The Abandoned Duchess Seems to Want a Peaceful Life - Chapter 40

Chapter 40: Refugees

How much time had passed in such an unstable position? Finally, the horse stopped running.

Completely dizzy from the fast ride while piled up like baggage, coupled with tension, if the same state had continued for a few more minutes, I might have vomited.

Feeling relieved that it had stopped for now, I was then held tightly to the side like a sack of vegetables, and the journey resumed.

The sound of rustling through the grass continued, and when I was finally set down on the ground, I couldn’t even stand on my own feet. I collapsed weakly on the spot, unable to support my body, and yet I ended up lying there exhausted.

—The feeling of grass and the smell of soil.

Unlike the lord’s mansion or the village, it seemed to be a forest area near water, judging by the humidity in the air.

There seemed to be quite a few people around.

“Hey, are you okay? You seem quite weak.”

“Hey, let’s take off the sack.”

A woman’s voice and a girl’s… no, a younger child’s voice could be heard. There was no hostility from them, only confusion, sympathy, and a hint of fear in their voices.

After a moment, the sack that had been covering my upper body was finally removed. It was a coarse hemp sack, so it didn’t hinder my breathing, but still, the fresh air filled my lungs, and I felt a little relieved.

“…Isn’t this a girl? Wasn’t the talk about kidnapping the lord?”

“Isn’t the lord of Enkar still in her teens? Besides the servants, this child was the only teenager living in the mansion.”

The man responded with a very displeased expression. It seemed he was the mastermind behind kidnapping Melfina.

“Even if she was the lord’s wife, she could still be useful as a hostage.”

“I hope so, but…”

The woman in her mid-thirties said in a troubled tone. She wore a long-sleeved shirt made of cotton, a long skirt, and a worn-out apron hanging from her. Her attire was a style commonly seen among peasants around here, but she looked worn out, her clothes too big for her size, and her wrists peeking out were almost skeletal.

“Who are you…?”

As expected, we were in the forest. Despite it still being daytime, the dense foliage of the trees blocked out the light, making it dim.

It seemed like they were using this place as their base of operations, as the area around us had been trampled down and resembled a small clearing.

Looking around, there were about thirty people, including adults and children, gathered there.

Small houses, made from woven grass and branches, were scattered around, forming makeshift shelters.

While it wasn’t snowing yet, it was the season when mornings and evenings were bitterly cold. It didn’t seem like a situation where one could possibly live.

“I am Danny. I used to be the son of the village chief in a small village on the outskirts of the Count Dantes’s territory.”

The man who had abducted Melfina spoke in a low, emotionless voice.

“I want to demand a reasonable amount of food in exchange for keeping you hostage.”

“Reasonable, as in enough to last through the winter?”

“…Yes.”

“How? Even if we assume five months until spring, feeding the number of people here would require food equivalent to ten carts of supplies.”

While it wasn’t impossible to procure such a quantity of food, it would be pointless if it wasn’t for ransom. Continuously exchanging food while keeping hostages would eventually lead to being tracked down and captured.

“Even if you bring ten carts, it’ll attract attention. And even if you hand me over and run, you won’t escape the pursuit of the knights.”

“…”

“Could you… untie the ropes?”

I was still bound with rough ropes behind my back. They were cutting into my skin and making me restless.

“I won’t try to escape from a place like this. I don’t think I can outrun them on my own, and I don’t want to be chased and subjected to violence.”

I said.

“We won’t allow that.”

Said the woman with the apron, untying the ropes. I rubbed my wrists, which had turned red from the friction. They were a bit scratched, but fortunately, there was no blood.

“Thank you.”

I said gratefully.

“No, uh… thank you.”

She replied awkwardly.

My legs finally stopped trembling. I stood up, brushed off the leaves from my skirt, smoothed out my severely disheveled hair, and then straightened my back.

The situation was far from optimistic, but it was precisely at times like this that one should stand tall.

“I am Melfina, the lord of the Enkar region. I don’t mind providing food. But please, tell me this much: do you have homes or shelters to survive the winter?”

“…There are caves in the forest. If families gather together, we should manage somehow.”

The man replied.

“Those caves are highly likely to be used as dens by bears or other wild animals for hibernation. Pre-hibernation bears are extremely aggressive and dangerous. There have been cases where a single bear has decimated entire villages. Can you fight against such wild animals?”

A heavy silence fell.

Faced with the bleak despair of an uncertain future and the imminent starvation, everyone seemed to stand frozen in shock.

Kidnapping was a serious crime. Serfs and subjects were the property of the lord, and touching that property was considered a serious offense.

The severity of the crime was next to counterfeiting and arson, and it was not uncommon for the whole family, including the mastermind, to be executed by association. Moreover, if the victim was a lord, instead of family ties, entire villages or towns could be razed without repercussions.

Yet, they had dared to proceed. Perhaps it was a desperate resolve that they wouldn’t survive by staying silent anyway, and they were gambling on a glimmer of hope.

“Did you tamper with the wheat for taxes?”

The man who introduced himself as Danny stiffened, then glared fiercely at me.

“I had no choice.”

The woman with the apron replied instead.

“After it was discovered that we had tampered with the taxes and before the entire village was handed over to the serfs, we fled from the village with whatever food we could carry. Even commoners were beginning to starve to death. If handed over to the serfs, it was evident that the elderly and children, who couldn’t work, would be left to die.”

She explained.

Behind the apron-clad woman, a small girl peeked out, staring at us. Despite her gray hair and dirty skin, her green eyes were remarkably beautiful.

The hand grasping the woman’s skirt was small, resembling a withered twig.

“Our food supply had long since run out, and for the past half month, we’ve been hiding in the forest, scavenging for food. But even that’s reached its limit. When we heard there was a lord’s mansion nearby, we took a chance. If we could take a hostage and force them to give us supplies, it might just give us a chance.”

Danny said.

He had mentioned five months’ worth of food, but he probably knew from the start that it wasn’t realistic.

At the very least, before they died—or were killed—they wanted to eat their fill.

Perhaps that was their wish.

“Hey, what’s your name? Can you tell me?”

I asked.

When I addressed her, the little girl who had been hiding behind the apron-clad woman timidly showed her face.

“Rii.”

“Rii, I’m Melfina. Rii, are you hungry?”

“Yeah…”

“Then I’ll give you plenty to eat, so come to my house.”

“Really…!?”

“Yeah, I’ll prepare a home for you and make sure you can sleep in a warm place.”

As her eyelids, half-closed from exhaustion, opened wide at the mention of food, I couldn’t help but smile. But then, a sharp voice rang out.

“Lies!”

“That’s right, by taking us out like this, you’re planning to trap us all. Don’t be fooled, you guys!”

The one I directed my gaze towards was a young… no, even a childlike boy. He was still terribly thin, but there was anger and fighting spirit in his eyes.

“Do you know who I am?” I asked.

“The lord of Enkar”

He replied.

“That’s correct. Since we’re at it, I’ll properly introduce myself. I am Melfina von Oldrand, the lady of the Enkar region and the lawful wife of the Duke of Oldrand.”

Even though they were from a neighboring domain, it seemed they knew the names of the rulers in the north. Everyone present paled.

“The Ice Duke’s…”

“That’s…”

They seemed to grasp the significance of those words.

Kidnapping a small regional lord was already a serious offense. They would undoubtedly be held accountable by the entire village.

But what if it were the wife of a duke, next in line to the royal family? If the involvement of Count Dantes was suspected, it would become a matter between domains.

It was well-known that Alexis despised corruption and conducted harsh politics. If it escalated to a territorial dispute, weakened as the Count Dantes’s territory was by famine, they wouldn’t stand a chance.

As the masterminds, they would be relentlessly hunted down like beasts, their mountains set ablaze, and they would face collective punishment extending to all kin and lineage.

Whether Melfina and Alexis were estranged was irrelevant.

It was a matter of the dignity of those who ruled the domain.

The people listening to the conversation paled, trembling uncontrollably.

While the count’s family itself might seem distant and ethereal, most of those living in the count’s territory were farmers and townsfolk forced into difficult lives. It seemed there was no one here who could calmly accept the crushing of these people for the sake of their own dinner.

“Why not take the gamble and see if you’re being deceived or not? If things go well, you might get to enjoy a delicious meal tonight and sleep in a warm place, and who knows, it might continue for a while.”

Melfina suggested.

Since there was no other choice. I couldn’t bring myself to say something so cruel.

“I’ll go.”

Roana declared.

“Roana!”

“There’s no future in running away. If there’s even a chance to feed this child a bowl of porridge, I’d rather take that gamble. Besides, if we’re going to die anyway, might as well go out with a bang. If you were a father, you’d think the same, wouldn’t you, Danny?”

Danny fell into silence, seemingly tormented, but when Roana called his name again, he nodded.

It seemed that Roana and Danny were a couple, and Rii was their daughter.

I could vaguely sense that Danny was being dominated by Roana.

“Now that it’s decided, let’s move right away. It gets terribly cold when the sun sets. If possible, I’d like to head to Melt Village instead of Enkar Village.”

Melfina suggested.

“If that’s the case, the village is across the road.”

Someone pointed out.

It would take about an hour by carriage from the lord’s mansion to Melto Village, even on horseback. It seemed that we were much further from the lord’s mansion than I had initially thought.

“But why to that village? Of course, I have no objections…”

Someone asked.

“Melto Village has more food reserves, and I suppose Enkar Village is probably being searched by the escort knights by now.”

Melfina explained.

It was about Cedric, who mercilessly kicked the young Rod for touching Melfina once. If the kidnapper of Melfina were in front of him, he might draw his sword then and there.

“I’ll convince the knights. Please be careful not to provoke him. There’s a chance I won’t be able to stop him in time.”

Melfina warned seriously, and everyone nodded, looking as though they had swallowed stones.

The power of a well-trained knight is fearsome indeed. If the opponent is a commoner, they could easily overpower thirty people single-handedly.

The only option is to send messengers to ensure the safety of Melto Village and to advise them to remain calm and collected.

Hopefully, they’ll have a chance to cool their heads during the journey. That’s all we can hope for.