“I understand this could be a personal matter between you and him, or perhaps something work-related,” Elysian said, seeking to ease the tension.

“If that’s the case, it’s truly not my business,” he continued, watching their reaction. Seeing their continued silence, he became more convinced that the issue was complex. The conflict hinted at a deeper problem, and if it involved the steward, he needed to uncover the truth. So, he increased the intensity of his voice a little to signal his serious intention of getting to the bottom of this. “However, if this is an abuse of authority on his part, I can’t just stand by while he harasses the parents of my friend,” he declared, giving Bran’s arm a firm pat. Instead of fully listening, the older boy focused more on a piece of pecan pie.

As soon as he mentioned the word ‘friend’ in connection to their son, their expressions softened considerably. Observing their reaction, he smiled warmly at them and added, “And how could I allow someone to bully my favorite cook? Anyone who messes with you and my food will have a problem with me,” he declared, getting a giggle from Norah. “Feel free to be honest. I can assure you, your secrets are safe with me. If you don’t want me to, I promise I won’t tell anyone. And if this is related to my family, it’s your duty to tell me the truth.”

The couple exchanged glances for a moment; a silent communication passed between them. Despite Rodger shaking his head, his wife shot him a glare, prompting a resigned sigh from him.

Norah turned to Elysian. “You’re right, young master; this is personal,“ she admitted, sighing. With more determination, she continued, “However, it is true that he is harassing us. Also, this is connected to your family—specifically your father.”

‘Just as I suspected. This isn't simple. This might finally answer a lot of questions.

The moment I found out about Bertrand’s betrayal, I couldn’t believe it. Now that I am living a second life and seeing him from a new perspective, I have noticed many glaring issues. His arrogance and the way he mistreats other servants raise serious suspicions, especially when compared to how he presents himself to my father. Well, it might not be a red flag on its own and can be explained by many things. Still, it is something to be wary of.

Now, there is a chance I might finally unravel the mystery that has haunted me for decades.’

“Huh, my father?” he asked, feigning surprise as if he hadn’t expected it. “How does this involve my father? Is this connected to the time Bertrand saved him?”

Norah glanced at her husband, who could only sigh without meeting her eyes. Returning her attention back to Elysian, she nodded and explained, “Yes, young master. My husband and the steward have known each other since they were young. They came from the same town.”

“Really?” he asked. This was the first time he heard about it. Well, not surprising, considering he hadn't really cared about this kind of stuff in the past.

“Yes, they are. They used to be close,” the cook stated, pausing for a moment before continuing, “I assume you’ve heard the story of how Bertrand saved your father’s life?”

Elysian nodded.

“Well, that’s simply a lie,” Norah said, glancing at her husband. “It was my husband who saved your father’s life.”

“What?!” he exclaimed, genuinely shocked this time. He had many theories regarding the steward, but he certainly did not expect this.

‘How did my father get this all wrong? It’s almost comical.’

~ ~ ~

“What are you doing?” Bertrand asked, anxiety showing in his voice. Seeing his friend just watching the unfolding massacre, he urged again, “Let’s go! We’ll die if we stay here.”

“But...”

“There’s no ‘but’! Let’s go!” he barked. When Rodger did not move, he sighed and continued, “If you want to stay, you stay. I will go and save myself. You’re an idiot for risking your life for these bastards!”

“I understand. You can go without me,” Rodger said, a determined gleam in his eyes. “They tried to save us from the bandits. I can’t just leave them here. If I can save even one life, it’s worth the risk.”

“Idiot!” Bertrand said, leaving him behind.

Glancing at the departing back of his friend, Rodger sighed. Uncertain about his choice, he watched the struggle of the surrounded soldiers fighting for their lives. He knew he would not forgive himself if he just abandoned them without even trying. Calming himself, he focused on the battle with unwavering determination, awaiting a chance to help.

Suddenly, he saw a group of soldiers opening a path, protecting a wounded soldier at the center.

‘Is that their officer or their lord?’ he pondered, cautiously following them.

With the bandits closing in, a couple of soldiers valiantly chose to stay behind, delaying the pursuing enemies to buy time for their comrades. Despite their sacrifices, the sheer number of bandits proved insurmountable for them to escape. Realizing that their enemies would be upon them at any moment, all the soldiers, except for one supporting their wounded lord, made the heart-wrenching decision to stay behind.

As the two escaping soldiers were getting farther from the fight, Rodger was ready to reveal himself, offering his help. Suddenly, he spotted a lone bandit attacking them from behind, fear gripping him as he urgently shouted, “Behind you!”

Turning around, the soldier swiftly cut the throat of the enemy; however, the bandit managed to stab the soldier in the chest before he died.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Rodger quickly sprinted to the fallen soldier. Regrettably, by the time he reached the soldier's side, it was already too late. In his final moments, he pleaded, “Please, save the Baron.”

Without any second thoughts, Rodger quickly hoisted the unconscious noble onto his back. Anxious about the possibility of bandits tailing them, he hurried forward without rest—only the fear of their enemies prevented him from stopping. Upon noticing the forest darkening, he immediately sought a place to hide. Fortunately, to his right, he discovered a cave concealed behind a couple of trees.

“Ah!” Rodger shouted, startled, as he discovered a man behind him upon entering the cave.

“Rodger?” the stranger asked, slowly approaching them.

Hearing his name, he fell silent, studying the stranger. “Bertrand? What are you doing here?”

“I’m the one who should ask that,” his friend said, peering at the person on his back. “Who is that?”

“It’s one of the soldiers from earlier,” Rodger said, inspecting the cave and finding it spacious enough for the three of them.

“Did the bandits follow you?” Bertrand urgently asked, edging closer to the entrance, watching for any incoming enemy.

“Don’t worry. No one followed us; we’re safe,” he reassured, turning towards the fire at the center of the cave. “Can I put him there? My back hurts from carrying him all the way here. I need to rest.”

“Okay,” he said, sitting next to the fire and watching his friend slowly lower the unconscious soldier to the ground. “Do you know who he is?”

“I don’t know his name. The soldier called him Baron,” Rodger said, casually sitting on the ground, taking a break.

“Huh! Is ‘Baron’ the name or the title?” he asked excitedly, his eyes lighting up as he observed the unconscious man.

“I think he’s referring to the title,” he answered nonchalantly, grabbing a beef jerky from his bag.

“You’ll be a rich man, my friend!” he exclaimed, his eyes gleaming with excitement. “Don’t forget me if you hit it big, alright?”

“I don’t really care about that. I only want to return the favor when they saved us,“ he said with a casual shrug.

“You’re really an idiot. You saved this man’s life. It’s only fair that he pays you for it. Also, you don’t owe him anything. It’s their duty to eradicate those bandits from this land,” he scoffed.

The two friends discussed and argued throughout the night. Rodger, for his part, shared the harrowing story of how he saved the noble's life. Despite the danger they had faced, the two friends were still able to sleep peacefully that night.

“Hey, could you keep an eye on him for me?” Rodger asked, slowly getting up. “I’ll see if I can hunt some food out there.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on him,” Bertrand assured, letting out a yawn. “And don’t forget to get me some food too.”

After hunting for a couple of hours, Rodger managed to catch two rabbits. Upon entering the cave, he noticed that the noble had woken up. Before he could say anything, however, Bertrand pulled him to the corner.

“Hey, the Baron thought that I was the one who saved his life,” Bertrand said, observing his friend's reaction. When he saw him frowning, he quickly apologized, “I'm sorry, okay. I was afraid of correcting him.”

“I can tell him…”

“Are you insane?!” he exclaimed, immediately cutting him off. “If you tell him now, he might kill me.”

“Are you suggesting that we should continue deceiving him?” Rodger asked, not looking happy with how the conversation was going.

“Of course not,” Bertrand said, pleading. “I’ll tell him the truth; just give me some time, okay?”

Rodger just nodded without saying anything.

“Thank you,” he said, smiling. “I owe you big time.”

~ ~ ~

“Let me guess,” Elysian said, raising an eyebrow. “He never told my father the truth.”

“He never did, young master,” Rodger said, glancing at the boy. “When I confronted him about it, he insisted that the matter was close, since he’d given me the reward money for saving your father’s life.”

“Shameless,” Elysian said, shaking his head in disbelief.

“I was an idiot back then,” he said, sighing with regret.

Norah scoffed and said, “You’re an idiot even now.” She also sighed, turning to the young noble and continuing, “Not only did he break his promise, but he’s also threatening us now. As a compromise, my husband said that he wouldn’t tell a soul about what happened. However, he still wanted us to leave the barony,” she explained, looking at Bran, who was teary-eyed. “My son has lived his whole life here. We’ve established ourselves. We don’t want to go anywhere, young master. I hope you can help us in our situation.”

“As I said earlier, I won’t allow anyone to bully my friend here or my favorite cook. So, don’t worry; I will help you,” he assured them.

“We’re just concerned that the Baron might believe him more than us,” Rodger said, letting out a weary sigh.

“Well, if you’re placing your hopes on my father, prepare to be disappointed,” he said. Seeing their dejected faces, he quickly added, “That’s exactly why I intend to resolve this issue before he even returns.”

“How?” Norah asked, her face lightening up with hope.

“I can’t tell you the full details yet because this matter is more complicated than you might think. There are many threads that are entangled in this mess. The steward is just one of the major threads, but not the main thread itself,” Elysian said. Sensing their confusion, he quickly asked, “Can you trust me?”

The couple exchanged glances before saying, “Of course, young master. We trust you.”

“Good,” Elysian nodded. With a warm smile, he reassured them, “Both of you can relax. I’ll handle it. If he confronts you again or makes threats, just ignore him. There’s nothing he can do.”

“Thank you, young master,” both couples said, bowing with gratitude.

“Oh, by the way,” he said, remembering the reason why he was here in the first place. “I want Bran to join me in working out and training. If you’re worried about his safety, you don’t have to. He’ll still be my personal attendant, not a soldier. I just want him to learn how to fight to defend himself and, if needed, protect me,” he explained. Looking at their bewildered expressions, he asked, “I know that there was an incident before; because of that, you don’t want him to fight?”

“Huh? Oh, that whole incident? That was when he was a kid; I don’t want him to get involved in fights and become a delinquent,” Norah said. Laughing, she turned to her son and grinned. “You have my permission, young master. I want you to train him hard.”

“You see that, big fella? I was right!” Elysian exclaimed, patting the arm of the lumbering servant while grinning. “Now that I have your mother’s permission, there’s no reason we can’t crank up the intensity of your training.”

Putting back the uneaten pie on the plate, Bran could only swallow hard upon seeing the grin on their faces.