CH 28

“Here.” Luisen scooped some soup into a wooden bowl and handed it to the boy. Though the boy looked up at him suspiciously, he accepted it cautiously. “Eat this and wait. The castle will distribute rations tomorrow, so tell the grown-ups, okay?”

“Really?” The boy’s eyes widened in shock.

“That’s right, things like flour and firewood…But do you all have the energy to make bread?”

It would have been better to bake and distribute the food over distributing food ingredients, but, regrettably, the castle had too little manpower.

Could the starving properly cook and prepare their dishes? Hunger often claimed reason. It would be a big problem if in their hunger-driven craze the people simply ate the raw ingredients; thus, Luisen went down to the village to boil soup for them.

“It’s a bit difficult right now, but I’ll even return what we requisitioned to the castle, eventually,” Luisen said.

“Really? When? My lord, do you have money? Actually, are you sure you’re our lord? I’ve never seen you before.”

“I’m really the lord of this land. Of course you’ve never seen me before. When would you get a chance to see someone like me?” Luisen answered each and every rambling question, voice gentle compared to his aloof face.

The boy began to speak more courageously, “But, are we ruined because we lost the war?”

“Ruined? Do you think the Anies duchy would be ruined over something like that? Once the gates open, it’ll all somehow work out.”

He wasn’t bluffing; he had spoken the truth. Now that the locusts had been exterminated, the plentiful valleys of wheat had been harvested and gathered in many warehouses across the territory. It’s just that those bushels couldn’t be transported inside the estate gates. The duchy’s economic situation was not dire.

Though the civil war had left holes in the administration and personnel affairs, Luisen predicted it would quickly stabilize after those ministers held captive were released in return for the duchy’s gold, jewels, and bonds.

Come to think of it, Carlton was the only major problem left. Why wouldn’t he just unlock the gates?

However, it was hard to bad-mouth the mercenary. After all, it was Luisen himself who instilled the fear of the first prince’s nobles within him.

“Anyway, don’t worry about it. I promise to you, with the duke’s honor, that it will be alright. And I’m so sorry to have made you all suffer.”

The boy’s ears turned red at the unexpected apology. He never could have imagined that such a sky-high, untouchable lord would apologize directly to an ordinary villager like him. And above all, at that moment, Luisen’s face was so pretty.

“Um, that’s….”

“Go and eat; you must be hungry.” Luisen patted the boy on the shoulder. The boy began to walk away in a daze, looked back at the lord, and began to hurriedly slurp the soup. Though it was watery and contained no spices, the taste was strangely good. Above all, it warmed up his icy body.

The villagers, after watching the boy’s interaction with Luisen, slowly approached. They carefully asked, “Is this really okay for us to eat?”

“Eat, eat.”

“Did you just say that rationing will resume soon?”

“That’s correct. We’re aiming to restore food distribution as quickly as possible. Everyone is discussing the details in the castle.” Luisen continued to answer every question while scooping soup. He answered calmly while keeping in mind the possible consequences of his words. He wouldn’t forget the promises and apologies he made to the young boy.

As a result, each response was quite slow, but the people could see his words were authentic and thoughtful. Luisen’s heartfelt feelings and promises were delivered with every bowl of warm soup.

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Had another person distributed the soup, the promises wouldn’t have felt so genuine. The words were so effective because Luisen, the Duke of Anies, was standing there, holding a ladle.

Though Luisen had long been known as a scoundrel who neglected the territory, the people did not easily forget their regard for the Anies household as a whole. Watching Luisen’s actions, the villagers were reminded of their long-forgotten faith in their noble of the golden fields.

‘That’s right…if the duke is doing this much…’

‘He’s our lord…we must trust in him….’

‘Even though he’s been unreliable, we have no choice but to wait and believe…’

Those who at first stared at Luisen with distrust and resentment slowly began to soften their stance.

The people of the duchy were originally as generous and laid back as the territory’s mild climate. While the wartime fears ruined their easy-going attitude, the original personality did not disappear. When their lord personally came to the village to comfort the people, the rough villagers began to return to their gentle, sheep-like disposition.

Even though the sun had set and night had flooded the square, more and more people began to crowd around. The arm holding the ladle felt numb, and Luisen’s throat was sore. Still, Luisen did not budge from his spot.

“Draw more water and pour it into the pot. Tear more bread into the soup. And you guys, help those that have mobility impairments.” Luisen barked out orders as he continued to distribute the food. Knowing how miraculous one bowl of warm soup could be, he couldn’t afford to grow tired.

****

Soon one could see the bottom of the pot that had originally held what seemed to be an endless amount of soup. Torches had to be lit, as no lingering rays of sunlight were left in the sky. Moving at night wasn’t good for either Luisen or the villagers.

“We should return to the castle now. Staying longer than this would be dangerous.”

“But there are still people left…” Luisen looked at those gathered. Would it be better to continue or to return? As he was agonizing over the decision, he spotted Carlton standing alone among the crowd. No matter how many people flooded the area, it wasn’t hard to recognize him, as he stood a full head over the others.

Since when had he been standing there?

As soon as their eyes met, Carlton drew closer.

“Why didn’t you call to me after you arrived?” Luisen asked.

“It was hard to squeeze through. It’s late, so let’s call it a day.”

“…..Okay.” Luisen had no choice but to listen to Carlton’s words.

As he began to leave, the villagers chimed in.

“Let us handle the cleanup!”

“My lord, you can’t bear that weight. We’ll carry that.”

Luisen left the villagers to their own devices. During that time, Carlton simply stared at him. ‘What’s wrong with him?’ Luisen thought.

Luisen, feeling burdened by his insistent gaze, asked, “Why do you look at me like that?”

“Ah, no….” Carlton bit back what he had originally intended to blurt out. “How did you find the resolve to return to the village after what happened during the day?”

“Huh?”

“I don’t know what you believed in for you to act so recklessly.” Carlton stepped closer. Luisen felt nervous as the giant man’s body approached him. Carlton’s uniquely sharp gaze pierced through him. “Seeing you now, it’s not as if you’re fearless.”

“Are you mocking me?” Luisen asked.

“Nothing like that. I’m just fascinated.”

“With me?”

“I didn’t know you’d go to this extent,” Carlton explained.

“I couldn’t just sit around and do nothing…”

“I thought you’d be participating in the meetings in the castle, and instead you came here…out of nowhere. I was quite shocked.”

“…I had to check on my citizens…Besides, this time I came with the knights. I’ve been keeping safety in mind.”

“Yeah, well, if you didn’t bring the knights, I would have thought you’d actually gone mad.”

Luisen looked up at Carlton. Did the mercenary perhaps…follow him because he was worried? ‘No way…It’s Carlton….there’s no way he’s worried me.’ Luisen threw those suspicions far, far away.

“I was thinking that things were too orderly. Maybe it was because you were watching?” Luisen asked.

“I didn’t help any. I’ve just been watching.”

‘Did I say anything about helping? Why is he so serious about it anyway?’ Luisen inwardly vented his annoyed feelings.

Carlton continued, “Next time you decide to do something unexpected, let me know in advance.”

“Would something like this happen again?” Luisen said. However, Carlton didn’t seem to believe his slight denials. He looked at Luisen as if he were an alcoholic who had vowed to quit drinking.

“Let’s return together. If the duke gets hurt, I’ll be held responsible,” Carlton said.

Luisen wondered about his abrupt change in heart but felt it was strange to insist upon returning separately.

*****

The advisors’ meeting was almost over by the time Luisen returned to the castle. The people of the castle were bustling, waiting for the sun to rise and their duties to resume. Each minister scattered to deal with their respective departments. Since Luisen had no further business, he returned to his room at the urging of his advisors.

He washed up, changed his clothes, and laid in bed, thinking about the roller-coaster of a day he had. ‘From leaving for war, falling behind, getting involved in riots, Carlton and I…..we almost…if Carlton hadn’t stopped me….’

Luisen quickly jumped out of bed.

He couldn’t fall asleep because he kept thinking about useless things. His arms and legs were heavy; his whole body throbbed, but his mind was wide awake.

Sitting still in bed reminded him of the people he saw during the day.

‘Will the villagers make it through the night okay?’

They had something to eat today, but tomorrow? The day after? When would Carlton open the gates?

Thinking about this and that, anxiety began to weigh down upon Luisen’s shoulders.

‘I can’t do this.’ Luisen got out of bed and threw off his pajamas messily. ‘You have to move your body at times like this.’ He quickly put on his outdoor clothes and left the room.

The castle was quiet at night. Only the occasional torches held by the patrolling soldiers were visible. In the dead of night, it was too burdensome to call on either Ruger or the soldiers, so Luisen quietly headed to the barn alone.

The duchy was large, and people did not often travel to the less plodded areas, full of unknown grasses and trees. In particular, the area near the barn was incredibly dense because it was not managed by the groundskeeper.

Luisen dragged a shovel by his side and wandered among the weeds, searching for something. He couldn’t see well because of the lack of light.

‘I think it’s around here somewhere.’