Chapter 17 (1/2)

In the end, he wasn’t able to sleep this night, either. The Dunbertian’s strong feelings were heavy.

Ernst let out a deep sigh. What should he do – was a question that he had lost all of his answers for. He wasn’t able to keep his mind straight.

Even though the head butler had collected all of the information on the fief for him, Ernst wasn’t able to read one page or even one sentence of it, making the head butler send him contemptuous looks. While Ernst drank his soup, the maids watched and smiled with ridiculingly as he forgot to bring it up to his mouth.

No decent Lord would be sent off to a remote place like this. Ernst heard them say this.

But, there wasn’t anything Ernst could have done. Everything about his small body was an embarrassment.

He had only been taught how to rule. No one had taught him how to relate and connect with other people.

If Ernst hadn’t fallen in love with him, then should he just say that? But, did he really not love him? He was special to him, after all. No, was he really special? Ernst had just wanted to know his name. Was that really something special, after all?

… Just what should he do.

In times like this, when Ernst thought about what he should do, Ernst lost sight of himself.

He couldn’t think about anything, and just when he’d had enough of it, his feet would always end up bringing him to that place.

He stood at his usual spot by the windowsill, blankly watching the militia train.

His appearance was… Ah, that’s right. His appearance was to Ernst’s taste. Since he himself was small, Ernst liked things that were big. His appearance was very pleasing. Though, perhaps he was a bit too big, Ernst thought.

Snow fell from the sky, glittering in the light. Winter was still just beginning.

Even without him having to say anything, the kindling for the fireplace had been prepared. But there was very little. Tomorrow, no matter what, he had to check on the financial state of the fief.

Ernst looked into the fire of the hearth. There wasn’t anything else to look at. They hadn’t prepared any candles for him. It seemed that the use of candles was precious.

The man’s large body was seated on the rug in front of the fireplace. No matter how he tried, Ernst couldn’t find a chair which fit this body.

If he were the Ernst of before, he would have looked down upon sitting on the floor, believing it to be bad manners. But after having sat on the ground in the forest and in the valley, he could only think it was such a trivial thing.