Chapter 86: Chapter 86 Yellow green certainly turns green (5)
Just like she did around this time every year, she saw lots of customers coming to her shop, starting the next afternoon. As there were all kinds of customers including those in love, who confessed their love in a festive atmosphere, tomorrow would be the red letter day for a florist girl like Wendy because she sold more flowers that day than any other day of the year.
While she was trying to move, she inadvertently looked back at the sudden loud noise.
People looked at the same place at the same time. It seemed that the noise started from the corner of the alley.
‘Is there a fight going on?’
She tilted her head then headed for her destination, forgetting about the noise.
She felt tired from her toes because of the tight leather boots that she hadn’t worn in a long time, she frowned at her wrong choice of the boots, so she squatted down and loosened the boots slightly. Right at that moment a shadow covered her body.
Looking up casually, she saw a strange man standing in front of her.
She looked puzzled because the man was looking down at her with a serious expression.
“…? ”
“… You are Wendy, right? ” She froze the moment he mentioned her name. As she sprang to her feet and stared at him sharply, he said, “There is someone who wants to meet you. Will you come with me for a moment? ”
It was a gentle tone, but his attitude itself was high-handed.
“…Can you tell me who he is? ” She spoke, examining the stranger’s dress carefully. Though he was dressed plainly, she knew at a glance that his clothes was made of luxurious materials. Glancing at the sword on his waist, she sized him up as if to check his strong build. Given his costume and aristocratic attitude, she guessed that the man was a noble or an imperial knight.
“I can’t tell you here. As he is waiting for you not far from here, I would appreciate it if you would come with me.”
“I don’t know who you are trying to want me to meet, but I was on my way in a hurry because I had an appointment. I’m afraid I can’t meet him now.”
“Your refusal is not allowed. Please come with me,” the man firmly said, frowning.
She reluctantly nodded, looking around at the lonely street briefly. Only then did the man relax.
When she was about to follow him, she turned around and began to run quickly.
Embarrassed, the man quickly caught up and grabbed her arm. Immediately, she tightened her arm on the other side and struck him in his face with her elbow.
“Ugh!”
“Let go of me!”
When he fell and curled up, hit hard by her, she twisted her arm from his hand and ran with all her might. Her heart was pounding hard. As the man never expected to be beaten by a woman, he couldn’t do anything else, helplessly watching her disappear.
The sound of her running away rang loudly, causing dry dust on the street to lift into the air.
The moment she thought she ran completely away from the man, she screamed when the man grabbed one of her arms hard. No matter how fast she ran, she could not run faster than him.
“Let me go! Why are you holding me?!”
Screaming at the top of her voice, she tried to shake off his hand. A pedestrian passing by from a distance stopped and looked at them to check what’s going on.
The man whispered to her with an embarrassed expression. Listening to his murmuring voice, she stared at him with astonishment and asked, “How can I trust you?”
“You have no choice today. It’s up to you to believe me or not, but I will escort you by all means.’
She stared at him fiercely. She again raised her hand not held by him in a threatening manner. Stunned, he quickly grabbed her hand. This time his grip was harder, as if he couldn’t treat her softly. She gave up the idea of defending herself because he was not to be beaten with her self-defense skills.
“It hurts!” Wendy screamed.
As she shouted loudly, he loosened his grip on her hand a bit, but he was on alert, still holding it tightly.
“Please follow me.”
She was angry, but calmed down, looking at one of his cheeks, which was beginning to swell.
A little later she stood at the entrance of an alley out of town. A common wagon stood obliquely ahead of them. When one of the three men standing before the carriage saw Wendy and the man, he knocked on the carriage door.
Led by the man, she stood in front of the wagon. As if to memorize the faces of the three men who surrounded the carriage, she noticed that one of them was familiar.
He was knight Jonathan who tried to escort her back home at Lard’s order at the Rajabude Museum. Jonathan quickly turned his head away from her when she examined the dirt on his black clothes with a suspicious expression.
Was it because of his aching cheek? He let go of her hand a bit roughly as if he had bad feelings toward her. She immediately turned on him with daggers in her eyes, staring at him.
“Sir Fidon, what’s wrong with your face?”
She quickly turned her head to the owner of the voice from the wagon and looked at him.
“No way…did the woman here beat you like that? ”
“I’m sorry.”
“Hahahahaha, you don’t have to feel sorry. Yes, yes. Wendy, you never let me down. Don’t stand like that and come on inside.”
She reluctantly got on the carriage. As soon as the man called Fidon closed the wagon, there was silence inside the wagon.
“… I’m honored to greet you, Crown Prince.”
Wendy greeted him awkwardly. As she was dressed in pants, she looked funny when she greeted him.
“That’s fine. Have a seat there. You must have been surprised as I called you here suddenly.
I guess I can size you up when you beat Sir Fidon’s face like that. Ha ha ha ha ha.”
Prince Isaac laughed merrily as if he was excited.
“Are you on a secret inspection tour? I never thought I would see you outside the Imperial Palace,” she said, glancing at the crown prince dressed in plain clothes.
“Well, you can’t say it’s a secret inspection tour, but it would be more appropriate to describe my actions as an attempt to kidnap you.”
The carriage began to move as soon as the prince finished talking. She grabbed the carriage’s seat as if she felt nervous about its shaking suddenly.
“You can relax. Am I not the crown prince of this country? Don’t ever think I’m going to do something unscrupulous to you. Ha ha ha ha ha.”
Prince Isaac spoke, looking at her mischievously. She became more nervous.
“The price of Montrapi bread has gone up high. As high as fourteen times. Does it make any sense? I think I see the resentment lurking in their laughter. Maybe they might rise up and charge toward the palace, armed with weapons, in the near future.”
The prince murmured, looking at the people outside the window blankly.
“Do you know how many people are leading miserable lives in this country? If you walk toward the Pelasis area, there are many wretched people living out there. Have you ever been there? ”
“… No, not yet.”
“I’ve been there several times. It’s a smelly and dreadful place.”
“Is there any connection between me and what you have said now? ” She asked coldly.
She had no interest in the prince’s actions, who came out to check the lives of the people.
She was only interested in the reason why he was trying to scare her.
“Of course, it’s relevant. In the broader context, it’s very relevant. ”
He spoke, grasping his light chocolate curly hair with one hand.
“I want to change their lives.”
“… ”
“I want to change their poor lives, who are helplessly fated to pass down their poverty to their offspring.”
“Why is that related to me?”
“The disease and insects of the Montrapie area are spreading north. Do you know why the price went up so high when the crop of Montrapi bread was the same as last year? Is it because their Montrapi farming this year was ruined this year? Oh, of course that might be one of the reasons. But the decisive reason is that some crazy guys aren’t hesitating to monopolize the supply of the Montrapi bread. Even the taxes set by the imperial family, and the right purchase price for the farmers, are totally ignored by them.”
“…”
“They are above the laws of the empire. It’s been a while since the government’s efforts to stabilize the prices failed. The price of losing Baltazar in the war with Carloen was harsh to the imperial family. The imperial family lost power. Although we belatedly recovered Baltazar, we didn’t fully regain our original imperial power. The power of the aristocrats reached everywhere like a dense net. Even if we tried to crack down on those nobles seeking to maximize their interests by manipulating the price of Montrapi, we had to be content with cutting off some of their tails. Don’t look at me like that. As a member of the imperial family, I’m so ashamed.”
Prince Isaac frowned and shook his head.
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