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“I’ve never thought you were pathetic.”
“…Think carefully, though? When we first met, I was being trampled by a goblin.” Luisen squinted and gave the mercenary a suspicious gaze.
Carlton smiled, closing his eyes as he recalled that time, “Ah, that time. You had quite a distressed face. Thinking back on those memories, you were quite cute.”
“!” Luisen lightly slapped Carlton’s chest at the sudden compliment.
“You were struggling, even then. Since my Duke is always trying his best, those who recognize that effort will never think of you as pathetic. Haven’t you already reversed your reputation in the duchy? Since you’ve already been successful once, my Duke can manage that feat again.”
“Is that so…?”
“I used to dislike my Duke as well. But now…” Carlton swept Luisen’s hair behind his ears and kissed the young lord’s temple lightly. The touch of his lips–as light as a feather–tickled Luisen’s heart.
‘Well, I suppose Carlton has come around about me.’ Luisen thought.
No matter how many grudges the capital mansion folks had against Luisen, that did not compare to the mercenary’s murderous desire when they had first met. Compared to Carlton, the treatment the young lord received at the mansion was more akin to a cute tantrum.
‘That’s right. If I do what I need to do, my reputation as a scoundrel will naturally change.’
After all, that’s what he has been doing this entire time. And, as Carlton pointed out, he had already changed opinions once at the duke’s castle. After regression, he experienced many things: preventing war in the duchy and escaping the demon worshippers’ kidnapping attempts. So, he’ll be able to do well again.
Drawing comfort from Carlton’s reassurances, Luisen recharged his confidence.
“Well, still, it is a bit excessive for them to kneel just because you made eye contact with them.”
“Right? There’s much I have to do immediately, but everyone is still wary of me. I’m not sure where I should start or what I can accomplish.” Luisen said.
There was a lot of work to do other than saving his reputation. He needed to find out who was backing the demon worshippers in the royal capital, and he needed to establish his ducal authority. Those would prove to be a little difficult if his servants were uncooperative.
“You’re the smart one. Tell me. Do you have any ideas?” Luisen asked.
“Perhaps you should invite him to dinner.”
“Dinner?”
“You should invite the people who work in the mansion for dinner–to praise them for their hard work and to eat together. There’s nothing like a shared meal to increase intimacy. They may also feel that the Duke especially cares about them, and their resentment will be soothed.”
There was some truth in Carlton’s words, so Luisen nodded. Certainly, this was something that pre-regression Luisen would never have done–to bring together the working staff and retainers, praising them, and serving them a meal. Even though this didn’t seem like much, it would be a good way to naturally show a different side to himself.
And, thinking back to his time at the duchy, eating together did increase his intimacy with the citizens quickly.
“Great. I’ll do as you say.” He should go and discuss this with the deputy chancellor. Since the mansion should be full of food, it wouldn’t be so difficult to accommodate this sudden request.
Luisen suddenly remembered something and added, “This dinner will be something to look forward to. The duchy produces all sorts of delicacies, so you’ll be able to feel the status of my household name. I’m sure there will be foods you’ve never eaten or encountered before.”
The dinner should be worth bragging about to the mercenary. The young lord’s mouth watered with his rising anticipation.
“You wouldn’t be able to tell since you’ve only seen the duchy after the civil war, but the original power of the dukedom is great. We were wealthy and had a large labor force. There was much to eat, and the people were incredibly generous.”
“Yes.”
“Be aware that we aren’t inferior compared to the royal family. No matter what the prince seduces you with–whatever he offers you, I can do the same.”
“Ahaha.” Carlton burst into laughter. He had wondered why Luisen kept bragging about his family, but he seemed to be subconsciously competing with the first prince. “Are you worried I wouldn’t come back after I meet the first prince?”
Carlton was scheduled to meet with the to-be-king tomorrow. The prince ordered him to bring Luisen, and the mercenary needed to report on various matters. The mercenary also discussed with the young lord how they should take that opportunity to gauge the prince’s intentions and the atmosphere at the royal palace.
After the report, the mercenary promised to return to Luisen, but Luisen seemed worried that Carlton would be swayed to the prince’s side instead.
“No… it’s just…I’m just giving you some information. About how well off I am.” Now that the other saw through to his heart, Luisen avoided the mercenary’s eyes.
However, Carlton wasn’t nice enough to let the young lord go and avoid him. Carlton raised Luisen’s chin with his finger, forcing their eyes to meet. The mercenary had lost control of his lips, and the corners of his smile soared high enough to be in the sky. “Ah, so that’s why you wanted to show me a cool and impressive side. Answer me, hm?”
“Do you really need to hear my answer? You’re teasing me, aren’t you?”
How mean of Carlton to ask for clarification when he already knew the answer. Luisen held out on not answering, knowing how despicably perceptive the mercenary was. However, Carlton’s black eyes–glistening with joy–were just so pretty, Luisen’s lips opened automatically, “…You’re correct. I wanted to look good in front of you.”
“I see. You really wanted to impress me. You like me that much?”
“……”
This time, the young lord didn’t answer, but Carlton embraced Luisen tightly. Then, like a man whose joy was now beyond his control, he playfully ruffled Luisen’s hair. The young lord’s ears, burning bright red, were now revealed through the gaps in the shining blond hair.
Luisen’s fair skin tended to turn red quite quickly. Carlton’s eyes roamed from the ears to the nape of the neck. The young lord’s neck was as red as his ears, and his body had stiffened from tension–due to pleasurable expectation rather than fear. It was natural for the mercenary to lean in with a kiss.
From the nape to the back of the ear…Carlton kissed along the line that his eyes had so persistently–yet lovingly–caressed. Carlton’s hand fiddled the young lord’s back, and a strange feeling rose between them.
‘All of a sudden, the atmosphere…’
With that thought in mind, Luisen responded enthusiastically, cupping Carlton’s cheek. For a long while–until the deputy chancellor came to ask about dinner plans–exhilarating, breathy sounds lingered in the room.
***
That evening, dinner was held according to Carlton’s proposal. All of those working in the capital mansion: from the old vassals who swore allegiance to the duchy, the deputy chancellor, the knights, servants, and maids.
At first, the dinner’s atmosphere was so gloomy that the meal itself seemed like a punishment. The people gathered looked at Luisen as if he were a ticking time bomb. However, the atmosphere slowly changed when the young lord stood up to toast all those in the mansion for all their hard work and gave them a small purse filled with gold coins as a token of his appreciation.
‘After struggling so hard outside the comforts of home, that punk must have learned to value people.’
‘He’s not really trying to punish us? He’s holding a dinner for our benefit? Duke Anies–that lout?’
The gold coins played a very decisive role. There was just too much for the noble to sprinkle about just for fun. People began to relax and enjoy the dinner; slowly but surely, good humor began to overtake the anxiety.
‘As expected, there’s nothing like gold in cases like these.’ Luisen thought.
It was not as if his image as a troublemaker had changed with this one action; many people hurriedly lowered their eyes when they locked gazes with the young lord. However, at least they didn’t kneel down on the spot and apologize.
The dinner was enough to suggest that things wouldn’t be as bad as it had been before–that Luisen wouldn’t be that much of a tyrant. And that the young lord knew how to reward devotion.
Though the deep creases in the deputy chancellor’s brows did not leave, the dinner ended without any problems.
***
The next morning:
Encouraged by the dinner’s success, Luisen went to his office and called for the deputy chancellor through a messenger servant.
The office was white from dust because Luisen had not used it for such a long time. The deputy chancellor was also very embarrassed; he hadn’t thought Luisen would use the office so soon after returning to the mansion so he had yet to clean the place properly. The playroom where Luisen enjoyed drinking and playing card games was cleaned impeccably, but Luisen did not even visit or go near the room.
Luisen opened the window to ventilate the place and was reading the letters sent to the mansion by the general. He checked them because he thought they may contain important information, but there was little substance.
That was when the deputy chancellor arrived; he hurried into the office and discovered Luisen. It felt as if his eyes were about to pop out. A servant came and told him that Luisen was calling him to the office, but he didn’t truly believe the young lord would actually be there.
To think that Luisen would sit in the office, sober–neither asleep nor drunk. Unbelievable. Luisen hadn’t walked into the office on his own since he was ten years old; in the past few years, the young lord had been out drinking and wouldn’t come crawling home until morning, drunk.
Moreover, Luisen was reading letters by himself! Everyone in the mansion knew well that Luisen could barely read a simple letter, so someone always read the letter for him. And, according to the deputy chancellor’s memory, the letters from the general were about finances and taxes–not so simple content.
“Ah, come in everyone. I’m sorry to summon you so early in the morning, but I’ve called for you because I thought it would behoove me to get a grip on the situation in the capital as soon as possible,” Luisen said.
It was only when Luisen acknowledged his presence that the deputy chancellor returned to his senses.