Circumstances of a Fallen Lord

Chapter 38

 Carlton sighed.

 It was reasonable that such a ridiculous rumor that he had affections for Luisen had emerged. He must have been concerned enough about the young lord that it seemed unusual to others.

Hesitating to leave because of worries over a noble?

That sounded so pathetic.

Hed been living too comfortablyimmersed in the relaxed and indolent atmosphere unique to the south. Hed become too relaxed. There hadnt been any battles, and there was no sense of crisis as wealth just rolled in. However, it was time to tighten his resolve sharply again.

Alarmed, Carlton vowed to himself, Keep distance from Luisen and focus on my work.

Carlton deliberately turned a blind eye to the lords smile.

*****

     That night, the general gathered Luisen and his retainers in the conference room. There, Luisen heard unexpected news: Carlton and his soldiers had decided to leave in two days.

The retainers, who were originally quite anxious, broke into a festive mood. They cheered and hugged each other as if Carlton had already left and all their troubles had come to an end.

While everyone was delighted, Luisen was bewildered. He felt increasingly burdened as everyone else said he did well and thanked him.

He didnt feel any better when he returned to his bedroom, took a bath, and changed into his pajamas. Ruger hummed as he combed Luisens hair. As Luisen was in a particularly melancholic mood, the song agitated him. You seem to be in a good mood.

Of course! Carlton is leaving! My duke, arent you happy?

I am. Carltons departure would mean that all the hardships he had expected when he returned to the past were over. He had been looking forward to this day for a long time; but, somehow, he was more upset than joyful.

The Anies duchy had survived. What now? What should they do now? Thinking of the future made his heart sink, and he became gloomy. It felt a bit similar to staring at a blank exam without being able to write down a single answer.

Anxiety made unnecessary worries manifest. Just, why is he leaving so suddenly? Isnt two days far too soon?

The road to the capital was long; it was doubtful whether or not Carltons troops could finish preparations for that trip within two days. In addition, he was also worried about the Vinard households envoys testimonies. If what they said was true, there was an unknown danger lurking outside the castle. Theyd be traveling with a large amount of supplies and wealth; they should at least send a small advance team to scout the area.

Last night, Carlton seemed to accept Luisens suggestion to be careful. He thought that the mercenary would spend a few leisurely days preparing and finishing up their duties. Why did he suddenly change his mind?

      Furthermore, he did not directly hear this change from Carlton himself but, instead, from the general. Luisen thought the other would at least let him know when he had planned to leave. The abruptness was strange and upsetting.

Ignorant to Luisens innermost thoughts, Ruger said excitedly, My duke, youre happy, arent you? When Carlton leaves, we can pack quickly and return to the capital!

The capital? Theres a lot of things left to do here.

What does my lord have to do here?

I need to take care of the estateIm the lord after all.

Since when have you paid attention to your noble duties? Even if the duke isnt there, the general will be present; the duchy will be fine without you, said the attendant.

Luisen became depressed at Rugers wordshe wasnt completely wrong, after all.

Tell the others to do those boring and difficult things. Isnt that what retainers are for? They need things to do as well. Lets go to the capital and party and drinkhave funlike before, Ruger said.

What partyAll our friends are dead

Then we should make new friends. Everyones impatient to get to know you, my duke. Why must you continue to only say such depressing things? As expected, the capital and the city fit us better. Being stuck in the countryside has only made you worry and be bleak.

Im serious right nowour future is bleak.

The thing Luisen was most scared of was that his knowledge of the future was now useless due to all the changes in the timeline. So far, he had made up for his lack of ability with his knowledge of the future, but that nest egg was soon running out.

Ruger gently patted and smoothed his hair as if to console him. What is my duke worried about when he has me?

Then, he talked about how bad the situation was in the duchy and how they could have enjoyed themselves in the capital. His smooth talking was so efficient that his words could have crafted memories that didnt even exist. However, none of his flamboyant speech penetrated Luisens ears.

I should tell Carlton to go slower. I need to steel myself as well, Luisen thought.

It was too late todaytomorrow, then.

Hed meet Carlton again and try to convince him.

*****

The next day, Luisen headed to the generals office instead of going to the lower village. Now that Carlton was preparing to leave and the gates to the estate were opening, other work had appeared.

Luisen shadowed the general to learn about his duties and met with the retainers in the conference room to discuss the next steps after Carltons departure. All he did was sit at the head of the table and listen to the others words, but the retainers were very satisfied with that alone. They found it miraculous that their lord, who was usually busy running away and playing around, had sat through the whole discussion.

In his free time, he completed the homework and studies given to him by the general and the treasurer.

The lack of rest felt unfair, but Luisen was reaping his own karma.

In between all that, Luisen tried to meet with Carlton. Before, he used to be able to see the mercenary whenever he wished, but recently he hadnt been able to see even the tip of his nose.

Of course, Luisen was also busy. Whenever Luisen tried to visit Carlton, a servant or one of the knights suddenly appeared from somewhere and dragged him away, saying that the general was calling for him. Then, when he visited the general, he was only given more homework.

This is too strange?

But the biggest problem was not the retainers who followed Luisen around like baby birds, but Carlton himself.

Before, Luisen could find the mercenary without much effort; today, he couldnt find him anywhere. After waiting for him, Luisen had decided to visit him first. However, his efforts were in vain, as the other was always said to be busy or not present. He waitedeyes wide openand when he saw Carlton appear at the castle, he chased him, but the mercenary disappeared again.

Are you avoiding me? As understandable doubt began to arise within him, Luisen slowly grew angry.

No, Id understand if were too busy to meet. But dont you think you should say goodbye before leaving? No matter what others may have said, Luisen was still the owner of this castle. If one settled down in anothers castle for more than a month, it would be polite and proper to leave their greetings before they left. Of course, the two didnt meet under the best of conditions, but theyd been doing well since. Furthermore, they may meet again in the capital or city in the future

Now that it had come to this, Luisen was agitated even by Carltons choice to ignore Luisens greeting down at the lower village. Was this because I kept trying to feed him the buried old hags? I was only jokingwhy is he avoiding me? Did I give him any reason to do so? He even asked if there was a chance we could meet again in the capital.

Recalling that night, Luisen felt as if he hadnt done anything wrong. The atmosphere at that time was harmonious and pleasant.

In fact, there was no problem if we just left it like this, Luisen thought. As the others have said, its supposed to be great news that Carlton can leave quickly. It was none of Luisens business whether or not Carlton would rush himself into an accident.

However, Luisen did not want to part with the man like this.

Carltons departure from the duchy meant more to him than the others. The war that changed Luisens life had ended; the long journey to correct his mistake of abandoning his estate and fleeing his troubles had finally come to an end.

     Luisen had long been chased by the mercenary and had been afraid of him for a very long timehis appearance had destroyed the foolish young lords perfect life. Many things had changed since the regression. He felt as if Carlton had acknowledged him to some extent, and Luisen was also not as afraid of Carlton as he was before. The relationship with the mercenary was like a symbol of the correct choices the lord had made after regression.

That was why Luisen wanted to see Carlton off.

In this situation.

The saint had said that those who hesitate and procrastinate would eventually find their life had come to an end. If your target is avoiding you, you should confront them when they cant escape.

Luisen waited deeply for the quiet, lonely night to fall upon the castle.

***

He sneaked out of the room at the right timeif Luisen were to meet any servants, they may block his efforts, so he observed his surroundings carefully as he headed to Carltons room.

The lights were off in his bedroom, and Luisen charged right in. The room was dark, but Luisen knew the layout well since this room had once been his. Getting to the bed was no real trouble.

Carlton was laying on the bed.

Hes sleeping so well.

However, sleeping well or not, that wasnt going to stop the motivated Luisen. The lord approached Carlton carefully, taking caution not to wake him, with outstretched hands. But, before that hand could reach Carltons shoulder, Carlton pulled on Luisens wrist

     Huh? Hnnrk!? Luisen was dragged along, just like that. His body was turned halfway around and thrown onto the fluffy bed; his eyes were spinning from the rapid change in momentum. Carlton held down Luisens chest tightly with one arm, and in one smooth flourish, he held a dagger to the lords throat with his other.

TL: Well thats going to fan more rumors! How bold~ going to a mans bedroom late at night.