives. Among all of you, not a single person has taken the same path to get here.”

He scanned the orderly group of servants and continued speaking.

“The road we’ve traveled so far may have been rugged, but there’s no guarantee that the road ahead will be any different.”

His speech was powerful, and his attitude exuded a commanding presence that embraced everyone.

His usually carefree and light-hearted demeanor was unimaginable.

“A new day has dawned. And the second act of our lives has also started together. Let’s engage in sacred labor with gratitude to Duke Bartholomew for giving us this new life.”

The servants applauded him like a thunderous roar.

Cecille also clapped along. A satisfied smile hung on her lips.

[Whoever that is, they sure know how to give a great speech!]

Nebula genuinely admired Isaac’s speech.

After experiencing post-reincarnation syndrome and sleeping for a while, Nebula had recently awakened.

‘Even though I’ve fought with Isaac multiple times before our reincarnation, I couldn’t recognize him at all. Well, it’s been twenty years since then, and Nebula was never very good at recognizing people’s faces.’

Thinking this, Cecille whispered softly.

“Yeah, he’s pretty good at acting like a person, too. Not as good as me, though.”

[Are you feeling competitive, Cecille? You do have a somewhat childlike aspect to you!]

“What are you talking about? Competitive? Me?”

[Yes. Maybe it’s the influence of your 8-year-old body. Kids can be so cute, you know. Or maybe that’s your real personality…?]

Nebula chuckled heartily.

His teasing tone made Cecille consider putting Nebula to sleep with magic, even if it required using magic to do so.

As the servants disbanded to carry out their respective tasks, Cecille hurried over to Isaac.

“Good job, Isaac. You did quite well, didn’t you?”

Isaac smiled slightly, matching his height with Cecille.

“I’m glad the cheeky lady is satisfied.”

“I’m a boss who’s generous with compliments. I’ll praise a job well done. Anyway, since all the employees have been selected, what’s the next plan?”

Isaac’s eyes narrowed.

“Still cleaning, polishing, and tidying up, of course.”