Chapter 104
Chapter 104
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 104
Chapter Title: Kicked Out and Imprisoned for Insolence
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"William, I think you'll have to be kicked out of the house for a few days."
"...Pardon?"
On the day after skipping the Founding Day ceremony, my mother suddenly burst into my room and dropped this bombshell.
I must have misheard, so I just stared at her blankly, but then the maids who followed her in started packing my clothes into a bag.
"Uh... Mother?"
"Yes?"
"What's going on?"
"There's nothing I can tell you, but soon enough, you'll find out whether you want to or not."
"...?"
"Augusta, don't pack that."
"Yes, ma'am."
No matter how much I asked, Mother just dodged the questions and gave instructions to the maids as if she knew nothing.
Once the bag was neatly packed with clothes and odds and ends, with no room for more, she glanced at me and spoke.
"Anything else you need to take?"
"Hmm... I don't think so."
"Alright then. Take this and go."
"Ah, yes..."
No sooner had I said that than the maid who'd been packing grunted as she lifted the bag and brought it over to me.
"Tsk..."
"Haha..."
"Well, thanks anyway."
I clicked my tongue as I took the bag, then awkwardly smiled and thanked the maid—who was glancing nervously between me and Mother—before leaving the room.
You might think I was going too quietly, but resisting wouldn't change the outcome.
First off, there were a bunch of maids and butlers waiting outside the room. Even without them, I could never win against Mother—that was the second problem.
Before the servants dragged me out kicking and screaming, Mother could just flick a finger and I'd be tossed out the window.
No point in making a fuss and straining our relationship.
Walking out on my own two feet was better for my dignity and looked less pathetic than being hauled away by the servants or Mother.
"Young master..."
"Emily, stay put."
As I left without a word of protest, Emily tried to hurry after me, but Mother's voice stopped her from behind.
She's really kicking me out for good...
"Sniff..."
The tip of my nose stung a little.
Mother must have her reasons, but I still felt a pang of resentment settling in my chest.
"Haa..."
Once I stepped out of the house and stood on the street, I let out a sigh and looked up at the sky.
I'd walked out with my head held high, but with no idea what to do next...
If she'd at least told me how long I'd be out, it would've been so much easier to bear.
"Sigh..."
With another heavy sigh, I put everything else aside and headed straight for the Atelier.
I could crash in the workshop for a few days, and if things got dire, I could always ask Sub-Baron Benien for help.
That was my plan when I arrived at the Atelier.
"Captain?"
"Sir William, it's been a while."
Captain Sophia Wilson and several knights were standing guard in front of the Atelier.
Each held a set of binding cords, and the moment they saw me, they approached and subtly surrounded me. Their target was clearly me, but I had no clue why.
"What's this about?"
"Putting formalities aside, I'm truly sorry, but you'll have to come with the knights."
"And the reason?"
"His Imperial Majesty has ordered your detention."
"......"
My brain nearly short-circuited.
I knew detention was on the cards.
The church hadn't taken kindly to my provocative ads, so a showy arrest was inevitable...
But this was way too fast.
Something felt off.
"What's my crime?"
"Insolence."
"What kind of bullshit..."
I muttered a quiet curse under my breath.
You couldn't say insolence never applied to human affairs, and the emperor's word was law, but even then, it was common sense—and a social norm—to dress it up as something more plausible.
"......"
But they hadn't even bothered this time.
I was so baffled and outraged that words failed me.
Ah, maybe it's the emperor's prank?
No sane person would arrest someone on such a ridiculous charge.
That hypothesis made sense, so I chuckled as I scanned Captain Wilson and the surrounding knights.
"Come on, don't play such a lame joke. Where's a crime like that even exist?"
"I know it's hard to accept, but your crime really is insolence. Even we're baffled at having to arrest you on such a dogshit charge."
"Hah... for real...?"
I didn't want to believe it was real, but it didn't seem like a lie either.
If it were a joke or fib, the knights would've averted their eyes, or the captain would've scratched her head apologetically.
If that stiff-looking captain wasn't here to arrest me personally, I might've held out in denial.
"So... I'm really getting detained for something this absurd?"
"Yes."
"Ha... haha..."
I let out a hollow laugh, pressed my hand to my forehead, and looked up at the sky.
Then, in a voice full of emptiness, I muttered,
"Life really..."
"I-I shouldn't say this, but I fully understand your frustration."
"Yes..."
The captain patted my shoulder sympathetically as she drew closer.
Then she grabbed my arm, and the knights led me away.
The only silver lining was that, thanks to the knights' disdain for the absurd order, I was spared the humiliation of binding cords.
This world doesn't match the modern era's standards, but it still values human rights to some degree. For example: slavery is illegal, overtime and weekend work come with premium pay, labor under age 11 is banned, there's an effort to stick to a six-day workweek, and working over 60 hours a week is discouraged. Our employees are workaholics, and enforcement is lax outside the Imperial Capital, so it's often ignored, but still. Anyway, the laws try to respect a humane life. Sixty hours or six days a week human rights? Check when the match girl story came from, or look up how many hours it was in Korea before the 52-hour week. But even in this world, there's one place where human rights don't apply: prison. Even in the modern day, people argue criminals should lose rights, so in an era with imperfect rights, they get treated worse than dogs. "This is really it?" After they confiscated everything but my clothes and shoved me in, I pointed at the iron bars in front of me, shivering as I asked the captain. "Yes..." She nodded, avoiding my gaze. A window barred only by iron rods, letting in a constant chill. Moss-covered stone walls. Air thick with moldy stench. A bed of haphazardly piled straw. A wooden bucket that looked like a toilet. And that's it. The kind of scene that instantly explains why old prisons were death sentences. "Wow... this is... something..." Seeing a genuine early modern prison after only hearing about them left me speechless but for awe. "W-Well, this is the nobles' quarters, so it gets good sunlight and is a private cell." The captain was trying to spin it positively, but I had no idea how to respond. Should I be grateful for the special treatment? "Quite the privilege." "Ahem... cough...!" I shot her a sidelong glance, and she must've realized how ridiculous it sounded, because she suddenly broke into a fit of fake coughs. Yeah, she's just following orders. No point taking it out on her. "How long do I have to stay here?" I stared blankly at the cell and asked the most important question, half-resigned. "Two weeks for now. It could stretch to four, or you might get out sooner." Two weeks wasn't bad, even if conditions sucked. "Two weeks..." The kicker? It landed right on my birthday. I'd spent birthdays in the military twice, but prison? First time ever... "Hoo..." Reality hit hard. But as the captain said, at least it wasn't the infamous underground dungeon. That place was like a chicken coop where they tortured inmates to death. Here, I might get sick but could survive. "Should I go in now?" "No more questions? Entering now or later won't change your release time." "It's just a few minutes' difference, so might as well." "Understood." The captain fitted a key into the small hole in the barred door and twisted it with effort. - Creaaak... The grating sound scraped my ears as the lock released and the door swung open. "In you go." "Thank you." I stepped through the door she'd opened herself and plopped down on the straw. - Screeech... "Take care." "Yes." She locked the bars after leaving a brief word of encouragement and walked back the way she'd come. "Whew..." As I watched her go, I let out yet another sigh—God knows how many today—and fashioned a pillow from the straw before flopping back. The straw poked my back, and the floor was rock-hard, a grim preview of the ordeal ahead.