Chapter 4. Wrath (6)
While Osian roughly cleaned the room and lit the fireplace, the doorkeepers moved luggage from the carriage. Large pieces of luggage were already piled up in one corner. When he sat on the bed that seemed to have been there originally, it smelled musty.
Still, thanks to everyone except Ronen moving busily, it began to take shape. The altar was repositioned beside the bed, new curtains were hung, and the old cloth hanging from the bedposts was removed and replaced with the dark blue velvet they had brought. Then it looked quite decent.
Sculptures, silver candlesticks, silverware, pillar decorations, and such also found their places. On one side, clothing, shoes, perfumes, and the like were being organized. Chairs, display cabinets, and human-sized statues had already been placed here and there.
Iron chain rings were embedded in the wall. When Osian lifted Ronen’s foot to put shackles on him, he noticed that one of his shoes was missing.
“Goodness! Your foot is completely ruined! It must have hurt, why didn’t you tell us!”
He had carelessly lost it himself, and everyone was frantically busy, so he didn’t want to burden them with troublesome matters. Besides, it didn’t hurt that much. At some point, as if something inside him had broken, the temperature of his senses and emotions had dropped infinitely low.
Osian brought heated water. When he wiped the foot with cloth, only then could he feel the stinging. The wound was worse than expected, so Osian muttered with a fearful voice.
“If the Grand Duke finds out… he’ll surely be angry.”
Ronen cupped Osian’s cheek with his palm. He gave quite tender comfort to the child looking up at him.
“He won’t know. It’s just the sole of a foot.”
Since the foot was now clean, he withdrew it from Osian’s continued grip.
“There should be medicine.”
“…Yes! I’ll bring it.”
“Find some shoes I can wear right away too. Since this is only one shoe, hide it somewhere or something.”
“Yes. I’ll do that.”
The firewood crackled as it burned. Since he could feel the room temperature rising slightly, he removed the cloak he was wearing. Underneath he wore thin pajamas. It meant things had been so urgent that he couldn’t even dress properly.
‘Where might this be? It didn’t seem like we came very far.’
Still, since they considered this place safe enough, he would be staying here for a while. Ronen looked around at the still unfamiliar surroundings. Through the window, only buildings of similar height could be seen. So there wasn’t much to see, but until Osian brought medicine and shoes, he remained endlessly glued to the window.
Grand Duke Canis came to find him only the next night. The Grand Duke held Ronen more roughly than usual. He even broke his own rules and left his marks all over his body. Anyway, Ronen was the Grand Duke’s possession, and even if he arbitrarily broke the rules he had set, no one would say anything, but it was certainly behavior unlike the Grand Duke.
He pressed his teeth into Ronen’s nape and carved red marks like bruises in various places. His nipples were so bitten and chewed that they stung at the slightest touch. If he saw himself in a bright place, he might look like a plague patient, all mottled.
Like a male does to a female in animal mating, the Grand Duke bit the nape he had already bitten several times and growled fiercely.
“Insolent bastard. How dare you covet what belongs to another without knowing your place? Like a stupid dog that doesn’t know its master. You should clearly realize whose money feeds you!”
Whether it was because his possession had almost been taken away, or whether he was displeased that the Pope’s dogs dared to covet what was his, Ronen had to endure Grand Duke Canis’s venting with his entire body.
When the dim dawn light entered the room, the Grand Duke released Ronen.
Even after the act ended, Ronen had no strength in his body and remained lying face down on the bed. The Grand Duke, lying beside him with his chin propped up, swept his fingers from Ronen’s shoulders down to his waist. Ronen’s body, made extremely sensitive, flinched and reacted even to such a light touch.
Whether this was satisfying, the Grand Duke repeatedly stroked his waist while muttering.
“Who on earth reported it?”
He frowned as if he had no clue or perhaps too many.
“…One by one, one by one, cutting off the tails will reveal it. No one will come for a while, so know that.”
Whether he was reluctant to reveal the new location to the customers who had been looking for Ronen, he seemed to plan to leave him alone for a while. It was fortunate for Ronen. The space between his legs where the Grand Duke had been going in and out all night ached, and all his limbs felt heavy. It was no different from a much-needed rest.
Since he didn’t know what kind of torment he might face if he slept with the Grand Duke beside him, Ronen forcibly pushed away the drowsiness pouring over him and asked.
“That… the painter too?”
“Ah, right. That fellow too.”
The Grand Duke called in Osian who was outside. At the command to bring what the painter had been working on, Osian quickly brought a canvas wrapped in cloth. When he pulled the cloth, an unfinished painting was revealed. Even though parts remained unpainted, it was impressive enough to draw admiration.
The Grand Duke too seemed impressed by the level and let out an incredulous laugh.
“Anyway, his skill alone is worth using.”
What should he do with that fellow? The Grand Duke fell into thought while carefully examining the painting. Leaving him as is didn’t sit well at all. Anyway, he would have to complete it… What if that fellow was the one who reported Ronen?
“…Would there really be such a reason?”
He recalled the painter Canui he had been watching. All the information he knew became complexly tangled in his head.
The reason his tongue was cut was certainly because he had seduced the Duchess of the Kingdom of Yespe with that fine tongue of his. However, Canui wasn’t actually at fault. He was just trying to win the favor of nobles, and the truth was that he was uncomfortable with the Duchess pursuing him.
The Duke was angry but couldn’t punish the Duchess, and the Duchess also wanted to cover up the situation, so she put all the blame on Canui, which most of the Kingdom of Yespe knew. They even performed puppet shows about it on the streets.
In addition, rumors spread that Canui was sexually impotent, which were quite credible since they came from the mouths of women and men who had been his models. Combined with the Duchess’s affair, who had tried every seduction to sleep with him but was ultimately rejected, it became even more so.
Canui’s attitude toward Ronen, thinking only of painting, the various rumors surrounding him, and the situation where the Grand Duke had taken in someone who had fallen from great success to rock bottom and might have starved to death on the streets, and had been steadily supporting him since.
If Ronen were caught after being reported, it would be a disadvantage for Canui, never a benefit. Where would there be a fool who would give up patronage for a few coins?
“…That fellow can’t write. He can’t speak either. Even if he wanted to report, there’s no way to do it. Unless he guides them directly.”
His thoughts weren’t long. The Grand Duke called someone and gave orders. Bring that painter right now, but make sure to confirm whether anyone is following behind.
***
Madame Cornelia checked once more to see if she had forgotten anything. She tore curtains to wrap valuable items like money, dishes, and candlesticks, and reduced luggage by wrapping clothes and such in blankets. Furniture and decorations just needed to be loaded onto the cart.
The room that had always overflowed with heat, laughter, and pleasant music was empty and hollow. The ladies working under her wore disappointed expressions as if they regretted leaving that place. It was understandable since they had been receiving customers on these streets for years.
“Where did she say we’re going?”
“Ganen. She said it’s safe there.”
“They said housing is expensive there, the Madame must have pushed herself quite hard.”
“Still, to have money to move, how much has she saved all this time? I’m still loaded with debt.”
“I heard clothes and accessories are more expensive there. My debt will increase even more.”
“Don’t worry. If we’re moving to such an expensive place, would she charge the same? The money we earn will increase accordingly.”
“But customers have completely dried up lately. They’re afraid of being caught too… At this rate, won’t we all end up on the streets? Whether we die this way or that way…”
The ladies’ conversation stopped. It was because Madame Cornelia, who had finished checking even the upper floor, approached. Madame Cornelia’s face was filled only with anxiety. Though the sun would rise soon, it was still the officials’ active hours, so they didn’t know when they might rush in. She hoped they could just hold out one more day.
Madame Cornelia flicked her nails with an anxious face.
“Seeing how quiet it’s been so far, there’s definitely no customer who reported us. Tomorrow we’ll leave this place, so even if someone reported us, they won’t be able to catch us. Let’s start fresh there. It would be better if we secretly select customers there. A carriage is supposed to come as soon as morning arrives, so check once more if you’ve forgotten anything.”
She constantly gave herself reassurance. That if they just got through today, they wouldn’t be found, that if they just safely made it to Ganen, the officials couldn’t follow. Ganen too wouldn’t be safe forever, but it was much better than continuing to stay in Duran. Her thinking was that other cities would be safe until all the reported prostitutes in Duran were caught.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
