The Distinguished Mr. Rose Chapter 59: Chapter 59: The Truth Was What They Decided It to Be

Read chapter 59 of The Distinguished Mr. Rose by QuiteTheSlacker on NovelPedia.

Chapter 59: The Truth Was What They Decided It to Be That evening, Lucius’s companions retired to their rooms with hearts heavy in doubt. Should they try to visit Ruggiero again? Confront Ganelon and demand for the Peer’s release? Each option was equally unlikely to work. The players were mere temporary visitors to these lands: outsiders. The citizens and native paladins treated them as friends for now. However, that was because they were obedient. Non-threatening. The players had just escaped their negative reputation as brutes after the rumors began to die down, but the experience showed clearly how influential, and dangerous, word of mouth could be. The Franks were an insular people. They grew up around the same neighbors, walked the same streets, toiled the same fields, and underwent the span of their life being told what was good and what was right by those they believed to be far above them: both spiritually and culturally. The priests were the faithful of God: They decided what was ‘normal’. They were the voices the people followed, obeyed, and why shouldn’t they? Their lives were not difficult. They had wealth, luxury, safety and comfort. It was because of the Holy Order that they could be at ease without a care for the future, so why should they listen to the pleas of the players instead of those who brought them prosperity? Lucius and his fellows were, at the moment, regarded as the Lord’s chosen warriors, but they could easily have that title be revoked by the very people who granted it. All it would take was one speech for the nation to turn against them in pitchforks and torches. The only reason the priests hadn’t decreed so yet was because the players were still of use. So what could they do to change things, then? Marco, Mili, and Harper had all strained their heads in search for an answer, but they couldn’t find one. For as long as the group held the label of ‘otherworlder’, there was not a single thing they could do to make the people listen. Well, unless they resorted to more… unsavory tactics, to put it politely. But his companions were far from the type to do so. Thus, with no clear solutions and a dampened mood, they all left to at least get a good night’s sleep. Except for Lucius. The gentleman stood in front of a mirror and examined himself. He touched his cheek, his nose, his brow; and he ruffled his hand through hair, pulling it back until he could see his dashing appearance in all its glory. If being an otherworlder was part of the problem, then Lucius would simply have to disguise himself as a native Frank. It admittedly posed a bit of a challenge, for the people here had a different facial shape than the earthlings: a more evenly-distributed build. But such a thing was of no importance to Lucius. He grabbed his jaw, and then dislocated it. He adjusted the contour, cracked and snapped and popped the joints in his bones until they were in the right position. Then, he took his finger and pushed his cheeks so that the flesh would sink farther in, lending a more sunken appearance. From there it was just a matter of fixing some minor details such as eye gap and nose length, and then… voila! Not a single soul would ever realize that the man before them was not of Frankish origin. To make himself more appealing according to their beauty culture, Lucius bought some makeup supplies from the Starlit Shop. He coated his skin in a color-fitting foundation and added a bit of blush, before applying gel to his hair and styling it similarly in appearance to that of the butlers of the castle. With that, his transformation was finally complete. All that was left to do was run a quick test. Lucius took a deep breath, and he began to practice his expressions. He smiled. “This is the face I will make when I am happy.” He frowned. “This is the face I will make when I am sad.” He scrunched his brow. “This is the face I will make when I am upset.” And to finish it all off, he gave himself a little wink. “Marvelous, my expre