Duchess Mecklen’s Elegant Revolt - Chapter 10 Part 4

At the same time that the nobles were fiercely debating in the palace where the Emperor resided, things weren’t much different for Eleanor in Hadum. By the afternoon, the group had returned to the inn and gathered in Eleanor’s room for a meeting.

“We need to conduct another round of investigations,” one of the knights suggested.

“I agree. This is too much for us to handle alone,” another added.

It had been four days since they arrived in Hadum, but that was nowhere near enough time to thoroughly inspect every corner. They agreed to wrap up by focusing on a general assessment of the situation. However, the sense of incompleteness lingered.

“I’ll request a second dispatch when we return to the palace,” Eleanor said, looking around at the others. “Like you all, I’ve seen firsthand how difficult the situation is.”

“It’s completely different from what you see from the outside,” one of the knights Raul had brought along responded. Initially, they had thought it was just a simple survey, but as time passed, they realized the gravity of the situation and had become more diligent in their efforts.

Gran, who had been listening quietly, bowed his head. “I’m sorry, and I’m ashamed.”

“Ashamed? You’ve done well, Father,” Eleanor reassured him.

“No, this investigation has opened my eyes to many things,” Gran replied with a bitter smile. “I never thought to step inside the slums before. To be honest, I believed that as long as I fulfilled the Empress Dowager’s orders to distribute rations, I was doing my part.”

“……”

“But after these past few days, I regret it. I realized how ignorant I’ve been. The slums were right in front of me, yet I didn’t even know how these people lived.”

Gran wondered if things might have been different if he had realized this sooner and suggested reforms to the Empress Dowager. Seeing the way the people lived firsthand, he felt a deep pain in his heart. Eleanor comforted him, telling him it wasn’t his fault.

“By the way, I have something to suggest,” Brianna suddenly interjected, breaking the somber mood. Her face was noticeably more gaunt than when she first arrived, having lost weight since coming to Hadum. The cause was the environment. Every time she entered the filthy, unsanitary slums, she was horrified. When she returned to the inn, the stench clung to her clothes, forcing her to discard each dress she had brought.

Brianna glanced at Eleanor. “Are you aware that people from Hartmann have come here to Hadum?”

“…Yes.”

It seemed Brianna had encountered them as well. Eleanor’s heart trembled slightly at the mention of her homeland, but she remained composed.

Brianna, observing the Duchess’s expression, spoke with a hint of annoyance in her voice. “The poor are complaining that the lines for rations have become more chaotic with the recent influx of people.”

“……”

“In my opinion, a significant portion of the increase in the number of poor people is due to the refugees from Hartmann.”

“That’s possible,” Eleanor didn’t deny Brianna’s suggestion. The knights also confirmed that they had encountered several people from Hartmann, supporting Brianna’s observation.

“If this continues, everyone will starve,” Brianna said with emphasis. “The soup is limited, but the demand is too high. By winter, there could be dead bodies from starvation all over the slums.”

Brianna added forcefully, “That’s why we need to send the refugees from Hartmann back to where they came from.”

In the end, she was suggesting that they be driven out of the slums. Instead of getting angry, Eleanor calmly countered.

“That would be difficult.”

“Why?”

“Well, as you’ve seen for yourself, Lady Brianna, how can you distinguish only those from Hartmann among the many people here?”

They spoke the same common language as those from Baden, and there were no significant differences in appearance. Unless someone identified themselves, it was almost impossible to tell them apart.

“Secondly, even if you consider the refugees a cause of the increase in poverty, can you be sure that removing them would stop the problem? Would the number of poor people really stop increasing if we sent the refugees elsewhere?”

“……”

“The increase in the poor population is partly due to the refugees, but we can’t simply drive them out without understanding the other causes.”

Brianna had no rebuttal to Eleanor’s well-reasoned argument and responded with an uncomfortable noise.

“We can’t stop more poor people from coming. So, do we just watch this happen?” Brianna asked, frustration evident in her voice.

“Excuse me, but…”

One of the knights who had been quietly listening next to Raul hesitantly spoke up.

“It’s alright. Please speak freely,” Eleanor encouraged him, and everyone turned their attention to the knight, whose expression was grim.

“It’s likely that Hadum could become a high-crime area,” he said.

***

After the long meeting, Eleanor returned to her room and collapsed onto the bed without even changing her clothes. It had been a physically and mentally exhausting day.

She tried to organize her thoughts from the meeting in her head.

‘High-crime area.’

While deteriorating infrastructure and food shortages were concerning, the prospect of Hadum becoming known for crime was a significant hurdle that could jeopardize the project before it even started. It wouldn’t be easy to send in knights to eliminate criminal organizations. The area was too complex, with narrow streets and numerous obstacles. It was an environment where criminals could easily hide, and innocent bystanders could be harmed.

Eleanor pressed her forehead, trying to ward off the headache that was rapidly building.

Knock, knock.

“Madam.”

“Becky.”

Eleanor sat up abruptly. Seeing Eleanor’s startled expression, Becky quickly reassured her.

“I made sure no one else was around before coming in.”

“That’s a relief.”

Eleanor let out a breath of relief. She had been careful to keep Becky’s presence hidden, fearing that Raul or the other knights might discover her identity as the maid who had fled. While she had told them that Becky had been sent back to the slums, in reality, Becky was secretly staying in the room next to Eleanor’s. The innkeeper had been paid a month’s rent in advance.

“Did I disturb your rest?”

“No, it’s fine. Please, sit down,” Eleanor said, smiling warmly as she gestured for Becky to take a seat.

“There’s something I wanted to tell you,” Becky began. There was something she had meant to mention earlier, but she had been too preoccupied with talking about Caroline. Today, she was determined to share it with Eleanor.

“There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

“Meet?”

Eleanor’s eyes widened in surprise. Becky had never mentioned any acquaintances outside of the mansion’s staff before.

Becky swallowed nervously and nodded. “It happened not long after I escaped from the mansion.”

Recalling those painful times was difficult, but Becky pushed through, determined not to frown.

“At the time, I was heading to the palace to find you. Looking back, it was a reckless decision, but I thought it was the only way to see you.”

“……”

“I walked as far as I could, trying to avoid getting caught by Madam Caroline. But the hunger… it was unbearable.”

Eleanor took Becky’s hand without a word, feeling the rough callouses on her palm.

“I was so hungry that I started begging for food, anything I could get. That’s when someone told me that I could get free soup in Hadum. They advised me to head that way.”

And so, Becky ended up here. She paused to catch her breath after recounting her journey. When she finally arrived in Hadum, they really were distributing soup. The line was so long that it seemed endless, but Becky, clinging to the hope of getting something to eat, joined the very end of it.

“But even then, I couldn’t get any soup,” Becky said.

“Were there too many people waiting?”

Eleanor assumed the supply couldn’t keep up with the demand, but Becky’s answer was unexpected.

“No. The line in front of me wouldn’t move.”

“……?”

“There was a man in the middle of the line. He was taking money from people and letting them cut in. Because of that, the people behind him couldn’t get anything.”

“So, if you didn’t pay, you couldn’t move forward?”

“Yes.”

Good heavens.

Eleanor couldn’t help but sigh at the absurdity of it all.

“Something doesn’t make sense. Why would people in the slums pay for soup? They could get much better food at a restaurant.”

“They do it because they can eat twice.”

“……”

“There’s no food in regular restaurants that costs as little as one copper. Even the cheapest meals start at ten coppers. But here, for just one copper, you can have two servings of soup, which is why so many people are drawn to it.”

Now it made sense. Eleanor’s lips trembled slightly.

“Were there people who weren’t from the slums also paying for soup?”

“I’m sorry, Madam. I don’t know about that.”

There was a man who stood in the middle of the long line and another person who collected the money. An elderly man couldn’t stand it any longer and protested, but it was in vain. The men didn’t go easy on him, even though he was old. After seeing the elderly man beaten and dragged away, no one in the slums dared to complain again.

“I was so exhausted when I got to Hadum, and when I couldn’t even get the soup I’d hoped for, I fell into despair.”

“…Becky.”

“It got dark, so I couldn’t go anywhere else. I just followed the others into the slums. But as we went deeper, the streets became more twisted and confusing.”

Becky eventually succumbed to her fatigue and hunger and collapsed. That’s when she met him.

Becky hesitated, gauging Eleanor’s reaction before continuing.

“There was someone who helped me when I collapsed.”

“Really? How kind of them.”

“But… actually, that person is nearby.”

***

“Are you spending the night in your office again?”

“Leave first,” Ernst waved off his aide’s concern.

The aide thought to himself how admirable it was that Ernst, after a long day of meetings, would still return to his desk instead of taking a break.

“I’ll take my leave, then.”

Ernst didn’t bother to reply. His attention was fixed on the note he had been holding.

“……”

He hadn’t read it many times, but he had already memorized its contents. He was so focused on it. After reading it two or three more times, Ernst finally set the note down.

The latest message from Raul was quite detailed.

[After a four-day investigation of the slums, a meeting was held in the evening. Notably, Hartmann refugees have been spotted in the Hadum slums. Although the number confirmed so far is small, further investigation is needed to understand how they ended up in the slums. The Duchess was seen crying.]