Droit du Seigneur: His Lordship's Right of the First Night - Chapter 5
‘Wait a minute, that girl is quite pretty. I can’t believe someone like her lives in this rural place…’
Baron Hans, who had been unable to afford courtesans recently due to his squandered fortune, found himself inflamed with lust.
Killing her outright seemed like such a waste. He could use her to his satisfaction before disposing of her. He could easily fabricate charges against her later. His murky gray eyes gleamed with filthy desire.
“Fine, first, I’ll fix that insolent attitude of hers. Take her away!”
“Shall we imprison her in the castle dungeon?”
“No, I’ll interrogate her personally… Take her to my house and tie her up in the cellar.”
“Yes, Baron.”
“No, let me go!”
Just as Baron Hans’s servants grabbed Louise from both sides to drag her away, a deep and commanding voice interrupted.
“Stop.”
The voice came from the man leading the knights. Louise craned her neck to look up at the man on the horse. He had a commanding presence, with a physique befitting a knight.
His face was partially obscured by his helmet, but the glimpse of his golden eyes was enough to paralyze those around him with their intensity.
His very presence seemed to exert an invisible pressure, dominating the surrounding air. The late afternoon sunlight reflected off his armor, blindingly bright. Louise blinked several times.
As the piercing gaze bore down on her, she felt a shiver run through her body, like being pierced by a sharp blade.
“I detest unnecessary commotion.”
“Who dares to interfere…!”
Hans stammered, turning around, but he froze upon meeting the man’s gaze.
“Release that girl.”
Hans, looking back and seeing the man, immediately clamped his mouth shut. The fierce gaze from the knight was enough to make his legs tremble. Hans had always been strong against the weak and weak against the strong, so he could tell from the man’s bearing that he was either a high-ranking noble or a senior knight.
Without another word, Hans backed down.
“Hiiek— I’m really sorry…! L-Let her go!”
“March forward.”
“Yes, sir.”
After confirming that Baron Hans’s servants had released Louise and stepped back completely, the man gave a short command. The once intimidating baron now bowed obsequiously, watching the procession move on in silence.
“Consider yourselves lucky today. If this happens again, I won’t overlook it!”
Humiliated in front of the very people he always looked down on, Baron Hans shouted empty threats before slinking away.
Once he was gone, the mother of the child, whose legs had given out beneath her, was helped by those around her.
“Oh, Oliver, my baby. My darling…!”
“Waaah! Mommy, mommyyy!”
“We’re so glad the child is safe! This is wonderful news.”
Cheers erupted from somewhere, and everyone joined in, clapping and celebrating as if it were their own child saved. The mother, who had just regained her senses, repeatedly bowed her head in tears.
“Thank you, thank you so much. I don’t know how to repay you….”
“No, it’s nothing. I have a younger sibling about his age, so I couldn’t just stand by.”
“Louise! Are you okay?”
“Yes, Uncle. Don’t worry.”
As she reassured Mr. Martin and headed home, Louise’s mind kept drifting back to the man who had saved her. Perhaps because he had rescued her, the brief moment their eyes met felt unforgettable.
‘That man must be the lord’s knight, right?’
Are all knights that impressive? Or is it just him…?
Even when her friends cried and felt heartache over their first loves, talking about falling in love at first sight or feeling like they couldn’t live without someone, Louise had never dared to indulge in such thoughts. But today… her restless heart made her wonder if this was what falling in love at first sight felt like.
What kind of woman would be by his side? Surely, a beautiful and graceful lady who suited him perfectly….
Realizing she was walking slower while lost in these thoughts, Louise startled herself.
‘What am I thinking…?’
Her musings were cut short by the sound of coughing seeping through the old door of her house. Rushing inside, she found Mildred collapsed on the floor, coughing up blood.
“Sister, hicc! It… It hurts so much….”
“Oh, Mildred!”
“Earlier, hic, those scary men came again.”
“I’m sorry, I was too late. I’m so sorry.”
It seemed the debt collectors had come by while she was at work. Helio and Cherinia were either out or had sneaked out through the back, leaving Mildred alone.
After giving Mildred her medicine and tucking her into bed, Louise started on the housework without even taking a seat. She cleaned up the mess, scrubbed the blood-stained floor, and started washing the laundry in cold, unheated water.
As the surroundings grew darker and quieter, the image of the man’s golden eyes once again filled her mind. But… even dreaming of such things was too much for her.
“Ah…”
A clear droplet fell onto the back of her hand. Only then did Louise realize she was silently crying and hastily wiped her cheeks.
This was her reality. Desperately plunging her hands back into the cold, murky water, she tried hard to erase her futile thoughts.
