A Lord's Work (2)
I studied the slender bard with his brown hair falling to his chin. He looked so frail that a stiff breeze might carry him away. Prostrating on all fours with his head pressed to the floor, the young man trembled violently, clearly terrified.
“You composed a song that belittles me and sang it in public?”
“N-not at all! I never meant to insult you!”
“Then why have you been dragged before me?”
“I swear I held no desire to dishonor Your Lordship! When I first saw you, a strange melody simply came to me. I only sang what I felt. But to the people… it seems they heard it as a song that mocked you…”
Olmati twisted the sideburns on his right cheek, his face twisted in distaste.
“A wretch like this deserves to be torn limb from limb and fed to the fish.”
“Hiiik! I-I’m sorry! I swear I’ll never sing anything about Your Lordship again! I mean it!”
“You expect me to trust the word of a wandering minstrel? The moment I release you, you’ll mock me behind my back. Do you think I don’t know how vulgar your kind can be?”
For some reason Olmati seemed even more agitated than I was. While I appreciated him raging on my behalf, my experiences with democracy told me this wasn’t necessarily something that required immediate fury. I believed in protecting artistic freedom and freedom of expression. Only when creation faced no oppression could fresh ideas bloom, and those ideas, I was convinced, would lead to a kingdom’s cultural growth.
“What impression did you have when you looked at me?”
“Y-you seemed… mysterious!”
“Is that all?”
“W-well, I also felt you were rather romantic!”
“I’m not that kind of person.”
When I tilted my head, the bard flinched and pressed his forehead even harder against the floor.
“M-my eyes must have been mistaken! Forgive me!”
“Please punish him severely, my lord. Any more of his excuses will only sour your mood.”
I waved Olmati off.
“No. First I want to hear the song. I’m curious what lyrics he actually wrote.”
Bewilderment flashed across Olmati’s face.
“It will only upset you!”
“I’m wondering what sort of impression the citizens formed when they saw me today. I suspect the answer lies in those lyrics.”
“It will clearly contain nothing but his subjective nonsense. Besides, minstrels as a breed are almost always desperate to mock and diminish the nobility. After you hear it you’ll want to wash your ears out, I guarantee it!”
“I’ll decide whether I like it or not after I hear it. So be quiet for a moment.”
“Hup!”
When I spoke with clear irritation, Olmati’s eyes widened and he clapped both hands over his mouth.
After silencing the endlessly chattering chancellor, I ordered the soldiers to return the confiscated harp to the bard.
“A-am I truly allowed to sing…?”
“Sing.”
I offered him a gentle smile.
“Stand comfortably.”
The bard took the harp and rose slowly, glancing nervously at the surrounding soldiers. When he continued to hesitate, I gestured again, urging him to sing without worry. He wet his trembling lips and finally began to play.
“L-Lord Hyenu of House Richard is Lanchester’s new lord, a handsome lord, and a stranger rarely seen in our lands~”
Soon the bard became lost in his own music. His performance grew confident, the melody bright and lively.
“Tamila, tamila. His skin glows brown and his hair is black as midnight. Tamila, tamila, tamila. How did he become lord of Lanchester? Did God grant him to the king, or did the devil entrust him? No one will say. Still, we are happy. For now he is our lord. We dance, we dance. All the people gazed at the stranger lord with joyful faces. Tamila, tamila, tamila. Is the stranger lord a messenger from the gods, or a child of the devil? Tamila, tamila. Everyone wonders about the future of our land.”
When the song ended, silence filled the chamber.
“Th-that is all…”
The bard looked up at me with a tense expression. Olmati snorted.
“I believe we should rip out the man’s tongue.”
“How many times must I tell you to stay quiet?”
“Hup.”
Olmati panicked as though he had committed a grave error and once again clamped his palm over his mouth.
I tapped my fingers on the desk, staring at the bard in silence, then began to clap.
“Well sung.”
“I-is it… acceptable?”
The bard’s eyes widened, blinking rapidly.
“After hearing it, I don’t feel particularly insulted. It was a good song. I’m almost envious of your talent.”
“Th-thank you!”
The bard’s face lit up like the sun. Olmati looked flustered and opened his mouth to speak, then quickly shut it again.
“I believe freedom of creation should be protected so long as it does not damage another’s honor. Rather than trying to slander me, your song expressed curiosity and anticipation for the new lord. You are innocent. You may leave.”
When I smiled and delivered the verdict, the bard rejoiced. He danced on the spot, plucking joyful notes from his harp.
“Thank you, my lord! I will never forget this mercy!”
“Ah, and I am neither a messenger of the gods nor a child of the devil. I simply sailed here from a distant eastern kingdom. Keep that in mind when you compose future songs.”
“I will remember it always!”
The bard, still beaming, did not immediately leave. A new inspiration had struck him, he said, and he earnestly begged to sing one more song in my honor.
“Go on.”
With permission granted, he launched into another lively tune. This time, however, the lyrics had transformed completely into lavish praise—so much so that it felt almost embarrassing to listen.
“Tamila, tamila. Our Lord Richard understands satire and wit; he is a generous soul~ We are your people. You are our wise king. Become a magnificent ruler and govern this land for generations unending. Tamila, tamila. Our respected and beloved lord.”
“Marvelous!”
While the bard sang with gusto, Olmati clapped along with a deeply satisfied expression. Once the performance ended and the minstrel departed, the chancellor approached me with eyes shining with emotion.
“Ooh, I am truly awed by Your Lordship’s wise judgment! Instead of punishing an ignorant fool, you chose to win his loyalty through mercy! This Olmati has realized how foolish he was! Hehe.”
It wasn’t quite the calculated strategy he imagined, but both Olmati—who continued heaping praise until his mouth went dry—and the soldiers who had watched the entire scene completely misunderstood. They all applauded, declaring how great their lord was.
“The people of a territory will follow however their lord leads them. Ahem.”
After offering a suitably vague explanation, I quickly ordered the next petitioner brought in.
Many more territory residents arrived with various grievances. I did my best to resolve them, but the backlog was enormous. Even after the sun set, we had barely made a dent. When dinnertime finally arrived, I postponed the remaining cases until tomorrow and left the courtroom.
“Haa… I’m dead on my feet.”
After sharing dinner with the others, I returned to the bedroom and collapsed onto the bed. The grand, spacious chamber was so spotless and neatly arranged that it hardly looked as if we had only moved in today. According to Dana, while I had been holding court, several maids had swarmed in and swiftly organized all our belongings.
“Are you going to sleep already?”
Dana followed me in and closed the bedroom door. She lit a scented candle, removed my shoes, then climbed onto the bed and lay down beside me.
“Tired?”
Her clear eyes searched my face. Though we had just eaten, her dress and skin carried no trace of food—only a fresh, delightful fragrance. Dana’s scent had always stirred my desire. The moment I felt a familiar heaviness in my lower body, I loosened the front of her dress and buried my face between her soft, white breasts. I sucked on them greedily, switching from one to the other, and felt my exhaustion slowly melt away. A deep sense of peace settled over both body and mind.
I licked along her collarbone and moved up to kiss her neck when Dana suddenly pulled back, meeting my eyes.
“I haven’t washed yet. I sweated a lot today, and my mouth probably smells like the barbecue sauce from dinner.”
“You’re clean even without washing. No matter what you eat, your mouth always smells sweet.”
Dana smiled with genuine affection.
“I like those words.”
She crawled back into my arms like a contented cat.
I had a woman who always radiated sweet fragrance, who loved and respected me, who laughed and whispered in a small, lovely voice. In that moment I felt I might already be the king of the world. Dana possessed a beauty as vast and rare as an endless territory or an army of millions. Had she belonged to another lord, I would have waged war without hesitation to claim her.
“I can’t tell you how glad I am that you’re my woman. I truly feel fortunate.”
“I’m happy too. Hold me tighter.”
She clung to me as though craving even greater love, her eyes drenched in affection. She gazed at me seductively.
Before we showered, I thought we might as well perform our own housewarming ritual by making love for the first time in this bedroom. I kissed her and began loosening my pants—when a sudden knock echoed through the room.
“Haa, what now?”
Frowning, I rose from the bed and pulled my pants back up to my waist. Dana quickly straightened her disheveled clothes and sat on the edge of the mattress. I walked to the door, opened it, and peered out.
Olmati stood in the corridor with both hands clasped politely over his chest, smiling brightly.
“Hehe, my lord. Do you have a moment?”
“What is it?”
I cut him off before he could continue.
“I’m tired and wish to rest. Unless it’s urgent, it can wait until tomorrow.”
“This is not official business. I came simply hoping Your Lordship would enjoy a comfortable night.”
“I’m resting comfortably, so don’t worry. See you tomorrow.”
I moved to close the door, but Olmati cried out hastily.
“W-wait, my lord! That’s not it!”
“Then what is it?”
“You must be exhausted. I have prepared a special gift to relieve Your Lordship’s fatigue. Hehe.”
“What sort of gift?”
“If you follow me, you will understand. I guarantee that once you see it, all your tiredness will vanish and a pleased smile will bloom on your face.”
Olmati shook his shiny bald head with visible excitement, clearly eager for me to view his surprise.