CH 110

The deputy chancellor was not audacious enough to openly ask his lord, ‘Who are you?’

He did ask, “Do you have any ideas in mind?”

“Hm, coercion and conciliation… Bring Sir Boros here in a little while–make sure to not be conspicuous.”

When he heard the absurd answer, the deputy chancellor instantly remembered the General’s letter. The man had asked him to obey the lord even if his orders seemed strange. “…Understood.” The deputy chancellor replied sourly.

Rather than believing in Luisen, he thought there must be some reason to the admirable General’s request. Moreover, he couldn’t think of any other way to overcome this situation.

“I shall appease the staff and, looking at the situation, bring Sir Boros at the right time.” The deputy chancellor bowed and exited the room. Despite the royal knights bustling around the mansion as if it were their own home, he controlled his expression and carried out the tasks Luisen assigned. Though he had no other choice, it felt strange to follow the young lord’s instructions.

***

As he waited for the deputy chancellor to bring Sir Boros, Luisen clasped his hands together, tight with tension and anxiety.

‘I’m Luisen Anies–Duke Anies. I was born fortunate. Our family hasn’t been ruined, and we have strong followers. Yes, that’s me–the biggest scoundrel in the capital!’

Luisen tried to recall his old persona. The young lord had looked so arrogant that  his face flushed just thinking about it, but he needed that appearance now. Simultaneously, he tried to recall Carlton’s skillful negotiation skills, the wisdom of the one-armed pilgrim, and the General’s composure.

He had imagined all the formidable men he could think of as he tried to fantasize how he’d deal with Sir Boros. Thanks to that, by the time Sir Boros entered the room, Luisen had cultivated a suitably powerful and haughty demeanor.

“You’ve called for me?” The knight asked.

Luisen curled his finger–in that one gesture, he commanded Sir Boros to approach closer and told the deputy chancellor to leave. When the door closed, Luisen and Lord Boros were left alone in the room.

Luisen’s opponent was a well-trained knight–the young lord couldn’t even hold up a fist against the man. Despite that, Luisen looked down at Sir Boros with all the bravado he could muster. It wasn’t easy to adopt that expression against a person who towered over  him while standing, but he succeeded by utilizing his experience from many years as a scoundrel.

Sir Boros flinched slightly. The young lord’s arrogance and aristocratic appearance was similar to before, but the feeling–the aura inside–felt somewhat different. In the past, Luisen’s arrogance arose from bluffing and a slight inferiority complex, but now the young lord’s demeanor originated from firm confidence.

‘I can’t believe he’s acting so confident even though his situation is so grave. Is he bluffing? Or does some conviction fuel his behavior?’ Luisen’s behavior made Sir Boros a little more cautious.

“I thought you were an intelligent person, but you seem to be thoughtless about the consequences?”

Luisen meant that, after all this passed and the Anies duchy regained its former power, he would repay today’s resentment. Could Sir Boros deal with that?

“I don’t know what you mean.” Sir Boros avoided answering by pretending ignorance, but he could not hide his furrowed brows. Luisen thought Lord Boros was the type to actively secure his own safety. In the royal capital, where there were webs of conspiracy to secure authority and power, could he have made a living as a knight captain without extraordinary perceptiveness and wit?

Luisen had a hunch that his threat would work, “In your eyes, do I seem like any ordinary noble?”

“……”

“I’m Luisen Anies. The sole owner of the Anies duchy, the guardian of the golden fields, and one of the few Great Lords in this country. I command the lords below and bear the sacred duty of confirming the king’s death and crowning the new king.”

It was a bit embarrassing to boast about himself, but Luisen put on airs. He knew that such an attitude, supported by his lineage and position, would make others look up to him. Luisen had learned the hard way, after losing everything, how powerful the force of his birthright could be.

“You’ve been in the royal palace for a long time, so you must know this well. Even if the prince antagonizes me now, do you think he’ll continue to do so? I am aware of the rumors circulating about how there may be a new leader of the Southern aristocracy. It seems the Duke of Doubless is gaining quite a bit of influence, isn’t he?”

“……”

“Do you really think my ancient lineage, older than the history of this kingdom, will crumble so easily? Eventually, the prince and I will reconcile–it’ll be impossible for him to govern state affairs without the wheat from the vast plains of the South.”

Of course, if the prince wanted to get rid of Luisen and instill a new lord, he could–especially if he was looking to cooperate with the demon worshippers. However, the young lord didn’t speak about any of that. After all, Sir Boros wouldn’t know about any of that. Instead, Luisen worked to drive a solid wedge into the knight’s chest. “What do you think will happen to you when the prince and I reconcile? I won’t forget today’s humiliation. It won’t be enough for you to pay for trampling over my estate with just your life. I won’t let your family go untouched.”

“That’s… as his Highness’s agent, I’ve only been following the prince’s orders.”

“That’s right. But, you cannot exactly vent to the prince, can you? Besides, the prince is the same. He would happily dedicate you and your family into my hands if it meant he would establish a friendly relationship with me.”

Between the Great Lord’s name and the mere captain of his Royal Guard, Sir Boros thought the prince would definitely choose the former. His face distorted without reserve. Desperately, he considered the possibility of the Duke of Anies surviving this period, successfully regaining power, and forging a friendly relationship with the prince. If the Duke was determined and the prince remained silent, he could imagine himself and his lineage being easily swept away.

‘I can hear the cogs in his brain rolling. I can hear it.’ Luisen looked at Sir Boros in a leisurely manner. Actually, he was very nervous inside and thought he should add more to his argument. However, he knew Carlton would maintain composure at this moment. A man with much to lose was easily weakened; the same was true of Sir Boros. The knight would have no choice but to raise the white flag first.

“…I didn’t want to be so extreme either, my Duke.”

“Was it something you didn’t desire? How amusing, considering the rather arrogant attitude you had when you first entered my mansion.”

“Well, there were many onlookers. It’s not like there was no connection between me and the Duke. I didn’t want to be so impolite. But the prince was too stubborn, so I had no choice.”

Boros threw away his domineering demeanor and started expressing his regret.

“Why is the prince acting this way?”

“I don’t know either. He wasn’t like this before… Lately, he’s been acting strange… Ah, let’s pretend you didn’t hear that.”

So, the Prince has become strange, hm? Luisen began to soothe Sir Boros gently after engraving this important piece of information into a corner of his brain. After the whip, he should give the knight a carrot. After all, Carlton had said that one shouldn’t push others too hard.

“That’s right–it was an order from above, so what could you do? You’re just fulfilling your duties as a knight–it must have been quite the dilemma.”

“Yes, that’s certainly true.”

“You must keep your dignity as well, so I shall sit still for a few days.”

“Thank you, my Duke.”

“In return, I’d like you to compromise as well. Remove your knights from inside the mansion. It has been a long while since I’ve returned home, and I can’t relax.”

Sir Boros couldn’t refuse when Luisen offered this concession. It wasn’t as if the Anies duchy had fallen, and there was nothing good about holding grudges. The milk had already been spilled when they had invaded the mansion, so he should at least grant this favor in order to maintain a good relationship. “…Then, I will keep the knights away from the interior of the mansion. However, I must report to the prince everything about my Duke’s activities and the people that come and go. I’ve been ordered to prioritize surveillance and control… Please, be understanding of this, at least.”

“That’s fine. That can’t be helped. We will be seeing each other for more than one or two days, so let’s try not to be so uptight.”

So, this takeover was about surveillance and control? Luisen didn’t think the first prince was the type to do this, but there was a tinge of insidiousness in this behavior.

The young lord felt a bit heated from frustration, but he smiled generously.

After consoling and soothing the knight some more, Luisen sent Sir Boros away. He didn’t forget to increase their intimacy through personal conversations such as ‘How is your father doing?’ and ‘Has your son grown up a lot?’

Because the young lord desperately tried to mask his anxiety, he was completely exhausted after the knight had retreated. However, the effects of his efforts were immediately apparent.

That night, Sir Boros had sent all the knights out of the mansion. Formally, one knight was left behind on each floor but, perhaps heeding Sir Boros’s desires, they stood still like statues and did not interfere with mansion staff.

Thanks to the deputy chancellor’s management, the staff became reassured. They learned that Luisen was the one to make the knights retreat, and their resentment was tempered. Instead, as intense as the resentment had been before, Luisen was now subject to curious gazes; the young lord’s face flushed hot.

And that same night, thanks to Sir Boros and his group’s changed hearts, Luisen’s people were able to smuggle a very important guest inside the mansion through a food cart.

The guest was originally a messenger from the General, who was supposed to arrive earlier that evening. However, the identity of the man was completely unexpected.

“It has been a long while, my Duke. Do you remember me? I’m the deputy commander of Carlton’s mercenaries.”

Carlton’s mercenary unit’s deputy–his lieutenant–greeted Luisen warmly.

“Of course I remember you!” Luisen welcomed him readily as well. The man looked rough and fierce but, because he was Carlton’s subordinate, the young lord felt friendly and affectionate for some reason. “How did this come about? Have you been in the duchy’s castle all this time?”

The situation was brought about like this:

While Carlton was in the midst of being pinpointed as the kidnapper, several of his men were arrested while waiting to join their leader in Confosse. They were transferred to the duchy and, after clearing up the misunderstanding, began helping with the ducal affairs and gathering up the rest of their comrades. When Luisen joined the Eastern Great Lord’s party and sent word back to the duchy, Carlton’s men came to the capital as messengers, intending to meet up with Carlton once more.

“Aiya, there’s certainly a lot of knights out there. My Duke, you’re too easily imprisoned. Where is our captain anyway? I came all the way here without taking a break to see him!” Carlton’s subordinate asked brightly. He had no doubts that their leader would be here, and he was joyful for their reunion.

That only made the young lord feel complicated as he had to pour cold water on that excitement.

‘Carlton…isn’t here though… If he just came half a day early…;’

Luisen looked at the man with pity in his gaze.