Chapter 54
The farcical kidnapping abruptly transformed into an impromptu village gathering.
“The taxes are so heavy, we really didn’t want to do this.”
“With the bad harvest, what are we supposed to live on? The higher-ups are too cruel.”
“Lots of folks have abandoned their tenant lands and fled.”
The three of them sat together as if a perfect gathering, needing only dried squid, peanuts, and rice wine, and then started pulling out boiled potatoes. They glanced at me, perhaps feeling bad for eating alone, and untied my hands, inviting me to sit with them.
“Come here, miss—or should I say young mother. You better not try to escape.”
“I won’t go. I’m too lazy to run in my condition.”
“Smart choice. Here, try this—it’s from our own crops.”
“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”
Though I wasn’t actually pregnant, I was indeed too lazy to run.
It was obvious that trying to escape from these three would be futile. They didn’t seem intent on harming me, so I figured it was best to wait for Ernst or our house fairy to come to the rescue.
Since I was already here, I thought I might as well listen to the current affairs, and the three men began to vent their frustrations in earnest.
“So, miss, where are you from?”
“Köln.”
“How many kids do you have?”
“One, just a baby.”
“Oh, got no dog?”
A dog? Why would I have one? With our lifestyle of wandering, there’s no room for pets, though I do intend to adopt one as Lilian’s sibling once we settle down.
But then I perked up my ears, only to hear a shocking statement.
“Would you believe it—the Emperor even taxes people’s dogs.”
“It’d be a relief if it were just dogs. I hear they’re starting to levy taxes on the dead in the central region too. They say we’re supposed to honor the deceased for five years.”
They cursed, wondering how honoring the dead with taxes made any sense, and I stopped chewing my potato as I pondered deeply.
“Ugh, this empire’s truly doomed.”
There was a similar system in Joseon, where taxes were levied on the deceased, but a tax on dogs is a first. What nonsense.
Ernst had recently mentioned it as well, saying this place was beyond saving. He may be a royal by blood, and as someone who once led imperial forces to suppress rebels, I’d worried about the conflict it must cause him…
“Ernst, but still, for the sake of my dearly departed Mother-in-law—”
“Julie, say that again.”
“But still, for the sake of, um, Mother-in-law?”
“No, just say the last part.”
“Mother-in-law…?”
His satisfied smile hinted at some unusual fixation, but anyway, the conclusion was clear. This was a nation on its last legs, seemingly without hope of recovery.
The excessive taxes drove farmers to abandon their lands and flee, while nobles, struggling to meet their tax quotas to the Imperial Family, bled their tenants dry. The people’s growing discontent was bound to coalesce into something greater.
“So, you abandoned your land and fled?”
The freshly boiled potatoes were delicious. They’d be perfect with just a pinch of salt. I was eating as much as I could, planning to make Ernst repay them later, when suddenly the three men fell into a sullen silence. Did I say something wrong? I’m not usually that insensitive.
As the mood grew somber, one of the men teared up and confessed,
“I can’t stop thinking about what’ll happen to my younger brother now that I’ve fled…”
“He wanted to come with me, but he’d rather die than live as a fugitive. What could I do?”
“He’ll end up taking on my share too, and knowing that…”
Oh, wait. Isn’t that the kind of collective punishment system where relatives or neighbors bear the tax burden if someone flees? They really have that here? Why impose such harsh taxes when the civil war has already ended in victory for the imperial army?
The three men wept, lamenting their miserable fate. Watching them left me feeling rather disoriented.
It’s completely different to see this in person rather than just read about it.
I’d been living quietly, working at the grand ducal estate, earning my wages without a care for the outside world. Now that I was out here wandering, I saw a reality more appalling than anything I’d imagined.
Previously, I could feel nothing but resentment toward the rebels who nearly killed me, but seeing how people out here suffer…
‘It’s only a matter of time before something goes wrong.’
If the Empire doesn’t collapse at this rate, that would be the real problem.
Part of me felt uneasy. What will happen now? Someday, Lilian will stand beside the Crown Prince, supporting him as he ascends to the throne.
Suddenly, tears filled my eyes as I thought of my daughter, who would one day have to overcome this hopeless reality. All because of that thing called love, and in a story set in an intense, dark romance fantasy genre, no less.
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