"Domnal!"
Domnal, who had somehow snuck off to the Rostislav Palace balcony to secretly chat and slack off with his Gael brothers, suddenly heard that voice from behind him.
And that voice made him instinctively stiffen, because the owner of that voice had disciplined him more than a few times.
Ever since he married his wife, that voice had become his nightmare.
His Gael companions reacted even more violently, directly jumping off the two-meter high balcony and then running away at full speed.
They even startled the soldiers below, but many of them just glanced over and continued their work. Indeed, at banquets, there were always some drunkards who fell from the balcony, and they probably assumed these guys were no different.
As for why these Gael companions ran so quickly and left Domnal behind, it was because they knew that Domnal was someone else's son-in-law, and what were they? Just ordinary Druzhina members. Why would they wait around to be punished instead of running?
And just as Domnal was also about to flee, that strong figure appeared behind him—it was Gvaran, Rostislav's Captain of the Guard.
"G…Gvaran, sir."
Domnal's face was full of smiles as he said this ingratiatingly, hoping it would at least lessen the upcoming punishment.
Gvaran's eyes swept over the empty wine bottles on the ground, and then a smile also appeared on his face, but that smile sent shivers down the Gael's spine.
So, it was only natural that Gvaran's fist came flying next.
After taking that punch, Domnal was nearly knocked directly off the balcony, but fortunately, he managed to grab onto the railing.
Then Gvaran beckoned, and he immediately followed, appearing incredibly submissive, showing no temper despite being punched.
Domnal didn't explain anything, because he understood that explanations were useless.
Over the years, he had figured out what kind of person his father-in-law was. If he were to chatter incessantly with explanations now, it would only lead to even more severe punishment from his father-in-law.
And to be honest, getting caught slacking off during his guard duty and only receiving one punch was already a very light punishment.
However, what surprised Domnal was that his father-in-law didn't make him return to his post immediately. Was there something he wanted to say?
Soon, the two of them walked to the Rostislav Palace guardroom.
There was no one here now; the original guards were either on patrol or feasting at the banquet.
However, there were quite a few retainers standing at the entrance of Rostislav Palace, with Vasily leading them.
Domnal had previously caught a glimpse of Vasily, and just looking at him annoyed him. That guy always had a stern face, and he didn't know who he was putting on a show for.
Inside the guardroom, the Captain of the Guard pulled out a chair for his son-in-law. Domnal sat down directly, and the Captain sat opposite him.
"Domnal, Prince Rostislav has already given the order regarding the theater troupe's tour; it will begin in November."
Right from the start, Gvaran brought up work matters. Domnal had almost forgotten about the theater troupe's tour, and the escorts for this matter had changed several times.
Since there had been no mention of it for some time, with no news at all, he had even thought the matter had been effectively canceled.
At the time, Domnal was still worried that he might actually have to go to the countryside specifically, as without this matter, he wouldn't be able to put off Yang.
However, more important than this was another matter.
"November…isn't that…"
"Yes, you will not participate in the Prince's expedition. There is no place for you in the expedition to Bulgar, but I will go."
Domnal was somewhat surprised, and his surprise was because everything before him was too coincidental. Going on a rural tour precisely when the army was being deployed—he truly suspected if this was his father-in-law's arrangement.
If it was his father-in-law's arrangement, that would be a bit terrifying. For so many years, this Captain of the Guard had been unfailingly loyal to Prince Rostislav and had never had any record of favoritism.
Gvaran always prioritized the Prince's interests, and his usual impression was one of fairness and impartiality.
And now, was this fair and impartial person abusing his power for personal gain?
"Um, Gvaran, sir, are you…?"
Domnal directly hinted, while his heart felt a bit of trepidation, fearing that all of this was his own conjecture, and that this hint might cause Gvaran to punch him directly.
Although there was a father-in-law and son-in-law relationship between them, Domnal still addressed the Captain of the Guard as'sir.'
After all, his being a son-in-law was essentially due to a pig 'rooting up' a cabbage, so how could a father like a pig that rooted up his cabbage? And indeed, his father-in-law treated him with the attitude he would use towards a subordinate.
Furthermore, he was extraordinarily strict with him on a daily basis. His casual nature had led to him being disciplined quite a bit. He didn't know why, but even though he had been disciplined so much, his friends and companions still thought he had some special privilege.
However, regarding this matter itself, Domnal was quite pleased. His son was only two years old, a time when parents were indispensable, and he certainly didn't want to go to war and lose his life.
Before, when he was a mercenary constantly on the move, he felt no fear no matter how bitter the battle, because he had no family anyway; if he died, he died.
But now he had a family, a wife and child, and was living a very prosperous life, so Domnal was unwilling to die and dared not die.
This was also one reason Domnal didn't want to go to the countryside; he was afraid of losing his life there.
To this, Gvaran was silent for a moment, then he gave a reply.
"Yes, and no."
This truly matched Gvaran's usual conciseness, and Domnal also didn't speak, just waited.
Waiting for Gvaran to speak. He knew this old soldier was definitely organizing his thoughts; it was his consistent habit.
"The tour was Prince Rostislav's plan, it was just being delayed. The Prince didn't want the touring performances to attract too many able-bodied men from the countryside. He wanted as many troops as possible for the expedition, so he decided to schedule the tour after the main army had departed."
"Initially, it was indeed decided to be you, but the candidate changed several times in between. Later, because the Prince decided to postpone the time until November all at once, the matter was temporarily not discussed. Now that November is not far off, I spoke with Prince Rostislav about this matter and recommended you, the original candidate, to him, and the Prince did agree."
Domnal nodded repeatedly after hearing all this. He had thought this old man was abusing his power for personal gain, but now it seemed at most it was just a persuasion.
However, this still moved Domnal greatly. He knew what kind of person the Captain of the Guard was, and for him to recommend himself was truly difficult.
Then Domnal couldn't help but rejoice at having avoided the war. Seeing Prince Rostislav's military deployment and declaration, Domnal truly felt fear in his heart.
If the war wasn't on such a grand scale, how could the Prince want to conscript so many troops, and the Imperial Capital even sent so many people over.
If it weren't for Gvaran's persuasion, he would most likely have to participate in the war. It wasn't because he had a pessimistic attitude towards war, but because he felt this war would likely turn into some kind of messy conflict.
After all, this was an expedition to another country, and it also required that country to convert its faith. Such a thing would take at least several years, and Domnal didn't want to be an occupying force and then be killed by farmers.
"Don't relax too much. The countryside in the Trans-Volga Region is not safe. Don't stumble there; those farmers dare to do anything."
As if noticing Domnal's relaxation, Gvaran immediately said sternly.
He pulled this kid out of the expedition for his daughter's sake. As part of the Druzhina, he was very likely to stay in Bulgar for a period, but that didn't mean it would be easy in the countryside of Northeast Rus.
Nothing was easy in this land. One always had to be vigilant. There was no shortage of powerful warriors who died in villages.
He didn't want his son-in-law to get too carried away in the countryside, let his guard down, and be stabbed to death by a farmer's pitchfork. Although this way of dying was ridiculous, it was also a real occurrence, and it happened every year.
"Yes, yes, I understand, I understand."
Domnal said as if it were an automatic reaction. Working under his father-in-law for all these years, some things had become his subconscious responses.