Chapter 160 - The Princess's Value (2)

Olivia walked toward Ferda with a smile on her face.

Ferda decided to offer a greeting for courtesy's sake first.

"I greet Your Highness the Princess—"

"Shh."

Her finger lightly pressed against Ferda's lips.

Her finger was soft, and a rich floral scent spread from it.

"Here, I am not the Princess. I came as one believer, as part of the relief corps."

"Is that so?"

"What brings you here, Mr. Ferda?"

He could not very well say he had come to meet one of his confidants, so he decided to lie.

"A beggar stole my gold coin and ran, so I chased after him."

"No matter how angry you were, how could you come this deep inside?"

"Quite right."

"There must be many people targeting you, Regent. I cannot let your identity be exposed like this."

Olivia laughed softly and beckoned with her hand behind her.

Then one of the men behind her took out a robe and handed it to Olivia.

"Come with me as my escort."

Ferda quietly looked down at the robe.

Normally, he would have simply ignored it and walked past.

But was the main cause that had made Ferda agonize for hours not standing right in front of him?

As Garnet had said, asking her directly could also be an answer.

"Very well."

Ferda put on the robe.

"Stand beside me. A little closer."

As if the other escorts accompanying her meant nothing, Olivia placed Ferda at her side.

Ferda asked her as if uncomfortable.

"Is this not too close?"

"I thought you might have something you wanted to say. Is that not why you accepted this absurd request?"

She was extremely quick on the uptake.

"But before that, do a little work with me."

"... Very well."

He was not curious about why Olivia was here, but the topic he had to bring up was not a light one, so he had no choice but to go along with her willingly.

The place she headed was the beggars' base.

Skin darkened from not washing.

Body odors far removed from fragrance mingled together, and the sound of a child's crying sang of despair.

In a place like that, Olivia felt like a single ray of light.

The beggars, who had been listless and devoid of vitality, began moving busily when they saw her.

They even lined up the children they had hidden away tightly and knelt.

Had they realized she was the Princess?

That was not it.

They were untouchables who could not even see what a Princess looked like.

To them, the heavens were only the local thugs and the relief corps of the Order of Altes.

It seemed they had taken Olivia for the latter because of her robe.

Olivia had also set foot in this place for that purpose.

What the escorts accompanying Olivia had brought were relief supplies.

When they took out freshly baked bread and a cup of water, Olivia handed them out one by one.

"This is the grace and mercy of Altes, the almighty light."

Olivia said so, and the beggars answered mechanically.

"We thank great Altes for His grace."

She dealt with them one by one like that.

It took a long time, and above all, it was foul-smelling work.

There were also those who saw her fair hands and discreetly brushed their fingers against them, wanting to feel them even a little.

But Olivia did not show displeasure, nor did she recoil.

By the time she had handed out all the bread and water, her fair hands were covered in smudges.

"Is this part of your Saintess lessons?"

Ferda asked.

Olivia answered while wiping her hands with a perfumed handkerchief.

"Would you believe me if I said I have done this since long ago?"

Ferda answered bluntly.

"I do not find that very believable."

A Princess, of all people.

And that Princess, whose insides were full of schemes, showing goodwill to people was hard for Ferda to believe.

"I suppose it would seem that way."

Olivia merely laughed as if his reaction was only natural.

"As I told you, there are far too many people in this Empire. Because there are far too many, people forget how precious humans are. As if replacing parts inside some enormous machine."

Although many people would die, the imperial capital would remain intact.

Olivia had spoken of a solution to this problem.

"That is why you said a second capital is needed."

"Yes. Only when they are on the verge of losing something do they finally understand how precious it is."

This, too, could be an act to gain political support.

But even bastards famous as nobles for the common people did not help others as actively as Olivia did.

Even Waldemar Gold, called a hero of the people, did not treat untouchables as people.

It had to be possible because she had a conviction beyond politics.

After watching her actions, Ferda made up his mind and opened his mouth.

"Grand Duke Gold made me an offer."

The smile vanished from her lips.

"What kind of offer?"

Ferda answered calmly.

"He said he would guarantee the safety of the far east in exchange for selling you off."

"Did you accept?"

Contrary to his expectation that she would be shocked, she moved on to the next question.

"I postponed my answer. One-sidedly."

"He is making you think about it. That must mean he has something he can rely on."

"It seemed that way."

After that, an uncomfortable silence settled over them.

He could not read the expression hidden beneath her robe.

Regret over whether he had asked a pointless question kept prodding Ferda.

As they walked like that, her steps stopped.

The gaze hidden beneath that robe was directed somewhere.

There, an old woman and a thin child were begging.

The child lay weakly in the old woman's arms, and the old woman held out a wooden bowl as she begged for mercy.

"Do you know this?"

Olivia opened her mouth while looking at the old woman.

"What?"

"Grand Duke Waldemar Gold once implemented a policy for people in such extreme poverty. It was free education. He allowed children who could not even get water to wash their faces to learn letters and arithmetic."

Writing was the exclusive possession of the upper class.

At the same time, being able to handle letters also meant one could gain a foothold from the commoner class.

"Do you not think it was a policy worthy of a hero of the common people?"

"Was it not?"

"No, it was not. He implemented that policy because he knew it was a measure with a fine pretext and no use."

Her chin turned toward the child held in the old woman's arms.

"For them, food right now is more important than looking to the distant future through education. It is more efficient to use a child as a tool to gain pity than to place hope in that child's future. That is why they run a business lending out children like that."

Lending out children.

After hearing her words, Ferda looked at the old woman and the child.

Indeed, they were strangers with no resemblance at all.

"So if you truly care about the future, you must not give money to beggars who beg like that. If you prove that lending out children can make money, then in the end, they will live only as tools for adults and merely pass poverty down."

Cruel, but rational words.

He thought she might simply ignore them and turn away, but Olivia crouched down and placed a silver coin from her bosom before them.

The old woman bowed her head in gratitude for the grace and expressed her thanks.

No matter how rational and reasonable a solution existed, she was human.

In the end, she was an emotional human who could not bring herself to ignore the tragedy before her eyes.

"... About Grand Duke Gold's offer."

Olivia said.

Emotion showed on her lips.

Ferda knew that emotion well.

A cold blade forged from deep sorrow and blazing rage intertwined.

"Accept it."

It was revenge.

The morning of his second day in the Empire.

As if mocking the leisure of the clear morning sunlight, the attack against Ferda began.

In front of the high-class inn where Ferda was staying.

A group moved there and built a platform.

Once the stage was complete, a middle-aged man dressed as a noble stood atop it.

"Subjects of the Empire, please listen to what I have to say!"

With the assistance of a mage, he even used amplification magic to seize the attention of people on their way to work.

"Today, I stand here to accuse a murderer!"

At that shocking purpose, a crowd naturally gathered.

"My name is Perry Yurei. I am a duke of the Heinckel Kingdom, not this Empire, and a noble who does not belong to this Empire!"

The position of duke was one comparable to the king of a nation.

For such a person to stand in the street and speak respectfully to commoners was an extremely shocking thing.

"Today, I stand here as the father of a child! My son was Marcus. Unlike this wretched father, he was a promising child. Unlike his failure of a father, he was surely a child who would have led our territory splendidly! Such a child...!"

Duke Yurei's hand trembled violently.

The sorrow of losing a child was an emotion that transcended status.

"Such a child participated in the Start of Spring Festival, was attacked, and vanished just like that. Until then, I believed it was simply the work of demonic creatures. But beneath the great light of Altes, there is no darkness that can hide forever."

Emotions rising.

The atmosphere building.

"I found out who killed my son, and today I have come here to accuse him!"

Duke Yurei pointed toward the high-class inn and exposed the truth.

"Ferda Valdrova, Regent and fiancé of the Grand Duchess Valdrova's territory! He is the culprit who murdered my son!"

Everything proceeded according to plan.

Duke Yurei won sympathy as a father who had lost his son, and the rumor spread in an instant.

They did say words could travel a thousand li without feet, but it spread throughout the entire capital in just two hours.

Someone had undoubtedly worked behind the scenes.

But what did behind-the-scenes work matter?

To them, what mattered was that Duke Yurei had lost his son, and Ferda Valdrova was a murderer.

Ferda set out to attend the Golden Council again.

No sooner had he stepped outside the door than sharp gazes turned toward him.

The condemnation that should have begun yesterday, if things had gone according to plan, had only begun today.

"We will escort you safely."

Lord Count Concillus's expression turned grim, like a man heading to war.

He knew that if something were thrown from that crowd of commoners and so much as touched Ferda's body, there would be no turning back.

Ferda, seated on horseback, looked over them.

'Anger and disgust, is it...?'

Ferda showed no emotion.

He neither wanted to understand those who grew angry without knowing anything, nor did he want to make them understand.

Thus, he entered the Golden Council.

Ferda the devoted husband had become a criminal and the subject of gossip.

Strangely, the security officers' search had also become even more stringent.

"Regent."

An old man called Ferda to a stop before he entered the council.

The mastermind who had created this whole mess.

Waldemar Gold stood there like a supreme court justice.

"Are you prepared to give me an answer to my offer?"

Everything would end if he sold off Olivia.

She herself had volunteered to become the bait.

He only had to hand over Olivia and let the matter of the far east pass easily.

"Yes."

Ferda answered.

"Unfortunately, a person's heart is not something I can change."

"... Is that so."

Waldemar did not cling to him pathetically, nor did he grow angry.

He merely nodded as if he understood.

"I understand your will."

The stillness just before a storm struck.

He had thought that if he knew it, at least he would not be troubled, but that was not the case.

His heart grew calm, and it felt as though all the worries that had shaken Ferda had fled.

Ferda quietly sat down in his seat.

"Since everyone has taken their seats, we shall open the session."

At the words of Akkad, the chairman, the hall fell silent.

"Before we address the matter of acquiring magical engineering technology, I would first like to address one unforgivable crime."

Everyone knew what that unforgivable crime was.

"Regent Ferda, would you please take the witness stand?"

Ferda climbed onto the stand as if he had been waiting.

"Regent Ferda, as you know, Duke Yurei's son was murdered, and you have been named as the murderer."

The word with no feet, far too quick, was swift in handling affairs as well.

"And Duke Yurei has lodged a formal protest with the Empire. In order to address this situation, which may interfere with diplomacy between nations, although he is a lord within the Heinckel Kingdom, we have permitted him to attend this Golden Council."

With those words, Duke Yurei entered.

It was the first time Ferda had seen his face since the Grand Council.

But the flustered and powerless Duke Yurei of that time was gone.

He was exactly as Waldemar Gold had described.

'The face of a man with nothing to lose.'

A gaze that had lost everything in the world and now longed for revenge, prepared to fall into ruin together.

'... Not enough.'

Ferda needed certainty.

"Regent Ferda, do you admit that you murdered Young Master Yurei?"

The chairman asked, and Ferda tried to answer.

His eyes turned toward Duke Yurei.

"Young Master Marcus Yurei..."