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Part 4 – A huge misunderstanding and the little truth
At first, the general burst into laughter when he heard what the butler had to say. “Why would you say such nonsense? Asking for his body…Sir Carlton isn’t some neighborhood bandit.”
“Though he may be called ‘Sir,’ isn’t he still a simple mercenary?”
Since the butler’s expression was so serious, the general slowly lost any traces of amusement. He asked, “Do you have any evidence?”
“Our servants have heard Carlton’s men talking amongst themselves. According to them…for recompense….Haah, this is too disgusting to say…” The butler wetted his lips and could barely continue. “In front of all his men, Carlton demanded Luisen bare his body, and our lord knelt down on his knees. Then he chased all of the others out of the room. At first, the man was completely against reinstating rationing, but he completely changed his mind and told everyone that they were allowed to do as they pleased.”
“Huh! So then the reason for why he’s following our lord so closely……”
“He’s bound to have vulgar secret designs on the lord…”
“He said he was simply conducting surveillance…” The general gasped.
“It’s all an excuse. He could have simply ordered his men to do that. He’s acting like that even now…What surveillance? He’s using that excuse to stay close and trick our lord.”
The general felt a sudden surge of vertigo and grasped the wall.
Luisen, who used to follow him with a short lisp. Luisen, who would fall down all the time and beg for hugs and for the general to carry him everywhere.
He raised this child preciously. He couldn’t have possibly loved a blood-related child more. This was the small and young master he raised, unable to discipline him even with a few slaps.
He may have despaired that such upbringing had brought forth a scoundrel and trash of a noble, but–before his very eyes–that same scoundrel became a wise lord and led the duchy through crises. This old man believed he could die in peace from Luisen’s newfound dignified poise…
The general was suddenly filled with rage. “That son of a bitch! How dare he disgrace our lord like this!” 1
He grabbed a knife hanging on the kitchen wall.
The startled butler blocked the general with his whole body.
It was ridiculous for a man who, in his twilight years, had done nothing but stand by a desk to pull a knife on someone.
“Ah, sir, general…Please calm down…”
“How could I calm down right now! Could you keep calm when rumors like this are circulating?”
“Of course I’m angry too. I’m angry but…these are just rumors.”
“……”
“It wouldn’t be wise to blow this up into an even bigger situation. The lord may be ashamed to know that these rumors are even circulating in the first place.” The butler had a sensible point. If these rumors were to get too big, it could damage Luisen’s reputation. The lord’s perfect existence should never have been stained with Carlton’s manipulation.
The general took a deep breath and lowered the knife. He knew that he needed to return to his senses in order to properly protect Luisen from Carlton’s ministrations.
“….The lord knows nothing?” the general asked.
“Yes. It doesn’t seem like he knows. I’ve ordered the servants to keep quiet for now.”
“Good job. The rumor should never spread any further than this,” the general sighed.
The butler nodded, agreeing with the other’s words.
“The problem is that bastard Carlton…We must never leave him alone with the lord. You, the butler, and I should always stay by the lord’s side.”
“Of course. I’ll also tell his chief aide, Ruger, to not leave him alone. Although, since he often leaves his post, he’s not a very reliable man…”
“Either way, protecting the lord should be our first priority.”
“Yes.”
The general and the butler determinedly locked gazes.
After that, the general waited tenaciously for Luisen to return to the castle. His heart desperately wanted to go down to the village, chase Carlton out of the territory, and safely bring Luisen back into the confines of the castle…but he knew that patience rewarded far more than rash actions.
Soon after sunset, it was finally time for the young lord to return.
“The lord has passed through the inner gates.”
“Good. I’ll go to pick him up.”
At the words of a knight, the general rushed out the front door. He could see, in the distance, Luisen approaching on a horse. The lord’s hair glistened orange, his back to the sunset. His figure on a white horse was like an aristocrat out of a minstrel’s story.
Just as pride swelled in the general’s heart, he saw Carlton stuck to Luisen’s side. Carlton couldn’t take his eyes off of Luisen–even the general could understand that all his attention was directed towards the young lord.
“Hnn. At least his eyes have taste.” The general thought Luisen was superior to all others–yet he lamented his lord’s ignorance to Carlton’s innermost insidious thoughts. His lord was courteous, engaging in conversation without guile.
Before he knew it, Luisen and Carlton’s horses stopped in front of the general.
“Have you returned, my lord? You’ve worked hard today as well.” The general only saw his former ward.
“I’m here as well?” Carlton questioned.
“Yes.”
The general blatantly ignored Carlton. “What brought you here on the back of a horse? I thought you took the cart when you left?”
“When it was time to return, I couldn’t find it again. Since Sir Carlton offered to teach me the proper way to ride, I thought I’d challenge myself.” Luisen sighed. He felt the weight of his previous experience when he had fallen off in the middle of the village. ‘I can’t leave my riding skills like this!’
So he cautiously asked Carlton, an excellent rider, to be his teacher.
‘I must be crazy! What am I going to learn from him?’
Carlton wasn’t a particularly good teacher. He naturally knew how to use his body by instinct. The whole way here Carlton nagged, but Luisen still couldn’t understand a single thing. Carlton was constantly frustrated and Luisen was dying to throw a tantrum as well.
“It’s nice to see you trying,” the general said, stepping between his lord and the mercenary. “There’s something we’d like to discuss with the lord, so let’s go together.”
Despite the natural ease at which the general inserted himself, Carlton was unnaturally good at perceiving others’ negative feelings for him. He did not miss the hostility the general and butler had so skillfully hidden.
‘Look at these people,’ he thought. It was obvious the retainers wanted to separate him and Luisen. Since when did these people ever discuss the territory’s logistics with Luisen?
They must have been feeling a sense of urgency due to Luisen’s soaring popularity. Furthermore, it was obvious the lord was able to move freely thanks to Carlton’s company–by separating the two, the retainers may be able to drive a wedge between their relationship or coax the young lord to behave once again.
Carlton swore he had no intention of involving himself with the dispute in the duke’s inner circle. Luisen’s circumstances were unfortunate, but, in this day and age where it was every man for himself, who would make the effort to help him? …He was definitely only following Luisen around because he was concerned about the man’s flushed face as he exerted himself, running here and there.
However, it was very unpleasant to see the others on edge–wary of him–as if they were a cat and he had trampled on their tail. If someone doesn’t like you for no reason, don’t you want to properly give them a reason for their hatred?
Carlton chuckled and pulled on the reins of Luisen’s horse–the horse and rider followed along.
“First, you should get off the horse. Can you get down on your own?” Carlton asked.
“No. No, I can’t.” After some contemplation, Luisen shook his head. The horse’s back was too tall for someone like him. In addition, the horse had been snorting and huffing, unhappy with its rider.
“I’ll hold you as you dismount.” Carlton reached out his hand.
As a result, the general could no longer stand still. “Please, hold my hand, my lord.” The general also extended a hand towards his lord. A tense situation, in which two hands were outstretched to the stranded Luisen, appeared. Carlton and the general–the two shared a fierce glare.
Between the two of them, Luisen was completely absentminded.
“Don’t push yourself too hard, General. You have a bad back, and Sir Carlton is here anyway.” Luisen grabbed Carlton’s hand.
Grasping his steady hands, the lord barely managed to get off the horse. Carlton grabbed and steadied Luisen’s body, which staggered as soon as he landed on the ground. Though the lord’s weight must have been considerable–especially for one hand–Carlton’s hands stood firm and unshakeable.
As the mercenary held onto Luisen’s body, he gave a triumphant look.
The general flushed red. “This despicable…”
“General, are you alright? Your face is so red…are you hurt somewhere?”
“It must be the hue from the sunset,” Carlton said.
“Ah, is that right?” Luisen peacefully looked up at the sky.
The butler’s heart became complicated as he saw his ward so comfortable, without noticing the silent war waging over his well being. No matter how he may have suddenly changed, his apathy and obliviousness to all that surrounded him had not gone away.
The general squeezed in between the two, separating them. Carlton frowned as he automatically let go of the lord’s hand.
“There’s an urgent matter to attend to. My lord, let us leave.”
“Huh? Really? Then I should go.” Luisen complied.
However, Carlton placed a hand on Luisen’s shoulder. “That ‘urgent matter’…. I’m curious as to what it could be.”
“It’s about the duchy’s internal affairs. Sir Carlton should rest. It must be tiring to follow the lord around all day long–you don’t have a reason to escort him at night, right?”
“Why wouldn’t I escort him? It all depends on how you see it–after all, I’ve gotten quite close with the duke. I’ve a keg of alcohol I brought from the north…as he worked hard today, learning to ride a horse, I thought I’d offer some as a reward.”
“Northern liquor!?” Luisen exclaimed. “Then, after talking with the general, I can share some drinks with Sir Carlton, right? I’ll find you in your room.”
“Unacceptable!” the general huffed.
“Of course.” Carlton grinned. It was a real pleasure–always, whenever and wherever–to stake victory over another. He loved winning so much.
TL:
Carlton – “I’m blunt and I don’t feel sorry for or any other feelings for this lord”
Also Carlton – “I’m going to intentionally aggravate people and flirt with the guy because people don’t want me to. Also create a multi-chapter fanfiction about his backstory in my head.”
Footnotes
The original says ‘treat as if no better than a female dog.” Which uh…in English would probably better be translated as “disgrace.” lmao.