Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are So Hot! [BL]-Chapter 80: The Price of Comfort

"I understand, Theo," Damien replied seriously. "But the issue here is with abandoning his duties, not the mistake itself, right?"

Theo paused, then nodded. "You’re right. Punishments for mistakes are necessary, but termination might be too harsh. Sebas?"

"Given that he showed insubordination and delayed his duties, I believe a 30% reduction in pay and five lashes would be appropriate," Sebas responded.

Wow, Damien thought, that’s harsh.

"Sebas," Damien said, with a slight smile, "What exactly is the ’indecency’ you’re punishing him for? To me, he just looks like a sweet kid who had a little tantrum."

"If Sir Damien sees it that way," Sebas said, adjusting his judgment, "Then perhaps only the 30% reduction in pay for the delay in his duties would suffice."

Well, at least he wouldn’t have to deal with physical punishment. That was a relief.

"But Damien," Theo continued, his tone still concerned, "Eo you have a plan for how to handle this? Once they’ve started longing for home, it’s hard to get them back on track, no matter how much encouragement or discipline you give."

"Honestly," Damien replied, "I don’t have a specific plan."

While he hadn’t figured out exactly what to say to Leonide, he knew from his own experience what to do when someone was homesick and desperate to leave.

"First, I’ll try spoiling him a little."

If Leonide’s homesickness had been triggered by the little bit of leniency Damien had shown, then it was his duty to make up for it by giving Leonide the care and comfort he needed to stay.

"I don’t fully agree with this," Theo said, crossing his arms, "But if you come back and spoil me afterward, I’ll let it slide. Even if you end up having a little affair while you’re at it, I’ll forgive you—just make sure to spoil him properly."

Damien laughed. "An affair? No way! I’m just taking care of my servant."

With Theo’s blessing, Damien felt more determined than ever to go and give Leonide the comfort he needed. After all, taking care of others was something he knew how to do well.

Leonide was huddled in the corner of the changing room with knees drawn up to his chest and only a towel wrapped around his waist. He was pressing his face against his knees and crying quietly. Although his position left him quite exposed, he didn’t seem to care at all.

Despite his situation, his disinterest in covering up, and his refusal to stop crying or return to work made it clear—Leonide was genuinely upset and likely just wanted to go home.

At least he was still in the changing room. If he’d gone out and been seen by other servants, Damien would’ve had a hard time explaining the situation. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Sighing, Damien wrapped a towel around his own waist, grabbing two large bath towels before approaching Leonide. It wasn’t a time to feel self-conscious, but he also didn’t want to deal with something serious while being so exposed.

Leonide must have noticed Damien approaching, but he didn’t move. He just kept sobbing softly, not making any attempt to acknowledge him.

Or maybe he was too upset to even notice?

Damien gently draped one of the bath towels over Leonide’s shoulders. The boy flinched but didn’t lift his head or stop crying.

"You’re going to catch a cold if you stay like that," Damien said softly, sitting down next to Leonide, draping the other towel over his own shoulders and sitting cross-legged beside him. Their shoulders touched through the towel.

"...Ugh...sniff..." Leonide didn’t pull away or seem to mind Damien’s presence; instead, he subtly leaned into him, shifting some of his weight onto Damien.

With a gentle hand, Damien reached out and began to softly stroke Leonide’s head.

"...sniff... ugh...ugh..." Leonide continued to cry softly, but didn’t resist the comforting gesture. Damien kept patting his head in silence, but it didn’t seem to ease Leonide’s sobs.

What should he do?

After some hesitation, Damien decided to pull Leonide towards him gently, positioning him in his lap—well, more of a cross-legged lap pillow. He immediately regretted not bringing another towel to place underneath, but Leonide surprisingly didn’t protest.

Although Leonide briefly stopped crying in surprise, he remained quietly in Damien’s lap, not fighting back. Damien continued stroking his head, hoping it wouldn’t upset the boy further.

"Leonide, you’re doing great. You’ve been working really hard. You’re a good kid, a really good kid," Damien murmured soothingly, his hand never leaving the boy’s hair.

For a while, Leonide remained silent, sniffling occasionally, but gradually the dam broke. His quiet sobs escalated, and finally, he pressed his face into Damien’s body and began crying openly.

"Uwaaahhh... uwaaaahhh!" Leonide wailed, letting out everything he’d been holding back.

Good, Damien thought. It’s better to cry and let it all out than to bottle it up inside.

Comforted by the fact that Leonide was finally releasing his emotions, Damien continued to pat his head, whispering soft reassurances of "good boy" as the boy sobbed in his lap.

...

After about thirty minutes of crying, Leonide finally quieted down. His body was limp against Damien, the crying having exhausted him.

"...Sniff... You’re... you’re not mad at me?" Leonide asked tentatively, his voice hoarse from the tears.

Damien smiled softly, continuing to pat his head. The fact that Leonide had calmed down and was speaking again was a good sign. It had taken Damien an entire night to pull himself together the last time he’d felt this lost, but Leonide was already on the mend.

"Why would I be mad?" Damien asked gently.

"...Because... I showed you something embarrassing, and... I abandoned my job..." Leonide’s voice was quiet, filled with shame.

He knew what he had done wrong. Damien smiled to himself. Leonide really was a good kid.

"You know what you did was wrong, don’t you?" Damien replied. "If you understand that, then there’s no need for me to be angry, is there?"

Leonide was silent for a moment, then shifted to look up at Damien, his expression a mix of confusion and curiosity. "Then... why did you come here?"