Chapter 202. A Prison Named Lullaby (2)
“Lloyd.”
“uh.”
“Lloyd-sama is really diligent.”
“hmm?”
Lloyd’s eyebrows twitch.
Xaviel’s cold eyes held an even cooler energy.
“It’s not just hard work. He is also very sincere.”
“hey?”
Lloyd tilted his head.
Why is Xaviel like that?
If you’re going to curse, I said just do it.
I’m not the kind of person who would give such a compliment in a situation like this.
Did I eat something wrong without knowing it?
In the meantime, Xaviel’s relay of praise continued, ignoring the bewilderment on the other side.
“Besides, you are meticulous. There are no gaps, and I prepare for the next work steadily every time. He also had a side that seldom deviated from the path he had set.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
“yes. So, if you look at it, you can really feel it. In particular, when I see Lloyd-sama covered in dirt while working on construction, I think he came across as friendly and familiar rather than an arrogant aristocrat.”
“Friendly? Familiar?”
“yes.”
“for example?”
“It’s a pup.”
“….”
“This is how they dig diligently, diligently dig holes, and meticulously compact the soil. In particular, if you look at the back of the shovel, which is not good enough and twitches and whines terribly, there is no such thing as a puppy. Is that all? So does the smell from the back end.”
“Hey, what’s my smell?”
“You don’t know, but when the puppies feel threatened, they spurt a brown liquid with a terrifying stench from their anus. Have you ever taken it? It smells like a mixture of dog poop and rotten mud, so it’s exquisitely similar to Mr. Lloyd’s dirty aftermath.”
“…hey.”
“Why are you like that? Didn’t you say it was okay to curse?”
“Oh, it was.”
“So I did. Cool inside.”
“Shouldn’t you rather have broken a bone?”
Lloyd smiled bitterly.
Xaviel added a word with a more prickly look.
“For someone like Lloyd-sama who does evil in the world, this level of swearing is too much.”
“Will you hate me more if I told you that I couldn’t help it?”
“….”
“Tsk, don’t open your eyes openly like that.”
“Shall we try to think of a worse curse?”
“No, save me.”
Lloyd recalled a stern laugh.
Maybe Xaviel understands our intentions to some extent.
Contrary to the reaction of harsh verbal abuse, the guy’s likability did not drop even one degree.
‘Actually, I didn’t do anything very bad to Serazade either.’
It is true.
It was right that the lullaby intentionally put shackles on Serazade’s growth.
I could also admit that it was a pretty cheesy tactic.
But what if you think differently?
He is her lifesaver.
‘Thanks to the Qanat I built, that woman didn’t die. Where is that?’
Lloyd shrugged.
The grace he bestowed on Serazade.
It was a kind of grace that neither Xaviel nor Serazade himself nor the rest of the world could ever know.
‘Because you changed the future. It’s because he changed his fate of being caught up in the rebellion and dying.’
But no one knows what the future will look like.
Lloyd didn’t think that was too bad.
‘I wish I could save one person.’
no thanks needed
I don’t even wish
All you have to do is hit it with the shackles.
Just thinking about it made me feel relieved.
said Lloyd.
“Anyway, so I’m looking forward to her reaction.”
“A reaction.”
“You were greatly influenced by my lullaby, right? So you’re probably going to have one of two reactions.”
“One of the two. What is it?”
“Come here or just stay in the Sultanate.”
“Are you saying that you’re not going to forget Lloyd-sama’s lullaby and come all the way here?”
“uh. But since it hasn’t appeared yet, it must be that he’s thinking of choosing the latter.”
“It must be the way to overcome difficulties alone, that is.”
“uh.”
“So, are you sorry?”
“Um, not really.”
Lloyd grinned.
Even if Serazade did not come, there was nothing to regret.
He would go through a lot of trouble overcoming the Sword Master Syndrome while knowing the comfort of a lullaby. Because of that, it would take another 10 years to reach the level of a sword master.
That would delay the time when the Sultanate would become strong.
“So there is nothing to be sad about. Well, it would be better if that woman suddenly came to visit us one day.”
“Lloyd-sama, no way.”
“Um, did you get the hang of it already? You’re smart. That guess is right. The day that woman comes will be the day when new high-end construction equipment or manpower is added to the Corps of Engineers, right?”
“….”
“I thought that would be the case, so I made an employment contract in advance. Absolutely meticulous.”
“….”
Oh God.
Please, please, save that poor woman.
Xaviel was at a loss for words to stop.
And I thought to myself.
Serazade might fall into the same fate as himself (?).
If she had come all the way to the Prontera estate.
I want to tell you to run away right away.
Just like that, Xaviel slightly furrowed his eyebrows like a picture in the midst of the uneasy feeling soaring.
Lloyd grinned at the silver-haired knight.
while walking side by side.
The evening was drawing to a close.
and early the next morning.
What Xaviel feared had indeed happened.
♣
“Bibung-!”
The morning of the Prontera estate was bright.
The sun shimmered as it pushed away the fog at the foot of the mountain that bloomed all night.
In the moist air, Count Frontera relaxed his shoulders.
“Whoa.”
it’s tough.
It’s a lot of hard work trying to do something I didn’t do.
But we cannot stop what has already started.
The count thought so and gripped the trowel tightly. moved bum stone. The soil cracked. A weed was uprooted. Beads of sweat were dripping down the count’s forehead as well.
“Whoa.”
My legs hurt.
I’m not used to squatting like this.
Even trimming the flower garden was unfamiliar.
I could already feel my knees tingle and my shoulders stiff.
But the count persevered.
It was because he remembered his promise to his wife.
‘I have such a fever. Do you have a cold? Please don’t overdo it tomorrow.’
It was before going to bed last night.
The wife’s expression was not very good.
At first, I thought something bad was going on.
Then, after a while, I had an idea.
I touched my wife’s forehead.
It was hotter than usual.
I felt a slight fever.
So it was.
I had asked my wife
If the cold gets worse after this, it’s a big deal.
So please don’t overdo it for a while.
Then he said that his wife had a troubled expression on her face.
‘No.’
‘Why?’
‘A lot of weeds have grown in the flower garden. I have to pull it out quickly.’
‘But isn’t health more important than a flower garden?’
‘but….’
‘Then I’ll take the place.’
‘yes?’
‘It’s fine for a few days. Flower garden management I do it. Then will you be relieved?’
‘you….’
Managing the mansion’s flower garden was almost the wife’s only hobby.
He valued his hobby so much that he seldom left it to maids or servants to manage it.
In the meantime, how grateful I was when I heard the words of this side.
How warmly you held hands.
‘Yes, I promise. That’s why you can’t do it roughly just because it’s a little difficult.’
It is a promise made to my wife, not to anyone else.
Even if the sky has two sides, you must protect it.
Even if your knees are sore and your shoulders are stiff, you have to pull out all these weeds.
Earl Frontera made fun of the trowel with such a promise.
With a little clumsy shoveling, the weeds in the flower garden disappeared little by little.
In the meantime, the count’s wandering thoughts also disappeared.
Cold knees too.
Stiff shoulders too.
successively forgotten.
Instead, a rewarding heart filled my heart.
‘Come to think of it, I’m really happy.’
If you think about it, it really was.
The financial difficulties that had suppressed the territory disappeared.
All the refugees who came in countless numbers settled down.
As such, it was a worry-free everyday.
Besides, what about the two sons?
‘It’s Lloyd.’
When I think of the first one, which was once a headache, a hearty smile comes out.
I’m going to make something called ondol.
I’m going to make money with it
So promise me support so that I can take on some of the guards.
It was a count that I can’t forget even now when he made a serious request.
‘He’s still keeping the promise he made back then.’
Instead of being promised support, he said he would give up drinking.
To be honest, I didn’t really believe it at first.
It was because he was a guy who would wake up even if he was drunk.
But the boy really kept his promise.
It’s holding up well so far.
where is that only
Looking at the first child who has become so sincere and trustworthy, I was so proud that I wondered if I was born in this world to see him like that.
‘And Julien.’
The second was like that too.
Although it wasn’t as difficult as the first one.
He was always a diligent and wise son.
But he had a weak side.
So I was worried in my heart.
How do I get through the rough world?
What will they do for a living without inheriting the family?
Occasionally, I would secretly sigh because of the worries that came to my mind.
But not anymore.
He graduated second in class at the academy of the royal capital.
Literally, it was as if a solid road to a senior official had been opened.
‘This father…I’m really happy.’
My two sons have grown up so well.
Because he grew up healthy without a single sore spot.
Now it seems that he has the wings to fly through the world without his protection or help.
That fact made me so proud and proud.
I was delighted and happy.
That’s how much effort went into the count’s shoveling.
Smiled through the buds of early summer.
Then, all of a sudden, I heard an unexpected sound.
“Stop there.”
“What brought you here?”
A sound coming from the front door.
It was the voice of the mansion guards.
Did the visitor come from early in the morning?
But who would come to the mansion at a time like this?
The front gate was not too far from the flower bed where the Count was.
The Count squatted and raised his head.
Unfortunately, however, the early summer roses in full bloom along the fence were blocking the view.
All I could see at first glance was the backs of the two guards.
The figure of the visitor on the other side of the closed front door was obscured by the roses.
‘Judging from the guard’s attitude, he doesn’t seem to be a native of this place.’
It was a territory that wasn’t that big in the first place.
It was a face that everyone knew each other after crossing a few bridges.
However, the fact that the guards show such a stiff attitude means that the visitor must be a refugee or a stranger.
‘Still, the guards will take care of it.’
The count laughed.
It was not his job to deal with each unknown visitor.
What time is it now?
He was tending his wife’s precious flower bed.
Besides, I was just trying to get used to the squatting position, so if I awkwardly got up midway and changed my posture, my legs would hurt even more.
So it was.
The Count continued to move the trowel.
I just kept my ears open.
An unknown visitor and a guard who stopped him.
The conversation between them was slowly heard.
“Is this the mansion of Count Frontera?”
I heard a question from a visitor.
The Count tilted his head.
The visitor seemed to be a young woman.
Besides, the pronunciation and intonation were a bit unique.
No matter how you look at it, the accent was quite different from the local accent.
While the count thought so, the guards responded.
“The mansion of the count family of Frontera is correct. If you are visiting, please state where you are from, your identity and purpose.”
“You mean that?”
“That’s right.”
“East. I am from the Sultanate.”
“sultanate…You mean?”
“yes.”
“Then what is the purpose of your visit?”
“I’m here to see Lloyd Frontera, the eldest son of this family.”
“You mean Master Lloyd?”
“yes.”
A woman’s voice answered in a straight line.
Count Prontera’s shoveling had stopped before he knew it.
‘A Lloyd? is that girl? In the Sultanate?’
He tilted his head.
A woman from the Sultanate.
Are you looking for Lloyd?
It seemed like something out of the ordinary.
Curiosity arose that I could no longer stand by.
‘What in the world did you find my son from so far away?’
In the end, the Count let go of the trowel.
He put his hands on his swollen knees and raised himself up.
My eyesight gradually increased. it was open
Over the profusely pinned hedge roses.
Finally, the appearance of the visitor was properly seen.
A fairly large stature.
Exotic sultanate traditional dress.
More exotic light brown skin.
A confident nose and an expression that is not intimidated.
With eyes shining like black pearls, he spoke clearly to the guards.
“My name is Serajade from the Eastern Sultanate. To clarify the purpose of my visit, I came to meet Lloyd Frontera, the eldest son of this mansion.”
“Could you clarify your reason for wanting to meet Master Lloyd?”
“yes.”
Lady Serazade nodded.
The reason why he came to Lloyd.
He took a breath to reveal it.
Earl Prontera’s ears pricked up as well.
Serazade finally spoke in a confident voice.
“Because I have become so unable to sleep without him.”
