The Slums’ Worth [Part 2]
“Ehh? Wait a minute!!! Emma-chan, you went to the slums?! Isn’t that dangerous?”
The King and nobles around were all shocked by Emma’s words.
It was unheard of for a Count’s daughter to go to the slums.
By saying that she became friends with the children in the slums earlier, did she mean she visited the dangerous slums personally instead of bringing the poor and hungry children to the Nobles’ District?
The venue, which had been filled with gasps until now, broke out into a tumult as the guests were unable to hold back their shock anymore.
It was truly unthinkable for a frail, meek daughter of a noble to enter the slums, where even the nobles in charge of food distribution didn’t dare to step foot into without a guard.
It was just too dangerous.
“Dangerous? They were all very kind children.”
Emma sounded a little puzzled as she answered. There was nothing to be scared of at all.
She just went there in paltry clothes which were typically impossible for nobles to wear. But, of course, the King and the nobles would never think of such a possibility.
“N-No way… Eh? She was accompanied by guards, right? They weren’t attacked or anything, were they?”
Even though the Emma before him was clearly all right, the King still verified its veracity with Leonard once again.
Both Rose and Prince Edward looked very worried too.
“…No, she didn’t bring any guards with her. The three siblings went there themselves…”
“Huh?”
Three children went to the slums alone without having a single guard? Leonard’s words caused a stir in the venue.
Even Hilda, who was sitting elegantly, rose to her feet.
Hilda had never asked the Stuart couple in detail why they asked her to look after Emma, but she would never have expected Emma to do such a thing.
“H-H-H-How could that—!!! Count Leonard, isn’t that a serious matter?!!! You are aware of the slums having bad public order, right? Wouldn’t it be all too late if something were to happen?!”
House of Count Stuart… What sort of education do you give your children? Everyone in the venue seemed to be blaming House Stuart in their hearts.
“Don’t worry! I have already scolded them properly. I also went to pick them up myself immediately. But, well, even if it was dangerous, the opponent was still human after all. As long as it’s not a monster, George alone is enough to protect his younger sister and brother.”
Even Leonard knew not to say, “They actually stayed a night in the slums!” in this current atmosphere.
George made a complicated expression upon hearing his father’s words because actually, his stolen monster karuta was the trigger of it all.
Emma nee-sama… is a genius in making things worse after all. William held his throbbing temples.
“Your Majesty, if you are aware that the slums have bad public order, why did you not do anything about it? Don’t you know about those hungry children that are all living in a place as dangerous as that?”
The King was the one who said not to go to such dangerous places, but wasn’t it the country itself the one who left those dangerous places as is?
Emma was angry as she couldn’t understand why the talk about rewards developed into a scolding session.
She knew she hit where it hurt.
‘Why haven’t you finished this job?’
She recalled how she was often told off by her superior in her years as an office worker.
Even if she worked her fingers to the bone with not enough time or manpower, she would hardly get praised. Between the time she was working frantically, other postponed tasks would just pop up.
Though they were mostly things that felt like a hassle, or things she was unsure on where to start.
I know I shouldn’t compare the King’s workload to a mere office worker’s, and I know how hard it is for him, but why must he criticize me?
The counterblast Emma had spewed out irrationally had hurt the King deeply.
