After killing Pierce, Loren finally settled into a relatively peaceful life.
However, with Freddy—the butler—dead by his own hand, many tasks in the manor ground to a halt.
It must be said that old Freddy had been a spy planted by Loren's aunt, Maeve.
Yet as a butler, he had performed his duties conscientiously and responsibly for years, giving his all to the role.
Whenever he was around, the manor ran like clockwork, and Loren—the young master—never had to worry about a thing.
But now that Freddy was gone, all the manor's affairs fell squarely on Loren's shoulders, which left him more than a little annoyed.
After a few days of this chaos, he'd had enough.
He locked himself in his laboratory and began building a robot butler.
The reconnaissance robot technology previously rewarded by the system would come in handy now.
A steward's primary duty was managing the manor's internal affairs—tasks that didn't demand high mobility but required exceptional information-processing capabilities.
That happened to be the very strength of reconnaissance robots.
Thus, repurposing one as his new butler was clearly the right choice.
Since he was designing the butler himself, he naturally wanted the result to suit his tastes.
Freddy had been highly capable, but as an elderly man, he didn't meet Loren's aesthetic standards.
From the outset, Loren decided the robot butler would take the form of a woman—her appearance no less striking than that of a 2B-type android.
To meet this standard, he racked his brain, recalling countless female characters he admired.
After much deliberation, he finally settled on a design.
He threw himself into the work with single-minded focus.
Time flew by—before he knew it, a month had passed.
During that time, Loren barely ate or slept, pouring every ounce of his energy into crafting the perfect robot butler.
To be fair, manufacturing general-purpose combat robots or reconnaissance units was already an immensely complex process—
which was precisely why it had taken so many geniuses to create someone like 2B.
Robots themselves weren't inherently difficult to build, especially when using modular production.
But if you aimed to create a hyper-realistic, high-precision android like 2B—indistinguishable from a human—manual craftsmanship was essential.
2B wasn't just a machine; she was a near-perfect work of art. And art, by its nature, couldn't be mass-produced on an assembly line.
The same principle applied to Loren's new butler: she had to be so lifelike that no one could tell she was artificial.
That demanded painstaking fine-tuning and countless hours of meticulous adjustments.
After days and nights of relentless refinement, his creation was finally complete.
In the manor's secret underground laboratory, Loren—dressed in a white lab coat—stood before the flawless figure he'd brought to life.
An unclesque smile tugged at his lips, his eyes gleaming with quiet satisfaction.
"That oval face… that swan neck… those—ahem! Cough cough cough!"
"And that tiny waist… No, no—it's just so realistic! Absolutely lifelike!"
Unable to resist, he reached out and gently stroked the robot's cheek, admiration plain in his voice.
Just as when he'd built 2B, seeing this beautiful masterpiece—crafted by his own hands—filled him with exhilaration.
For him, whether a female robot was well-crafted—and whether it could stir those kinds of thoughts in him—had become a rigid standard.
After all, men were lustful by nature. If a robot could provoke that reaction, then at least in terms of appearance, it was a success.
If a humanoid couldn't even awaken that kind of desire in a man, then what was the point? It was nothing more than a joke.
"Boss, I detect severe congestion in your lower body. What unhealthy things are you looking at?"
At that moment, 2B had quietly appeared beside Loren and cast a sidelong glance toward his… unspeakable region.
"What are you talking about? How could I possibly be looking at anything like that? I'm admiring a masterpiece—one I poured my heart and soul into!"
As he spoke, Loren circled the robot housekeeper before him, eyes gleaming with pride.
As a technician, he shared one trait with every true tech geek: an innate, almost parental pride in anything he created—and genuine joy in its existence.
It was then that 2B's attention was captured by the robot butler standing before her.
"Boss… is this the butler you built? She's so beautiful—even prettier than me!"
Her voice dropped to a whisper, laced with sudden anxiety.
"With this new reconnaissance unit… will you still like me in the future?"
At first, 2B was stunned. Then, a sharp sense of crisis surged through her.
After all, until now, she had been the only humanoid robot Loren had ever created—truly one of a kind.
But now there was another. And not only was her appearance on par with 2B's—she might even be more beautiful.
Naturally, worry took root.
What if Loren's attention shifted to this new model? What if he no longer cared for her?
Worse—what if he abandoned her altogether?
In just a few seconds, her mind spiraled through countless dark possibilities.
At that moment, 2B looked exactly like a wife who'd just discovered her husband had taken a concubine—heart pounding, chest tight, utterly unsettled.
But when Loren heard her words, he froze—then blinked in surprise.
She's becoming more and more like a real woman… even down to the jealousy.
Yet that very reaction proved something important: 2B was different. Unique. At least for now.
Whether this new butler would one day develop her own consciousness remained unknown.
"Don't worry, 2B," Loren said gently. "You'll always be the most unique presence in my heart. No one can ever replace you."
He gestured toward the new robot. "Yes, I've created a beautiful 'sister'—but in terms of status, she'll always come after you. From now on, you can call her your little sister. As the elder, you'll need to guide her."
2B's expression brightened instantly. "Of course! I'll teach her everything—how to serve you properly, how to behave… Then the two of us can serve you together."
"Hey! 2B, you…" Loren laughed, shaking his head in affectionate disbelief. "How can you be so perfect? Come here—let me give my good wife a kiss."
He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her lips.
2B melted instantly, nestling into his arms like an obedient girl next door—quiet, trusting, and utterly devoted.
"Oh—by the way," she murmured, "what's my sister's name?"
"Tifa."