On the terrace of the top tower of Neuschwanstein Castle, Josh sat on a lounge chair, holding a puppy in his arms, with three more bouncing at his feet, all leisurely enjoying the warm autumn afternoon sun.
The four puppies were Saint Bernard pups brought from Randolph.
When Josh arrived, it happened to be the weaning period for the puppies, so on the second day of staying in the castle, he brought them over.
Randolph had also come to the castle at that time, but he came to say goodbye to Josh. After bidding farewell that day, he packed up his things and, with two adult dogs, departed for Norway.
As of today, it had been four days since Josh moved into Neuschwanstein Castle.
One could say that when he first moved in, it felt quite novel but after a few days, he felt it was just so-so.
Well, mainly because the castle was too big, too empty, and there were too few people.
Once the castle is completed, more staff must be hired.
Such a large castle would need at least a hundred servants and a hundred security personnel to be functional.
As Josh was dozing off, footsteps came from the stairs below the tower.
The steps were light and brisk—it was Jiaying.
It wasn't that Josh had particularly sharp hearing.
Rather, such light footsteps could only belong to a woman and there were only a few women in the castle right now.
In the past few days, Josh and his team had verified Bucky's situation, so yesterday they woke him up and, led by Ophelia, sent him to Vienna.
So Ophelia was no longer in the castle.
Therefore, the only ones who could appear at the tower at this time were the two recently hired German girls, the woman in charge of cooking—especially good at making German-style roasted pork knuckle—and Jiaying.
But among these people, the only one who could climb the hundred-meter-high tower stairs in one go, still with light steps and without panting, was Jiaying... Actually, not even the men in the castle, Josh included, could do that.
Jiaying's ability, described as immortality, was actually vague and narrow—in more accurate terms, it was vitality.
Such powerful vitality did not give Jiaying great combat power, but it did give her extraordinary energy.
To put it precisely, she had excellent stamina and abundant energy, and she basically never got tired.
The only side effect might be that she ate a bit more.
Perhaps she had already realized this herself, so over the past few days, she had started learning housekeeping work from the two young maids.
Although Josh had already agreed to take her in, Jiaying—who had lost all her family—was actually quite sensitive. Coupled with her honest nature as a Xia person, she didn't want to be a freeloader... Josh might not say anything for now, but what about later? And what about the future mistress she hadn't yet met?
But right now, Jiaying didn't know anything, so she could only do the rough work of a maid.
However, thanks to her boundless energy, Jiaying picked things up quickly and was very efficient at work.
In just two days, she had taken over most of Josh's daily affairs from the two also newly trained German maids.
One could say she was very capable.
Sure enough, before long, Jiaying appeared at the tower stairs, carrying tea and snacks prepared for Josh.
"Master, is there anything else you need?" Jiaying softly asked as she placed the tea and snacks on the small table beside Josh.
Josh didn't speak but looked Jiaying up and down with interest.
Only when Jiaying felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze did Josh finally speak: "Jiaying, would you be interested in becoming my butler?"
"Butler? Me?" Jiaying was first stunned by Josh's words, then pleasantly surprised, and finally filled with self-doubt—of course she knew what a butler was. That was a position held only in the homes of high-ranking officials in towns or counties, managing all the household staff, a very prestigious role.
But she was just a village girl! She could do manual labor, but being a butler—she really didn't know how.
"Of course not now, but in Europe, there are schools specifically for training butlers. I can send you there to study. I've been watching your performance these days—you learn fast, work hard and efficiently—you're the perfect material for a butler. I'm sure you don't want to be just an ordinary maid your whole life, right?" Josh said, "So now it's just up to whether you're willing."
Having Jiaying learn to be a butler wasn't just a whim of Josh's—it was an idea that emerged after these few days of contact.
A person who was always energetic, quick to learn, and methodical was indeed well-suited to be a butler.
And as Josh's household and business grew, he truly lacked such a role at his side.
Think of Stark's Jarvis or Wayne's Alfred.
If he had a similar "butler hero" by his side, Josh's life would be much easier.
"I'm willing, of course I'm willing! Thank you, Master, for promoting me!" Jiaying wasn't ignorant—just inexperienced. She wasn't stupid. Faced with such a clear opportunity to be lifted up, of course she had to seize it.
"Then pack your things. I was originally going back to America tomorrow, but now, I'll take you to Paris first." Seeing Jiaying agree, Josh nodded with satisfaction.
Although the most popular butlers in the world were British, just like how the British were best at French cuisine, the origin of modern butler training was also in France.
The French Royal Butler Academy had a longer history than Britain's Royal Butler Academy.
Moreover, since Paris hadn't suffered major damage during the war, its environment was much better than London's so there was no need to go all the way to Britain.
As for the future's most famous Dutch International Butler Academy... it was just a modern commercial success story, and it wouldn't even exist until 1998.
"Thank you, Master. I'll go prepare now!" Jiaying thanked him and happily went off to pack her things.
Watching Jiaying leave with joyful steps, Josh picked up his teacup and took a sip.
He had been in Europe long enough—it was time to go back to America.
The main reason was that Margot was about to give birth, and Josh wanted to witness his child's birth.
It was already October, and Margot was eight months pregnant.
Although they say it's a ten-month pregnancy, most people actually give birth around nine months. If Josh waited too long to go back, he might miss the birth of his child.
Anyway, even though the situation in Europe was clear now, the actual plan for dividing up Germany was far from settled.
Since this timeline hadn't experienced the Yalta Conference where the division of Germany was discussed in advance...
Right now, the Allies and the Soviets were fiercely confronting each other in Germany.
Although both sides were trying to restrain themselves, who could guarantee that a misfire wouldn't happen?
Until a real agreement was reached, there wasn't much point for Josh to stay in Germany—it was better to go home and be with his wife and child.
Besides, transportation between Europe and America was quite developed now. If anything happened, he could be back in just a few days.
Also, in a couple of days, the first group of "construction crews" made up of POWs would finish training and move into the castle under Ophelia's arrangements.
For quite a long time to come, Neuschwanstein Castle would become a giant construction site.
Josh had no interest in eating his meals to the sound of hammering stones.
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