CH 82

Carlton was perceptive and thought quickly on his feet. After seeing that Luisen was only in his underwear and looking around the room, he guessed what had happened.

The young lord would have sat in that iron chair with his hands and feet tied; Morrison would have threatened him with torture tools. That man had placed someone who was already afraid of the dark into a dark room and bared him naked like a sinner. What humiliation.

Carlton couldn’t forgive Morrison even more. The mercenary’s eyes flashed with bloodthirst.

When Luisen saw the mercenary looking around, he rushed to grab the mercenary’s hands. The young lord’s hands were so cold it broke Carlton’s heart.

‘How anxious he must have been,’ the mercenary thought. ‘Is he trying to hold onto my hand so he doesn’t stumble?’

The young lord looked so pitiful. How terrified must he have been, all alone in this room, to still continue to shiver even now.

His head, which had been focused on his anger, cooled down; Carlton placed down his sword. At this moment, reassuring Luisen took priority over Morrison. The mercenary took off his cape and wrapped it around Luisen’s shoulder. The early winter air was too cold for a naked body to endure, and the young lord’s skinny shoulders were shaking.

“Are you hurt anywhere? Did that bastard do anything to you?” Carlton asked.

“Ah, I’m fine. I’m all good. That jerk couldn’t even touch me.”

Carlton scooped up Luisen, cocooned in the cloak, and carefully examined the young lord’s body, trailing his eyes up and down. He was checking for any injuries that were caused by his late appearance. Luisen, though, was unaware of the mercenary’s feelings and squirmed.

Fortunately, it didn’t seem like the young lord was injured; and Luisen’s eyes were still lively. Carlton was worried that the young lord would be in a state of shock, but, rather, Luisen looked vigorous and excited.

Only after confirming that Luisen was healthy in both mind and body was Carlton relieved. Almost stumbling, he dragged the young lord down into an embrace. He leaned his forehead against the young lord’s shoulder and slowly breathed in and out.

It felt like he was thrown off a cloud, crashing into various things, and was barely rescued just before hitting the ground. The entire time Carlton searched for the young lord, he was afraid.

Even when he was young–even when he ran away from home and first started working as a mercenary–Carlton was smaller and weaker then but, still, he had never been frightened. That man was always confident; he didn’t know the definition of fear. He didn’t doubt his own ability and regarded the world as a stage meant to support his feet. 1

But, the entire time he searched for Luisen, Carlton was pierced with fear. A hitherto unfelt terror–something he did not feel even when dozens of blades were pointed at him–dominated his entire being. He was afraid that he would never find Luisen or that he’d arrive late and find the young lord wounded.

Carlton was overwhelmed by this feeling. He constantly doubted whether or not he could find the young lord in time or if he was heading the correct way. His mind was full of terrible imagined delusions, and his heart was full of despair.

Luisen also cautiously hugged Carlton’s shoulders. When the mercenary felt long, white arms hugging him, he finally felt that his charge was returned to him, safe.

Carlton closed his eyes and felt the young lord’s body heat. Every time he breathed in, he breathed in Luisen’s scent, which he had not yet become accustomed to. These sensations all worked together to give the mercenary some peace of mind; the fear that had dominated him earlier quickly dissipated like summer rain showers.

‘So weird.’

This lack of confidence was so unlike him. He felt like another person–a stranger. At a loss, Carlton simply hugged Luisen even tighter.

“I’m so, so relieved that you’re safe.” If something had happened to Luisen, Carlton wouldn’t be able to forgive himself for the rest of his life. Briefly losing the man had made him realize…what it meant for Luisen to not be by his side.

Now that he could think rationally, Carlton realized that Morrison may not have intended to hurt Luisen in the first place. However, that didn’t lighten the mercenary’s heart. Morrison and his men were no match for him, even if they rushed at him all at once. They weren’t caught in a meticulous scheme, nor were they overwhelmed by an immense, formidable force. He was simply caught off guard.

Even if the young lord was disappointed in Carlton’s lack of attention in this instance, there was nothing to be done. After all, Carlton also couldn’t stand being so pathetic. However, he didn’t want to see Luisen’s disappointed expression, so the mercenary hugged him tighter. He could only bow his head as he nuzzled up to Luisen, someone much smaller and thinner than him. A low sigh, filled with shame, escaped him. “From now on, I’ll never leave you alone. Never.”

A sense of deep remorse could be felt within Carlton’s suppressed voice. The man’s uncharacteristically dispirited appearance inwardly baffled Luisen. What a sullen, melancholy voice. The young lord felt sorry for the usually confident man, but what could he say? The mercenary was berating himself over a supposed mistake. That’s how much the mercenary worried and suffered for him.

Luisen opened his mouth, thinking he should soothe the man, “At first I was a bit scared. So I answered the inquisitor’s every question. In the midst of all that, I thought of you.”

“You thought of me?”

“Yes. Things like, ‘What you would have done in my position?.'”

“…My methods would be difficult for my duke to emulate, though.” Carlton would smash everything, pummel Morrison’s head, and then escape.

Luisen burst into laughter at Carlton’s words, “No, not that. I meant your quick wit. You’re the cleverest man I’ve ever met, so I tried to see the situation from your perspective.”

“Ah…”

“Thanks to that, I saw through Morrison’s bluff. Your voice echoed in my head; I’ve learned a lot from you during our time together.” Of course, Luisen thought of the one-armed pilgrim as well, but he was mum on that subject since he thought Carlton would be jealous.

“Your words bore into my brain more than I thought. I was alone, but it didn’t feel like I was alone.” On second thought, the fact that the mercenary’s voice could be heard inside his brain was so funny that Luisen chuckled.

At some point during this conversation, Carlton raised his head and looked into the young lord’s face. ‘I helped you? You thought of me in that kind of situation?’

What an unexpected response. Carlton had never had anyone rely on him this much. The mercenary’s heart was so touched. How could Luisen so easily turn Carlton’s heart upside down? As the mercenary looked at Luisen smiling at ease, the mercenary felt emotional.

Carlton kissed Luisen impulsively. How did this man always impress him in such unexpected ways? Luisen was always a surprising person, and that made him absolutely lovable.

Luisen opened his eyes wide, blinked a few times, before sinking into other man’s hold. The young lord’s round eyes and long lashes made Carlton even more excited. As Carlton kissed deeper, Luisen furrowed his brows–perhaps the mercenary was being too much. Still, the young lord’s cheeks were flushed, flaming red.

Carlton kept note of all those subtle changes–each flush or flutter did not escape his observant eyes. There was nothing to him that didn’t seem pretty. The young lord’s hastily chopped blonde hair, his soft cheeks, his eyes that looked highly privileged–as if they have never experienced hardships–and yet also seemed deeply reflective… Everything.

How strange. The mercenary didn’t like the young lord’s face at first. Everything about Luisen agitated Carlton’s inferiority complex…but now, the mercenary was pleased by the young lord’s features.

‘I like it. I like him.’ Carlton thought, almost subconsciously. The more he thought about it, the more his heart felt overwhelmed. The more he deepened his kiss. The mercenary had an urge to delve further–to consume the other’s insides–and to become one. Carlton’s hands stroked up and down Luisen’s body.

“W-Wait!” embarrassed, Luisen pushed at Carlton’s shoulder. “We don’t know when Morrison will return; it wouldn’t be ideal to go any further than this.”

“I don’t care if a punk like that comes.” Carlton was about to lean to the young lord’s lips again, but Luisen desperately blocked him.

“I don’t want to do this next to these torture devices.”

“Ah.” Carlton withdrew, sadly.

“Still, it’s cold, so don’t go too far from me.” Luisen slipped his arm into the crook of the mercenary’s elbow.

‘How cute,’ Carlton thought. The young lord seemed embarrassed to cling to him even though he took the initiative; the young lord’s eyes looked everywhere except at him. ‘I like this as well.’

Like?

‘Come to think of it, what did I just think a little while ago?’ Carlton just realized. Since just a while ago, he’s been constantly thinking how much he likes the young lord–how much he utterly adores Luisen.

Only then did he realize he was acting foolishly, quite unlike himself. The fact that he considered Luisen the single most important person in the world–his hatred for the one-armed pilgrim or Morrison. His emotions vacillated between two extremes.

That is to say…he had fallen in love with Luisen. This was a first for the mercenary.

He had always said that those that fall in love turn into idiots…He supposed he was the idiot now!

The sudden realization threw Carlton’s mind into chaos.

***

Luisen and Carlton exited the torture chamber, which was located in a seemingly ordinary cabin. The cabin’s ceiling looked dangerously on the verge of collapse. Waiting for the inquisitor to return, the two settled down on a fallen tree a short distance away.

Luisen told Carlton what had happened with Morrison. Throughout his entire tirade, the mercenary stared at the young lord passionately.

“What is it? Are you curious about something?” Luisen cut himself off and turned to his companion. Carlton avoided the young lord’s prying eyes, as if the mercenary hadn’t been staring in the first place.

‘Why is he suddenly acting that way?’ Luisen thought.

It felt like the other had changed his behavior after their passionate kiss. The mercenary didn’t even want to make eye contact with him. Despite that, the mercenary persistently followed him and clung to his side.

Luisen tried seriously to consider what was wrong with Carlton–trying to see from the mercenary’s point of view. However, he couldn’t quite gauge if this had all been pure coincidence or if the young lord was simply unversed in Carlton-ology.

Footnotes

Or, to be idiomatic, the world was his oyster!