The news of the introductory food supply price increase has caused an uproar among the commoners and the nobles. In the past, the typical, fundamental ones would cost a person about two silver coins, but as of right now, the price is five silver coins, and soon, it will probably be seven silver coins. So naturally, people complain significantly about it and assert that the providers are taking advantage of them.
People throw rocks at them, but there is nothing else for them to do but purchase them because Harren has a monopoly on that particular market. The nobles believe that the budget for the food has also increased, which is especially problematic for those nobles who own eating establishments such as restaurants, bakeries, or dessert shops. They are crushed by the fact that they have to do that, but they have no choice but to raise the prices of the other food. This can potentially have a domino effect on the food field while squeezing the lives out of ordinary people.
The bread was almost as expensive as a reasonably priced steak in the capital. Some people are even forced to reduce their spending on food or sell everything they own to make ends meet. That is the only strategy available for dealing with the increased number of deals. The situation is brought to the attention of the Imperial Palace.
"The people have increased their demands on the Imperial Palace to take action regarding this matter because the basic supplies have increased. They asserted that the nobles carried out those actions to increase their profits from those activities," the informant said to a man.
His sapphire eyes shine brightly, and he clutches the pen so tightly that he unintentionally snaps it off in his hand. This time, he wore black gloves, but that didn't prevent him from bleeding. The sharp pierce from the pen punctured his hand, so the gloves weren't much help. The informant freezes in his tracks, petrified of the consequences that will befall him. The man was responsible for the deaths of many people the last time, and he vividly remembers collecting the severed heads one at a time and rolling them like balls across the ground.
The man asks, "Other than that?" while simultaneously making the informant flinch out of fear.
" There is a rumour that the Temple has chosen the high priests and is planning a celebration to mark the occasion very soon. The Temple has not made any announcements yet, but it is still a discussion among the priests. Considering that the high priests are selected from among the former Bishops, this is not surprising," after bringing every aspect of himself to bear on the discussion, he concludes.
Prince Ares takes a moment to reflect by closing his eyes and sitting quietly. The informant tries to hide his fear by putting his hands behind his back. He does this so that it won't be as apparent that he is cowering in fear of the person questioning him. After that, Prince Ares cracks a smile and laughs.
"They plan to make a celebration soon? The Imperial Family should show our generosity by giving them a donation. Isn't that right, Julius?" Ares observes Julius' widening eyes as he cowers in fear and looks at the brown eyes that are frightened.
He stumbles in his words as he replies back at the Imperial Prince, "Yes, Your Highness is right."
The Crown Prince dips his finger into his pocket to reach for the handkerchief and then puts it on his hand. Then, he takes off his glove, slowly wrapping it on his wound. It is not hurt, but it is a nuisance that keeps bleeding. Next, his finger reaches down to the drawer, reaching for another pair of gloves and wearing it into his new one.
He smirks, looks at his hand, and chuckles a bit as Julius scrunches his forehead, possibly perplexed by the impulsive behavior.
"Don't you think this is a good day to visit someone?" Ares asks.
Julius knows this question well, so he answers Ares by saying, "Would Your Highness go to the purest place within the Empire?"
Ares raises the corners of his mouth and smiles at Julius. "That sounds wonderful."
After he says, "I will prepare it right away," Julius gives him a respectful bow in response.
The Crown Prince turns his chair back, looking at the view beside him. It is a good thing. The Imperial Palace is slightly on higher ground than the other. A magnificent scenery flashes in his mind while looking at a few buildings there, especially the Valimos' manor.
"You all will be mine, especially you, Medea,"
While Ares keeps an eye on the Valimos' home, a carriage makes its way to the hidden estate where Medea lives. After the carriage in front of it stopped, the heels clicking on the ground could be heard. The butler arrives at the show without delay and greets the woman with blonde hair. However, the woman does not smile as frequently as she usually would. Instead, her normally cheery demeanour emerges even though her emerald eyes scream with anxiety.
"Greetings, Countess Hera. Would you like me to accompany you to though the even the location where Duchess Valimos is waiting?" he asks nicely while giving a slight bow to the person who will rule the Angelos Empire one day rule the Angelos Empire.
The Countess only manages a smirk on her face as she realises that she is too exhausted from giving everything that she has to someone else at this very moment. She allows her body to move in the same direction as the butler, guiding her to where Lady Medea is. The blonde opens the door for the tall figure, who is deeply engrossed in her thoughts as Medea looks over the document. The amethyst eyes then look at her, causing her to enlarge her pupils, at which point she realises that the other figure she was waiting for has already arrived.
"My apologies, Hera. I was unaware that you had been present the entire time," the Duchess stands to her feet and moves toward the blonde woman, approaching her with an annoyed expression on her face since she places the highest importance on proper behaviour among nobles.
"No, it's not a problem at all, my lady. It's also my fault that I only gave you one day's notice that I'd be dropping by, "Medea noticed the blonde's re-appearance of the small smile.
While the butler is coming in to prepare their tea and desserts for a visit, the two ladies sit down on the couch, possibly wanting to talk about something important. In the meantime, the butler arrives. But instead, they remain silent as Hera mulls over whether or not to reveal her predicament to the Duchess and asks for her advice. The amethyst eyes than fix their gaze on the blonde's body language, allowing her the space and the opportunity to talk in an uninhibited manner.
"Are you aware that there has been an increase in the price rate for the essential food supplies?" the emerald eyes appear to be filled with gloom and melancholy, suggesting that they may sympathise with those going through it.
The Duchess Medea responded nonchalantly, "Yes, I heard about it."
Medea's hand is held by a blonde woman on the verge of shedding tears. Despite this, she brought to her mind an event that had occurred the day before.
The Countess, accompanied by her servants James and Phoebe, travels to the market to personally purchase the necessary provisions. She should go outside for a while because staying inside makes her feel like she will suffocate. In addition, after the trial a month ago, the state capital returned to its normal state.
Although there is a rumour about the price, the mood is momentarily subdued. Hera may temporarily be unaware of what's happening, but she quickly becomes aware that something is off. The number of people heading to the store is down. The atmosphere is peaceful due to the lack of people. On the other hand, the atmosphere around the vendors is gloomy because it does not appear that they are as busy as they were in the past, particularly the vendors who sell the essential supplies.
Even stranger is that the people selling the essential supplies at the shop seem laid back and produce positive environments all around them. As if they were not competing with the other sellers who were in the same boat. When other vendors look at them, they do so with evil eyes. A young boy dashes up to Hera just as she comes to a stop and grabs hold of her dress with his slender fingers.
Emerald's eyes draw her focus to the child, and she bends down to get a better look at him.
"I am sowwy, can you pl--please help me?" the big doe eyes looks at Hera with hopefulness.
The blonde woman flashed her radiant smile at the kid as she said, "Only if you tell me your name." As someone who loves everyone, Hera is fond of the children the most. They are adorable with their tiny hands and feet and plump cheeks.
The youngster subconsciously covers his mouth with his hand as his big doe eyes bulge in surprise because he forgot to give his name first. Hera chuckles as she admires his adorable face, but on the other hand, she is becoming increasingly worried about him. A few individuals are aware of her status as the Crown Princess. Some people thought the woman was noble based on how she was dressed.
They are concerned about what will happen to the child because the poor boy is entirely unaware of how everything works. If commoners touch nobles without the latter's permission, the nobles will fuss with it, and either hit the commoners or ask to ruin their attires, although this does not occur.
After that, he introduced himself, saying, "My name is Julian."
"Alright, Julian, my name is Hera. What can I do for you?" the blonde asks softly with a hint of cheerful tone in her voice.
"My mother is sick. Can you help her?" his eyes filled with tears when he said that.
The young boy grabs Hera's hand and pulls her over to where his mother is living. However, James puts his hand on Hera's shoulder to prevent them from continuing. Hera shifts her focus to James while she continues to experience some uneasiness and concern regarding Julian's mother.
"My Lady, you can't recklessly walk around with no guard, especially in the alleys. His Highness will behead us if something happens to you," James explains.
When she heard James say that Ares would be furious if something happened to her, she felt her eyes begin to burn with rage. He does this not because he is concerned about her well-being. On the contrary, he is worried about the divinity power being compromised somehow. James probably said this out of concern, but the fact that it's true demonstrates that Ares is still exercising authority over her subjects at Nicoli's manor. As she speaks, Hera swats away James' hand from her shoulder.
"Then, you better be guarding up me properly as I will follow this kid," she ran after she said that, then let the boy guide her to his mother.
James and Phoebe could let out a sigh as they contemplated the outcome of their situation. They know that the Crown Princess does not have the compassion to abandon people in their current state. Her generosity is without measure, and it is humbling to be in the presence of someone as untarnished as she is. However, in this context, it would be an annoyance for them to deal with, and it would be annoying to look at.
They have reached their destination, but Hera is too exhausted to even take a breath at this point. However, the child quickly releases her grip and dashes off to find his mother. The mother appears distressed; she may be consoling herself by crying in the corner or gathering herself to appear brave in front of her child. Hera looks around and realises that she has entered a small bakery, as the aroma of fresh bread greets her.
But that didn't happen in this instance. The only thing visible on the shops' sides is stale bread. Suddenly, the Crown Princess has an epiphany, and she realises that her mother is probably not qualified to run the bakery. There is no visible bag of flours, and no sign of a woodfire has been used to heat the oven.
Currently, no customers other than her, James, and Phoebe are just entering the establishment. Because of this, the mother is crying, probably wondering how she will make it through this moment with her child.
"Mother, look! I bwought someone hewe!" the boy said excitedly, causing his mother to look at Hera.
"Oh my, I am sorry we can't serve anything for you," she said, slightly bowing.
Then, she raises her head, only to realise she is talking with a noble. She immediately goes on her knees in front of Hera, "Forgive me for my insolence, my Lady. Please spare my life and my child! If you can't, you can take me or kill me, but please don't kill my child," she bawling her eyes out.
The boy immediately goes to her side, asking his mother what is wrong or if he does something sinful being like that. His eyes filled with curiosity asking her mother as it continues Hera's heart to see it. Tears started to drop from her eyes as she realised that many people were affected by the sudden price increase.
"The kid and his mother are the living proof of it. It makes me angry to see the injustice from the sudden price increase," Hera said, wiping away her tears when she told the story again to Medea.
"My apologies. I talk a lot isn't it?" Hera realises suddenly.
"It's alright, I understand. But, it is the beginning of the ending, Hera," Medea said to Hera.
"What do you mean?"
"Natalie, Hector and I have planned to use Harren through this crisis," Medea looks at Hera. "That's why we need you to fit into the plan,"
"What?! Do you plan the crisis? You are the one who started it?" Hera's eyes narrow a bit looking at Medea. She cannot believe that the Duchess use people in such a way. It causes havoc and poverty among people!
"It is the only way to weaken Ares and the corrupted nobles like Harren," the Duchess lets out a heavy sigh.
"By sacrificing and torturing people? This is wrong!" Hera stands up, looking down at Medea.
This is why Medea prefer not to talk about the plan with Hera. She will definitely work against it without a doubt. Nevertheless, it is necessary to do it, even if it's hard. They cannot let Ares and the nobles get away with that. They have to find an opening and strike them in their vulnerable.
"I am not planning to let them be like that. That's why we need you in that plan. Would you help us?" Medea asks softly at the blonde woman, possibly trying not to worsen the situation.
"You are mean!" her eyes fill with tears and rage. How could Medea be so cruel like this? She thought she would be changed once they swapped their body last time. So, did Medea.
"You realise it does not take flower and rainbow continuously ahead of us to fight, Hera. Sometimes, it takes more. We can't fight with nothing in the swords fight," the conversation started deteriorating.
"You are too radical!"
"And you are too unrealistic!"
The silence is never quite so loud right now. But, they are both two different people in the first one. The merciless and the empathetic are like Lady Medea and Lady Hera. This is their first clash after reconciling back as friends. But, before things get worse, Medea knows she shouldn't let her feelings cloud and blind her judgement. So, she persuades Hera more.
"Can you trust me? Like the time you did before?" she reaches Hera's cheek, brushing her fingertips against it while looking at the blonde woman.
They need Hera to agree to turn the tide in her place and side. The emerald eyes conflict with her principle or to trust the woman in front of her. Should she trust her by choosing this way? It is too vicious.