/
Carlton continued, staring at Luisen who was at a loss for words, “To be honest, I don’t know why you’re suddenly making a fuss, my lord. You’ve been complacent this whole time, haven’t you? So then why, on the day we return to the front lines, are you suddenly concerned with ration distribution? Don’t you find this sudden interest suspicious?”
“
.That’s because I truly just found out now.”
“It’s been less than a month since you signed the document. Have you already forgotten?”
“No, it’s not that I forgot. I truly did not know.”
“You didn’t know?”
“That’s
I
.didn’t read it well,” Luisen earnestly tried to explain how he didn’t often read the documents–how he signed without understanding their contents. By then, his face began to glow red from embarrassment.
“So, you didn’t know its meaning and just signed what you were told to sign?”
Luisen nodded.
He felt incompetent as a human.
He truly did not want to admit it, but in order to convey his innocence, he must endure the shame.
“What can I do for you to trust in my sincerity?” Luisen asked.
“Who knows.”
“I’ll do whatever you want. I can promise you the future. Should I kneel for you again?” Luisen once again dropped to his knees. Carlton’s men gasped.
One of the four great nobles in the kingdom was once again kneeling to Carlton, a common mercenary!
If this news spread, there was no doubt that Luisen’s authority would plummet to the ground, and he would be ridiculed by his peers.
But Luisen was not in the least bit ashamed by his current actions. His face held great determination–his desire to do anything to save his territory. His noble figure was something out of storybooks, asynchronous with the current political state of affairs between the blue blooded and the common folk.
The beautiful lord kneeling before the grim mercenary.
The scene left a bitter taste in Carlton’s mouth. It looked as if Carlton was a villain threatening the citizens’ lives while Luisen was a saint sacrificing himself to their unfair demands.
‘But this was the lord’s fault! It should be his job to pick up the pieces.’
‘Why does it feel like I’m the bad guy?’ Carlton was frustrated.
“Anything? Then, do you think only your knees would suffice? Then you might as well bare your entire body to show your sincerity.”
“My body?” Luisen struggled to find meaning in the mercenary’s carelessly spoken words.
‘So he wants my body? In that sense?’ Luisen’s eyes shook as if an earthquake was wracking his insides. Carlton seemed very amused when he saw Luisen’s hesitation.
He had merely thrown out those words to insult Luisen–he wasn’t expecting Luisen to take the proposal so seriously.
‘Look at him. Even if he pretends to be merciful, he still places the utmost importance on his own ego.’ Carlton didn’t think Luisen could withstand such disgrace. He waited calmly for Luisen to throw a fit about the insult. ‘At this point, maybe we’ll have to throw him in jail too. A perfectly detained duo–the lord and his servant.’
But Luisen’s internal agitation ran on a different wavelength than Calrton’s thoughts. He knew Carlton was trying to get a rise out of him
but what if he would actually accept this kind of deal?
‘I could feed everyone in the lower villages by spending one night with him? I’ve followed and debased myself for promises akin to a few pages out of a fairytale book
Relatively speaking, this deal is just too profitable, isn’t it?’ Luisen thought.
Anyway, it was definitely good to be a noble. The payment for one night had been very different when he’d been a simple wanderer. There was nothing more to worry about, and so Luisen readily consented.
“All right.”
Upon hearing the lord’s agreement, everyone in the room united in their shared confusion. ‘What did I just hear?’ They all doubted their own ears.
Carlton also looked at the lord incredulously. “What did you say?” he asked.
“I said, fine. Didn’t I say I’d do anything to show my sincerity?” Luisen was very nonchalant. The insult didn’t seem to register, nor did he get angry. It was as if Carlton had told him he needed to pay money to buy bread–a natural transaction.
Eventually, Luisen loosened the lavish cloth around his neck. The collar of his shirt spread, revealing his white neck. His hand movements were bold and without hesitation.
Cough cough!
Carlton’s men were frightened, and they cleared their throats in vain. Although they, like their boss, would often ignore the gravity of their status difference in a reckless manner, they also knew well how outrageous this situation was.
As wandering mercenaries, they were lower than even the villagers–lower than the peasants that farmed the territory. To them, the most distinct nobles like Luisen were existences far beyond the clouds.
‘This isn’t just any old nobleman; he’s one of the great nobles
kneeling before the captain and undressing
.Is this reality?’
Technically, Luisen had only bared his neck, but for Carlton and his crew, it was no less shocking than completely baring himself.
‘I-is this okay?’ Carlton’s men alternated their gazes between Luisen and their boss. Carlton’s expression looked quite complicated, his cheeks set stubbornly ablaze.
‘This is a disaster!’
Carlton notoriously had a large temper and hated to lose. Once he recognized the situation as a fight, he truly fought from the bottom of his heart. Even if his opponent was a nobleman, he would act no differently. Rather, he’d be even more stubborn in this small war of nerves.
That tenacity was one of the many reasons Carlton had managed to climb to where he was now. But the soldiers knew that catastrophe often followed that stubborn look on their captain’s face. The men turned blue in despair. 1
Carlton, as his men expected, was filled with an unyielding spirit.
‘Does he want me to call his bluff?’ Carlton truly did not believe in Luisen.
Luisen had too readily replied with his consent. Would it have been so easy for Luisen to answer if he had really intended to deliver his body to him?
Carlton didn’t think so. ‘You thought that if you offered yourself up, I’d stop you in surprise, right? I’ll show you I’m not such an easy opponent.’
""
After all, what kind of aristocrat would give up his own body to save the people of his land?
That’s how aristocrats were. They were all born with a sense of arrogance and privilege, squeezing the use out of their peasant citizens, calling for their worship, and taking their respect for granted. Evil and selfishness was in their blood.
He was certain the lord was simply virtue signaling for show.
‘Fine. Let’s see who wins,’ Carlton thought.
“Everyone leave.”
“What?” Carlton’s men asked in confusion.
Carlton spoke clearly, eyes fixed on Luisen, “Unless you’re curious about his precious naked body? If that’s the case, then stay.”
“Ah. No, sir.” Carlton’s men quickly stood up. They left the room hastily, like they were running from a predator, and closed the door tightly as if scared they would become ensnared in whatever catastrophe was about to occur.
Only Carlton and Luisen were left in the room. Luisen had his eyes cast downward with an indifferent expression on his face, as always. In contrast, Carlton’s expression was grim, as if he would bite at any provocation.
“You wanted to show your sincerity, right?”
“I know.”
At Carlton’s urging, Luisen slowly crawled on his knees.
Luisen’s knees pressed into the carpet as he moved forward. His shoes were heavy against the floor; as both legs rubbed against each other, the sound of rustling cloth filled the silence. That little noise made Luisen more nervous, and it also scratched at Carlton’s ears.
Little by little.
Slowly, and a bit timidly, the distance between the two narrowed.
Carlton watched, waiting for Luisen to give up and stand back on his feet. However, Luisen felt strongly drawn to the other’s gaze.
‘This is crazy.’ Luisen’s heart was trembling, like death was gripping it. It was good to be bold and drastic, but now that he was kneeling in front of Carlton, his mouth felt dry. ‘How rough will Carlton be? I’m scared to make eye contact
but I have to do this.’ He worried whether he could push past his fear or not.
The sound of his heart beating grew steadily louder.
And yet, Luisen did not back down; he had no desire to run away again. He’d promised to do anything, and this much, his dignity, was not worth sparing.
Soon, Luisen’s knees touched the tips of Carlton’s toes. Luisen put his hands in his lap.
‘This
I’m going crazy. Until when is he going to keep up this pretense?’ Carlton internally spat many curses. He felt dizzy, although he was determined to win this war of nerves.
He had practiced abstinence for too long and masked all his feelings with alcohol. It felt too stimulating to have Luisen, a perfect aristocrat, sit at his feet obediently. To feel this way about the Duke of Anies
perhaps he had lacked comfort these past few years.
When Luisen reached for Carlton’s pants, he wanted to scream, ‘Just stop! How far will you go to trick me?’
As Luisen began to untie the knot in the mercenary’s trousers, he raised his head, flustered. The two locked eyes.
“It’s not that I’m not going to do it
it’s just
this isn’t working
” Luisen’s eyes watered as if he were about to cry. His hands were stiff and unable to untie that simple knot. His voice trembled and his whole body seemed to be helpless.
The pressure he felt was conveyed to Carlton through his shaking touch.
‘What? Is he for real?’ Finally, his sharp intuition pierced its way through Carlton’s mind. He had great faith in his animal instinct, so he immediately snapped into action.
He grabbed Luisen’s hand.
“Ah, I was trying to do
.” Luisen trailed off. Carlton couldn’t understand how Luisen had interpreted his actions–what he thought Carlton wanted. The young lord attempted to pull out his hand and once again resumed untying his trousers.
“That’s enough,” Carlton said gruffly.
“Huh?”
Carlton shifted his hands to support Luisen’s arms and raised him up. The young lord, light as paper, was dragged to his feet.
TL: They really played gay chicken
Remember, this is the journey of both characters learning to be better people >.<
Footnotes
This is an idiom–for example, take how in anime, characters get blue lines on their face to show despair or sadness or exasperation.