Circumstances of a Fallen Lord - Chapter 136

Chapter 136

Stumble–! Crash–!

Luisen thought he had fallen a long distance, but his body soon reached the ground.

‘Nngh.’ His whole body throbbed from the impact. Luisen looked around–the air was cold and smelled like mold.

‘Is this an underground prison? What about the first prince?’

Luisen looked up the stairs. The first prince stood by the door, but his face couldn’t be seen due to the backlight. Count Doubless appeared behind the first prince.

The man smiled contentedly at the young lord…as if he knew this would happen.

‘…It was a trap.’

That was Luisen’s hunch. The first prince was bait to lure out Luisen. He didn’t know what happened, but it seemed that the brainwashing wasn’t vanquished.

‘Where did it go wrong? How did the Count know about my plans?’ 

As Luisen floundered in his thoughts, Count Doubless descended the stairs. He stood before Luisen before greeting the young lord courteously, “We meet again, my Duke.”

The courteous greeting indicated that Count Doubless was playing with Luisen. There was no time to indulge in the count’s antics. Luisen looked around–there was no one in the underground prison, and it seemed disconnected from the secret passage.

Luisen thought of his companions that came with him, ‘I’m sure the others were able to disperse safely, right?’

He failed to release the prince from his brainwashing, so his only hope remained with everyone else. And Carlton.

“Duke Anies. It seems you haven’t fully grasped your situation yet.”

“What?”

Count Doubless kicked Luisen’s body. Luisen crashed to the ground once more. The count approached Luisen and seized his hair viciously, “I’m greeting you right now. How dare you ignore me–even now? Duke Anies… Father or Son, your family is insufferably arrogant!”

The count furiously shook Luisen’s head. The pain from his scalp and the resulting dizziness made Luisen unable to think.

“You Anies are always like that! Always looking down on others! Arrogant and insolent! Stand up–stand up and look at me properly!” The count placed his face right in front of Luisen’s. Only when the young lord’s pupils were filled with the count’s reflection did the count smile and let go of Luisen’s hair.

As he observed Luisen groaning painfully at his feet, the count returned to his previously calm demeanor. “Oh my, your grace. See how pitiful you look–this is what your shallow scheme has wrought.”

“Shallow scheme? Are you saying you predicted my plan all along?”

“Of course. I knew everything.” The count’s confidence was ominous. “For instance… Your knights scattered all throughout the secret passageway.”

‘Damn.’ Luisen swore inwardly, “I don’t know what you mean.”

He tried to pretend ignorance, but it didn’t work. The count smirked and chuckled as if Luisen was amusingly ridiculous. “I already know everything–the secret corridor that connects behind the queen’s bedroom… And how my duke spied on us from that corridor.”

“……”

“Peeping…What a sophisticated little past-time. Of course, you must have believed you wouldn’t be caught, but I’m not so sloppy.” Count Doubless had discovered the secret passageway a few days earlier. Traces left within the corridor had alerted him to the fact that Luisen had seen him with the first prince.

‘Anies knows the whole truth. My identity… and the fact that the first prince was manipulated.’ 

Once the count knew this single piece of information, he understood the rest of Luisen’s plans. The count anticipated that Luisen would attempt to unravel the prince’s brainwashing before trying to eliminate the demon worshippers alongside himself. He could have avoided this situation entirely, but he decided to take advantage of it instead.

He had used the first prince as bait to lure and isolate Luisen.

“…But the prince definitely drank the holy water, though?” Luisen murmured.

“It was switched. The prince himself did it.”

The count noticed Luisen pacing with a glass of liquid and guessed that it was holy water. Similar glasses were plentiful in the room, so the count secretly prepared a substitute. He left the room to make Luisen lower his guards and, during the requisite prayer, he had the first prince exchange the glass.

‘I should have treated the first prince like one of the count’s allies…’

Luisen recalled placing his glass of holy water on the table during the prayer. As the prayer was quite long, there was ample time to switch it out for a substitute. Since only the prince and the Great Lords were left in the room, Luisen didn’t feel the need to double check.

‘…I was definitely careless.’

What a painful mistake; Luisen clenched his fist. The count gleefully watched the downtrodden lord.

“So, what now? Are you going to kill me?” 

“No, I’m planning on sparing you.”

“What trickery is this?” Luisen glared at the count. 

Savoring that gaze, the count gleefully explained his plan, “After locking the duke up here, we’ll proceed with the ritual. All those in the castle will be sacrificed to the ritual… except for a few. We’ll keep a few people alive–after all, we’ll need witnesses.”

“Witnesses?”

“All those who survived will say the same thing–“

“…….”

“–everything that occurred was Luisen Anies’s doing.”

“What?” Luisen was bewildered by this unexpected statement.

“We’ll gain great power through the ritual. With that, we’ll implant false memories.”

“You plan to twist it so that you pin everything on me–is that your plan? You really think that’s possible?” Luisen had already met the Pope. He was sure this was a ridiculous plan, but the count seemed confident. 

“Wasn’t this all strange from the very beginning anyway? How would a Duke, who was known as a foolish lout, know how to thwart a heretical conspiracy? In actuality, it was all a farce!” The count said dramatically.

“But, that’s not true.”

“It will become the truth. All survivors will testify to that. Ah–and I’ve created some evidence.”

“……”

“Moreover… the duke himself will admit to all wrongdoings.”

“I will? Why would I… Don’t tell me, are you planning to manipulate my memories as well…?”

“My duke will become a sinner and wander the lands in fear of others discovering his identity.” The count grinned, adding weight to his words. 

The color completely drained from Luisen’s face. ‘Wander around forever… Was that what the count intended for me in the previous timeline as well?’

Luisen had expected this to some extent, but hearing it directly from the count’s mouth made shivers run down his spine. How much of his pre-regression self was just played around within the count’s palm? 

The count could engineer a similar fate with impunity.

This plan to frame Luisen wasn’t something that could be easily dismissed. Several times now Luisen had already encountered someone whose memories had been manipulated by the demon worshippers’ power.

Back when Carlton was still occupying the duchy, the Vinard family’s envoys were lost in the wilderness for more than ten days.  They had also attempted to manipulate and fabricate the memories of those in the Boton mansion–even if Luisen had eventually thwarted that plan.

Enhanced by the power of the ritual, what if the count were to repeat the same plan in the palace? It was plenty possible. Given that the count was so confident, he wouldn’t be telling Luisen unless he had perfectly executed some undisclosed preparations.

‘No wonder he stayed so obediently confined in the palace.’

The Count was prepared to smash the careless Luisen in the back of the head. Luisen had completely fallen into the pit-trap the count had dug.

“I’ve been…beaten. I have no way out. How impressive, count. Impressive.” Ha–Luisen lamented. Despair hung on the young lord’s face. 

The Count was full of joy. To see Luisen admit defeat and be filled with despair sent shivers of excitement down his spine.

The Count released a long moan with a rapturous look on his face. His hand clenched Luisen’s chin roughly; he looked into Luisen’s face with hazy eyes. “Yes, it’s this face. I wanted to see face–this frustrated expression. I’ve been waiting for this day for so long.”

Luisen furrowed his brows.

However, the count continued, “The lofty reputation of the Anies duchy, which you have long valued, will finally be thrown into the gutter and dragged through the mud. Your duchy and household will experience a ruthless downfall. Now I will become higher than you. I have always looked up to see you, but now you’ll only be able to stare at my feet.”

Luisen’s expression became more and more distorted. The count seemed intoxicated with victory as he spoke. Every word that man expressed exuded utter malice towards the Anies family. ‘It’s…a little strange.’

Even if he felt that the count’s gaze was a bit…leery…Even if that was just his imagination, Luisen couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable. It seemed as if the Count was projecting another person onto Luisen. And the young lord had some suspicions as to who that person could be.

‘Is it my father?’

Luisen wondered why the Count was so obsessed with his father. Luisen observed the Count’s condition. As this long-awaited obsession seemed to have been fulfilled, the Count’s joy overwhelmed him. Seeing his inability to contain his excitement, Luisen thought that with a little prod the Count might spill everything. “I’m not my father.”

“…Yes, that’s right.” The count pushed Luisen’s face away, removing his grip.

‘He definitely saw my father’s face in mine,’ Luisen was sure. “…Why are you so fixated on me and the Anies duchy? Is it because of my father?”

“That’s right. Robert Anies. It’s all because of him.” The count answered docilely. Perhaps he thought that he had no need to hide when he had won such a perfect victory.

“It’s strange. According to my vassals, you admired my father to the extent of shedding tears at the funeral.”

“Who said those things!” The count shuddered as if he had been stabbed.

“Then, what’s the truth?” Luisen decided that this was the best time to ask his long-held question.