Chapter 10
10
Maria was banished to the stone quarries of Helland. She could no longer indulge in warm baths, milk, white bread, meat, and fruit to her heart's content, nor did she have a soft bed. Her position plummeted in an instant, from the Great King's woman to a mine worker.
"Hey! Newbie, go stand at the very end over there."
A plump woman pointed at Maria and shouted. Maria hesitated before finding her place.
"The Great King will be staying in the mines for a while, so you better work hard."
"Yes, that way our pockets will get fat."
"I wish I could see our Great King's face."
The women were excited by the news of Gunther's arrival and were engrossed in chatter. Then, all attention turned to Maria, who was standing at the end of the line. She didn't look like a woman fit for hard labor. Yet, she didn't seem to be from a serf family or a brothel either. Her posture was upright and graceful, and her gait was very elegant. In particular, her white skin and delicate hands spoke volumes about the newbie's past.
"Rumor has it she's a fallen noblewoman."
"Oh my, I've lived long enough to see this. A noblewoman doing hard labor in a mine."
"What's wrong with working in a mine? You get paid for what you do."
"That's true. But if you don't do well, you won't even get a piece of bread... I wonder if she'll be able to meet her quota today, tsk tsk."
Just then, a woman who seemed to be the head of the female workers approached Maria.
"Hey, newbie. I'm Nora, the supervisor here. What's your name?"
"..."
Maria silently stared at Nora. She was elegant and refined, but her expression was so impassive that it could be mistaken for disdain.
"What's your name?"
"..."
She should at least look embarrassed if she couldn't speak, but she just stared blankly like a dazed woman, which angered Nora. She grabbed Maria's collar roughly with her thick hand and shouted.
"Shall I gouge out those unlucky eyes? You may have been a noblewoman before, but you're not anymore. You're a worker who can only survive by doing what I tell you!"
Nora shook Maria's collar violently. Just because she used to be an aristocrat, she thinks she can look down on people. The women cheered and egged Nora on. But Maria didn't resist. She was shaken back and forth like a broken flower bud. Soon, her gray hair became disheveled and scattered. At that moment, a low voice overwhelmed the crowd.
"Maria."
The eyes of all the female workers, including Nora, moved to one place, where Great King Gunther and his adjutant Solskjaer were standing.
"Great King!"
Surprised, Nora released Maria's collar, and Maria collapsed to the ground. Of course, the other women sat down as well. The difference was that the women showed the utmost respect to their King. Also, their eyes shone with longing for Gunther.
"Maria can't speak."
"Pardon?"
"And she's very clumsy at work..."
"Ah, I... I see. I will take special care of her."
Nora wrung her thick hands and stammered. If she had known she was a woman brought by the Great King, she wouldn't have treated her like this. She was worried that she might have done something to displease him.
"There's no need to take special care of her."
"Pardon?"
"If she doesn't work, don't give her wages or food."
"Great King!"
Solskjaer was surprised and tried to dissuade him. No matter what, it was inappropriate to treat Maria, who had been the Empress of Lastonia, so harshly.
"Do not treat Maria like those women. She will not be able to endure it."
"That's why I sent her here, so she wouldn't be able to endure it."
Gunther walked towards Maria with a cold face. Soon, Nora and the female workers retreated like the tide.
"Didn't you want to enjoy your misfortune?"
"!?"
Maria's eyes widened for the first time at Gunther's words. Does anyone in the world enjoy their own misfortune?
"Showing off to people, wanting attention and sympathy."
'Is this man crazy?'
Maria's brow furrowed vertically. Her parents were brutally executed, the Stuart family was annihilated, and she, who had been the Empress of Lastonia, was taken as a hostage by barbarians and dragged to the wasteland. And he says she's enjoying such a tragedy? Just then, Gunther bent down his tall frame and whispered in Maria's ear.
"You're not miserable enough yet."
"!"
"You need more terrible despair and darkness."
She hasn't seen the bottom of how petty humans can be, so she rashly throws herself to her death.
"If you want to die, I won't stop you. I might even help you."
'If you weren't going to stop me, why did you save me from the cliff?'
It would have been easier if he had just let her die back then. Suddenly, Maria's mind flashed. He must have been trying to use her as a plaything, but now that he's lost interest, he's abandoning her. He wouldn't care if a hostage like her died or not. Maria felt a sense of rebellion towards Gunther. But even that was only for a moment.
'Well, this isn't so bad either. It's just a body that will rot anyway.'
Gunther saw the sparkle in Maria's eyes quickly disappear and a deep darkness seep in. For a moment, a murderous intent rose up, wanting to break Maria's slender neck.
"Great King, you must inspect the other mines. Let's go."
Thanks to Solskjaer's timely intervention, Gunther was able to calm the murderous intent that had flared up. But the tragedy of that day remained vividly in his mind as well.
The night the Stuart ducal estate was engulfed in flames. People were trampled and screamed under ruthless blades and feet. The beautiful stone buildings of the ducal estate were stained with blood.
[Capture the traitor, Duke Stuart!]
Soldiers in armor emblazoned with the imperial crest ravaged the ducal estate and mercilessly slaughtered people. But there were those who were not imperial soldiers mixed in. It was not known which family's private soldiers they were, but they also killed people as they saw them.
[Capture the Duke and his wife alive!]
The soldiers were all out for James and Emma. They not only slaughtered, but also brutally destroyed and set fire to every part of the ducal estate.
[Aaaagh!]
Gunther led his Red Army to the Stuart territory and watched the Stuart family being slaughtered from afar. The Red Army moved as a small elite force, but they were so skilled that they could slaughter five thousand soldiers with just over a hundred warriors. The reason he came from Helland to Lastonia was because the Pope had asked him to. No, in fact, it was because the day he had set had arrived.
[Great King, what shall we do with the Duke and Duchess?]
His adjutant, Solskjaer, asked Gunther.
[Did the advance team infiltrate Stuart Castle?]
[Yes, but we have not yet received any significant news.]
[Is it too late?]
Gunther muttered to himself.
[I'll be losing face with the Pope.]
He frowned and thought of Pope Liberio. He had tried to save the Duke and Duchess Stuart, but he did not yet know how it had turned out.
[I didn't expect the mercenaries of Landes to be involved.]
The Count of Serradu must have sent reinforcements to Henry. He must want to make his daughter the new Empress of Lastonia.
[Solskjaer, keep in close contact with the advance team.]
[Yes, but I cannot guarantee success.]
[.......]
Gunther turned his horse, and the soldiers followed him like the tail of a dragon.
"Great King, let's go."
At Solskjaer's urging, Gunther came out of his deep thoughts.
* * *
'Which one is gold?'
Maria couldn't bring herself to touch the stones in front of her. She thought it wouldn't be too difficult to sort gold from ordinary stones, but for some reason, they all looked like stones. But the other women were very skilled at picking out gold and stones. They each picked out only the gold and put it in the leather bags in front of them. When Maria made a troubled face, the women whispered and laughed among themselves.
'I want to ask...'
If she stuttered with her poor pronunciation, she would only be ridiculed. Besides, since Gunther had ordered them not to take care of her, none of the workers helped Maria.
"Alright, let's have lunch and start again!"
When Nora shouted at the workers, they stopped what they were doing and headed towards the cafeteria in an orderly fashion. Of the several buildings made of large logs, the one with smoke rising from the chimney seemed to be the cafeteria. Maria followed them as well.
"Wow, today we have bread and stew with meat."
They cheered at the sight of the food.
"In Lastonia, I never had enough to eat even if I farmed like crazy for four seasons."
"Me too. I'm much happier working here."
Maria also sat down at the very end, feeling awkward. But Nora rushed over.
"You don't get lunch today."
"?"
"Who would be foolish enough to give food and money to someone who can't even meet their quota?"
'Ah, I see.'
Still, it's rare for someone to be good at everything from the start... It seemed that she was reaping the benefits of that nasty Gunther Paisley's orders.
Maria left the cafeteria with a face flushed with shame and headed to the workplace. Then someone tapped her on the shoulder.
"Hey! Is your name Maria?"
"?"
She seemed to be the woman who was standing in the front row? Wait a minute! Her voice was a bit strange. Why does a woman have a man's voice? She's definitely wearing women's clothes, but her chest... is flat. And she has an Adam's apple.
'Is she a woman or a man?'
"My name is Erotique."
'Erotique? Is that even a name?'
"Ero is my first name and Tique is my last name. Just call me Ero."
He, or rather she, smiled brightly at Maria.