Volume 8, Chapter 38 – A Bad Feeling of Incongruity

Although she said so in her heart, Camilla knew it was impossible. The real problem was not Laxy, but her sister. Back then, when she didn’t quite understand the human heart, her sister had promised that they would talk about love when she grew up. But by the time she had come to her senses and said that she had reached the age of adulthood—15—her sister had said that it was far from it. It was only then that she realized that the so-called ‘growing up’ was a completely ambiguous concept, and the specific time was entirely up to her sister to decide.

Although she knew it was unfair, Camilla was helpless. She could only blame herself for being too naive at the time and falling into her sister’s trap. But she also had to admit that even if it was a trap, it was a trap filled with honey. If the scene were to happen again, and her sister were to say to her, “When Camilla grows up, I will marry you,” her focus would surely be on the latter half of the sentence, lost in a fantasy of the future, thus ignoring the prerequisite.

It’s so unfair.

Like the snack hung in a mousetrap, even knowing it was a trap, she couldn’t help but step into it.

Of course, if Yisi were to learn of Camilla’s current thoughts, her face would surely be filled with question marks. Her original words were that she would consider Camilla when she grew up; she had never said a word like “marry.” That sentence had gradually been distorted in Camilla’s mind.

“Camilla?”

“Ah, I got a little distracted. Let’s walk around the refugee camp first. Only by seeing it for ourselves can we know what they really need.”

“Mm, I was just thinking the same thing. Mary and Miss Alice have gone to the deeper parts of the camp. Although the strength of these refugees poses no threat to Mary, I’m still a little worried.”

With no objection, the two of them, after giving instructions to the temple priests, began to walk, observing the life of the refugees and conversing in low voices.

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“Instead of a temporary shelter, this place has become more like a village. It’s just that the clothes and sanitary conditions are very poor. I think I saw a vendor selling black bread just now. If there’s no money to be made, vendors wouldn’t come here. Do these refugees have money?”

Most of the refugees were wearing single layers of clothing that were filthy and no different from rags. Many of them had dirt on their faces, and their hair was matted together like withered grass. Their skin was rough and dark, characteristic of heavy laborers, and their eyes were filled with listlessness. Probably taking her and Laxy for nobles, everyone, regardless of age or gender, wore a frightened expression. When they passed by, they would lower their heads, as if afraid of being called out.

In addition, the wooden sheds in the refugee camp, built with thin branches and old cloth, were not only drafty but also had extremely poor waterproofing. It was tolerable for now since it was summer, but if it continued until winter, this refugee camp would probably turn into a hellish scene—with the starved and the frozen everywhere.

“They are all survivors from the nearby villages. A third of them survived because they happened not to be at home when the floods and landslides occurred. Most of the rest are those whose farmlands were destroyed and who knew that if they didn’t leave their homes, they would be washed away, so they fled with their families. The savings they brought with them are not enough to support them in the city. They can only barely get by in the refugee camp.”

“Do they have no income?”

“Some of them have been hired by workshop owners and have entered the city. It’s just that the wages offered by those employers are often very low. As the number of refugees increases, the voices of discontent in the camp have also grown louder recently. Fortunately, my lord obtained permission from Duke Wozwahl to have the temple provide relief every other day. Otherwise, who knows what would have happened.”

Wait.

Camilla suddenly slowed her pace.

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For most ordinary people, as long as they can achieve subsistence through hard work, they will not complain. Under the virtue of endurance, even if life is difficult, as long as there is food, they can still make do. But if they cannot fill their stomachs through hard work and live in a world of dire straits, people will easily have thoughts of rebellion. The refugee camp was now in such a state. They were like a powder keg. With just a little guidance from someone with ulterior motives, they could become a force that could shake the city walls.

“Not to mention the refugee camp is right at the foot of the city wall… If several thousand refugees were to riot at once, even without weapons, as long as it was well-planned, they could still rush into the city…”

Camilla looked back at the city guards. A team of less than fifty, plus their lazy and dismissive attitude towards the refugees, made it hard to believe that they could react in time in an emergency. The refugees’ long-term residence under the city wall had made these soldiers numb.

Come to think of it, letting the refugees set up camp at the foot of the city wall was a mistake from the very beginning.

Clicking her tongue, Camilla frowned. If she were the ruler, how would she handle such a problem?

Settle the refugees in the slums inside the city, or specially allocate a piece of land outside the city to build shelters for them—the latter would be difficult to build decent houses due to the continuous heavy rain. The former was probably opposed by the nobles in the city for the sake of the city’s appearance. And if they were to forcibly drive the refugees away, forcing them to live in the wilderness or forests, it would undoubtedly lead to their miserable deaths at the hands of beasts and monsters. And if they were to become bandits, it would cause even greater trouble in the future. In that case, the only option was to let them live at the edge of the city wall as a temporary measure.

Thinking of the king suddenly falling into a coma during the continuous heavy rain, and the people who had been causing chaos in the city these past few days, Camilla couldn’t help but feel a sense of incongruity. It was as if some kind of plan was gradually unfolding.

Becoming alert, Camilla dropped her previous languor and pointed to the crowded area ahead.

“Laxy, let’s go a little deeper.”

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“Alright.”

If she could catch the person who was spreading a certain will among the refugees, her guess could be confirmed. Camilla couldn’t help but secretly admire Yisi. Perhaps her Onee-sama had foreseen this step, which was why she had the temple come to provide relief. As long as their lives were a little better and they had some hope, these refugees would not want to bring about destruction.

But, correspondingly, if there really was someone behind all this, then their act of providing relief was undoubtedly hindering their plan. In other words, she had already exposed herself to a very dangerous environment.

“Ah, Miss Laxy!”

Spotting Laxy from afar, Mary squeezed through the crowd and ran to her side, her hurried expression making it seem as if she had encountered some trouble.

Realizing that something might have happened, Laxy first looked at the people around them, then pulled Mary to the side of the road.

“Mary, what’s wrong?”

“Eh?” Mary’s purple eyes widened in confusion. “Nothing’s wrong. Alice just asked me to come here to get some ingredients for cooking. Everyone here really likes Miss Alice. They see her as an angel.”

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Camilla, who had been so serious just a moment ago, secretly facepalmed.

It seems I was overthinking it. I thought Mary’s hurried expression was because the bad thing I had anticipated had already happened.

“Miss Camilla is here too. There are people who see you as a princess these days, you know. Would you like to go and meet everyone?”

“No need. But I’m going to see what Alice is doing.”

“Little Alice is in the small square just ahead. You’ll see her soon, Miss Camilla.”

After pointing ahead, Mary hurried off to get the ingredients.

I hope it’s just my misjudgment.

Camilla secretly tightened her grip on her staff.