Musou Knight: Crow of Cinders-Chapter 53: Facade

Chapter 53 – Facade

"What should I be doing with you?" I sighed.

Lenitia was enraged. She thrashed against Lia’s grip, but instead of breaking free, she kicked me.

"Unhand me, Lia! What are you doing?! Are you betraying your master now?!"

I climbed on top of her and clamped her mouth shut. Leaning closer, I whispered.

"Your pride will be our downfall. Louis Zen sent her to test us. If you can’t keep quiet, they’ll discover that you and I are not engaged, and you’ll be married off to some decrepit old man among his ranks."

Finally, Lenitia stopped resisting, though her glare could have cut steel. I released her mouth.

"You should have told me earlier."

"Woman, do you have eyes? Didn’t you see what I did?"

"You didn’t say anything."

I closed my eyes and exhaled sharply. "You thought you were clever. In reality, you’re a liability. You can’t fight like generals. You can’t scheme like a strategist. In politics, you can’t even wear a mask. Without me as a buffer, you’ll be treated like an ornament."

Lenitia clicked her tongue and looked away. "I know."

"Then control yourself. Think before you speak."

I moved to the edge of the bed. A moment later, Lenitia sat up and shrieked.

"Go wash your hands, you brute! How dare you smear your filthy blood on my face?!"

I glanced at my palms and smirked. "Be grateful it was red, not white."

"What?"

"PFFT!!" Lia giggled, shoulders trembling as she released Lenitia. She turned away, bursting into laughter.

Lenitia froze. Her face reddened gradually. Then she flailed her arms and legs like a child throwing a tantrum.

"YOU PERVERTS! LECHERS! FILTHY SWINES! Rolling around like animals in heat right under my nose! Do you think I’m blind? Do you think I’m deaf? Lia, you shameless wench! Betraying me for him of all people because he gave you a horse?! The next day, you spread your legs and neighed like a mare in mating season! I hope you are reborn as a pig and get bred all day and all night, just as you wished!"

She stood up and kicked me off the bed.

"You disgusting fraud of a man, parading as a noble knight while... rutting in my tent! You’re nothing but a horny rabbit dressed in human skins!"

Lenitia turned to Lia next and started pointing fingers at us.

"Both of you are perverts, disgraceful, indecent! I should have you imprisoned in the same pig’s den, so you can mate to your heart’s content while the others can laugh at your depravity! Degenerates!"

While her crash-out made sense, we hadn’t expected her confessing to snooping. I stared at Lenitia with round eyes while Lia couldn’t stop laughing.

The attendant hugged her master from behind.

"I’m so sorry, Your Highness. I did everything I could to bind Crow to our side. I didn’t know that you were jealous."

"JEALOUS, WHO!? THAT’S IT! YOU TWO CAN STAY HERE AND MAKE A HUNDRED BABIES! I’M GONE!"

O, the lord of Caps Lock. Forgive this woman for her sin, even though we kind of pushed her buttons. It was not our fault that she couldn’t take a joke.

Lenitia stormed out of the bedroom while Lia chased after her. The room got quiet instantly without the yappers. Finally, they moved out.

Dorothy entered the room a minute later, carrying a bucket of hot water. She set it gently on the floor and bowed, while her eyes flickered toward my bloody hands and stained bedsheet.

"Shall I summon a physician to tend your wounds, sir?"

"...No need. By the time one arrives, they’ll already be healed."

"As you wish. If you require anything else, the servants stationed outside will attend to you immediately. They remain at your disposal."

Because of her reminder, I recalled something. I asked her right away.

"If you have extra... lamp oil. Bring me a cup. Also, I have eaten nothing since morning. Have some servants prepare me a light meal."

"Lamp oil and a meal? Understood, sir."

This head maid smiled as she left. I thought she would have asked me what I would do with it.

Finally being alone, I grabbed the lamp on the bedside cabinet and opened its cover. The small fire flickered as wind from the open windows blew into my room.

I hovered my left palm over the fire. The tip of the flame licked me. My bloodstains on my skin caught fire, which quickly spread and crawled up my arms. Once it reached my elbow, the flame stopped spreading.

As usual, it was not painful. On the contrary, the flame soothed me. I burned my other hand, and the injuries were gone. After wiping my body with wet cloths, the food arrived.

"Finally, I can rest."

.

The next day, knocks on the door woke me up from my beauty sleep. Dorothy entered the room before I could even raise my head to answer the call. Four young maids followed her, carrying carts full of cooked food.

"Sir, Lord Zen has summoned you to the palace before noon. Please get ready."

I sat up and rubbed my eyes. As my eyes adjusted to the light in the medieval bedroom, my thoughts also began to process the circumstances. The master of this mansion might not even be me but the proxy of Louis Zen, aka Dorothy. I assumed they treated me like a puppet.

Dorothy glanced at my hands. Her gleam in her eyes glinted for a moment, but I caught it. She must have noticed that my hands were healed.

I asked, "Does the general also call the princess?"

"No. Just you, sir."

"Alright."

The bedroom furniture was already set up before Lenitia and I moved in. The maids arranged a dining table and set up the food plates. I got up and walked to the table, though my mouth was still dry and dirty.

When was the last time I brushed my teeth?

The thought horrified me. I made a mental note to set my teeth and gums ablaze for purification when nobody was watching.

After breakfast, the maids dressed me up. I didn’t know where they got the clothes from, but being stripped naked by young women was an uncomfortable experience.

When I finally suited up, the mirror confirmed my worst fear. I looked ridiculous.

The long jacket, stiff suit, painted-on pants, and leather boots were all the same blaring shade of red. Even the gloves matched. The only break in the monotony came from the silver chains dangling where buttons should have been. The entire ensemble screamed "wannabe villain squad" straight out of an edgy anime. If they had switched the color scheme to black, I would have found myself as the main character in a story about being trapped in a virtual reality game.

I sighed. This uniform reminded me of a certain knight academy backed by Louis Zen.

"I guess he’ll send me there."