Chapter 50 Unexpected Disaster
Chapter 50 Unexpected Disaster
As soon as I woke up, I checked out the window. It was still raining today.
Can it rain this long?
No matter how rainy it is, I wonder if the sky has crossed the line.
I quickly washed up and changed into my work clothes. After getting dressed in front of the full-length mirror, I left the room.
I arrived at the office first, probably because I moved earlier than usual.
‘This is such a strange feeling.’
I unlocked the door with the key and went inside.
After a while, Cecilia entered the office with her two ladies-in-waiting.
“Have a good night, Your Majesty.”
I bent her back at a right angle towards Cecilia.
“Hmm. Did you have a peaceful night too?”
“Yes. Thanks to His Majesty’s castle, I was able to sleep comfortably.”
Actually, I fell asleep late last night thinking about how to revise my getaway plan.
That’s why I woke up earlier than usual.
But you can’t express yourself like this in front of Cecilia.
So I have no choice but to give a polite answer.
I also exchanged morning greetings with Floa and Mulia.
“Good morning, Lady of the Marquis Simonion. And the daughter of Earl Fordward.”
“Good morning, secretary.”
“Good morning too, Mr. Luke.”
Mullia headed straight to her seat, and Flora cast her gaze out the window.
“It would have been a happier morning on a sunny day.”
There was a hint of regret in her voice.
Since I was thinking the same thing, she agreed with what she said.
“Still, the rainy season will definitely end, so don’t worry too much.”
Cecilia told us in her calm voice. She then sat on her throne with her declaration that she began her work.
With that as a signal, her maids and I sat down.
Soon, piles of paperwork will be entering the office…….
While I was making up my mind, a knock rang out. Something has come.
I ran over and opened the door. However, it was not the documents, but the head of the city maintenance department, Count Maros, who appeared.
Besides, what the heck is that urgent expression?
“What happened?”
Since the situation was different from usual, Cecilia also expressed doubts.
He hurriedly greeted her and approached her desk.
“Your Majesty! It’s a big deal! They say the river bank broke and flooded!”
“What? A riverbank?”
Cecilia asked with her eyes wide open. The empress as well as the ladies-in-waiting were equally astonished.
And of course I was shocked too.
“Yes. It is said that the river overflowed at dawn and flooded the surrounding area…….”
In Delesson, the capital of the empire, there is a river that runs east to west. However, canals were built for urban development, and riverbanks were built to prevent the river from overflowing.
But now there’s a problem…….
“What is the damage situation?”
Cecilia’s face had an empress-like expression on her face.
“Dozens of houses were submerged, and the water has not yet drained, so we have not been able to determine the extent of the damage.”
“I see… ….”
Cecilia made her face hard with her brow furrowed. Her mood had subsided, so not only Flora and Mullia, but even me, kept our mouths shut and only looked at Cecilia.
“Luke.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
After a moment of silence, Cecilia opened her mouth.
“What is your schedule this morning?”
“There is a noble meeting scheduled in an hour.”
“Hmm… ….”
Cecilia groaned. Reporting her flood, the head of the department watched her with her restless face.
Flora and Mulia were also fixating their eyes on the empress.
What decision will Cecilia make?
I anxiously waited for her mouth to open.
“Is the area still under water?”
“Yes. It has been reported that most areas are still under water.”
Cecilia let out a short sigh and called me by name.
“Luke.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“The nobility meeting is postponed to the afternoon. I will have to look around the site and come.”
“I will preach to the nobles in advance.”
Continuing, Cecilia also called the two maids.
“You guys go to the site too.”
“I will follow Your Majesty’s orders.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
I ran to the conference room to notify the nobles of the schedule.
* * *
We boarded the red carriage that symbolizes the Imperial Palace. The butler outside closed the carriage door, and Cecilia instructed the driver to set off.
Looking outside, the rain was clearly weakening.
‘If I do well, it could be over today.’
However, it seemed that it would take more time to see the clear sky.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere inside the wagon was completely subdued.
“Haa… ….”
Cecilia’s sigh made the atmosphere even heavier. Thanks to that, even Flora, who would normally be chattering, was as quiet as her rat.
The affected area this time is the outskirts of Delerson.
We arrived at the scene of the damage several tens of minutes after leaving the imperial palace. Even from inside the wagon, the situation at the scene was not so good.
A street that has become muddy.
The farther away was submerged in muddy water.
Those who lost their homes in an instant were standing there with devastated expressions on their faces.
Their eyes were fixed on a flooded house.
“… ….”
A shadow fell on the faces of the three women as they looked at them.
After a while, the carriage stopped on a relatively tidy street. The palace butlers who followed helped Cecilia and her maids get off the carriage safely and provided umbrellas for them.
But no one held an umbrella for me.
Actually, this is natural.
Well, it’s only natural for women of high status to be treated like this.
Thanks to that, I can hold the umbrella to myself, so I don’t really have any complaints.
Now is not the time to pay attention to such things.
“Go to the field.”
Cecilia took the lead and moved her steps, and people followed her in an orderly fashion.
After a while, a muddy street appeared in front of me. One of the butlers tried to lay a carpet over it for Cecilia, but
“I don’t need it.”
Cecilia commanded in a dignified voice.
So we went towards the victims, getting our shoes dirty. Noticing her presence in Cecilia, they were already preparing to greet her empress.
“Meet Her Majesty Empress Cecilia, the mother of the Eckhart Empire.”
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While Cecilia nodded once, I quickly checked the condition of the victims. Perhaps it was because she couldn’t properly avoid the rain, her hair and clothes were not wet.
“Is anyone hurt?”
Cecilia cast a question mark at them in a dignified voice.
A middle-aged woman, representing them, informed them that there were fortunately no injuries or deaths.
“Thank God.”
It was only then that a relieved expression appeared on Cecilia’s face. Flora and Mulia, as well as everyone present, were also relieved.
“Your Majesty!”
At that time, another woman came out of the crowd. She knelt down in front of Cecilia, holding the child wrapped in her clothes in her arms.
“Me, save my child, save me… ….”
Perhaps because it rained all night, not only the child but also the clothes wrapped around her child were wet.
“Oh my God. Oh my god… ….”
“If you do it wrong, you might get hypothermia.”
The reactions of the two maids were definitely different.
Flora keeps her mouth shut and looks sad.
First, Mulia diagnoses her current condition.
“Your Majesty. It seems that the priority is to avoid the rain first.”
“Hmm. I was going to do as you said.”
I backed away slightly from Cecilia again. She called out the name of one of the butlers standing behind her.
“Can a total of 10 people ride in the wagon you came in?”
“Yes.”
“In that case, take them to the temple first. A high priest will accept them.”
“I will do as you command.”
The butler, who was ordered by Cecilia, informed the victims that he would take them to the temple. Upon hearing the news, the faces of the victims became a little brighter than before.
“Take priority, especially the woman with her child.”
After Cecilia gave instructions to her butler, she approached the woman who was still kneeling in front of me.
“What a cute baby.”
“Ah, thank you… ….”
Cecilia inquired about the age and gender of her child. Then she replied that she was a boy who had just passed 100 days.
“As soon as the rain stops, we will try to repair the damage, so go to the temple and get protection.”
“Your Majesty’s Grace…… I will never forget this…….”
After the woman thanked her several times, she headed for the carriage. Cecilia asked one of the remaining victims to provide details of the damage.
This time an old man of her age came forward to her.
“Tell me about the specific damage.”
At her command, the old man gave detailed information about the situation when the flood started and the damage to houses and property.
Her and her maids listened closely to what her old man was saying.
“Thank you.”
“We are only grateful that His Majesty came personally for lowly people like us… ….”
“You can get the support you need through the temple.”
We decided to take a last look around the damage site. Her clothes as well as her shoes were dirty, but Cecilia didn’t seem to care.
“… ….”
Flora and Mulia seem to be secretly concerned about their dresses getting dirty.
However, since Cecilia moves without hesitation, how can she show off? She
Looking at her from the side, I thought she was a little cute.
Nearby houses were still flooded. Because of this, it seemed difficult to find the place where the river bank had collapsed.
“Your Majesty. It seems difficult to go any further.”
I called her because I thought she would keep walking if I didn’t say anything. Only then did Cecilia stop her steps and turn sharply towards us.
“Was there a meeting of nobles in the afternoon?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
After hearing my answer, Cecilia let out a long sigh. Then she looked up at the sky with her young eyes of resentment.
The sky was still covered with thick dark clouds and showed no signs of clearing up.
“I hope the rain stops soon.”
There was worry and concern in her muttered voice.
Noticing this, we simultaneously came up with an answer.
“Yes. We are of the same mind.”
“Yes.”
Cecilia took a step towards us.
“Let’s go back. I have to reorganize and participate in the noble meeting.”
After wandering around in the rain like this, the next noble meeting…….
I pressed my hands to my temples, feeling the surge of stress.
-Continued