Chapter 49
“‘You have nowhere to go… no, you’ve disappeared?’ What do you mean by that? Surely… you haven’t committed some crime, have you?”
Could it be that they were criminals who had been expelled?
Nothing else came to mind, so Serena asked urgently. Fortunately, Edward shook his head.
“They are all upright people. They have simply lost their country and, consequently, their place to go. Most of the residents now are survivors from the Kingdom of Ather.”
“Ather…”
Serena recalled when Ather had fallen. It had been nine years ago, when Serena herself was just one year old.
Ather had been the last of the six kingdoms created and ruled by the Children of God, and it had been absorbed into the Empire.
For someone like Serena, a noble of the Empire, that was an achievement of great pride.
“But that doesn’t mean they have to live here, right? There are plenty of people from the Kingdom of Ather. Surely they’ve settled somewhere and are living well?”
Her homeland may no longer exist, now part of the territory of the Lephkian Empire, but their homes weren’t truly gone.
It was sad that their nation had fallen, but they could simply live in their old place as subjects of the Empire.
“That’s true. Some people do live that way. The problem is that they aren’t treated properly. Even among commoners, treatment differs depending on which country they’re from.”
Edward continued, explaining that those from Ather, which had fallen relatively recently, lived almost like slaves, unlike people from kingdoms absorbed long ago.
“For those who aren’t treated as human beings, a place with nothing at all might even be better. They might lack materially, but at least they would have peace of mind.”
Serena had never considered this before.
Not knowing how to respond, she simply muttered, then spoke cautiously:
“Do we have to tell which kingdom we’re from? I don’t mean to lie, but… is it really necessary?”
She trailed off, worried that asking might be rude. As an Empire noble, she felt anything she said could cause offense.
“If knowing will result in unjust treatment, there’s no need to tell. I think the same. But there’s a reason we can’t avoid it. We’ve been branded.”
“Branded?”
“Yes. The seal of their home kingdom was burned into the palms of their hands.”
“On both hands…? You mean… like how criminals are branded?”
It was rare that they wouldn’t need their hands. Even gloves couldn’t fully hide it.
Thus, they burned a mark into the palms of major criminals so they could never escape their crime.
Covering it wouldn’t help; if someone noticed and asked why it was hidden, the truth would inevitably be revealed.
Extreme measures like cutting off hands or leaving further scars over the brand were equally meaningless.
Someone would inevitably ask why they had it, so it was a pointless attempt to hide it.
‘I always thought branding was a good way to avoid criminals…’
To think they not only lost their country but were also branded like criminals and had to endure discrimination for life—it was unimaginable.
Serena couldn’t help but glance at Edward’s hands.
Realizing the rudeness, she quickly looked away, but Edward had already noticed.
He spread his hands before her. Aside from some calluses and small scars, they were clean.
“I am also from Ather, but my family has lived here for generations, so I have no brand. In the world outside Rosegold, people may not even know I exist.”
Even so, seeing Edward welcome and understand those from Ather suggested he still had an attachment to the now-lost kingdom.
After hearing the explanation, Serena finally understood why Sylvia had feared her.
“…She was scared because I’m from the Empire.”
She didn’t know the exact treatment those people received, but thinking back on Sylvia’s reaction, it seemed it wasn’t something that could be summarized simply.
“Yes. And you are also the lord visiting Rosegold for the first time in 55 years.”
How would the Empire’s nobility view residents from Ather who hadn’t paid taxes and whose existence was barely known?
They hid in fear, worrying what the Empire might do to them. Naturally, they would be terrified just by your presence. Serena would have felt the same in their place.
“So, what should I do? I want to get along with the people here. I don’t want them to be afraid.”
Thanks to the Gaechaban family, Serena had learned a little about the pain of worrying, fearing, and being afraid of someone.
Unlike herself, who had the hope that running away could solve things, the people here had nowhere else to flee.
She couldn’t let them live in terror in this precious place they’d finally found. They had to at least have room to breathe.
As if he had expected Serena to say that, Edward’s expression softened.
“It will take some time. If you continue to treat them as you are now, they will come to understand your considerate heart.”
“They don’t have to understand my heart. I just want them to feel at ease.”
What should she do? What could she do to make them feel even slightly more at ease?
Serena thought of the first task that needed solving.
“Oh, right. You said we’re almost out of funds, right? There was 17 gold 68 silver left, wasn’t there?”
“Exactly.”
“Edward, sorry, but could you recalculate the monthly expenses? Include the salaries of those working in the castle, and your salary too.”
She wasn’t sure if she could pay all the back salaries, but she wanted to pay as much as possible.
Edward blinked slowly, perhaps not expecting her to say that.
“Please recalculate the groceries too. Cheap is fine, but we can’t keep eating substandard ingredients.”
In a barren place like this, the only happiness might be food, and she wasn’t willing to compromise. It was absurd.
“Oh! And regarding the furniture. From now on, when we ask for furniture to be made, I’ll pay accordingly. Even if they are residents, they shouldn’t just give such exquisite furniture. Hmm… what else might be needed?”
Watching Serena genuinely consider this, Edward felt a mixture of emotions.
He had never imagined meeting a lord who would care about such a seemingly useless place.
He recalled the previous lord he had met once, 55 years ago—Julia Roselantis.
‘Take good care of the next lord. You will have much to do.’
He hadn’t understood then, but Julia’s words were becoming reality.
It seemed there would be far more to do than before, but joy outweighed worry.
“I will address what you mentioned immediately. As we make gradual changes, you will notice other improvements.”
“Okay, I understand. I’ll think things through slowly. If I change too much, Edward will have no sleep and only work.”
For the first time, Serena, who had always seemed mature for her age, gave a childlike smile.
Only then did Edward realize she was much younger than he had perceived.
Though she looked about ten, he didn’t understand why he had seen her as older.
As he looked at her gentle face, Edward suddenly remembered an item he had to give her.
“Now that I think of it, there is something left by the previous lord.”
If you want, I can also translate the next chapter or the continuation, keeping the tone
