Circumstances of a Fallen Lord

died a dog’s death in the previous timeline. 2

     ‘Who would dare to punish whom?’ Luisen thought.
‘I ran away and he stayed.’

     “You’ve always done your duty.
I’m the one who should apologize.” Luisen knew that no matter how many times he would say sorry, the deep guilt could not be conveyed.

      Though no one else could access that long lost memory, Luisen couldn’t forgive himself, to stop mourning the staunchly loyal commander’s death.

     Luisen silently took the commander’s hands in his own.
“Thank you.
Always.”

      “My lord….”

      On the other hand, the knight commander was surprised at Luisen’s touch.
Those hands used to be small and soft, like sprouting leaves blooming in early spring.
Now, however, these hands had grown larger and were firmly supporting themselves.

     A knight who seeks punishment; the master who feels the need to apologize instead–when did he become so reliable?

     Tears spilled from the corners of the knight’s eyes, soaking the deep set wrinkles on his face.
Each large droplet was as heavy as the years he had lived.

     “I will never take my lord lightly again.
I will trust and follow your orders faithfully,” the knight commander vowed.

     ‘That’s..not it though.
Why would he trust me? What is there to trust?’ Luisen questioned his wisdom, but he wasn’t so uncouth as to throw the older man’s goodwill back in his face. 3 Instead, in a dignified and elegant manner, Luisen finished comforting the old knight and sent him back to the conference room to fulfill his duties.

     ‘I’m thankful…but they shouldn’t trust me too much….I’ll only lead them into trouble….’

     Thanks to his knowledge of the future, Luisen had seemed intelligent for a while, but Luisen ws originally someone who didn’t like to use his brain and was inattentive.
He knew his unreliable self the best.

      He’d have to fix their misconceptions sometime.
Luisen grumbled and quickened his pace.

*****

     There were several prisons in the duke’s estate.
Luisen had asked Carlton’s men in advance where the villagers were being confined–the basement dungeons.
It was a prison for the criminals with clear charges, a place to isolate them from the others before trial.

      Generally, those caught in riots would be exiled from the territory.
In some cases, fines or communal labor may replace a harsher sentence, depending on the lord’s discretion.

“”

     But, harming the lord or the Anies family would often result in the death penalty.
For those who lived underneath the protection and mercy of their noble ruler, any physical retribution was a serious act of treason that threatened the stability of the system.
No noble family would ever let such crime slide.

     The people captured during the day were hardly the ones who directly injured Luisen.

     But, their fates depended on the lord’s perspective; whether or not he viewed them as those caught in the flow of anger or those who had participated in intentional harm against the ruling family.
The Duke of Anies had the right to judge crimes committed on his territory.

     Carlton currently held the right to hold trial, but their fates still depended on Luisen’s whim–Carlton had given permission for Luisen to do as he pleased.

     Though stepping inside the duke’s castle would usually be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the villagers, their visit was tainted by being confined in the basement dungeon.
A distinct anxious atmosphere filled the prison.
When Luisen climbed down the stairs, many entreaties were lobbed at the duke, who held the key to their life or death in his hands.

    “I’m sorry, my lord!”

    “I’d never attack you, my lord, I swear!”

    Each cry reverberated off the stone walls, creating a dizzying cacophony.
Within the panicked cries, a familiar voice could be heard.

    “My lord! My lord! It’s me! I’m over here!”

    “…Ruger?”

    Ruger was locked up in a cell which he shared with five or six other villagers.

     “Why are you there?” Luisen said, surprised.
He walked straight to the cell.

     Ruger molded his body to the iron bars and desperately called out to his master.
“My lord.
Oh, my lord.
You’ve finally come to save me, haven’t you?”

     “I didn’t even know you were here? Why are you here anyway?”

     “I was captured earlier in the day, after Carlton had taken my lord away.
I tried to follow behind, but I got caught up in these peasants’ riot.”

    No wonder Luisen couldn’t find his servant.
Honestly, Ruger had reaped what he sowed, but the experience must have been quite traumatizing.
His eyes were moist with tears, and Ruger’s physical condition seemed quite poor.

     “Come on out for now.” Luisen motioned for the guard to open the door.
Ruger flopped out of the cell with sloppy movements.
He could not straighten his back properly, and his joints creaked like a rusty hinge.

TL: Thank you guys for reading <3

Footnotes

The original novel states that Luisen was quick to grab onto the horse’s tail–aka to seize something (in this case, to seize the good aspects of the catastrophe.) Idiom~  A dog’s death = a grim/horrid death, not befitting a human.
A death that defies human rights.  the original idiom is to throw ashes in the face–aka to be ungrateful or rude in a heartwarming situation.