ARC 6-Winter War-149 (Patreon)
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Objectively, Khan is being treated pretty well. As a traitor to family and country, it wouldnât be surprising if the servants withheld his food and beat him intermittently.
If Khan was the captive of the unscrupulous nobles of the capital, he would have to face all manners of humiliation. He would be paraded under his shame, cursed by thousands. Itâd be incredibly bad seeing as heâs a high noble.
Itâs easy to forget since Victory doesnât involve itself in court politics and Duke James has the smallest territory of the three ducal families, but Khanâs family is one of the most powerful in Harvest. Nothing gets the masses as excited as tearing down their betters.
In that light, Khanâs treatment is almost saintly. That doesnât mean he looks good. Heâs clean, so someone must have wiped him down and changed his clothes. Unfortunately, most of the people Iâve seen here do not understand the proper dress for their cold homeland. The dukeâs house canât be compared to the temperature outside but there is a chill in the air. One the thin shirt and simple pants Alanaâs brother is wearing canât protect him from.
Khan doesnât have his fatherâs bulk. He was thin when I first saw him. After a week, possibly more, of not properly eating, his face is looking a little thin. His long hair looks greasy and falls into his face, but I can imagine the deep bags under his eyes. The hard floor and lack of cushions donât exactly promote a good nightâs rest.
He looks up as I step inside. With his hands chained to the floor, he has to flip his hair out of his face. A mostly futile effort but itâs enough to free up one glaring eye. Mm, those bags are as deep as I imagined.
âYouâre here.â
âYou donât look happy to see me.â
âWhy should I be?â He clicks his tongue. âSuppose I should be grateful for the reprieve from your creature. I donât understand why you keep that thing around. Or do you have a weird fetish, enjoying some thingfeeling around in your mind?â
Hm? Let me see. Ah, of course. I ordered Geneva not to hurt him. That didnât exclude making him uncomfortable. âYou understand the estrazi you like to praise so much did the same thing. Worse, actually. My pet is only looking for faults. Theyâre the ones that broke your mind in the first place.â
âIâm not broken.â
âThe fact that you think that shows just how good a job they did. But forget that. I have good news! Youâre a lucky man, Khan. Despite you apparently not caring about them, you have a family that loves you. Every single one of them spoke for you to your father.â
âI care aboutâ"
âIn the end, it was agreed that Alana will take responsibility for you. You will be our guest once we return to the Grand Hall where my pet will attempt to restore your mind. It really is a lucky deal. Your sister happens to be loved by the one person with the potential to help you. Instead of being executed tomorrow, you get to sleep in a soft bed and eat good food. Even if we fail, you wonât be in any pain. If weâre successful, you get a second chance. The saints must love you.â
âThe north doesnât thank the saints. Have you ever heard of a saint that fought in the north?â
Huh. Now that he mentions itâŠno, I canât think of a story where a saint fights a titan. So not even the saints support this war. That should have been Victoryâs first clue that they were walking the wrong path. âThen thank your ancestors. No, thank Alana.â
âI will.â He isnât thrilled by the news but heâs happy. Anything would look good in the face of death. âAre you going to release me from my chains?â
âNot yet.â Come in.
Khanâs eyes snap to the door as Geneva enters. He flinches as she smiles.
âYour family still needs you for tomorrow. Apparently, simply being mentally violated isnât enough to earn a pardon from the people of Victory. You have to be a raging lunatic. Your father needs you to put on a convincing performance. Iâm here to evaluate your acting skills. If you canât handle the performance on your own, my pet here with give you some lessons.â
His mouth twists in distaste at the thought. ââŠwhat do I need to do?â
âI think the point of a lunatic is to do something unpredictable. Maybe throw in a little anti-human rhetoric, curse your father a few times, and, I donât know, wish for a warm spring. Heretical stuff thatâll make people think youâve lost your mind.â
After several moments of him staring at me in incomprehension, I clap my hands. âThat means now. Let the show begin.â
âJustâŠdo it?â he says nervously.
âDo you need to do a few vocal exercises? I can wait.â
âNoâŠâ He clears his throat. âEr, curse youâ"
âStop, stop.â I hold up my hands. âWhereâs the emotion? Youâve just betrayed your entire family and everything you believe inâ"
âI havenâtâ"
âWhereâs the heartbreak? Whereâs the regret? Whereâs the righteousness? Whereâs the anger? Come on, brother. Put some heart in it.â
âI thought I was supposed to be a madman.â
âWhen you think of madmen, do you think quiet and sensible? No! You think loud, wild, and dangerous. Again.â I wave for him to give it another try.
He clears his throat again. âCurse you, Father! ErâŠâ He pauses before muttering, âItâs hard to think of a villainâs lines.â
I shake my head. âThink of the opposite of what you really want to say.â
He thinks about it before trying again. âYouâre all idiots. The ancestors were idiots. Harvest is run by idiots. Youâre only alive because the estrazi donât care enough to slaughter us. I tried to save you. To bring peace to the north. Youâd rather throw your lives away pointlessly. Even animals treasure their lives more. Proud knights of Victory? HAH! More like idiotic worms. All of you donât have two brain cells to rub together so you canât see it now but, one day, youâll understand Iâm saving Victory! Iâm saving the world!â
He blinks and lets out a deep breath. âThat should get them riled upâŠthough the last part is true.â
I clap slowly. âGood. Much better. You just need to do that for two minutes straight.â
âTwo minutes?â he gasps in disbelief.
âLoud and wild, Khan. Have you ever known a madman to shut up? And what are you doing with your body?â
âNothing?â
âExactly! Thatâs a problem. Emphasis on the wild. These people need to think that youâve completely lost your mind. Right now, you sound like a traitor. You need to sound like a crazy traitor.â
âLou,â my pet says with deceptive casualness.
âI know.â
âWhat?â Khan asks nervously.
I sigh. âWeâre leaving tomorrow. Iâm not spending our last night here away from Alana. That means when the dinner bell rings, Iâm gone. You have until then to convince me that you can play your part. If you canât then I can only ask her to help you.â
He recoils at the suggestion. âYou canât!â
âDonât worry. Iâm here to make sure nothing goes wrong. Iâll even knock you out first.â
âNo, I can do it alone!â
I sympathize with him I do, but isnât it too late to be concerned about these things? His mind is no longer his own. How can you be prepared to die but not be prepared to suffer a little to live? âDonât worry. You can entrust yourself to me.â