Common Sense of a Duke’s Daughter 190

Bern’s Journey 2

…And then I reached Earl Monroe’s lands.

In that moment when I stepped foot onto those lands, I became speechless.

There was no vigor…no, it was much worse than that.

The main street here was somehow worse than the slums of the royal capital.

The roads were muddy, as the water had only subsided.

On the sidewalks there were people that were mostly skin and bones…I couldn’t tell if they were alive or dead.

The smell of corruption assaulted my nose.

“What…is this…”

I muttered, but there was no answer.

My impulse led me to run.

“Lord Bern! Please wait!”

My escorts called out to me, but I could not hear them.

…The scene in front of me was all that I could think of.

This couldn’t be happening. I screamed internally as I ran.

However, no matter where I ran, similar sights would spread out before me.

No…sights that were much worse.

If there really was a hell, then this would be it… That kind of despair now ruled my heart.

“You…are you a noble?”

A woman who had been staring blankly into space called to me.

“Have mercy…I have only had muddy water to drink for the last three days.”

She approached me on shaking legs.

Her body was so thin and her eyes vacant.

Her lifeless eyes that showed nothing made my skin crawl.

…And so I did not notice it.

“Get back!”

A man approached this space that we existed in.

He forcefully pushed her away and clung on to me.

“Please have mercy. I will do anything. Give me something to eat, and I will be your slave.”

Others began to gather, and they held onto me as I tried to back away.

The woman who had approached me first was still on the ground. She did not move a muscle.

The others stepped over her without concern and stretched out their hands to me.

“Uh..aahhh!”

How frightening.

I couldn’t help but think that.

The many hands that reached up seemed like an invitation to the world of death.

…As if rejecting the scene before me, I held my head and screamed.

Two of my guards heard the commotion…one was watching the horses on the road before entering the town…and came running to me.

“All of you, move back!”

I saw that they had drawn their swords, and I returned to myself.

“Don’t hurt them!”

I shouted. The guards hesitated at this.

“But Lord Bern…they…”

“I’m fine! …You people, you just want something to eat!”

At these words, I could see a light appear in their eyes.

“Fon!”

I called the guard’s name, but he still hesitated.

“But, Lord Bern!”

“It’s fine, just throw it to them!”

The guard took off the sack he was carrying and threw it as hard as he could.

“Our only food supplies are inside of it.”

The moment I said this, they started to run towards the sack in a bid to reach it first.

And so I and the two guards left in the opposite direction.

We ran back to the border, and when we confirmed that no one had followed us, sat down to rest.

“I am sorry, for walking out on my own…”

“I am just glad that you are safe. However, should you really have given away the food?”

“I can survive a day without eating. And I have a little food in my pockets. It should be enough if we all share it. But I am sorry to have involved you in this.”

“Do not be. However, that was…”

Their expressions immediately turned dark.

They had all seen the same scene from hell that I had.

It was clear that they were both bewildered and afraid.

“…Likely, most of this was caused due to the current disaster, but it’s not that alone. Watching them, I can tell that it started even before. I think that Earl Monroe must be the cause of these food shortages.”

I muttered calmly.

“But how…!”

“Things change so drastically depending on who is standing at the top…”

I bit my lip hard.

What I felt inside, was anger.

Towards Earl Monroe who had birthed this scene from hell…and most of all, towards myself for being so powerless.

But the more anger I felt, the warmer I felt inside.