The crimson flames flickering… The imperial city burning … the voice of people’s hatred echoing and echoing…
And, my own head, rolling around.
[Hyaaaah!]
Mia jumped with a scream. It has been a long time since she had dreamt of her execution.
She was on a bed in the school infirmary and her body was covered in cold sweat. She wanted to take a bath immediately, but now was hardly the time for that.
Anne was standing next to her with a worried look, and Mia quickly gave her instructions.
The first thing Mia did was to deport the four servants directly involved in the incident back to the Empire.
Shortly after, the students who were the masters of said servants came to protest. And Mia was now facing them.
(This is the critical moment, isn’t it?)
She understood that if she made a mistake here, she would be in danger.
No. To be more precise, she knew it.
After waking up in the infirmary, she checked the bloody diary she had brought with her as soon as she had sent Anne off.
At the beginning pages of the diary, she had indeed written about the incident with Tiona’s imprisonment.
She only had superficial information when she wrote it and had no idea that such an incident had taken place behind the scenes.
If she were ambiguous about the punishment, that would probably incur the wrath of Rafina. Prince Sion and Tiona would not have a good impression either.
Therefore, it was necessary to condemn them properly, but the problem was their masters.
They denied any involvement, but from Mia’s point of view, they were far from innocent. They were passive accomplices, at best.
However, if you ask if they were definitely involved, there would be no proof to state that they were.
Normally, when a servant is a commoner, it is impossible for them to imprison a noble’s daughter without an order. However, all of the criminals came from noble families.
They may not be the heir to their family titles, but they did grow up in noble houses in the central capital and were respected by the people. They must have had a good amount of pride.
(It is easy to tell, given that they were wearing personal belongings with the emblem of the empire on them.)
To be honest, Mia wanted to say: “Don’t do something stupid while wearing something that reveals your identity!”.
Anyway, it’s no wonder that these proud people didn’t like the idea of Tiona, a “noble from the countryside”, attending the welcome party instead of them.
Unlike their masters, the attendants had motives.
[I don’t understand, Your Highness. Why do that to our servants just because… they imprisoned the daughter of a countryside noble…?]
It was a protest in accordance with the values of the empire.
The central faction aristocrats are allowed to be as rude as they want to the commoners as well as the local nobles.
(You have no idea how much hatred from the people that brings.)
In Mia’s heart, there was not anger, but rather pity. After all, Mia herself didn’t known this until she was thrown into prison.
This is something that you don’t realize unless you are forced into that situation, but by the time you realize it, it is already too late…
(Even if I say “you reap what you sow”, I don’t think those people will understand.)
With a sigh, Mia shook her head.
[I see… It is as you say. Maybe what you said was not wrong… If this were the Empire, that is.]
[What?]
[You guys need to think about who controls this school.]
Mia came up with a plan.
If she condemns them based on her own values, their anger will go towards her. In order to avoid that, she decided to shift the blame to someone else.
To the ruler of this school, Rafina Orca Belluga.
[Rafina is an honorable person. Do you really think she will overlook such an action against one of the important students of this school?]
After saying that, Mia closed her eyes.
[And I’m not a big fan of that kind of thinking either. Using the power you have to abuse those weaker than you. Which part of that can be called noble?]
There was some truth in that.
Mia, who had suffered at the hands of the revolutionary army, didn’t want to do the same thing as them.
Be it verbal abuse or physical abuse. It is hard and it hurts.
She didn’t want to be on the receiving end. And she didn’t want to be the perpetrator either.
[Honestly, I think you should take responsibility and leave the school. But I feel sorry for you.]
[Mia-sama…]
[I will personally talk with Rafina and intervene for your sake.]
She put them in her debt.
Even though Mia had just admonished them, they couldn’t help but feel gratitude toward her.
(I hope things will settle down.)
Feeling very tired, Mia asked for a meeting with Rafina.
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