Chapter 18:
The Villainess Attends a Meeting
AN OPPRESSIVE AIR ENVELOPED the meeting room.
After a polite bow and greeting from the leaders, Virgil urged everyone to take their seats. There were ten people in total. Those related to the Lindsays kept quiet, intent on watching how the situation developed, while those who had long served in commerce or agriculture glared at the siblings.
The latter group, though not blood-related to the Lindsays, had worked hard to make the region what it was today. Their voices couldn’t be shut out. This was like parliament on a smaller scale; not even the duke could make decisions without their input. Granted, there were no official votes being counted like at parliament, but making any decision without majority agreement would earn the ire of the Lindsays’ supporters.
As soon as Virgil announced that refugees would be arriving soon, Miguel—a merchant in charge of commercial logistics—raised a hand to request permission to speak. He was an older man who’d originally made a name for himself as a mercenary. There were even stories of him battling a bear.
Miguel had never been in a war, though. He’d served as a bodyguard for traveling merchants. Then, at some point, he established his own mercenary band and used them to deliver goods. He and his men even had a hand in transporting merchandise for Claudia’s trading firm. He’d contributed greatly in recent years to the development of her family’s region. Despite being sixty years old, Miguel was hale and healthy enough to oversee operations directly. The man’s body seemed resistant to age, his muscles as impressive as they ever were. His white hair was wild and long. Altogether, Miguel looked more like a warrior than a merchant.
Virgil nodded, giving Miguel the floor.
“We’re taking in too many refugees!” Miguel argued. “Just transporting relief supplies might overwhelm our logistics.”
The winter temperatures had already impacted their industry. Transport of goods couldn’t wait until spring; their provisions wouldn’t hold out that long. Plus, with spring came the Saint’s Festival. The church had requested that Harland be ready to accept all refugees by then. Those preparations coincided with winter’s end and the busiest time for transporting goods. As Miguel told it, his group wouldn’t have enough manpower to cover their normal yearly work if they had to oversee the logistics for relief supplies too.
“I received your reports,” Virgil said. “We’ll have to hire outside help to cover our bases. There’s no other choice.”
If they limited their regular deliveries to accommodate the flow of relief supplies, it would have untold consequences on the region’s economy. The duke planned to prevent that by allocating whatever resources necessary.
Since Virgil already seemed to be aware of the challenges ahead, Miguel was satisfied.
They’re all just anxious about the situation.
Duke Lindsay had received numerous reports from his regional administration concerning the influx of refugees. The situation wasn’t one they were accustomed to. The duke had already responded to each leader, but it was more reassuring to hear those answers directly. Otherwise, their minds were free to imagine the worst: Had their voices really reached the duke? Did he intend to deal with their complaints? Would they be left to shoulder everything on their own without any guarantee of compensation?
Virgil and Claudia’s personal visit was their way of acknowledging the collective worries of their people and dutifully answering any questions—thereby taking some of the pressure off the prominent community leaders. All these people were incredibly skilled in their respective fields. There wasn’t a problem they couldn’t solve if they put their minds to it.
Virgil was conscious of the role he had to play. He stood firm, showing no hesitation in public. As time passed, the thick gloom in the room abated considerably, though some worries did linger.
“Our family will devote every effort to ensuring each of you can work to your full potential,” said Virgil. He spoke on behalf of his father, and there wasn’t a single person who thought to oppose him.
As the refugees were an unknown element, that likely engendered the lack of optimism. Though similar, this situation wasn’t the same as when the Arakanerians came to learn agriculture. They were always slated to return home eventually; once their training was done, they would be gone. Meanwhile, no one knew how long the refugees would stay. It was possible they might never leave. Did that make them guests? Or were they residents, like everyone else?
“I know this ain’t the politest thing to say,” Miguel said, voice echoing through the room that had shed much of the earlier tension, “but what the saint said has us all more nervous than before.”
The saint was a woman who, until shortly before the Canonization Ceremony, had lived in an isolated monastery on an island. She had stepped in to accept punishment on behalf of a starving young boy, asserting they should address the core issue of child poverty instead of the symptoms, which had in turn gained her recognition from the church. Aside from her statements about how the privileged should help the disadvantaged was her insistence that everyone should welcome the refugees. Word of all this had eventually reached Harland.
No one disagreed with the saint’s message. People should help those in need—of course they should. Beneath the surface, however, the people had to wonder: If their leaders were willing to expend all this effort and money for refugees, what about them? Voices of displeasure were strongest in the poorest regions, but their dissatisfaction was spreading to their neighbors and beyond.
For all their wealth and privilege, the Lindsays could not stop people from talking. Their own citizens had been panicked enough to confront Claudia and Virgil directly on the road—and unlike most populaces, the Lindsays’ people were more accustomed to outsiders because of the islanders’ stint there. It was probably much worse in other regions.
It doesn’t help that we haven’t been given a specific date for the refugees’ arrival. The unknown caused additional stress.
“So, I was thinking…” Miguel went on. “I recommend having Lady Claudia visit the people to offer them comfort. Seeing their A Priori in the flesh would be an immense relief, I’m sure.”
The people had known Claudia since she was an infant. Her presence would probably be far more effective than some distant saint’s.
Claudia was hesitant to accept, if only because she thought this might better serve as an opportunity for Virgil to extend his influence as the duchy’s heir, but her brother nodded approvingly.
“Excellent idea,” he said. “Will you do it, Claudia?” Since this was a formal setting, Virgil called her by her full name rather than nickname.
Claudia nodded. “I would be honored.”
Pleased that they’d reacted positively to his suggestion, Miguel beamed at them. “Good, that’s heartening! Won’t be long before we’re all feeling better about this whole thing!”
How wonderful would it be if visiting the people would solve all their problems? But if things were that simple, the middle-aged administrators gathered at the table wouldn’t be knitting their brows in concern.
This is a critical moment. As future head of their house, Virgil had to determine how to cope with the inevitable turmoil that would result from the incoming refugees.