Page 67 of The Fifth Life of Alicia
“What about the servants that were already here?”
“Some refused to surrender with the previous duke, and others left, seeking another path in life.” Ark sipped his tea.
“What about you?”
“Ingrid and I have worked here for fifty years, my lady.”
“Wow.”
“Indeed. We were mere teenagers when the then-duchess rescued us from the streets and took us in as her staff. It was thanks to her kindness that we were able to find our paternal family in the empire,” he explained. “Unfortunately, her son wasn’t nearly as kind, and Stein almost fell to ruin under his rule. One of my cousins works in the Imperial Palace as an advisor, and when I heard rumours of the war, I reached out to him and became a spy for the empire, and that’s why the Grand Duke kept us in our positions.”
My eyes widened. “How interesting. Your life is like a novel.”
“Perhaps I should write one.” His eyes twinkled. “Now, that’s enough about me. Lydia told me you needed to speak with me.”
“Yes.” I set my teacup on the saucer and told him what I’d spoken about with Sir Otto. “It’s so far removed from everything I’ve known in the capital, but I can’t help but feel dreadful about those people who’ve lost everything. I was wondering what aid is available for them.”
His expression grew grim, and he pressed his lips together into a thin line. “There isn’t much of anything, my lady. Many of them end up being taken into noble houses as staff or find low-paying jobs in the slums if they’re lucky, and their children end up in orphanages because their parents can’t support them. All that’s provided is a minor sum from the treasury to help with necessary relocation, and anyone who was registered to have provided food and shelter in the immediate aftermath of the attack is reimbursed.”
I blinked at him. “So, there’s no help. They lose everything through no fault of their own, and then they must lose the most precious thing they have left, which is each other.”
“It’s rather shameful when you put it like that, my lady.”
“It’s shameful no matter how one puts it.” I got up and walked over to the window. Like my bedroom, the office overlooked the mountains, and today they were shrouded in cloud at the peaks.
Those people—were they in the very mountains I could see from this privileged position of mine? While I stood here in a protected castle with warm fires and good food, did they even have a roof over their heads, much less anything else?
I touched my fingertips to the cold glass. “These people are treated as disposable. If they were nobles, it would be a different story. Even if they lost their estates and worldly goods, many of their businesses would still be intact. The lower classes don’t even have that protection, especially not in the remote villages.”
“You are quite right, my lady.”
I closed my eyes. A part of me wished I’d never asked Sir Otto about this expedition. If I hadn’t, if I’d minded my own business, I wouldn’t have this sinking feeling in my stomach. I wouldn’t feel the fervent urge todosomething, to change this messed up system.
Perhaps it was my past life hitting me with this sense of righteousness. I’d lived in a country where aid was readily available for both domestic and international disasters. I’d witnessed huge floods where charities and the average person came together to save people and perform miracles and where the government stepped in to help.
Of course, insurance was also a thing there and not here, but still.
I needed to help.
If escaping an attack like this with their lives was a miracle, then it was sheer cruelty for them to befall the tragedy of losing their families right after.
“Why are there no provisions for this? Is Stein so poor that it cannot set aside emergency funds to assist these people? Or is it that the council here is lacking in either heart or ability?” I asked.
“I believe the corruption of the former duke is to blame, my lady,” Ark said softly. “Under his tyranny, the nobles were able to tax residents higher than ever before, making these tragedies all the worse.”
“So, Stein has the means to help these displaced villagers?” I looked back at him. “And to do so in the future?”
“Financially speaking, yes. However, many of the new nobles now are commoners by birth. Many are skilled with the people and the land, but the policies are lacking due to them having little more than a rudimentary education. As you can imagine, the previous duke wasn’t interested in investing in education for the common folk.”
So, the councillors here were good, kind people, but their education wasn’t up to snuff.
“Then I suppose such a policy should be in the hands of someone who possesses the education of a noble.”
“Yes, my lady.”
I looked down, barely suppressing a sigh. I didn’twantto come here and act like the Grand Duchess, especially not this soon. I wanted to draw this out as long as I could, but my heart simply wasn’t allowing me to.
And, hey. I had two lives’ worth of knowledge. If I could draw up this policy and leave this legacy behind when I bounced out of here, then that wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.
