The Villainess is a Marionette - Chapter 133

If Bael was present, she could find out about it in just a minute. Although that dodgy wizard never showed up unless he wanted to, Cayena checked the coach of the carriage just in case.

«We’re almost there,» informed Jedaiah.

As the carriage arrived at its destination, Cayena pulled the hood on herself entirely.

* * *

It was called the East Town of the capital Elquim. However, as for the people, this district was more known to be a slum. The soup kitchens were being set up today throughout the capital, and one was in the East Town as well. Slum dwellers watched the setting of the unusual tents. A man with shaggy hair and beard was seen among them. His name was Valdemar, once he was a council member and an aide of the Empress. He was, until she died of an allergy without even having the time to take any action.

Valdemar looked over horses and wagons, knights and laborers. The way these people viewed the poor was obvious: dirty rats that eat the city away. And now a soup kitchen for the poor of the Empire?

’Is it Princess Cayena again?’

He had a hard time believing that the Princess, who was famous for her inborn ferocious temperament since she was a little girl, would distribute food to the poor. But starving was much more excruciating. Therefore, though the slum dwellers were wary of receiving the handed out food, they gathered near the place which they were notified of the day before. But the closer they got, the more pleasant the smell was.

«Get in line here!» knights controlled them from reckless rushing.

The first person to line up was Valdemar — he wanted to inspect the stew soup and discern immediately if there was anything strange in it. A generous amount of stew soup was poured into his wooden bowl. The broth was thick and the ingredients were cooked properly. Moreover, the bowl was full of solid ingredients up to the brim. Valdemar slurped the broth down and rolled his lips hard trying to detect something.

«..It’s clear»

At his words, those who had just received the soup commenced eating in a hurry, sticking their noses into the bowl and so even their eyes could not be seen. Only then it was realized that the Princess was really giving the food out. Even more, the knights protected the weak, fearing that there might be those who would attempt to rob others. Thanks to this, women and children were able to eat their shares fully. Those, who did not have their own bowls, received wooden bowls prepared by the Imperial Palace, and in the form of payment, people were required to clean the local area. Observing each and every act, Vlademar suddenly realized the worth, and then goosebumps ran all over his body.

‘It’s not just about distributing food — it is the first step towards transforming the East Town.’

Raising awareness of the socially disadvantaged, showing the need to pay for getting what you need, keeping the residential area clean… What did all this mean?

’It’s about rehabilitating the poor so that they can return to society.’

Valdemar clasped his hands tightly and looked around urgently. As expected, another tent was set for purposes other than free meals.

’A medical center…!’

Stretchers, medicines, etc., were piled up next to the tent. Valdemar approached there in a hurry. The medical assistants blocked his way as he approached the medical supplies.

«If you need treatment, go over there.»

He barely quenched his excitement but stepped back.

«You’re not short of manpower now, but you’ll run out of it soon,» he decided to advise them instead.

The assistants looked at Valdemar puzzled: that man’s speech and behavior was kind of unusual.

«It won’t be possible to set tents closed on all sides, hence it’s better to cover only the ceiling so that it’ll solely shield the sunlight,» he only said so and moved on.

«Put it this way!»

«Is space here not enough?»

Soon, Valdemar’s advice came to reality. There were so many people that it was impossible to handle the crowd right away.

«Hey, here! Please examine my wife first! Her belly was hit!» shouted a pale man who was running with a woman on his back.

Valdemar jumped into the nearby stream and washed himself up with cold water. Then he poured the disinfectant piled up next to the tent into his hands.

«Hey! What are you doing?» cried out the medical assistants running out with haggard faces.

«I’m a doctor. Isn’t there a shortage of hands now anyway? It never does any harm.»

While they hesitated, Valdemar rushed to the patient and examined her first.

«Hey!»

«Her spleen is ruptured. If we leave it like this, she’s going to die. We have to operate on her right now!»

The assistants, overwhelmed by Valdemar’s cry, stiffened. As he said, they had to stop the bleeding promptly.

«What are you doing?! We don’t have the right surgical tools here!» cried the most experienced doctor who had just jumped out of the inner tent.

«If I don’t block the bleeding vessels right now, she’ll surely die.»

When the doctor got perplexed, the patient’s husband fell flat on the floor and started begging.

«Oh, please! I’ll do anything, so save her!»

«There are both a lot of horses and riders here, so what’s the problem!» shouted Valdemar.

«So what do you need?»

He looked away and saw a woman covering her face with a hood. Even the assistants seemed to be wondering. She showed a plaque proving her to be a courtier. Right next to her there was a man dressed as an Imperial knight. It was Cayena.

«You, can you save the patient?» she continued.

«All I need are surgical tools and blood to transfuse. And an assistant, too.»

«All right, I’ll arrange it right away.»

There was a glimmer of hope regained in the East Town.

* * *

It had been three days since the soup kitchens were set. Valdemar was helping doctors to take care of the patients. He learned that the health workers were sent by the Duke of Kidray.

’If the neutral Duke of Kidray joined hands with the princess for charitable activity, does it mean that she turned neutral too?’

What about her brother, Prince Rezef? Besides, what was going on with the army? It was up to the Crown Prince to lead the Imperial Army. If so, had the Princess obtained the equivalent authority into her hands?

’What does that have to do with me?’

He was no longer an Imperial Palace’s member. He shook these thoughts out of his mind. At that time, the woman covered in a robe that stood among the soldiers caught Valdemar’s sight.

’She said she’s a courtier.’

The rank of that court lady was obviously high as she had the right to give immediate orders on-the-spot.

’She must be the Princess’s maid of honor.’

It was unexpected that such a person had not only come here on the very first day, but also had been coming out to the slums continuously so far. The woman kept on catching Valdemar’s eyes and eventually he approached her. Cayena looked back at the man.

«What’s the matter?»

«I heard you sent the patient with a ruptured spleen to the hospital. I’d like to thank you.»

«It’s a job that concerns saving lives, so of course I had to do it.»

She saw the poor as humans, not as filthy rats spoiling the city.

«Now all the hospital’s doctors are raving about it. Though you operated in the shabby operation room, the operation itself was neat and no infection was contracted.»

«I’m flattered. There are actually a lot of doctors like me…»

«A classic modesty.»

«My name is Valdemar,» he introduced himself with a little embarrassed smile.

«I’m Medea,» replied Cayena.

«Why Medea?» wondered Jedaiah when Valdemar bowed and went back to the medical staff.

«The name of a woman from a foreign myth.»

Although that foreign land was with its differences, it did not matter since the sense would be retained the same anyway.

«The sorceress, who betrayed her father, got betrayed by her husband and eventually avenged by murdering their children.»

An uncomfortable frown flitted across Jedaiah’s face as if he heard something that he better had not.

«Are you not planning to attend the banquet today as well?»

«It’s the last day anyway, so what’s the point of going?»

Finally, the royal ball would end that day.

«More importantly, what about him?» she pointed out at Valdemar

Jedaiah realized that Cayena was keeping an eye on him because he could be used as a confidential doctor.

«The underworld doctors are always in short supply, so there’s hardly anything to care about, but what is he up to?»

«He had used court etiquette. In a situation like this, hiding my identity is a necessity. Then I suppose you’ll be able to reveal him by yourself if I give you the tools to investigate, right?»

Jedaiah believed this was the Princess’s really scary side.

’The brain that is more fearful than black magic.’

As an ally she was very reliable, but what would happen if she became an enemy? If it were him, he would cry out for surrender immediately.

Cayena was looking around the slums by herself when she found a large tree with children climbing up on it.

«I wish swings were hung here.»

«If you order the knights, all the trees in this neighborhood will have swings.»

«Big words.»

It was when Cayena moved on while speaking.

Thump!

She fell back when a running child bumped into her. Her hood came off and one side of the cotton veil that hung on Cayena’s ear also slided down effortlessly. People nearby held their breath at the sight of the woman’s beauty they had never seen before. The child who fell down looked at Cayena with a dazed face too. Central Army knights who were not so far were also appalled to see Cayena’s fall and then they tried to call for her.

«Y-your H…!»

«Shh.»

She quickly made the people around her keep hush. Cayena didn’t mean to make a fuss so she just got up and shook off the dust. However, Valdemar recognized who she was at once and screamed deep inside himself.

’Woah, she is the Princess herself!’

«Let’s go,» commanded Cayena and tried to walk away but turned back. «Please put a swing on that tree.»

«I’ll follow Your Highness’s orders,» laughed Jedaiah.