Lord Simeon held me as I slept, and even after his morning greeting, he stayed by my side as long as time would allow. I no longer felt any traces of fear. Thanks to that, I was able to challenge the day’s work with renewed energy.
Today, I would be doing charity work with mother-in-law. We headed out to the church bazaar, Lord Noel in tow.
Though charity work wasn’t obligatory for nobles in Lagrange like it was in Easdale, nobles here often engaged in it. An almshouse had been constructed alongside this church, where the underprivileged, mainly children, were being protected. Jobs, such as ones in factories, were provided to the able-bodied, the goal being to support them as much as possible to get them back on their feet. The products made through these activities were sold in this bazaar, which was situated in a rather wide space between the buildings.
“Good afternoon, Lady Rosine.”
“Oh my! So you came, Lady Estelle. Good afternoon. And a good afternoon to you two as well, Lady Marielle and Lord Noel.”
The wife of a noble family managed the charity bazaar and the workers. We greeted her and contributed to the collection box. This was the main reason nobles and the wealthy came here—the bazaar itself didn’t yield much profit, and none of us were hesitant to donate money. We all wanted to demonstrate our generosity. To put it bluntly, we were competing for notoriety, trying to say, “See? Our family is working to better society!” These actions couldn’t be considered to be in good faith, but since this money became meals for children and medicine for the ill, I didn’t think it was entirely a bad thing.
Usually, I mingled with other nobles at the usual societal events, but interacting with them here was certainly different. I took a look at the goods being sold. The shopkeepers were women who seemed to live in the almshouse. They must have done their best to dress well for the occasion, but their auras were still haggard.
Lord Noel whispered to me so none of them would hear. “I’ve always thought this, but they’re adults, and they’re not sick, so how come they can’t provide for themselves?”
“Everyone has different circumstances,” I explained. “Sometimes people won’t hire them despite the fact that they want to work. Women in particular often struggle because they don’t have reliable connections.”
“I had the impression that commoner women were really tough, but I guess that’s not always the case, huh?”
“No matter how strong they may be, it’s up to society to accept them. Even when they manage to find a job, they could be fired, or their workplace could go bankrupt. It’s very difficult for them.”
Women were in a much more precarious situation than men, especially within impoverished classes. They weren’t able to do physical work as day laborers and would still get paid significantly less than men wherever they were hired. Their positions in society weren’t prominent, so they were always the first in line to be let go. Their only remaining option was to sell their bodies, but even that would become impossible after a certain age.
I found this unfortunate. This situation could change if women in general held more status in society. Some people advocated for such, but the road ahead was a long one. I could only hope that female writers such as myself could help contribute to the advancement of women.
Lord Noel found a leather cigar holder. “I want to give this to father! It looks well-made and durable. Wouldn’t this be great for holding small stones? It also has a band that lets you hang it from your belt. I bet he could use this for gathering materials.”
“Indeed it does.” I examined it. “Let’s buy a few and take them home. I’m sure he’ll love them.”
After Lord Noel and I chatted about how these would make great souvenirs, someone called out to me.
“Hello there, Mrs. Flaubert.”
“Oh! Ambassador Van Rail! Hello. I didn’t know you’d be here.”
The austere old man of Vissel approached us with a happy smile. He must have wanted to speak to me after yesterday’s meeting. I handed Lord Noel my wallet and left the main area of the bazaar with the ambassador. He led me to a quiet area near the walls of the buildings, where a bunch of wooden boxes were stacked up to the top of my vision, probably filled with products for the bazaar.
I bowed my head. “Thank you for yesterday.”
“No, no, thank you. I’m terribly sorry for the trouble our princess caused for you.”
As always, he was a bright, friendly person. He even respectfully apologized for his own princess’s behavior. Had he not heard what had happened afterward?
“I’d wanted to speak to you more, had it not been for the mishap with the carriage,” he continued.
“We were in a hurry, after all. Are you alone today? Is Lady Frechett with you?”
“No, I was just passing by, so I stopped in thinking you might be here. I’m glad I found you.”
“Oh my, you did? Thank you very much.”
Talking to the ambassador, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the incident. The anxiety I’d almost forgotten thanks to Lord Simeon was creeping back in. The culprit who’d sabotaged the carriages was most likely a member of the embassy...but there was no way Ambassador Van Rail could be involved. I wanted to believe it wasn’t possible. He wasn’t that type of person... And yet, I couldn’t help but feel a bit afraid.
He put his hand over his heart. “I wanted to make up for Her Highness’s actions. It’s helpful to us that you’ll play along with her and bear with it, but in truth, you’re in a position where you could protest as much as you like.”
“I’m not really having to ‘bear with’ anything... Though Lord Simeon is surely troubled by this.”
The ambassador laughed with me. “Then I’ll have to make it up to the Vice Captain as well. I’m sure it’s quite a burden on him, since he’s so serious.”
It seemed this lovely old man really did not know about the accident. He wouldn’t ignore the subject if he did. Since Lord Simeon and his subordinates hadn’t notified him of it, I surmised that it was probably best for me to keep quiet as well.
“I went ahead and told him about my conversation with the princess,” I assured him. “She isn’t genuinely trying to go after him, so I’m sure he’s a bit more at ease than before.”
“I see. I would’ve thought he’d be used to that sort of attention by now.”
“She’s royalty, so it’s hard for him to deny her. By the way, sir—do you have any idea what’s making her do all this?”
I lowered the volume of my voice as I asked. Yesterday, the ambassador had also asked Princess Mira about her intentions, but perhaps he knew more than I did.
He pursed his lips. “Hmm... I may have an idea.” That heightened my anticipation, but Ambassador Van Rail was a professional; despite his casual demeanor, he wouldn’t speak of sensitive topics too freely. “But I only have theories. I’m sorry, but I can’t speak of them when the princess herself is not around.”
“That’s all right. I’m the one who overstepped. My apologies.” An official couldn’t possibly spill royal secrets. It was my fault for asking.