Chapter 38: CH 37

Mikael grabbed the man roughly and pulled Yul towards himself. Thanks to this, Yul was freed from the man’s grasp and was embraced by Mikael.

The man froze for a moment, bewildered. He wasn’t small either, but Mikael was much larger. He swallowed dryly as he glanced up and down Mikael as if he felt intimidated. Then, he looked around and checked the circus members on his side, and raised his voice as if he had regained his confidence.

“Bring it on, shall we?”

He patted Mikael on the shoulder. It wasn’t a hard hit, and it wasn’t even painful, but Yul was surprised and covered his mouth with both hands.

You bastard, aren’t you going to die like that?

“M- Mikael. Let’s go quickly. Let’s just go.”

Of course, that man first picked a fight, and the man’s party robbed them of money, but he didn’t want him to die miserably.

Yul grabbed Mikael’s arm and hurriedly tried to get out of the situation.

“Where are you going? Uh? Are you going to disrupt other people’s business and leave?”

“Hey, I’m saving your life, so let’s just stop here. Let’s wrap it up nicely…”

“What? Save my life? Are you saying you’re gonna kill me? Aye, brother. You were pushing the law before. Who is breaking the law now? Framing innocent people and even disrupting business, and as if that’s not enough, now you’re threatening me? Shall we do it according to the law? Who’s going to lose here?”

Why was it that all of these thugs don’t know how precious their lives are?

Yul was genuinely puzzled. He said that he would save his life, but he wasn’t grateful, but instead quarrelled of all sorts. Looks like they wanted to be driven to their graves.

Yul looked at Mikael nervously. Everything around him was freezing cold.

“Speak with your mouth running like before!”

The man yelled and pushed Mikael hard.

Of course, Mikael wasn’t the kind of person who would be pushed away. So he didn’t have to worry about falling over or staggering.

However, the robe he was wearing was different. As the man pushed it away, it was peeled off, perhaps because of the impact.

The surroundings became quiet.

The circus members who were angry with Mikael before, as well as the audience who were startled by the loss of their money. Everyone was quiet as if they had forgotten how to speak. No one opened their mouths hastily.

Yul didn’t understand for a moment how this had happened. Why was there suddenly a cold silence in the hall?

But it wasn’t long before he realised why people kept their mouths shut.

“That person… A- Archduke Orlov…?”

Someone muttered in a trembling voice.

It was a question, but it wasn’t really a question. Because he already knew the answer. That must have been why his voice was so trembling.

His words had a huge impact. At least it was life or death for the man who pushed Mikhail’s shoulder and screamed.

“A- Archduke!”

The man fell flat on the floor and bowed his head. It happened in an instant. His party paused for a while, then fell on their knees after him.

“T- To disrespect you…I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were the Archduke…”

Mikael didn’t say anything to the man scrambling to apologise. The depressing silence further amplified the tension. The man trembled like a leaf, and he couldn’t raise his head.

“You said earlier that we should do it according to the law.”

“That, that…”

“Do you know how imperial law punishes those who blaspheme the nobility?”

“S- spare me, please spare me!”

“Those who blasphemed the baron and viscount get 50 lashes. Those who blasphemed the count and marquis get 70. Those who blasphemed the Duke get 100.”

“I- I’m sorry, I’ve sinned…”

“Anyone who insults the Archduke will be hanged or…”

“H- Heurgh…”

“Left to the disposition of the Archduke.”

The death penalty for blasphemy was too much of a status society. Yul was grateful for democracy once again. Still, he quickly grabbed Mikael’s arm, fearing that he might kill the man right away.

“Mikael, wouldn’t it be a bit too much to kill him?”

“If you cut off his tongue and nose, pluck out his eyes, and then cut off his wrist, he won’t die.”

“I think he’s going to die. No, he’ll definitely die. How strong do you think humans are?”

Yes. Mikael This madman was a maniac. The eternal and immutable truth that he could never forget, and should never forget, was the fact that this guy was gwanggong.

Even if it was hanging, Yul would have said, ‘Gasp, as expected of a gwanggong. Indeed crazy’, but talking about cutting off his tongue and nose, plucking out his eyes, and then cutting off his wrist after getting into an argument, it almost felt like hanging was much more humane.

Of course, this world “Red Prison” in which he lived was a hardcore BL novel. However, he didn’t want it to get gore. Therefore, not only was Yul very weak, but his stomach was also weak.

“You don’t have to go that far. Mikael, let’s go, okay?”

Yul grabbed Mikael’s arm and begged. It didn’t seem like it would work very well, but that was all he could do now.

""

“You bastards! You’re lucky! Return the money and get out of here!”

Yul, who was carefully watching Mikael’s eyes, threatened the circus members with a fierce impression.

Immediately, the puppeteer, who was sweating profusely, presented the stolen money. It seemed that the money was stolen through the doll. It was an ingenious way of stealing to the point that everyone thought it was a feat.

“Aren’t you going to scram?”

As soon as he got the money back, Yul raised his voice with the tone of the historical drama he had seen as he came and went. Then, the members quickly prepared to escape. They seemed to know instinctively that that was the way to survive.

“I never allowed you to go.”

However, Mikael was more tenacious than expected.

The members who were running away in a hurry flinched and stopped in place at his words. Seeing this, Yul was also startled and swallowed dryly.

“There’s no point in holding onto it, right?”

Yul looked at his eyes and said what he had to say.

He didn’t have the knack for surviving as a graduate student in Korea. It didn’t mean it was good, but sometimes, living as a graduate student, he had to become an undesirable ‘strong spirited abangsu’.1

In fact, Yul still doesn’t know the exact meaning of this word, but it was something Changhyun said to Yul from time to time.

‘Hey, you’re really strong spirited. It’s like a strong-spirited abangsu.’

‘What is that?’

‘There’s something like that. Like you.’

‘What are you talking about?’

He didn’t know, but now was the time to show his side as an ‘strong-spirited abangsu’.

“Just let it go. Otherwise, I’ll be embarrassed after telling them to get out.”

Yul looked up at Mikael’s red eyes and whispered close to him.

As he tried to appease him with a small voice, he was forced to cling to him. Perhaps because of his mood, the closer he got, the more Mikael’s cold expression seemed to get softer little by little.

He didn’t know why, but Yul, who instinctively felt that this was the way to solve the current situation, clung to him as if holding him in his arms.

“Mikael, please. Yes? I’m also hungry and tired. I want to go and rest.”

Yul drooped his eyebrows and made his voice as pitiful as possible. He wondered if he had to do this by himself… No, actually, he felt a lot more embarrassed than that, but now was not the time to consider that.

“… Fine.”

“You hear that, you all! You guys are lucky! Archduke Orlov is going to keep you guys alive! Live your life right!”

Yul quickly warned them with an exaggerated voice, fearing that Mikael might change his mind. A glimmer of hope shone on the faces of those who were desperate as if they were going to be thrown into hell fire at any moment at Yul’s words.

“Wait a moment.”

Oh, again, what! Why!

He was trying to be reassured that it’s really over now, but Mikael coldly started again. At his words, the air froze again in an instant. Yul looked at Mikael, biting his lips nervously, wondering what else Mikael was going to say.

“Apologize properly.”

“A- Archduke, I’m really sor-”

“Not to me.”

“Ah…”

The members looked bewildered at Mikael’s words, and then quickly turned to Yul as they realised what he was talking about. Then they bowed their heads and bent their stretched waists.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m really sorry!”

“Yeah, don’t do that again!”

“Yes! Got it!”

After giving a last cool warning, Yul linked Mikael’s arms and turned around. Mikael meekly followed him.