CH 95

Chapter 95

Luisen reflected on the previous night’s events.

‘Now that I think about it, he wasn’t in a good mood from the very beginning.’

It wasn’t like Carlton to just send away the knights that had been harassing him. He hadn’t come to see Luisen, and he managed to render himself unnoticeable despite his large stature. Truly, he must be hiding something to save himself.

‘Then, the main culprit must be…’

Luisen looked at the Eastern Great Lord. The older noble was dining on some egg-based dish and looked at Luisen as if he were saying, ‘What’s wrong? Why are you staring at me?’

‘That’s right. This person is someone that could make Carlton act weirdly.’

“What did you say to my party in my absence?”

The Eastern Great Lord frowned slightly at Luisen’s direct question, “Apparently you met that punk last night. Didn’t he tell you everything?”

“If he had, would I be asking you right now?”

“I simply told him to mind his manners. Since I had accepted them as part of my party, I believe I can ask that much from him.”

‘There’s no way he said something so gentle?’ As Luisen stared, the Eastern Great Lord added to his statement, as if nothing could be helped, “I also mentioned a strange rumor that circulated regarding you two.”

“Ah–Do you mean our flight of love?”

“You knew about it?”

“Yes, I’ve heard about it.”

Morrison had already informed the young lord about the rumor’s existence. Luisen had dismissed it as mere groundless gossip that might circulate the streets, but, if the Great Lord all the way in the eastern region of the kingdom knew about it, how far did this rumor travel?

“And you still chased after that man in the middle of the night even if you knew that such a rumor existed?”

“Everyone important will know that rumor is false.” Luisen was dumbfounded. It was obvious that the person who had made up this rumor didn’t know Carlton very well. How could an ambitious man like the mercenary run away due to love? Carlton lived fiercely and was proud of his life’s achievements. He wasn’t romantic enough to throw all of that away for just ‘love.’

“Why in the world are you and the men surrounding you always the subject of rumors?” The Eastern Great Lord grumbled.

“What else was there?”

“There were wagging tongues about that traitor!”

“What? Ruger and I? Well, that doesn’t make any sense…”

“Enough with this talk!” The Eastern Great Lord waved his hands, as if he loathed hearing anything. “This is all because you’re unmarried.”

‘Honestly–how did the topic change to that?’ Luisen thought.

“You should meet and marry a lady from a prestigious family and have many children! It’s an obligation for people like us to leave many descendants. You have to continue your family line,” he said, grandiosely.

As the Eastern Great Lord showed signs of gearing up to make a speech, Luisen tried to listen with only one ear, as usual.

However, suddenly, the other noble adopted a serious and sincere expression. “How about my granddaughter?”

“What?” Luisen was flustered. Did he mean the granddaughter he scolded just now? The granddaughter he ordered to attend to Luisen all day? Even now, she was busily preparing tea next to the young lord. Certainly, it must be embarrassing to hear about marriage matters, but she calmly poured the tea into a teacup.

It seemed that the Eastern Great Lord must have talked about this match before–to some extent.

“I still haven’t thought about getting married yet…”

Before regression, Luisen was too absorbed with himself; even after joining this timeline, he was busy solving the issues that popped up before him.

“Think about it seriously. You are close in age and in family status–there won’t be a better marriage match than this. Your household needs more bodies, and you are the only direct descendent. You must hurry.”

“There are too many things I must take care of, first.”

“I don’t mean you must have a wedding immediately. Considering the current situation, we must prepare for a national funeral before winter passes.”

Luisen nodded–he also knew well that the King’s condition was grave.

The Eastern Great Lord continued, “After the new king’s coronation ceremony, you’ll want to return to your duchy before spring arrives, correct? Let’s talk and settle the matter before then.”

Though there was nothing fundamentally wrong with the Eastern Great Lord’s words, Luisen felt he couldn’t keep up with the flow of the conversation.

Luisen was someone who lived in the moment. The future was blank to him since, out of habit, he never thought deeply about it. Right now, he merely drafted a rough timeline of defeating the demon worshippers, going back to his home city, and living well.

In other words, his mind came up empty.

“Of course. Just think about it.”

Luisen shut his mouth without responding. Marriage, huh? If he wanted to give up his playboy, trashy ways, he must think about marriage, but he couldn’t stop procrastinating. His lips wouldn’t utter, ‘I’ll think about it,’ as Carlton’s face suddenly came to mind.

‘Mm, why am I suddenly thinking about Carlton?’

In any case, perhaps the culprit behind Carlton’s uncharacteristically heartbroken appearance wasn’t related to the Eastern Great Lord’s scolding. If so, then Luisen realized that he or something he said yesterday must be the culprit.

The Eastern Great Lord nagged for a long while–Luisen was submerged in nagging hell where each complaint would summon even more nagging for the older man. Even the attending maidservants gave Luisen pitying looks. However, Luisen did not notice; he was lost in thought.

What exactly had hurt his feelings?

Carlton had a delicate side, contrary to his appearance. He noticed small interactions that others would pass over easily; he was also good at looking at others’ faces and matching their speed. As someone who lived his entire life balancing on a tightrope, he had to be twice as sensitive as others.

However, Luisen was the opposite. The young lord had changed a lot as he experienced the bitterness of life, but he was still ignorant in interpersonal matters. His habit of not concerning himself with others’ emotions had not yet been rectified.

No matter how much the young lord wracked his brain and tried to read the incomprehensible lines in Carlton’s body language, it was still difficult to fully understand the mercenary, who had been born into bitterness.

‘Who knows!!’ he wailed internally.

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However, Luisen had learned from the saint what he should do at this time. If he has no answer, he could ask someone else he knew well instead of hastily guessing.

‘Fine. After eating breakfast, let’s look for Carlton.’

Since the matter involved Carlton’s heart, Carlton should know best, shouldn’t he? The young lord had made up his mind, but the day didn’t go as Luisen had planned. Towards the end of breakfast, a servant entered the tent. They informed the nobles present that a noble of a nearby territory had asked to see the Eastern Great Lord. The noble in question was merely a poor viscount, but the meeting was allowed since the noble was the cousin of an aristocrat that was in the Eastern Great Lord’s good graces.

So, Luisen also had to accompany the Eastern Great Lord to this unexpected meeting.

The noble was an extravagant man who had adorned himself with jewels all over his body. “Good morning, my Dukes. I am called Roks Boton. I have recently been titled the Viscount and now rule over the Boton territory.”

“So, you’re the new Viscount Boton? I heard that there was a great catastrophe in your estate not too long ago.” The Eastern Great Lord said.

“Yes, thankfully, with your grace, I was able to endure safely.”

As someone that loathed creating enemies in the East, the Great Lord acted quite generously, and the Viscount Boton muttered flatteries with his tongue smoothly, as if it had been coated in oil.

From the side, Luisen stared at the viscount quietly. Even though this was the first time they had met, the man somehow felt familiar.

‘Viscount Boton… Boton… Where have I heard that name… Ah!’

The three knights Carlton had knocked over! He had definitely heard that the three knights that were killed and used as ghouls by the demon worshippers were the knights of the Boton estate.

‘Rumors stated he left his territory and ran away…But he’s alright?’

He had a dull complexion and wore incredibly thick makeup to cover it. Still, the man’s limbs were intact and his skin was plump and bouncy. If Carlton had seen the Viscount Boton, he would have sneered and said the razing of his estate couldn’t have happened to a better person.

“To be frank, I had come to see you despite my shabby appearance because I had an earnest question to ask. I’m sorry to bother your busy selves like this, but, since you were passing by my territory, I couldn’t let this opportunity pass by.”

‘So, now the Viscount’s main point is about to appear? He’s going to leave behind his territory and vassals and entrust himself into the Eastern Great Lord’s circle, isn’t he?’

Luisen made sarcastic remarks inwardly, but, unexpectedly, Viscount Boton’s words contradicted his cynical thoughts. “My mansion is less than half a day from here. As you’ve been on a rough journey for the sake of our country, I’d like to offer my abode for one night.”

‘Huh? You want to invite us to your mansion? Didn’t you run away from your estate?’ Luisen, who originally had no intention of speaking up, had no choice but to ask, “I’ve heard something about your situation… Can you, at this time, really entertain guests?”

“I was away from my territory for a short while, but everything is alright now. Of course, what I have may not be enough to satisfy your esteemed selves, but I will do my best to host.” Far from being agitated, Viscount Boton became even more confident.

The Eastern Great Lord must have been pleased with that self-composed answer, he chuckled, “Your heart and sincerity is quite praise-worthy. Very well, I’ll stay at your mansion for one night.” He readily agreed to the Viscount’s request.

Luisen whispered quietly so that only the Eastern Great Lord could hear, “Is that alright? We must go to the royal palace as soon as possible.”

“It shall be fine. This old man’s body cannot keep up with such a fast pace–how could anyone fault me for that? If we hurry, we’ll be dealing with my funeral first rather than his Majesty’s.”

Luisen groaned–he knew this would happen. Though their journey had been somewhat luxurious so far, the Eastern Great Lord was very dissatisfied that they had to set up camp and sleep in tents in the middle of a field. Though, to be fair, traveling is quite hard on the elderly.

In any case, even if the mansion may be simple, the Eastern Great Lord found no reason to reject sleeping in the noble’s home. Moreover, he found the Viscount Boton, who came to find them in order to treat them, admirable.

From the Viscount’s position, it may be natural to actively create an opportunity to foster some sort of relationship with the two dukes simultaneously.

Though this was an advantageous situation in various ways, Luisen still felt uncomfortable. Was that because he kept thinking about the knights on the bridge? Was his discomfort due to the way that they had died while being used by the demon worshippers?

However, since the demon worshippers’ existence was being kept secret, Luisen had no choice but to shut his mouth. It was impossible to sway the Eastern Great Lord’s heart just by saying that the young lord felt uncomfortable.