SHADOW AND LIGHT (CHIAROSCURO)

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A LORD?

“Sire...?” Sir Ferdinand watched as I stood up from the bed, folded my arms behind my back in a regal manner and walked to the window, watching the people working around the estate.

"Tell me, Sir Ferdinand. In all this time of being the lord of the state, what have you accomplished?"

"Sire?"

"Tell me!" I demanded in a loud tone.

The old man nervously rubbed his fingers together as he said, "I-I gave the people more work, which means more workers for the state, and with more labour, there comes more revenue."

He paused, waiting for my response but I kept silent and continued to watch the people work through the window.

Lord Ferdinand was still nervous, but he continued, "I-I gracefully offered to the old farming jobs so they could meet the town's taxes quota, I-I r-recruited the young men to work honourable jobs in town. I even established a district for the young women to work and provide for themselves in these trying times..."

He added with confidence in his voice, "I have done a lot to improve Sterilia, long before you came to this territory!"

"Tsk tsk tsk, you've IMPROVED Sterilia?" I turned to him and gave him a glare with a brow raised.

I took a few gradual steps towards the old man, and with each step, the tension in the room grew.

I was right in front of Lord Ferdinand and I stared him down, piercing through his deceptive demeanour. I could see him sweat from the pressure of my gaze.

I knew very well that everything he had just told me was nothing but a well-coated lie.

For a month of staying here, I had done my research on this town called Sterilia through the texts and documents I was offered. However, what was peculiar was the fact that I had found absolutely nothing wrong with the state in terms of wealth and health. It was all normal.

Everything was suspiciously clean regarding the betterment of the state. That's when I knew that I was being fed lies by the one in charge of the state, Lord Ferdinand Augustus.

So I looked into the truth, using my secret guild, Night's Eye. And I found a lot of interesting things.

“You see, where you see 'Workers’ I see 'Possibilities'! 'Potential’! But I doubt you've ever had such a profound thought like that in your life.” As I spoke, I released my arms from my back and held Lord Ferdinand by his shoulders, and gripped tightly.

Squinting my eyes, I swiftly questioned, "Tell me, Lord Ferdinand, why weren't you at last night's feast?"

"U-Um, th-that is because, your highness, I..." he stuttered.

I bluntly asked him, "Are you perchance...?"

My voice deepened, "Lying to me!?"

"Your highness, I beg your pardon?" Lord Ferdinand was caught off guard by my question.

"Come now, you heard me as clear as day, Ferdinand The Meek. I'll ask you again. Are. You. Lying. To. Me?" I slowly said whilst tightening my grip on his shoulders.

"Your highness, I am nothing but a humble and honest lord of the mansion. Pray tell, why would I be lying to you especially after taking my position? You are by all means a magnificent ruler and intelligent ruler."

I released my grip on his shoulders but my glare grew stronger. He could feel the pressure even more than before, I even noticed his legs trembling slightly.

"If t-there were issues in the state, I-I would be a fool to go against you," Ferdinand stated as he respectfully bowed before me.

"Ah ah ah...! Lord Ferdinand..."

My voice deepened again, "You're lying again, aren't you!?" My words were like knives, they held Lord Ferdinand by the throat as he couldn't respond to my statement.

I already had this town investigated by my secret guild, Night's Eye, and let's just say that the reputation of this town's baron, Lord Ferdinand The Meek, being a valiant character that tended to people with a graceful and helpful demeanour was nothing but a farce.

He was the type to act nice by giving to the needy, building orphanages and being upright and righteous to the people of Sterilia in the open but that was only on the surface, it twas nothing but a cover for his misdeeds.

In truth, he was nothing but a cheating husband as well as a man with a very short temper, an alcoholic wife-beating manipulator as well as an underground criminal know as Puppet Master.

He showed promise in manipulating people to do his bidding from the sidelines. A true coward indeed whom blackmail, deception and trickery were his trades but what he didn't know was that there was an even greater puppet master in town now, and I knew how to manipulate people without the lies.

With a calm voice and a blank expression, I asked him, "Lord Ferdinand, do you know what it means to be a Lord of a territory such as this?" I heard him gulp after that question.

"It means that you're a king to the people, whatever you do or say affects the people," I concluded.

I went to my desk with a drawer and procured some papers, they were documents stating all the misdeeds he has done to this state.

I approached him with the papers in hand and spoke, "You mentioned that you gave the people more work right?"

"Yes, sire," he answered with a quick nod.

SLAP A resounding slap impacted Lord Ferdinand's wrinkled face which made him stumble backwards a little. I had slapped him for the first lie.

"My lord..." Lord Ferdinand was shocked by the slap I had given him. He held his reddened cheeks with eyes widening from the shock.

"That was your first lie," I stated with malice in my eyes and a slightly annoyed expression.

I read through the papers in my hand and continued, "You didn't give anyone more jobs, you simply forced demeaning jobs onto those that were already working."

"..." Lord Ferdinand kept his head bowed and he stayed silent.

"Next, you said you gracefully offered the old people farm jobs so that they could meet the town's tax quotas?"

Lord Ferdinand raised his head.

"—But it's true, your highness!" Lord Ferdinand immediately commented.

SLAP I gave him a second slap, it wasn't as loud as the first one but it hurt nonetheless.

"Another lie," I stated after slapping him.

I added with a cold expression, "Under a bill you created, you sent those old and retired people to till the fields and harvest the crops, day and night! And what tax quota!? You just made that up to fill your already filled pockets, you've been owing your own state! And have been punishing your own people for it!?"

I smacked the stack of papers in my hands on his bald head multiple times. Lord Ferdinand lowered his head and took every smack without so much as a word.

I let out a sigh of relief since I had vented my anger just a bit. I took a look at the crumpled papers in my hands and read through them carefully.