kingdom of nations

Chapter 8 The Villain's Plea

A week later.

"I'm hungry," Baldwin said.

"I'll go check the kitchen," Cesar said.

In people's imagination, the king's son and his servants must be able to get whatever they want. Perhaps you can say that Amalric I was full of love and compassion for his only son who might die earlier than himself and might have to endure countless humiliations and pains before that, and was willing to meet all his requests.

But in that era, the scarcity of supplies was like a blank piece of paper with a few random strokes on it. Even in the kitchen of St. Cross Castle, only some vegetables, bacon, dried cod and pickled herring were prepared.

A grand banquet like the one recorded by the monks had to be prepared in advance, and it would take many days to prepare so that the steward of the manor could collect enough livestock, wheat, and wild animals and birds.

The castle steward and the chief steward also had to buy spices, honey, sugar and salt from merchants, bake bread, pickle meat and preserves, and take out the silver and porcelain tableware, linen tablecloths and other utensils that had been stored in the warehouse. It took a lot of effort to polish, clean and air-dry them.

In normal times, the king and nobles' two or three meals a day (during war) were very simple, not even very fresh. When they were busy, they ate extremely sloppily. A bowl of wheat porridge with dried meat or a piece of overnight bread dipped in wine would do. Not to mention the common people, who would just grind the wheat grains very coarsely or cook the wheat grains into porridge directly, and it would be considered a blessing if they could add some dried peas or seasonal vegetables.

Nowadays, people still avoid and retreat when they see Cesar, but compared to Witt, the prince's new servant is much more likable. He will not deliberately spit at people, nor will he get too close to the water source or stove. When talking to people, he stands four or five steps away. But the most convincing thing is that his appearance has never been damaged in the slightest.

"He's a good and pious boy." They said so, firmly believing that Cesar did not get sick because he was pious enough, especially the cook and the maid.

"What vegetables do you have today?" the black-haired servant asked politely.

"Onions, kale, turnips, pumpkins and cabbages." A maid said timidly. Vegetables have never been precious things. They were piled casually on the ground on one side of the kitchen - this was today's portion. Cesar carried a cowhide drawstring bag and put two onions, a cabbage and some dried peas into it.

Under the guidance of the fruit chef, he picked two apples that were definitely the sweetest and most juicy. The butcher brought him a piece of roast beef that was as long as an arm. The milk that had been squeezed out this morning had been boiled and placed in a round clay pot.

"Would you like some more beer?" the bartender came running over breathlessly. "Beer just delivered from the monastery!"

Cesar hesitated. He did not like or approve of drinking. No matter how much alcohol it contained, it was harmful to the human body. The problem was that in Alazarus, and even in more places, due to the lack of a stable and clean water source, people were accustomed to using wine instead of water, and regarded being able to drink to their heart's content as a symbol of masculinity. As the heir of Alazarus and his attendant, he and Baldwin could not avoid this problem.

The beer was brought by some monks from the Monastery of St. John the Baptist. They remembered Cesare and greeted him happily, shook his hand, and wished God bless him.

It was undoubtedly a pleasant thing to see those who had helped him and know that they were doing well, but Cesar's good mood was soon ruined by an uninvited guest.

"Stop!" Cesar said disgustedly, "or I'll call the guards!"

The person who suddenly jumped out from the shadows was Witt.

When he was in the left tower, Witt was not like he is now. He was wearing a fine cotton waistcoat, a goat skin cloak, and deerskin boots. He had a ruddy complexion and a fat body. If someone who didn't know what was going on saw him, they would definitely call him "Master".

Now, his fat seemed to have been sucked out by the devil with a straw, his eyes were bulging out horribly, he was wearing only a coarse linen robe that reached his knees, and he was barefoot. He exuded a foul odor all over his body, which did not seem to be contaminated, but seemed to come from deep within his heart.

Cesar only had to take one look and knew that he must have taken advantage of the opportunity to deliver beer and climbed onto the carriage to sneak into the castle.

As Cesar observed Witt, Witt also observed Cesar. When Cesar first arrived at the left tower, they hadn't taken this little slave seriously. Even if he was the prince's attendant, so what? The prince was just a leper! He should have been driven to the valley outside the city, left to fend for himself with those abandoned by God...

But, just because he had a king as his father! These pious and good people were forced to serve him - they had no idea how they would be blinded by the generous rewards when the castle steward came to question them, and how they would be so happy and forgetful after obtaining this qualification.

Who would have known that with Cesar's presence, His Royal Highness, who had remained silent no matter how presumptuous they were, would suddenly drive them out of the left tower and would not listen to any of their pleas. They were not knights, nor squires, not even blacksmiths and carpenters. As ordinary servants, they were not qualified to live in the castle permanently.

But who would want to leave as long as they could get in? Working in a castle, even dealing with excrement, was easier than quarrying, farming, or herding outside. Not to mention that when war came, a castle was the safest place.

They, they were bewitched by the devil out of helplessness and did such things!
He grabbed his head with his hands in vain a few times, as if trying to grab his hat, but his hat had long since disappeared. He had no choice but to kneel down, put his hands on his chest, raised his head, and scanned Cesar's body with greedy eyes - he was dressed in a dark blue satin tunic, with gold and silver lace on the cuffs and collar, white wool tights, brown boots, and a wide leather belt (commoners were only allowed to use cloth belts), with a dagger hanging on the belt and a silver cross hanging on his chest.

If he hadn't... if he had known, this dress and the honor it represented would have been his!

"Please," Witt cried hoarsely, "Please, my lord, don't call the guards, don't call the guards, for God's mercy, I come to beg for mercy, I come to repent!"

When he knew that he was "chosen", Witt was ecstatic for a while, and also arrogant for a while. He thought that he could escape from purgatory, return to the world, and even soar into the sky, but the cruel hand of fate soon slapped him in the face. He was indeed pardoned and became a monk, but after arriving at the monastery, he soon realized that the chips in his hand were not as much as he thought.

He had been unable to become a knight, nor a servant. Now that he had been chosen, he could only treat very minor illnesses and wounds. To be honest, those scabies, scrapes, or chills and fevers could be cured by rubbing spit, drinking mulled wine, or if that didn't work, bleeding would solve the problem. There was no need for monks - praying for holy grace would cost a lot of money.

If Witt had Cesar's looks and character, perhaps a wealthy lord or king would keep him in the palace, and it would be pleasing to the eye. But he was such a despicable sinner...

His life in the monastery was not at all as satisfactory as he had imagined. He had to work like the farmers, sleep on the ground, and eat and drink little and poorly.

He really couldn't stand the suffering, so he found a way to run back.

Compared to before, Witt's current appearance does seem to arouse some pity, but not to mention what kind of trap he had set to murder Cesar, just looking at what he had done before - after Cesar became familiar with the servants in the castle, he heard a lot about his evil deeds.

The little weasel's malice seemed to be directed at everyone, "like a stinking skin full of bad wine," as the chef said, with a belly full of bitterness, he was happy to bully anyone he could, from his colleagues to his master.

He was the first to complain and curse, the first to extort money for trivial matters, and the first to incite the other servants to slack off and even act sarcastic. In a short period of time, he successfully transformed the Left Tower into a smoky den of villains. "...I know there are some misunderstandings between us," Witt said, "but I swear on the Holy Sepulchre that at least I, Master Squire, sincerely wish to be on good terms with you and serve our good master together."

"That's unnecessary," Cesar said. "When your accomplices were hanging on the gallows, they probably didn't expect that you, the mastermind, would pin all the blame on them."

Witt was very cautious. He simply told the other servants the bad news that he was going to be expelled from the castle, and then hinted that it was Cesar who was behind it. He also went to get wine and pie and called in prostitutes. Those simple-minded and bad-natured guys would naturally know what to do: "What do you want to do?"

"I want to return to His Highness," Witt said, and then immediately added, "I know I did... make a small mistake before, but Master Attendant, I have been chosen now. I am a monk. If I were by His Highness's side, serving as his personal secretary, just like Heraclius, it would only be a good thing for His Highness, who is still not allowed to participate in any sacraments."

He was afraid that Cesar didn't understand, so he hurriedly said: "You know, lepers are not allowed to participate in the sacraments, so when it comes to inheriting and being inherited, their rights will be deprived. But as long as I am here, I will prove that Your Highness, like all Christians, has fulfilled every obligation to God."

As he spoke, he stared at Cesar. The only person he could rely on now was Cesar - his uncle no longer paid any attention to him, and the monks regarded him as a prisoner who needed supervision. As for big figures such as Abbot John, Count of Tripoli, and Amalric I, he was not even qualified to meet them.

"Okay," Cesar thought for a moment before saying, "I'll mention it to His Highness."

--------------

"You're back?" Baldwin was standing by the fireplace, reading a heavy book by the firelight. "What's in the kitchen today?"

"Some nice vegetables," Cesar said. "First, drink some milk, and then I'll make the soup."

Baldwin moved away from the fireplace, and they shared the milk in the pot first. Cesar picked up the two-handled pot, poured some clean water into the pot, picked up the poker, wrapped it around the hooks on both sides of the pot, and skillfully hung it on the iron crossbar above the fireplace hearth. The flames immediately danced around the pot, and the water in the pot boiled in a while. Cesar held the roast beef, pulled out a dagger and cut it into the boiling water bit by bit, followed by cabbage and onions.

Baldwin came over to help, and Cesar looked at him and said, "No need to wear a veil and gloves in the room."

"Aren't you still here?" Baldwin said, his eyes reflecting the fire, a pair of blue eyes as calm as lake water.

"If I were contagious," Cesar said, "I would have had symptoms long ago. I said I couldn't get sick." He stood up and took off Baldwin's gauze mask, then his gloves. They were soft, thin silk that would burn at the slightest spark and were not safe to wear around the fireplace.

"I saw that..." Baldwin said.

"what?"

"Witt. That's Witt." Baldwin turned his head and looked at his little friend.

Cesar briefly told Baldwin about the conditions proposed by Witt.

"You probably don't know," he continued, "Witt and the others were originally the new attendants my father prepared for me. Servants were just a transition." He smiled melancholy. It was hard to imagine that such a smile would appear on a nine-year-old boy.

"After confirming I had leprosy, David, Abigail, and my former friends and servants were no longer suitable to stay with me. My father wanted to find suitable candidates for me from among the wandering knights and their descendants, using their future and honor in exchange for their loyalty. Take Witt, for example. He was originally unqualified to serve me, but who caused the situation to change so drastically?"

"They were not forced," Cesar said, "They are not slaves and have no masters, although they did sell themselves for a good price." Only after he arrived at the castle did he realize that the servants in the castle were actually employed on a hiring system. They were paid daily wages, and the price of Witt and others was ten times theirs.

Baldwin's smile became more genuine, and then he shook his head. "But they soon regretted it. They were always afraid. Even though I haven't become like those lepers who have suffered from leprosy for many years and have facial ulcers and deformed bones, I have to say they tried their best to control themselves, but later...

Not everyone is as fearless as you, and can accept this life of semi-imprisonment." He looked at the flames. "Unlike other people's servants or retainers, if anyone knew you were close to me, you would inevitably be rejected and loathed."

"Can't they just leave?" Cesar commented sarcastically. "Blood-sucking leeches are picky about their victims' skin being too thin."

Baldwin laughed, "It seems you won't let Witt come back to me."

"Who would trust such a villain?" Cesar said, "But this matter..."

"I'll talk to Heraclius. It happens that his dialectics class is in the afternoon." Baldwin said lightly that if Witt was nothing but stupid besides being vicious, perhaps the matter would have passed. But he seemed to be particularly talented in doing evil, so he could not be kept. However, dealing with a chosen person was not a job they could accomplish.

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(End of this chapter)