A Riot Among the Commoners?! On Death Lady's Watch?!
Commoners rising up in a riot — me, of all people!?
"And what manner of grievances are we speaking of?"
"Rumors concerning the winter preparations, my lady. They are saying that [because the citadel is buying up food on such a massive scale, the markets will run short and the lower city will starve through the long winter]. Rumors like these have been fanning a growing unease among the residents of the lower city."
My heart sank straight into my stomach. The winter preparations I had arranged were meant for every citizen of the domain — the people of the lower city included.
'Ungrateful wretches, the lot of them—' no. Not that.
The surge of fury rising unbidden from somewhere deep in my chest was almost certainly Katerina's emotion doing the talking. But this was hardly the first or second time something like this had happened, and I'd grown somewhat accustomed to it. I pressed the Death Lady's feelings firmly back down into the vault where they belonged.
Even in the modern world, where cross-checking facts takes seconds online, the masses remain the most vulnerable to fake news — and even high-ranking officials fall for it now and then. If that's true today, imagine the ordinary people of the pre-modern era.
Consider how they must see 'the exalted ones of the citadel and their retainers': respectable enough to warrant a measure of deference, perhaps, but people who never did anything directly for them. That, and only that.
And now those same exalted ones were throwing money about, scraping up every grain of food to see themselves through a cold and bitter winter? Of course rumors would spread. Of course the anxiety would take root.
"If this malicious rumor continues to spread, it will become no small obstacle to your ladyship's preparations for the deep cold."
"Have you identified those mercenaries?"
"Most of them came from out of town. Several of them carry a faint Imperial accent."
Old Vasili answered, then hesitated a moment before continuing.
"And... there are reports that some of them were seen making contact with the servants of Edel von Ravendel."
At his words, I drew a sharp breath.
"Is there any further evidence? Physical proof, I mean."
"Nothing direct as yet. Merely a handful of secondhand reports, nothing more."
"I see."
A genuine dilemma. There was enough to make one suspicious of Edel von Ravendel, certainly — but no direct proof whatsoever.
What if the Grand Ducal Heiress denounced or expelled an Imperial noble on charges of 'agitating the lower classes' with nothing but hearsay to her name? It could escalate into a diplomatic incident — and mishandled, it would assuredly stain my own authority as well.
"Vasili, keep them under surveillance. But do not intervene directly, and do not make arrests. We require ironclad evidence."
"Understood, my lady."
A few days later, I arranged a small banquet in Edel von Ravendel's honor. In truth, it was less a banquet than a formal dinner for the citadel's senior officials and the guests from the Empire.
Silver candelabra burned in the great hall, and the firewood crackled low in the hearth.
The moment Edel stepped into the hall, every eye turned to her. Tonight she wore an elegant gown woven of silver and pale violet.
I seated her at the place of honor, with myself at her side, while Eliza waited quietly behind my chair.
"This evening's meal has been prepared with particular care, I would have you know."
"The Grand Ducal Heiress's hospitality is appreciated more deeply than I can express."
Edel lifted her wine glass ever so slightly in my direction. Her lavender eyes glowed all the more mysterious in the candlelight.
Around us, the citadel's senior officials and nobles conversed in low voices. Captain of the Guard Woldin, secret counselor Vasili, City Treasurer Oleg, High Chamberlain Polonsky, General Ivan — all present in their formal dress.
The first course arrived and the meal was underway when Woldin, suddenly pulled aside by one of his men for a whispered report, approached my seat.
"My lady, there is something I must tell you at once."
He was whispering, so softly I could barely hear. I gave a small nod. For Woldin to disregard protocol and come to me in the middle of an official function could only mean something serious.
"If you will excuse me a moment."
I rose from my seat and withdrew with Woldin to one side of the hall. A few of the guests cast questioning glances our way, but soon returned to their conversations.
"What is it, Woldin?"
"A disturbance has broken out in the lower city."
"A disturbance, you say?"
"Men bearing the Eisenmark crest are forcibly collecting grain from the markets, claiming it is [by order of the citadel, for winter preparations]. They have been paying far below market price — or in some cases, simply taking the goods without payment at all."
My heart was pounding now.
"What in the world is going on? No such order was ever given."
"The men are almost certainly carrying forged documents. But the citizens of the lower city have no way of knowing that. At first they seemed to swallow their resentment and comply — but when too much was taken, they began to resist, and..."
"And so the riot began."
"Yes. When the merchants and citizens physically tried to block the seizure of their food, mercenaries dressed in Imperial garb appeared out of nowhere, declaring they were [under orders from the citadel to protect Imperial merchants], and intervened. But the mercenaries' actions only made matters worse. The citizens have begun to believe that the citadel and the Empire have conspired together to steal their food from them."
"Where is our city watch at this moment?"
"I dispatched them to the scene, but the same unrest is erupting simultaneously across multiple districts — the response is stretched thin. Worse still, the citizens have reportedly turned hostile toward the watch itself."
"Hmmmm..."
The more I turned it over, the more suspicious it became. Fake merchants forging the Eisenmark crest to seize grain by force, the timely intervention of Imperial mercenaries, and the resulting collapse of public trust. Every piece of it reeked of design.
"Woldin, exposing these false merchants is the first priority. Arrest them. And then proclaim it across every corner of the lower city — the people must know that no such collection order was ever issued by us."
The moment Woldin withdrew, I took a long, steadying breath. This was absolutely no accident. Forged crests, a market assault, Imperial mercenaries stepping in — the odds that all of this was orchestrated by someone were overwhelmingly high.
I hesitated briefly. Should I let the banquet continue? Or go and quell the situation myself?
'Rationally speaking, staying at the banquet is the correct call. There are such things as the Grand Ducal Heiress's protocols.'
Katerina, on the other hand, would have already kicked down the citadel gates and been sprinting for the scene. And on this one occasion, her response was the right one.
This was the Northern Grand Duchy. Better for a ruler to show the people she acted with her own hands, rather than sit enthroned on high.
Besides, there was the matter of public trust. Someone was deliberately sowing discord between the citadel and the lower classes. It seemed wisest to appear in person — to dispel the misunderstanding, show my face, and win their goodwill while I was about it.
Decision made, I walked to the center of the hall. Every gaze in the room converged on me.
"Honored guests, I regret to inform you that I shall be unable to enjoy the rest of tonight's festivities."
Edel's lavender eyes widened in surprise.
"Trouble has arisen in the lower city. Someone has misused the Eisenmark crest and forged documents to forcibly collect the citizens' food. Those who resisted have come to physical blows with them — in quite a number of places, all at once."
I addressed the assembled guests with resolute clarity.
"In a situation such as this, it is my duty to step forward myself."
Astonished whispers rippled through the nobility. Edel's face remained composed, but something like surprise flickered briefly through her eyes.
"Please, carry on with the banquet in my absence. Von Ravendel, I beg your pardon for the discourtesy."
As I left the hall, I summoned Eliza, Bielka, and Hildegard, who had just arrived. In a quiet corner of the corridor, I issued my orders in rapid succession.
"There is no time to lose. We are all going to the lower city."
I hurried to my chambers and changed out of the dress and into armor.
"Prepare the Mountain King. And ready three horses for my companions."
A servant sprinted off with the order. In the meantime, I took up the shield I had used in my bout against Hildegard and readied myself for battle in full.
'A weapon... well, I hardly need one. If it comes to it, I can always swing the shield in place of a blade.'
It weighed a good thirty kilograms, give or take — and it was enchanted, at that. A hunk of metal nigh-impregnable, useful in equal measure for offense and defense.
True, there was the chain flail slumbering in the armory, but the one I'd used in my duel with Milena was a tool of annihilation, not subjugation. Even when subduing Milena, I hadn't swung it to strike.
By the time I reached the main gate, the Mountain King was already waiting. The enormous northern bison snorted at the sight of me, as if to say it had been too long. Beside him stood three horses, saddled and ready.
Bielka, Eliza, and Hildegard mounted up. Bielka slung her halberd across her back, Hildegard her longsword. Eliza carried no weapon in particular — but her magic would prove more than useful enough.
"My lady, this is the first time you've ever ridden out yourself with a weapon in hand."
"Bielka, do not put yourself into danger before anyone else."
"Everyone, please be careful."
While Bielka, Hildegard, and Eliza exchanged their words of caution, I climbed atop the Mountain King. A company of guard cavalry had finished forming up behind us.
"We depart!"