Episode 252. muddy water
Melania got off the carriage and looked up at the mansion blankly. She was truly amazing. Although this is the home she has lived in all her life, doesn’t everything feel awkward, as if she was in someone else’s house?
The grass was trampled here and there, the marble floor was stained with blood, the decorations were broken and fallen, the curtains were torn, and there was no one to greet me when I arrived.
Melania opened the half-open door herself and entered.
Sigh.
“Hey. Who’s that? You shouldn’t be coming in without permission. Are you, by any chance, a member of the Hyman family?”
At the end of the hallway, the imperial palace soldiers gathered in groups of twos and threes sensed the presence and shouted. He didn’t recognize Melania. The moment she was about to reply to her, the soldier who had guided her from the imperial palace came in after her.
“I am Melania, the youngest daughter of the Hyman family. Don’t worry about it and just go about your business.”
“Ah, yes. Thank you for your hard work.”
“Where is Captain Jayrot?”
“They said they would conduct another search of the training ground just in case.”
Melania bit her lip. She was reminded of her situation by the soldiers’ simple remark telling her not to worry.
She turned resolutely and climbed the stairs. Squeak, squeak, since when did you start hearing sounds from the stairs? My five senses awoke that everything was a mess.
Boom! Boom!
“Melania!”
“Brother!”
The younger brother came running out when he heard the noise from downstairs. Aside from his unkempt clothes and disheveled hair, his eyes, filled with despair, were a particularly messy sight. He hugged his younger sister tightly and kept asking her how she was doing.
“Melania, are you okay? What about father and mother? “What about you, brother?”
“Brother, let’s go in first. “Go in and talk.”
“Please, tell me first. Is everything okay? What happened at the palace? Yes?”
Melania glanced around. There is no one upstairs either. She clearly told the attendant to stay where he was… … .
She sat down on the stairs with her little brother and stroked her hair. A sweat-soaked sigh escaped me without my knowledge.
“Before that, what happened to everyone?”
“Don’t even talk. “I finally understand their true nature.”
Half of the occupants of the mansion left immediately after Melania left in the carriage. The warnings from the imperial palace soldiers that she would not receive her salary played a big role.
No matter how long and loyal their relationship was, they had their own lives. Their families, lovers, and friends were waiting outside the mansion, not inside.
“Brother. It’s just like that. When it’s dark, even my shadow abandons me, so how can the people around me keep their places? Don’t blame me. If you blame me, you won’t have enough strength to move forward.”
“The slaves were taken away by the imperial palace soldiers in numbers. How did you know, I knew the exact number of people. The private soldier was also demobilized. Some people were hit hard while responding and were taken to the hospital. I heard that treatment expenses are first paid at the deacon’s private expense… … .”
The little brother scrubbed his face vigorously with dry face. How on earth did this happen? How could it be that Hyman couldn’t even pay for the medical expenses of his family members, so he had to borrow the help of a butler?
Melania watched everything from the side and comforted her brother who endured it. Unfortunately, this is just the beginning. Brother. We have already left the starting point, and only death awaits us at the end. Melania chewed and swallowed the words that she could not bear to say.
“Brother. Don’t you remember? Hyman’s children played marbles with jewels and scissors with silk cloth. If you look for just the slightest opportunity, there will be no problem in taking care of your family’s salary. “Hyman’s last, not so shabby.”
“Melania, this is the last time! Now tell me. What on earth is going on inside? you? “How did you get out?”
Melania held both of his hands tightly. And very quietly, it was announced that Hyman’s fate was at the edge of a cliff.
“Father, mother and eldest brother will be executed. This seemed irreversible. “Sir Ian, the Minister for Magic, has said he will not back down.”
“Fuck! Fuck!”
Quang! bang!
He let out an exasperated cry and stamped his feet. A soldier from below raised his head slightly, wondering what was going on.
“But there is still a chance.”
“opportunity? Mother and father both die! The family has become a beggar in the middle of nowhere! But what!”
“we-!”
Melania held her brother’s shoulder tightly. Her eyes sparkled cleanly. The determined posture of one walking into a huge storm.
“We are what Hyman is. If we live, Hyman lives. You didn’t forget, right? “Any family starts with just one person.”
“Hmm, Melania… … .”
Melania couldn’t guarantee her little brother’s life. No, she knew that it was more likely to end in tragedy.
The fact that a family that was about to be exterminated for rebellion had a surviving direct descendant was something close to a miracle. A miracle she would not have dared to imagine if she had not met her Ian in Bratz.
“Sero is being pointed out as the next family to replace Hyman. Sir Ian suggested it. “If you prove that you are of superior value to Sero, one or two of them may be spared.”
Although Melania was the only one included in Ian’s proposal, she did not tell her little brother the truth. Because she knew her temper well. A person who is opportunistic, weak, and ultimately chooses personal life over fame.
Wouldn’t meaningless words lead to unnecessary misunderstandings and explanations? Now that the hour was urgent and sensitive, Melania did not want that.
“Is that true?”
“yes. So, stay alert. Aren’t there probably some remaining descendants in the other seven families? “We must work together to turn the situation around.”
As a little hope was cast, the little brother’s face softened slightly. He fumbled in his pockets for a cigarette.
“After that… . “I don’t have a carriage available right now.”
“I have something to ride. And brother. Just in case, I ask you to keep everything confidential. When other families know we have an opportunity, it becomes difficult to move things forward. “They might not cooperate because of resistance.”
He nodded repeatedly, chewing hard on a dry cigarette.
Melania touched his cheek sadly, her eyes reddening. Oh, brother. When we were young, we used to hide by the stairs and share secrets, but now you whisper to me with the determination to die.
“Melania. “If the goal is to keep Serio in check-”
Melania, who had been caressing her brother’s face, wiggled her eyebrows.
“So, isn’t the reason Serio is so strong right now because he gained the trust of Lord Ian and Lord Jin? “If I let you know that their trust has been lost, won’t their momentum die down on their own?”
“That’s a good opinion, but it shouldn’t be done that way.”
“why?”
“That’s something Sir Ian could do. If he invited other families, not Sero, to have tea, discuss the situation, and propose future projects, he could naturally show that trust has changed. But Sir Ian doesn’t do that and instead tries to use us.”
What Ian wants. Or something Ian can’t do. It meant a muddy fight between nobles. Her brother frowned as he smoked his cigarette.
“Could it be that they are trying to use us and then abandon us?”
“Of course it would be.”
Melania smiled brightly. As if she had heard something truly innocent.
“But whether he throws us in the incinerator or on the street is entirely up to his will. Our goal is just to be left alive. Do you understand? “For that, you have to prove your usefulness and satisfy him.”
“Uh, how… … .”
“Please put your clothes away and come out. “I will also change into something that is easier to move around in.”
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Melania stood up, holding her loose dress with one hand. Then, with all her might, she ran up to her bedroom, step by step.
There is no time. Shouldn’t we achieve results before the trial proceeds and before everything comes to an end? The older brother looked at the back of his sister and smoked a cigarette to come to his senses.
* * *
Ian and Jin were sitting side by side on the sofa in the office, reading a book. His desk belongs to Romandro. I was in the process of organizing payment documents that I couldn’t see while I was lying down.
Thanks to that, Ian had a short break and was flipping through the bookshelf while having tea with Jin.
Sarah.
“Lowering. Please read.”
“Ka-rderoni.”
“Your pronunciation is very good.”
“is it? lol.”
Jin smiled bashfully at Ian’s compliment. Beric, who was chewing on the gula on the other side, stepped forward to give it a try.
“What? “I want to try it too.”
“…Follow me. Ka-Rderoni.”
“Caarteroni!”
“… not bad.”
“But what does it mean?”
“It’s a foreign language. ‘I won’t eat meat from now on.’”
Beric covered his mouth at Ian’s words. I wonder if it’s a joke, but I can’t tell because the color of her face doesn’t change at all.
As Beric rolled his eyes in embarrassment, Jin, sitting next to him, blinked vigorously. It was a sign that he was joking.
“Ian! Don’t play with your food! ok? “I was completely appalled!”
“Berrick, I received your receipt yesterday. Are you sure you didn’t play around with what you eat? It’s an amount you wouldn’t think a person could have eaten. “For now, eat only pigs.”
“Ha, Mr. I got involved for no reason. “You should keep your mouth shut.”
Then he grabbed a handful of gula and put it in his mouth. Romanro was watching it from behind. asked Ian, after scratching his chin with his pen.
“But Ian.”
“yes. Do you have any problems with payment?”
“no. That’s not true, but after the appointment ceremony for Emperor Jin’s successor, what are we going to do with Beric and Xiaoxi?”
Beric was a swordsman, but he was a commoner, and Xiaoshi was a slave. If Jin and Ian continued to be together, it was obvious that they would also be by Jin’s side. The royal family, and especially the next emperor, were low-class people without any position. It wouldn’t be a good sight. Ian nodded, leaning back on the sofa.
“I’m still thinking about that. “I wonder how about raising Beric to the Imperial Guard.”
“I? “Where should I go?”
“I’m not going anywhere, just the name.”
There are a large number of magic swordsmen in the Imperial Palace Guard. So, if you want to remain in the imperial palace, it is natural to join there. When Beric jumped up, Ian motioned for him to be careful.
“Just the name? Is that okay?”
“Do that.”
“What about training?”
“I’ll tell Jaret. He’ll be assigned to your side, but you’ll be sent to our side to deal with him. Each and every one of your swordsmen is precious to you, so I’m sure he won’t refuse the offer. Now you’ll have to earn your own living.”
“Oh, I’m starving to death?”
The intention was to exert influence over the Imperial Guard through Beric. Actually, he seems like such an asshole that I wonder if he would be of much help. Wouldn’t it be better to at least raise your name rather than just letting it play out like this?
“What about Sia?”
“Sia… … .”
Ian looked back at Xiaoxi standing at the door. He was looking at Ian with a calm expression.
“Sia. What do you want to do? Since you are not a magic swordsman, the Imperial Defense Department would be a good fit. “Do you want to go in there?”
“I think it’s okay.”
“Then will you buy your slave certificate from me?”
“…yes?”
“How much does a cigar cost these days, Romandro?”
“Well, I guess I’ll have to check, but usually the owner sets the price.”
If a slave could save up money and get his slave certificate back, his status could be restored. However, it is realistically impossible because the price is set by the owner and it is difficult to accumulate private property as a slave.
“If you don’t have money, I’ll lend it to you. “Why don’t you get your identity back and work here to pay it back?”
In fact, it would be no different from now. However, the person closest to the prince cannot be a slave. Xiaoshi nodded, understanding the meaning.
“If you would do so, I would be grateful.”
“It’s money to pay back. “I have nothing to be thankful for.”
“No, thank you.”
Perhaps he was the only one among his ancestors who had escaped slavery. Xiaoshi thought of his mother dying in the iron cage, and the tip of his nose felt strangely tingly. Xiaoshi could not figure out the source of that feeling.
smart.
At that moment, a noise was heard outside.
“Come in.”
“Ian. I received a call from the judiciary. “They say the trial date for the seven families has been finally confirmed.”
“When did you say?”
“It’s ten days later. and… … .”
“and?”
“Lord Serro is outside.”
Seroga?
Ian, Romandro, Jin, and Xiaoshi, the four men’s eyes met in the air. Beric just yawned and twitched his ears.
fantasy,
