Empress of Another World

Ninety Nine

After the thorough tour of the shelter, I headed to Lucretius’ personal office. When I got there, I realized a guest was inside already again, but the servant let me in without hesitation.

I walked in immediately.

What greeted me was like a déjà vu. Inside were Lucretius and the chancellor discussing something just like the first time I came into this room.

The white-bearded chancellor smiled at me kindly. “Long time no see, your highness.”

I bowed as well. “You as well, sir.”

Lucretius grinned and stamped the document with his royal seal. It was then handed to the chancellor.

“We will go ahead with this budget.”

“Yes, your highness.”

Lucretius turned to me and asked, “By the way, what brings you here, my wife?”

I felt a little uncomfortable with the chancellor in the same room, but what I wanted to discuss wasn’t something that had to be kept private.

“I visited the shelter.”

“Good. I’m glad, but you must have had a difficult time. You look pale.”

I shook my head. “It wasn’t difficult for me at all. It was frustratingly easy.”

Lucretius looked confused. “I don’t understand.”

He looked like he didn’t know what I was talking about, but I wasn’t sure if he was feigning ignorance.

It didn’t matter. I decided to be frank.

“Did you really send me there just to look?”

Surprisingly, Lucretius still looked confused. I realized he really didn’t know.

“You really wanted me to go and smile at the poor people then return here like nothing? You didn’t send me to find a solution to this problem?”

I couldn’t help but raise my voice. What I saw today was unforgettably awful. I stood in the room in shock as the emperor and the chancellor, the two most powerful men in this kingdom, looked back at me in confusion.

The chancellor asked me, “A solution? Was there an accident, your highness?”

Lucretius agreed with him and asked, “I don’t understand either. The shelter has always been that way. Is there a need to change it?”

The chancellor seemed to realize something.

“Oh, do you mean we should eliminate it…? I understand that your highness probably didn’t like how filthy it was, but… It’s realistically not possible.”

“Pardon?”

What was he talking about? Eliminate it?

“Emperor Kentius did try to push out the poor and the refugees out of Rombrook, but… It only lasted two or three years. They somehow always got back into the city like mold. Besides, we don’t have the money to make this happen at this time.”

I asked in surprise, “Kick them out from the city? That wouldn’t fix the problem. Shouldn’t we come up with an actual solution?”

Lucretius and the chancellor looked at me as if I had gone crazy.

I realized these men genuinely didn’t know what I was talking about.

Lucretius asked again, “Solution? I don’t understand. We are already doing all we need to do. We are running the shelter and providing them food. We also have the soldiers patrolling to make sure we don’t have any riots. What else is there for us to do?”