episode_0104

“William, you’ll have to be kicked out of the house for a few days.”

“… Pardon?”

Having skipped the National Foundation Day celebration, the shocking statement my mother blurted out when she suddenly barged into my room the next day.

Thinking I must have misheard, I stared blankly at my mother, and then several maids who followed her in began to pack clothes into a bag.

“Uh… Mother?”

“What?”

“What’s going on?”

“I can’t tell you, but you’ll find out sooner or later whether you want to or not.”

“…?”

“Augusta, don’t pack that.”

“Yes.”

Even when I asked questions, my mother avoided answering and only pretended not to know, giving instructions to the maid.

As the bag was filled with clothes and miscellaneous items, and there was no more room, my mother glanced at me and said,

“Is there anything else you need to pack?”

“Um… I don’t think so.”

“Really? Then take this and go.”

“Ah, yes…”

At the same time as I said that, the maid who was packing struggled to lift the bag and approached me.

“Tsk…”

“Haha…”

“Well, thanks for now.”

Clicking my tongue and taking the bag, I awkwardly smiled and thanked the maid, who was watching my mother and me carefully, and left the room.

You might think I’m leaving too easily, but resisting won’t change the outcome.

The first problem was that several maids and butlers were waiting outside the room, and the second problem was that I couldn’t beat my mother even without those servants.

Before the servants dragged me out, my mother could just snap her fingers and I could be kicked out through the window.

Resisting would only make the relationship awkward.

Rather than being chased out disgracefully by the servants or my mother, it was better for my image and well-being to leave willingly.

“Young Master…”

“Emily, stay still.”

When I left the room without complaint, Emily hurriedly tried to follow me, but I heard my mother stopping her from behind.

She’s kicking me out pretty seriously…

“Sniff…”

The tip of my nose tingles slightly.

My mother must have her reasons, but a sense of disappointment settles in one corner of my heart.

“Haa…”

When I came out of the mansion and stood on the street with my own two feet, I sighed and looked up at the sky.

I walked out confidently on my own feet, but there’s no solution, so what…

I’d feel much better if I knew how long I had to be kicked out, at least.

“Aish…”

Sighing again, I put everything else aside and headed to the atelier.

I can manage to stay in the studio for a few days, and if I’m in a real pinch, I can get help from Baron Benion.

Thinking that, I arrived at the atelier.

“Captain?”

“Lord William, it’s been a while.”

Captain Sophia Wilson and several knights were stationed in front of the atelier.

Seeing the knights carrying ropes one by one, and the way they approached me as soon as they saw me and surrounded me stealthily, it seemed like I was the target, but I couldn’t think of any particular reason.

“What brings you here?”

“To cut to the chase, I’m really sorry to you, but I’ll have to accompany the Knights.”

“What’s the reason?”

“His Majesty the Emperor has ordered your detention.”

“……”

My brain almost stopped.

I knew detention was scheduled.

The church didn’t like the way I was provocatively advertising, so I was sure to go in for show…

Isn’t this too fast?

Something felt twisted.

“What’s my charge?”

“Contempt of court.”

“What kind of stupid…”

I muttered a curse without realizing it.

I can’t say that there’s no such thing as contempt of court in human affairs, and I know that the Emperor’s word is law, but even with contempt of court, it’s common sense and a kind of social agreement to wrap it up with a plausible crime on the surface.

“……”

But this time, they didn’t even bother to try.

I was speechless because I couldn’t understand and it was absurd.

Ah! Could it be a prank by His Majesty the Emperor?

If he were sane, he wouldn’t think of arresting someone for such a crime.

Now that a more plausible hypothesis came out, I smiled and scanned the Captain and the surrounding knights.

“Ayy~ Don’t play such a boring prank, there’s no such crime.”

“It’s hard to understand, but your crime is really contempt of court, and we’re just as embarrassed that we have to arrest you for such a ridiculous charge.”

“Huh… really…”

I didn’t want to believe it, but it didn’t seem like a lie.

If it were a lie or a joke, the surrounding knights would have subtly turned their heads and avoided my gaze, or the Captain would have scratched his head as if he were sorry.

If it weren’t for the fact that the stiff-looking Captain had come to arrest me, I wouldn’t have believed it until the end.

“So… I’m really being detained for such an absurd crime?”

“That’s right.”

“Ha… hahaha…”

Letting out a hollow laugh, I covered my forehead with my hand and looked up at the sky.

And I muttered in a voice full of emptiness.

“Life is really…”

“Well, it’s not appropriate for me to say this, but I understand your frustration.”

“Yes…”

The Captain, who had come closer, patted me on the shoulder to comfort me.

And I was dragged away by the knights with my arm still grabbed.

The only good thing was that I didn’t have to experience being tied up with ropes, thanks to the consideration of the knights who were dissatisfied with the absurd order.

_

It’s not as good as modern times, but this world values human rights to some extent.

To give a few examples, slavery is illegal, there’s extra pay for overtime or weekend work, labor is prohibited for children under 11, efforts are made to comply with the 6-day work week, and it’s recommended not to work more than 60 hours a week.

It’s just that our employees are workaholics, and there’s a lack of administrative power to crack down on it, so it’s often ignored unless it’s around the capital.

Anyway, by law, it’s a world that tries to respect a human life.

You think 60 hours a week or a 6-day work week is human rights?

Check when The Little Match Girl came out, or check how many hours it was in Korea before the 52-hour work week was implemented.

However, there’s only one place in this world where the concept of human rights doesn’t exist, and that’s prison.

Even in modern times, there are often calls to deprive criminals of their human rights, so in an era where human rights are incomplete, they’re bound to be treated like dogs even more.

“Is this really it?”

The Knights’ prison, where I was taken after having all my belongings confiscated except for the clothes I was wearing.

Pointing to the bars in front of me, I trembled and asked the Captain.

“That’s right…”

Then the Captain nodded, avoiding my gaze.

A window barred only by iron bars, letting in the cold wind.

Stone walls covered in moss.

Air that smells of mold.

A bed made of roughly piled straw.

A wooden tub that looks like a toilet.

And that’s it.

A scene that makes you understand why people used to say that you’d die if you went to an old prison.

“Wow… this is, wow…”

Seeing a medieval prison in person, which I had only heard about, I couldn’t help but be impressed.

“Well… this is where nobles stay, so it gets plenty of sunlight and it’s a single room.”

The Captain seemed to be trying to make me look at it positively, but I didn’t know how to react.

Am I supposed to be happy about the special treatment?

“That’s, uh, quite the special treatment.”

“Ahem… ahem…!”

I glanced at the Captain, and he suddenly coughed more, as if he knew he was talking nonsense.

Right, he’s doing this because he was told to.

There’s no point in arguing with him, it’ll only make things worse.

“How long do I have to stay here?”

Looking blankly at the prison, I asked the Captain the most important question with a half-resigned face.

“They ordered 2 weeks for now, it could be extended to 4 weeks, or you could get out sooner.”

2 weeks, it’s not a bad period to endure, even if it’s harsh.

“2 weeks…”

The problem is that the timing is so cruel that my birthday falls right in the middle.

I’ve had two birthdays in the military, but this is the first time in my life I’ve had a birthday in prison…

“Heo…”

I’m hit hard with reality.

Still, it’s not the infamous underground prison, like the Captain said.

They say they lock people up like chickens and abuse them until they die, but here, I can get out alive, even if I’m sick.

“Can I go in right now?”

“Don’t you have any more questions? Whether you go in now or a little later, the time you get out is the same.”

“It’s only a few minutes difference anyway, so I’ll just go in.”

“Okay.”

The Captain inserted the key into a small hole in the iron gate and turned the key laboriously, flicking his wrist.

– Clang…

An unpleasant sound scratched my ears as the lock was released and the door opened.

“Go in.”

“Thank you.”

I walked through the door that the Captain opened himself and went straight to the straw and plopped down.

– Squeak…

“Well, have a good time.”

“Yes.”

The Captain left a short word of encouragement as he closed the prison door, locked the bars, and walked back the way he came.

“Sigh…”

Watching the Captain leave, I sighed, not knowing how many times I had sighed today, and made a pillow with my hands and lay down on the straw.

The straw poked my back, and the floor was hard, foreshadowing the hardships ahead.