Chapter 36

Adele woke up feeling good, stretched thoroughly, and tightly held the letter containing the secret that her mother had given her. Her body felt so light, as if it could fly, from the good night's sleep she had. After changing into her clothes skillfully and doing a light makeup, she left the room. The butler had been waiting on one side, seemingly for some time.

“Phew. If you were here, you should have made some noise. Just waiting there, huh?”

“Since I couldn’t even assign a direct maid to you, it’s only natural to serve you this way, Your Majesty. Please forgive the inadequate treatment.”

Adele found the culture in Ehmont difficult and awkward, as she was not used to it. In Gotrop, maids were more like errand runners and did not follow the royal family’s every move.

“Don’t worry. I was comfortable.”

“I’m relieved. Breakfast is prepared. Would you like to have it?”

“Of course.”

That was exactly what she had been waiting to hear. ＊ ＊ ＊ The breakfast was set up in the Duke’s private reception room. As Adele entered, her brother, who was already there, stood up and greeted her politely. Smelling the delicious food, Adele smiled happily.

“Thank you for waiting with the delicious food.”

“We just arrived. Please sit down.”

Adele sat down and glanced at Lionel for a moment, but since he didn’t look tired, she turned her attention to the food in front of her. It was a neat breakfast with hot soup, bread, and fresh fruits.

“Please eat, Your Majesty.”

With Theseus’s words, the three of them started their breakfast. Adele first tore a piece of the warm, fluffy bread and dipped it into the soup before eating it. The bread, soaked in the salty and smooth soup, seemed to send a signal of satisfaction to her rumbling stomach. The butler added more bread to her plate whenever it was empty, and Adele continued eating until she was full. After a while, Theseus, who had finished eating first, asked the queen at an appropriate time.

“Do you have anything special you want to do today?”

Adele took a sip of water to clean her mouth and nodded.

“There is, but I need some help.”

“Please tell me.”

Adele turned her head to Lionel and asked softly.

“Lionel, do you have time today?”

“?”

“If it’s difficult for you, I’m sorry, but I would like a couple of knights who are trustworthy and know the area well to be assigned to me.”

“Why?”

In response to Theseus’s question, Adele turned to him and answered.

“I want to take a look around the capital today. Specifically, the slums we talked about last time.”

At this answer, Lionel interjected.

“You want to visit the slums?”

“I’m curious.”

“You want to see inside the slums?”

“Of course. What’s the point of just skimming the surface? I’m not here for a tour.”

“Then I will accompany you.”

Lionel answered quickly, and Theseus nodded. Adele had been worried that they would give a conservative answer, saying the queen shouldn’t go to such a squalid place, but it turned out to be a groundless worry. Adele smiled, liking these brothers.

“Thank you.”

＊ ＊ ＊ The execution was swift and efficient. Adele and Lionel left the mansion immediately after breakfast. Since a carriage would be too conspicuous in the slums, they decided to ride horses. As Adele mounted her horse, the butler, who was fidgeting, was told by Lionel.

“You ride a warhorse faster than I do.”

The two of them, with their faces completely covered by large hoods and masks, rode towards the slums.

“Did I ask someone in a high position for something unnecessary?”

To her question, Lionel replied in a light tone.

“It’s fine. Since I have time today to accompany you, don’t worry.”

A small laugh swept past Lionel’s ear like a breeze. The slums approached first through the sense of smell. A foul odor began to waft up to their noses, and soon the enormous slums were revealed. It looked like a giant mass of filth. Pointing to the small river that flowed between the general civilian area and the slums, Lionel said.

“The name of this river is Niavara, which means clear water, but now it can no longer support any life.”

At each bridge, soldiers only checked those coming from the slums. Adele looked down as she crossed the bridge. People were doing laundry and washing their bodies in the dirty, foul-smelling water.

“The water facilities seem to be poor.”

“They are almost non-existent.”

“Then what about toilets?”

“They say they do their business inside their homes and then throw it outside.”

In other words, the entire slum was a giant toilet. After crossing the river, the stench was so overwhelming that Adele felt nauseous, even in the dry autumn weather. The acrid smell of burning added to her discomfort, and she couldn’t help but ask.

“What is this burning smell?”

“It’s probably the smell of burning corpses. There’s no place for the living to lie, so there’s no space for the dead.”

Adele stopped her horse. Seeing the vast slums, which couldn’t be taken in at a glance, made her feel as if someone was choking her. Adele took off her mask.

“Put your mask on.”

“It’s fine. Who would recognize me here? To these people, the queen is less important than today’s bread.”

“……”

“Are there slums of this size spread throughout the empire?”

“There are about ten of this size, and countless smaller ones.”

After a long silence, Adele spurred her horse and muttered.

“……I’ve walked into hell.”

It was a truly painful and sad statement. Lionel, who had been watching the queen riding ahead with a dark, troubled look, followed her. ＊ ＊ ＊ As they entered the slums, the people’s gazes fell on the two of them. Lionel moved closer to the queen.

“Where will we leave the horses?”

“There are people who do that. They’ll come if you dismount.”

Sure enough, as the two of them seemed about to dismount, a few men who had been watching them quickly approached. After entrusting the horses to them, a boy who had been lurking nearby ran up to the two of them.

“Hello!”

Adele glanced at the boy and, while looking at the slums, gave an order.

“Lead us to the most ordinary house here. I want to see inside, so it would be better if it’s a house you can enter.”

“To see inside, you’ll need to pay more.”

“How much?”

“Two silver coins per house.”

“Understood.”

“Hehe, follow me, ma’am!”

Lionel frowned reflexively at the boy and looked at the queen, but she started walking after the boy as if it was no big deal. The inside of the slums was even more miserable than it looked from the outside. Even Lionel, who had seen countless hellish scenes while wandering battlefields, felt nauseous from the terrible smell. Children, who could sit and play on the streets that were essentially a field of feces, looked curiously at the two people in fancy cloaks passing by. Arrows of mixed suspicion and curiosity flew from the gloomy streets. Lionel firmly guarded Adele’s side. The slums were so lawless that human trafficking could happen countless times. Since the mages’ magic was only effective within the tower’s influence, Adele would be no different from an ordinary woman here. Adele’s expression hardened as she observed. She could feel the reality of the place without needing to see more. This was not a place for humans to live. The first house the boy led them to was a girl’s home.

“Are you the owner of this house?”

“Yes.”

The girl, who seemed to have just entered adolescence, nodded with a blank face.

“My parents passed away last month.”

Her muttering voice sounded like that of an old person worn down by life. Adele entered the house and looked around. The space, which could barely fit two people lying down, had no windows or furniture, making it resemble a cave or a stone coffin. The queen, without saying much, asked the necessary questions and observed the inside with a cold attitude. She then visited a few more houses, some of which were relatively clean and others the worst, before giving an order.

“Let’s go back.”

The boy exaggeratedly put on airs, saying he should be sought out if they came again. His behavior was that of a typical thug. He spat, walked arrogantly, and bowed deeply to the strong.

“How old are you?”

“Fifteen this year!”

Fifteen years old.

“Are there younger children in your group?”

“Well… I have children under my control. What else can they do here if they don’t do this? They need to come in young to establish themselves quickly.”

Adele stared at the boy for a moment and then turned away. After Lionel paid and brought the horses, Adele mounted and started crossing the river. He watched her silently as she rode.

“Why are you not saying anything?”

“……”

“Did you find out what you wanted to know?”

The queen stopped her horse in the middle of the Niavara River and turned her body. She looked at the slums with a completely rational face, devoid of any pity or sadness, and then turned back calmly. The queen, who started walking ahead with a straight back, looked so calm that she seemed cold. Lionel suddenly thought, for this person, the only point of contact with this land is the emperor. She is the emperor’s spouse, the queen, so isn’t her relationship with the emperor the most important thing? Didn’t she bring in an advisor to form a connection with the House of Valder to secure power in the palace?

“……If His Majesty the Emperor opposes what you want to do, what will you do?”

“Oppose?”

Adele stopped her horse and turned to look at him. Lionel