At first, I thought I should intervene.
I even lifted my body slightly and contemplated internally for a very brief moment whether to shout “Again!” but—
Well, even if I did rewind time, would Alice have stayed seated and quietly listened to the story instead of throwing her chair?
Even I, knowing the situation—plus having lived as a man for quite some time—felt uncomfortable, and it seemed absurd to expect a teenage girl, who still had fantasies about love, not to be outraged by that story.
If I stopped her from throwing the chair, she’d just end up hurling herself at me instead.
In the original story, Leo was the son of the Baron Grace, so although he couldn’t inherit the title of Duke, he couldn’t easily deal with George Lindbergh, a close relative of the Duke from that spot. Instead, he merely gathered evidence and subtly pressured Roti’s mother until she was freed.
Hmm.
I thought while quietly looking down at George Lindbergh, groaning in pain after being kicked by Alice.
At first, I thought, “Can I really beat up someone from the Duke’s household?” but upon further consideration, couldn’t this be seen as groundwork to promote Roti to knighthood?
“Crown Princess.”
I called Alice, but it seemed she didn’t hear me.
“Alice.”
When I called her name again as she raised her foot, she finally paused her movements.
“I think it’s best to stop here.”
Fortunately, it seemed like the parlor was well soundproofed, as the servants hadn’t noticed the ruckus inside.
It wouldn’t take them long to realize, though.
I leaned slightly forward to observe George Lindbergh’s condition.
Unfortunately, it seemed he had hit his head on the corner of the chair that had flown through the air, and blood was trickling from a small tear on his scalp. His right eye was swollen, and although his lip was split, it looked like his teeth weren’t broken.
Seeing him curled up on his side, clutching his stomach, it seemed like he must have been kicked there as well.
“No matter what, if someone were to die, that would be a huge problem. When discussions arise between the royal family and the Duke’s house in the future, this could turn into a debt.”
Looking at how George Lindbergh was treated, it didn’t seem like the Duke actually cared for him, but regardless, as the head of the family, he wouldn’t simply let this slide. It’s not about George Lindbergh’s personal injuries being the issue. It’s the Lindbergh name that’s tarnished.
“Lydia… No, regarding ‘Asha’— the truth is that you don’t have the right to decide.”
‘Asha’ is Lydia’s real name. When the Empire colonized the Southern Continent, people’s surnames were abolished, and they unified names into the Empire’s language, resulting in the name ‘Lydia.’
Well, that guy probably didn’t care at all.
After listening to me, George Lindbergh lifted his head slightly, as if confused by my words.
“What are you talking about?”
“In fact, Asha has always been a free person. Isn’t that right? In this country, I mean, in all territories and colonies under the Empire’s laws, there is no slavery. The same goes for all the servants working here. They are merely substituting labor because they can’t pay back their debts.”
I watched him stare wide-eyed at me as I spoke.
“The money here doesn’t necessarily have to be given to you. We merely came to deliver it just in case Asha directly received it, and something unfortunate happened.”
I had no way of knowing how Asha would manage sudden unexpected wealth, and more importantly, I had no idea how the other white servants and workers in that estate might react.
Human nature knows no bounds, regardless of skin color. If someone weaker than you has more, there will inevitably be people who try to take that from them, and once one such person emerges, a line of followers will surely follow.
“I came to find you because I knew Asha’s debts were tied to you, but honestly, there was no need to come looking for you. We could have gone directly to the Duke to negotiate.”
Perhaps it was because the Duke moved Asha to his estate with a myriad of reasons that left a significant impression on this guy’s brain.
…Then again, if that hadn’t happened, it might have only ended with Roti alone.
“……”
George Lindbergh was rendered speechless.
“Moreover, considering that Asha is legally a free person, there’s definitely grounds for a trial for what Asha has suffered.”
That’s right. Anyway, there are no slaves in this country.
To have slaves in the first place would have been an excuse to discriminate against people with all sorts of complicated reasons. Isn’t it just a law to prove that this country is far more civilized and advanced than others that have had slavery?
The colonial police composed of Empire citizens and those persecuted on this land don’t willingly resolve issues when a colonial citizen claims they’ve been wronged. If it’s an incident between colonists, it might be different, but if anything happens between an Empire citizen and a colonial resident, the police will unconditionally side with the Empire citizen.
However, what if the legal process were addressed directly by the royal family?
Nobles might resist as if it were interference in domestic affairs, but…
……
What would it matter if they resisted?
“So, please just accept this money and quietly step aside. Otherwise, there will be a massive scandal in the Duke’s household. The Duke is already preparing for scandals that are going to arise in the future, but it would be truly delightful if you sparked one before that.”
The engagement, or perhaps marriage, between Jake the Prince and Roti, a mingling of colonial and noble blood, would in itself cause quite a scandal, but the reason the Duke could allow it after listening to me was because Roti also has a bit of Lindbergh blood running through her. Since she wasn’t a ‘pure’ indigenous person, he could grant permission.
While he maintained a somewhat relaxed demeanor when speaking to me, the reason he was willing to concede so much was precisely because I was ‘me.’ If someone of low nobility like Leo had said it, it wouldn’t have had any effect.
However, separating that aside, it was inevitable that this news would slightly tarnish the name of Lindbergh. For a firstborn son destined to become Duke to marry someone of a different skin color, it would surely be something they must bear.
So, to somewhat lessen that impact, the Duke must already be plotting things out. Primarily, he’d indirectly imply how close he had become to the royal family by permitting that marriage.
But, before that comparison was over, if a scandal broke that a cousin of the Duke had raped a native and had a child…
“……”
“If you continue to be silent, I will take it as an acceptance.”
Even after I said that, George Lindbergh’s mouth remained shut.
I glanced at Alice, shrugged my shoulders, and stood up from my seat.
Alice seemed still agitated and unsettled, but at least it appeared she accepted that the conversation was over.
We turned around and headed straight for the parlor door.
“Even if you try to block my love like that…”
But upon hearing that voice from behind, I couldn’t help but stop in my tracks.
“If you say anything further, I can’t guarantee what will happen next.”
I turned back to respond.
Then, I moved forward again and approached George Lindbergh, who was barely able to sit up from the ground.
“My not intervening is solely because Alice moved first. If I had jumped in too, and you ended up getting killed in the process, it would escalate into a serious matter.”
Seeing my expression, perhaps he felt something, and George Lindbergh closed his mouth.
“If you, at all, approach my friend Roti’s mother, Asha, even a little…”
I deliberately paused my words while staring intently at George Lindbergh’s face.
Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his eyes were subtly trembling. It was a look I hadn’t seen earlier when he was hit by Alice.
Could he finally be realizing the gravity of the situation? Or perhaps he had never imagined he could truly die?
“You will die in whatever way it comes. So, you may continue to stay in the southern lands for the rest of your life. For any reason, if you return to the main country, I will come after you myself.”
Having said that much, I paused in thought,
“Now that I think about it, that doesn’t sound too bad. ‘Please’ do visit the main country sometime. At that point, I will personally come to greet you. I’ll prepare someone special for you to share your love with. Just as you did with Asha, I will ensure you experience what it means to feel the plight of someone beneath you.”
I said that with a slight smile at the corners of my mouth.
I didn’t bother waiting for a reply.
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