Chapter 13
13
Maria grabbed Nora's ankle, spun her around, and knocked her down.
"Whoa!"
The workers watching the fight exclaimed at Maria's counterattack, then wore dazed expressions. Maria quickly scanned her surroundings. She couldn't beat Nora with strength alone, so she needed a weapon to fight with. Just then, she saw a wooden stick lying on the ground. Maria quickly ran over and grabbed it.
"You think you can beat me with that stick?"
Nora huffed as she got up and brushed the dirt off her clothes.
'Yeah, what rules are there in a brawl like this?'
She wouldn't be unilaterally beaten any longer. If she had done wrong, she would gladly accept the punishment, but they were the ones who had done wrong. There was no violence more cruel than ganging up on and ostracizing someone weak and easy to pick on.
"Maria!"
Ero, who had just come back from the restroom, tried to stop Maria. But the situation had already become serious, and the other women pulled Ero away from Maria.
"Don't interfere."
This kind of fight was a great amusement for them, and no one tried to stop it. Ero's gaze fell on her own empty leather flask. She squeezed her eyes shut. This kind of thing wasn't new to her. She was used to it, but it must have felt unfair to Maria. But the problem was elsewhere.
'Maria won't be able to hold out.'
Having gone without food for over a day, Maria was trembling as she gripped the stick. Not out of fear, but because she had no strength left in her body.
'Why are people in difficult situations doing this to each other? Shouldn't we be helping each other?'
Maria repeated this in her head as she watched Nora warily. She couldn't understand why people in the same situation had to fight and torment each other.
"We should kill all the nobles. Those leech-like humans!"
Nora hurled abuse at Maria. In that moment, Maria realized why these people were rejecting her and Ero. It was because of their strong resentment towards the nobles, and their hatred towards anyone considered different.
"My husband was beaten to death by that devilish lord. My children were all dragged off to the slave market."
Nora vented her anger on Maria.
"!?"
The hatred deeply rooted within her was evident in Nora's painfully contorted face. It was then that people all around began to shout one by one.
"My son was dragged off to the battlefield and died like a dog."
"My parents couldn't pay the taxes, so they were hanged and put on display at the city gates."
"That wicked lord forced my only daughter to be sold to a brothel."
"Our house burned down in the middle of the night. It was because we couldn't pay the taxes due to the severe famine..."
People brought up their tragic pasts and vented their anger. Maria was greatly shocked. She had actually thought that what she had experienced was the most miserable. People were inherently selfish, after all. But there were so many people in the world who had gone through difficult things. It was so terrible that she could hardly believe it even as she heard it with her own ears.
"Hey! Maria isn't the one who hurt you!"
Ero shouted, standing up to Nora.
"Get lost, you dirty pervert!"
Nora shouted violently and pushed Ero away. Maria watched the scene and decided she couldn't take it anymore. She had no reason to take responsibility for their tragedies. She swung the stick in her hand at Nora.
* * *
Gunther heard about the commotion at the worksite through Solskjaer and smiled faintly. It was a good sign that Maria's frozen heart was slowly melting.
"How should we handle it? After hearing the details, it seems the foreman of that worksite is largely at fault."
"Nora, was it?"
"Yes."
"What's her condition?"
"Maria gave her a good beating."
Solskjaer explained how Maria had wielded the wooden stick like a sword and subdued Nora.
'Good for her.'
"Insubordination, then."
His words were cold, unlike his true feelings.
"Yes? But that's..."
"Handle it according to the rules."
Being swayed by unreasonable and autocratic power. It was an experience Maria needed. She had to become a weakling who resisted in anger but ultimately had to give in, in order to become stronger in the future.
"Lock her in solitary confinement for two days. And of course, don't give her a single drop of water."
"Great King! Maria might die if you do that."
"My woman doesn't die that easily."
"Great King, isn't it that you want Maria to become stronger?"
Solskjaer knew Gunther's intentions too well. He was just trying to grandly package his desire to completely dominate her.
"That's right."
Gunther answered with a self-deprecating smile. How could he deceive Solskjaer, who he had been with since childhood, even if he deceived everyone else? In fact, Maria didn't need to become stronger. At first, his intention was to make her, who only thought about dying, come to her senses, but what he really wanted was something else.
"I'll make her realize."
Gunther lifted his sharp nose and answered haughtily. He was an excessively handsome man even when he made a casual expression. Especially his well-groomed profile was close to perfection.
"I'll make her beg for her life while kissing my feet. I want her to become a fool who only knows me."
Solskjaer sighed deeply at his answer. Gunther wanted to be Maria's only man and master, and to dominate her.
'In the end, he's going to tame her. It won't be easy.'
In Solskjaer's eyes, Gunther was the weaker one. Moreover, if Maria was truly a fool, she would have disappeared long ago. Just enduring like this was already amazing.
"Bring Maria to me exactly two days from now."
"Understood, Great King."
* * *
Maria gasped for breath. It was dark all around in the damp dirt floor. She could breathe air and bask in the light through a small gap in the wooden wall. It felt good to have beaten Nora, but only for a moment. Helland soldiers dragged Maria away and locked her in this solitary confinement.
'What did I do wrong?'
No matter how much she thought about it, she didn't know. They were the ones who had done something unfair, and Nora was the one who used violence against her first.
'I was just defending myself.'
But the conclusion was that it was her fault. Going against a senior, that alone was a violation of the rules, so she had no choice but to be punished. This quarry was no different from the Imperial Palace. They were engaged in a fierce power struggle, and if you lost, you had to pay the price like this. She was so angry that the anger soared to the top of her head, but that was only for a moment.
Her mouth was parched and her throat was dry as if it would tear. And that wasn't all. She was so hungry that it was hard to even breathe. She just wanted to taste a single drop of water. She could starve to death in this damp place, but for some reason, she didn't want to die.
'It's shameless, but... I want to live.'
At that moment, she remembered the words that people had thrown at her like stones. The words of resentment about how cruel the nobles were, and how their lives had been ruined because of them. It was the moment she realized that she wasn't the only one living with unbearable hardships. It was true that there were many unhappy people in the world, but she thought she was the most miserable.
People who lived strong even in the sorrow of losing their families. They were enduring day by day with resentment and pain buried in their hearts. Tears finally welled up and burst out.
"A... Father, Mother."
The desperate longing for her parents washed over Maria like a raging wave. She wished she could have called out to them properly. Her throat still had an unresolved grudge stuck in it like a stone, so she couldn't make a sound properly.
'Was I dragged into an even worse hell than Henry?'
She barely escaped the gallows, but she had no idea that a cruel hell called Gunther was lurking.
"Father..."
She missed her parents so much that she even wanted to see Liberio. Maria begged her family in a humiliating way. To save her. But ironically, now that she wanted to live, death seemed to be right in front of her.
'I'm going to die like this.'
It was a truly futile life. When she was struggling so hard to die, she didn't even have a chance... Maria cried sadly and lost consciousness.
How long had she been asleep? The smell of the wasteland wind lingered at the tip of her nose. She opened her eyes, feeling someone looking down at her. A man with curly red hair. Beautiful features with turquoise eyes. He shone all over his body like a Spirit.
"Maria."
'Who is it? He looks like Stone.'
But it couldn't be Stone. Ah! He must be a guide trying to take her across the river of death. But he was too beautiful to be a grim reaper.
"Just cheer up a little more. I want to help you, but I can't disobey my master."
"!?"
At that moment, a drop of dew fell on Maria's parched lips.
"!"
When Maria suddenly woke up from her dream, the door opened wide and a black figure loomed in front of her.
"Let's go, the Great King is calling for you."
'Has it already been two days?'
Before Maria could fully come to her senses, she was dragged away by the soldiers. Her feet dragged on the dirt floor, and her precarious consciousness desperately clung to her body, trying not to dissipate like steam.
Soon, a heavy door opened and bright light overwhelmed Maria. Soon, a strong smell wafted in. All kinds of fruits and meat dishes were lined up on a large table, and wine to quench her thirst was full in crystal bottles. And she saw the person sitting in the middle of the table.
"Go."
At Gunther's command, the soldiers released Maria and disappeared. She collapsed weakly as she was, barely breathing.
"Maria."
Gunther called her. Maria slowly raised her head. But she couldn't hear Gunther's voice. Only the fruit and food in front of her, and that cold wine, were clear. Maria stared at the food with hollow eyes, and without even realizing it, she raised both hands. Then Gunther suddenly got up from his seat, filled a glass with wine, and approached Maria. He held the wine and knelt down in front of her.
"Are you thirsty?"
At his question, Maria reflexively nodded.
"Then drink."
Gunther looked down at Maria as he drank the wine as if savoring it.