In This Life, I Will Raise You Well, Your Majesty! - Chapter 52

Where Water Flows II (4)

Translated by WookEdited by Wook

 

For the rest of the meeting, several laws were revised to adjust tax rates on grain and ore management.

 

Both were advantageous to the Eastern and Central nobles, so as long as the major Western nobles were not excluded, they would proceed.

 

Of course, that doesn’t mean that the major Western nobles were completely unaware of this issue.

 

Even though they were aware, they pretended not to know to borrow the power of the 2nd Empress. Their move was actually pretty coordinated.

 

If not, how could all the major figures of the faction escape over the political affairs meeting?

 

However, if they found out that the damage was greater than they think, they would be quite angry.

 

Yes, right now, the 2nd Empress was doing her job so well that they had lost their mind.

 

After that time has passed, the timing would not be right to bring this up again.

 

When the political meeting was over, the nobles bowed their heads to the emperor.

 

As the emperor waved his hand, the nobles left the conference hall first.

 

After a while, only the emperor and the crown prince remained in the hall.

 

Emperor Kaiden stared at the boy with the same blue eyes as him, which was said to be the most expensive jewel in the world.

 

“Do you have anything to say, Your Majesty?”

 

“I thought you didn’t resemble me in the slightest, it seems that I was wrong.”

 

“… What are you talking about?”

 

From the rich, rare black hair and the appearance that made it impossible to take one’s eyes off of their blue eyes, everything tied them together.

 

Whatever it was, Ascencio thought it wouldn’t be a good thing to hear.

 

But there was no way not to listen to it.

 

“So, what does the seat bought with the blood of the 2nd Empress feel like? I think it suits you very well.”

 

There was no way not to answer.

 

“Thank you.”

 

The boy made eye contact with the beautiful man who was even said to be a gift from God, his father who shared his blood and flesh.

 

“From now on, your seat will only get more expensive, and the price will not go down. I can’t wait to see what you’ll take from her next time and give it to me.”

 

The Emperor, who muttered in an unexpected voice, stood up from his seat.

 

He passed by the Crown Prince and lightly tapped his fingertips on the table he was sitting on.

 

“Be careful not to be abandoned. No shiny fake in the world can beat the real thing.”

 

Ascencio clenched his teeth and glared at the back of the disappearing emperor.

 

Ascencio raised his hand, which he had been hiding under the table.

 

His curled fingertips were digging into the flesh of his palms and bleeding.

 

Not just because of this.

 

From the moment he first entered the venue, no, from the moment he heard what Elisha was going through outside, Ascencio clenched his hands tight.

 

To attend the political affairs meeting with a smile, trying not to change anything and not even the slightest tremor in his tone.

 

Knowing the price assigned to this position, he wanted to give a deliberate result.

 

“I promise, I won’t back down.”

 

Ascencio murmured, stretching his palms out wide and then curling them up again.

 

Enduring the sacrifices of loved ones and enjoying the benefits that come from them are part of the responsibility he chose.

 

It cannot be avoided.

 

Don’t miss this opportunity.

 

So they will return it tens or hundreds of times. Whatever it was!

 

While repressing his intense emotions, Ascencio suddenly lifted his head and looked in the direction the emperor had escaped.

 

“Come to think of it… Why did he…?”

 

He was puzzled by the change of the Emperor, who had never spoken a word and never gave him a single glance before.

 

It made Ascencio forget.

 

When someone does something they don’t normally do, it’s only when there’s enough emotional turmoil.

 

“Is it really because of the 2nd Empress…?”

 

Since there were many unfamiliar happenings recently, Ascencio also put the Emperor’s actions into that category.

 

Even though he felt deeply in the midst of countless frustrations that the Emperor wasn’t the kind of person who does something for no reason.

 

“I won’t let you ruin it this time. Never.”

 

Ascencio could not lose his mother to that man again.

 

***

 

Marquis was a high rank, and compared to a duke, there was one difference in rank, but the difference was large enough to be called heaven and earth.

 

A marquis also had a territory, and although it was large enough, there was no particular place in sight compared to the duchy they had stayed in for a while.

 

However, Elisha was satisfied enough.

 

In the first place, there was no interest at all, and Marquis Rwanda didn’t bother Elisha at all regarding what kind of things were evoked after the events at the Duke’s Castle, with the exception for the set schedule while on the move or after arriving at the Marquis Castle.

 

Unlike their master, the knights of the Marquis who were favorable to Elisha from the beginning were rather concerned about such an atmosphere, but Elisha just shook her head.

 

Marquis Rwanda immediately asked to find the water veins from the land directly managed by the Marchy.

 

There were no spectators as before.

 

No, on the contrary, the Marquis knew how the 2nd Empress’ abilities work and wanted to confirm it, so he chased away all the people who approached the area.

 

The reason was that there was no need to disturb the concentration of the 2nd Empress and delay the time for any disturbance, but everyone knew.

 

The Western nobles realized that the ripple effect of the power of the 2nd Empress was enormous.

 

And maybe that was not simply because of the water spirit she has, but because of the temperament she exuded as well.

 

Was the 2nd Empress that kind of person from the beginning? Everyone would shake their heads saying no.

 

Since that was the case, she couldn’t help but stand out.

 

Did she hide herself in the past, or did she change in response to a new opportunity?

 

It was impossible to solve it out of curiosity, and Marquis Rwanda really did not want to deal with the 2nd Empress who was lacking in expression.

 

Even in front of Duke Verdin, she didn’t lose a word and said everything she wanted to say. Didn’t the Duke’s Castle, and even the entire Duchy, become a waste in just a few days?

 

Marquis Rwanda hoped that this schedule could be completed as soon as possible without any further problems.

 

Swaeeegh! Swaegh!

 

The large birds that Elisha had sent out dropped the flagpoles on the designated locations and came back.

 

The commander of the knights of the Marquis family asked a question after checking the birds that have disappeared while spreading their wings as if to praise them in front of Elisha.

 

“Can we move to the next location?”

 

Elisha nodded her head.

 

Those who had gathered moved in unison.

 

They’ve done it several times over two days, so everyone got used to it.

 

Although it was embarrassing to call the Vecchia Plain a ‘plain’, it was still one of the best places in the West.

 

Elisha had no choice but to divide the work.

 

Not ‘a lot at once’, but ‘a few small times’.

 

The mana consumption during this time was rather small, but it took quite a while to move here and there.

 

But it was something she had to do anyway, and it was a lot of fun for Elisha to see the tiny head moving around in the carriage.

 

Benjamin’s eyes are fixed on Leon’s face as if observing Leon was more interesting than the book Leon read to him.

 

“Haa.”

 

Vera sighed.

 

“Are you going back to the Duchy after finishing work at the March?”

 

This much was enough to show the new stand of the Duke towards the 2nd Empress to the outside.

 

The additional reason was that the two territories they have to walk past from the March would be overwhelmed just to welcome the guests of Barossa.

 

“That’s what I heard.”

 

Vera was worried that her son, who was indifferent even to his own mother, would be separated from the 3rd Prince, the first person he was obsessed with.

 

“Now is probably not the time to worry about him.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“You better take care of yourself and your husband first. If you go back like this, that bastard… Emm, do you think Patrick and his wife will stay still?”

 

There was a strange word in the middle, but Vera shook her head.

 

Because such a word didn’t go well with this precious person.

  

 

With such a serious face.

 

During the times when she was at Duchy, she had tried to be as courageous as she could, but that was not enough.

 

Vera looked at the 2nd Empress.

 

She had heard many stories from her husband, Jonathan, about the 2nd Empress.

 

Even in a situation where she needed to face something that was greater than she was, the 2nd Empress protected the 3rd Prince and made her stand, standing tall.

 

Vera was not confident enough.

 

Still, she somehow wanted to keep her child safe, and she had to.

 

“There is nothing I can do to help right now. If I tried to use my hand, it is highly likely to backfire.”

 

Vera nodded her head up and down broadly, as if she was well aware of it too.

 

The gaze she had just sent wasn’t to ask for help, but just to think about what she would have done if she were the 2nd Empress.

 

“Nevertheless, I will add a few words.”

 

As the unexpected voice continued, Vera raised her face.

 

“Never give the other person what they want. However, if you have to give it, don’t give it easily. And when it’s time to give, don’t give what your opponent wants.”

 

“That is difficult.”

 

“There are other things that are more difficult.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“No matter how urgent the situation, we must not forget what is real and why we are standing there.”

 

“…”

 

“If you take something important from a child in the name of for the sake of the child, you will end up regretting it. Perhaps not all of them will, but at least I did regret it.”

 

“But, it’s important to Benjamin.”

 

Vera muttered with a tone implying that she couldn’t get a sense of Elisha’s words.

 

Elisha tilted her face to the side and spitted out.

 

“Why don’t you think that it is you or your husband? Your absence. Your sacrifice. A father’s embrace to hold and a mother’s lips to rub against his cheek.”

 

“That…”

 

“I don’t understand either. In fact, even I, don’t know everything. I’m not good at it either. But just because he didn’t express it, don’t think that it wasn’t there from the beginning. Maybe it’s because he doesn’t know how, or maybe it’s because you loved him so much that he didn’t feel the need to express himself.”

 

Benjamin’s tearing the West apart in the past may be largely due to continued abuse.

 

Elisha thought that it must be revenge for the unexpected death of his parents.

 

Because, there is no way a person without emotions can go crazy.

 

His madness burnt everything and ate his enemies so violently that it even ruined himself!

 

“Really?”

 

“That’s not something I can tell you. I was just talking about the possibility. You must have your answer.”

 

“Ah… ”

 

Vera nodded her head in understanding.

 

“You have to be strong. And when your effort doesn’t work, and when danger comes, so dangerous that you think it might be your last, go to the Heron and find Rozie. The Heron’s branches are all over the Empire, so it shouldn’t be difficult. After calling out Rozie to talk about the jewel mine, give her my name. Ask her to help you and say that I will pay the price later. I will give you my hand one time.”

 

Elisha mentioned Rozenin’s pseudonym there, along with the top secret of Count Gotham.

 

It was nice enough to put their situation simply as “unfortunate”…

 

Both Jonathan, who did not create his own force in order not to cause a riot with his brother, who was always suspicious of taking his place, and Vera, who had no place to rely on, had no place to ask for help after Elisha left the duchy.

 

Rozenin was resourceful, so she would get the job done.

 

Even if there was a problem, many forces would want them to the extent that Vera and her family can become a weakness of the Western noble family.

 

Rozenin was harmless, and at least Vera and her family’s lives could be saved, so this was the safest suggestion.

 

“I can’t thank you enough, Your Majesty.”

 

Vera bowed her head saying thank you over and over again.

 

Elisha, waving her hand as if telling her to stop, turned her gaze out of the carriage window.

 

After a while, the carriage stopped and Elisha’s next schedule began.

 

Elisha called the water birds and sent it away to find the veins.

 

The day after tomorrow, she will leave the March.

 

There are now two territories left, the Eyim County and the Syuphl Barony.

 

Elisha’s aim was to escape the high-ranking noble families, because once they touch her, they can get four more months out of the harshness for nothing.

 

Will she be able to return to Barossa after she fulfills her responsibilities safely?

 

Several faces naturally popped up in Elisha’s head.

 

Their poisonous eyes as well.

 

“Hmm.”

 

It didn’t look like it would be easy.