259 – Anecdotes – After the unification of the Creutel Empire (1)
If you talk about medieval and early modern Europe, most of the socially underprivileged such as orphans live in slums or back alleys of cities. There are many times when you think you will be kicked out.
Orphans, the future labor force, were often entrusted to the city’s cathedral or a nearby monastery to raise them.
It’s not very surprising considering that the cathedral played a role similar to that of a village office or welfare center in a small city at the time.
It was not an easy task to take care of orphans at the cathedral level, since it was not an official government agency anyway and the budget was limited.
Therefore, because there was a limit to the number of people accepted, many orphans were evicted to the slums.
There, girls were sold as slaves at a young age to become maids or prostitutes for nobles, and boys were engaged in various crimes.
It was a terrible thing, but the situation on the continent of Europia, where I live, was no different, and Baileef Mars’ bastard used that method to collect young Ella and push it against me.
b*tch, just thinking about it…
As I was grinding my teeth thinking about Veil Leaf, who had been dead for decades, one of her maids came in and said,
“Your Majesty, Ella took Victoria to work at the orphanage.”
Eight years ago, after I built her nursery in Nantes, the capital of the empire, Ella revealed her identity as a lady of a baron family with a good lie, and began to go to the nursery often to serve her. .
At first, numerous knights, starting with Balt, who became the head of the imperial guard, came to my office in turn and suggested, ‘Please think about Ella-sama’s safety!’
The security of Nantes is not that bad compared to that of modern Korea, and Ella’s engagement in welfare projects for the people of the empire can be seen as enhancing the dignity of the imperial family.
Because even though she is not the empress, the news that my favorite Ella is going out to take care of her socially underprivileged is good publicity.
She kills two birds with one stone because Ella also gets her reward from helping children who are in a similar situation to her former self.
Come to think of it, today is the first non-working day for the first time in a while.
“Tell the captain of the guard that I will go to the place where Ella is today too. Also, if the emperor announces that he is coming, the people at the facility will suffer needlessly. Tell them that we will be going to the stealth dimension in a while.”
The lady-in-waiting said in a slightly surprised voice that a person the size of an emperor would go stealthily to a nursery school.
“Okay.”
I’ll have to look around the city of Nantes in a while and see how the orphanage works.
**
The nursery school in the Middle Ages and early modern times was a facility where the main goal was to put the children in a roughly constructed house and feed them boiled vegetable soup.
The nursery school I ordered was different from those crappy places.
In order to prevent children from dying from cold-like diseases due to the cold, they lived in rooms with a high insulation effect by mixing red bricks and straw.
I wanted to give the children meat once or twice a week, and give them their favorite snacks as well.
No matter how good the food situation in our empire is compared to other countries, if I can supply the food to my heart’s content…
The level was appropriately adjusted according to the ‘Principle of Inferior Treatment’, which states that people who cannot work should not be provided with a better level of support than the minimum wage, or more accurately, the minimum standard of living enjoyed by those who work.
Because this is not a matter of money to support the nursery school, but to prevent poor families from intentionally throwing away their children because they think they can live in a better environment if they leave their children in the nursery school.
From Noble mtl dot com
So, we fed the orphans two meals a day, such as rice porridge and soy milk, so that the orphans could get the minimum amount of nutrition.
Otherwise, the quality of life of children in nursery school was maintained by providing basic education to nursery school staff and strictly applying rules to prevent abuse by working staff.
As a result, even though children belonging to this place could not grow up under their own parents, they could grow up maintaining the unique innocence of children.
“You are the tagger! One, two, three count and find!”
“Yesterday and today, I am the tag again. Huh…”
“Ah, if it’s unfair, you should have won Rock Paper Scissors. It’s your fault for giving me the same rock every day.”
Whether adults are watching or not, except for the time when they have to focus on their studies, such as class time, they look good as children playing freely.
So I said it casually as if muttering.
“It’s a nice sight. Who would see children playing so innocently and think they were orphans?”
I muttered that while watching the children, whether they thought I was a new employee.
I passed Balt, who was secretly guarding me, and approached me.
As a result, Balt’s face was perplexed, but the child didn’t care about the guy’s feelings and asked.
“Are you the new teacher?”
I was embarrassed at the moment, but I answered naturally because I didn’t want to receive unnecessary attention.
“Yes, I am here for the first time today. I just came to see the director.”
Then the child suddenly made a bright expression and said with a smile.
“Then, would you like the teacher to tell you?”
Here I can say I’m busy, but I can leave and look around.
If you come here and play with the children, the Baltic guy will foam at the mouth and talk about it to the other nobles.
Then, even if the aristocrats follow me and don’t go stealth, at least they’ll personally inspect the orphanage and check the operation status and support the budget.
At the same time, even if I don’t spread it, a good image will spread throughout the empire along with the word that His Majesty loves children.
So there is no reason not to listen to that child’s request.
“Okay, what should I do?”
“I’ll hide in this room, so count to ten and find me, James, Peter and Bart!”
“Then count. One…”
And I tried to count to ten and go find the kids to play hide and seek, but then.
“Meal time. Everyone comes to the restaurant to eat and play. Everyone, stop what you are doing and come to the restaurant.”
At the word to come to eat, the children stopped playing tag, came out of hiding, and started rushing toward the restaurant.
A few widows who worked in the orphanage stepped in to control the children so that no accidents occurred.
I also came all the way here, so I moved to the restaurant to eat with the children.
Of course, along with Balt and some of the guys from the intelligence department who came out as escorts.
**
The orphanage’s kitchen was clean and equipped with facilities for providing large meals to the children.
Large pots, wooden or pottery bowls, plywood desks and chairs, and even a bowl return box.
In a way, it looks like a Korean lunchroom, but in a way, it was a place with a unique atmosphere from the Middle Ages.
The children ate in such a restaurant, sitting huddled together and chatting with each other.
And at one place where food was being served, I saw Ella wearing an apron and distributing food to the children, and Victoria diligently carrying dishes.
I thought about pretending to know for a moment, but if I did, I might look suspicious, so I was about to quietly accept the wheat porridge.
Ella looked at me with a surprised expression and looked at me, trying to say something of hers.
There was nothing in the bowl in my hand at last, so she took the bowl with one hand and put a finger in front of her mouth and said.
“Shh.”
“Yes, lungs… No you. You said you were being assigned to a new place, so you came here?”
“Your Majesty sent my appointment to the welfare department. I came to see how it goes before I start work.”
Those who know that I am the emperor will say what bullsh*t when they hear it, but it is far better than causing a crowd by being discovered that I am the emperor.
Ella must have figured out that, too. She answered a little awkwardly but not too clearly.
“Is that so? Please contact me…”
“I wanted to see Victoria and you, who are volunteering here.”
“… Since the food distribution is over, let’s have a meal together.”
And then Ella took me and Victoria to a corner of the restaurant where people didn’t come, and said in a worried voice.
“Lungs… No, I think my father came all the way here because he missed us. What are you going to do if others find out?”
When Victoria heard that, she said with a smile resembling Ella’s when she was little.
“Because of my father’s personality, he wouldn’t have come dangerously alone. Look over there, Uncle Balt is eating wheat porridge with a serious expression on his face. Also, from when I was young until now, except for when I went to war, he is the one who doesn’t forget to take care of my mother’s birthday despite being busy. I came all the way here to see my mother…”
“No, that’s the case. If your father moves carelessly, a lot of people will be in trouble.”
“Someone said it was nice to see him walking around so casually to look after the people of the empire.”
At Victoria’s words, Ella blushed, and my daughter smiled heartily and delightedly at the sight.
“Then from now on I will have to come out often to look at the lives of the people of the empire. My father is also in his mid-40s, so it’s not like he used to be… But I always want to be a great husband in front of your mother.”
When I said that, Victoria put on a very burdensome expression and said.
“… Although my father always cared about his mother and Her Majesty Empress Irina. He’s amazing to see sometimes. Someday, I will have to meet and marry a smart and handsome husband like my father…”
“If I put aside the fact that I am the emperor, no matter where in the empire, there must be someone better than me. So look for it.”
At that, she said Victoria with a puzzled look on her face.
“No matter how you think about it, that is impossible.”
Me and Victoria and Ella had a conversation over dinner, asked the nursery school for their understanding, and then returned to the imperial palace.