Aristocrat | ✓

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

     "When I was six and ten, I joined the army of the viscount of Barcombe, Lord Evenus," the Lord started, and I licked my lips, waiting for him to continue.

     "As you know, Barcombe has never made it obligatory to serve in the army. I was six and ten. I had just lost my parents, and I needed food and shelter, so I joined them for pay," the Lord said, picking the book on his lap. He didn't look like he was reading it. It seemed like he just needed something to hold. The little light from my lamp was enough to see his trembling fingers. Whatever he was going to tell me meant a lot to him, so I prepared for impact—squeezing my hands into fists on my lap as I took in small breaths.

     "I expected to die within the first few fights. It was winter, and it was every man for himself when it came to supplies," the Lord continued, looking up to catch my gaze. His scar looked almost orange under the light flames. The bow of his lip was drawn thin when he gritted his teeth and let out a sigh. "Lord Evenus helped me. He took care of me when the other men wouldn't and made sure I was in safe positions where enemy tropes wouldn't have access to me when we fought. He was two and twenty then. A young Lord that has inherited his title from his recently deceased father."

     "He was very different from me, but he was also the same," Lord Evenus muttered. "He'd lost his last relative just a few months ago. His parents were dead and fighting in a proper battle was new to him even though he had practiced with his father and mentors. His family has also been Protestants, just like mine."

     The Lord paused as if expecting me to ask questions at this point. I remained quiet, leaving the bedroom void of noise. The Lord got up from his armchair, and the seat creaked as he moved to the study table at the other end. I watched him light a candle, letting it join my lamp in the task of lighting up the room.

     "My plan at first was to take my pay and leave. Maybe invest the money somehow and go from there," the Lord said as he sorted through the books on his desk. "But when I did leave, I couldn't contain myself. I kept thinking of the Lord. I wanted to see him again. I'd fallen in love with him," he said, and I gritted my teeth, looking down at the carpet on the floor.

     "Then I had asked myself, how do I see Sawyer Evenus again?"

      My chest tightened up and I could feel the sweat form at my temple. Sawyer had been the former Lord of Barcombe. I was just too young when he died to remember anything but the family name Lord Evenus now carried.

     Lord Evenus turned to look at me. His scruff has grown into a beard, and his hair had become longer. He hadn't been concerned with appearances this last few weeks and it showed.

      "I enlisted for his army again. It was nice to see him, and he treated me well again. We became closer, and after the raid he let me live in the castle with him. He taught me how to read and write. He made me come with him to balls and meetings. I became his right-hand man," Lord Evenus sighed, taking. deep breath.

     "I did not confess my affection to him until I was eight and ten. I used to be afraid that if I confessed, he would be disgusted with me, and maybe even offer me to the church for punishment. But as I learned more about him, the less I felt he was likely to behave like that, so I confessed," he said. "He accepted my confession," he added.

     "For months, I, Timothy Bennett, was the happiest I could ever be. Lord Evenus treated me well, and I fell in love with him even more," Evenus muttered before covering his face with his hand. It looked like he was trying to hide his tears. "Later that year Sawyer told me he would get married in the future. His betrothed was a young girl. He told me she would have to grow up first, and that we still had many years together," Lord Evenus said.