Chapter 324
When Nina glared at her with a crooked gaze, Rebecca smiled leisurely and said,
“A prank… Perhaps someone who regrets volunteering for the prayer visits staged this themselves?”
At those words, they all opened their mouths as if displeased.
“Duchess Nord, we came out early and prepared for today. There was no one who would ruin the results everyone prepared, and no time to do so either.”
“Everyone here volunteered for hard work instead of taking the easy way out, so are you perhaps saying there is a coward among us, Madam?”
Half of them were women who had attended the tea party at Count Crest’s house.
Nina’s mother had asked them to look after Nina before, but was it because they had seen Rebecca behave rudely at Count Crest’s house?
They did not hold back their displeasure.
Rebecca snickered as if their protests were ridiculous and said,
“Duchess Bayern, if you ask me politely, I could help you.”
“Help, you say…”
Rebecca glanced behind her.
“It’s obvious that you’re the one in charge, so in a situation where everyone’s efforts are at stake, lowering your head should be something you can do as the person responsible, shouldn’t it?”
As if she had aimed for this very situation, the cart belonging to Rebecca’s group had a spare pot.
“Thank you for your concern, but we can resolve this sufficiently without your help, so let’s each be on our way.”
“……”
Nina turned her gaze away from Rebecca, who was glaring at her as if asking what she was plotting, and spoke to Catherine.
“Everyone, I have somewhere to stop by separately for a moment, so please set off first.”
Nina gave a faint laugh.
Did she really think Nina hadn’t expected this level of childish prank?
Nina returned to the villa.
Just in case, she had asked the villa’s head chef to boil a pot’s worth of porridge.
‘I can’t believe I’m really using this…’
Nina got out of the carriage.
At the entrance to the slums, attendants and guard knights sent from each family, along with the noblewomen, were waiting.
Dividing the porridge she had brought into large pots, Nina said,
“Please distribute one bundle of firewood per household, and since the ingredients have been portioned per person, you must distribute them according to the number of family members in each home.”
One bundle of firewood was enough to last about a week if used sparingly through winter.
But it couldn’t be helped.
Firewood was rarer and more expensive in areas with higher population density.
It was needed for cooking too, but in winter, it was used especially often for heating.
Even if she wanted to distribute it generously, she couldn’t.
“Most of all, you are the top priority, so please do not let down your guard, and take care of your safety.”
“We’ll keep that in mind.”
Prayer visits were carried out in pairs.
At Nina’s words, everyone answered with tense expressions, then scattered by group with the guard knights.
Once everyone had dispersed, Nina pushed back her hood and spoke to Catherine.
“Miss Catherine, I’ll give you a chance even now, so how about moving separately?”
“Madam, I said this earlier too, but the rule is to move in pairs. Rather than having you move alone, it would be better for you to move with me, since I know the circumstances.”
“But if there’s a hitch in the plan…”
“Don’t worry. That won’t happen.”
Catherine smiled confidently, as though she had prepared perfectly.
Nina shook her head as if there was no stopping her.
But only for a moment.
She looked around to find the first house they would visit.
Prayer visits were an annual winter event for those who couldn’t come to the square.
Homes that needed help tied linen to the doorknob.
“Let’s go there.”
Having found a place no one had visited yet, Nina moved with Catherine.
The attendant pulling the cart, and the guard knights, followed behind.
Standing in front of the first house, Nina knocked, and the door slowly opened along with the sound of coughing.
“…H-Hello.”
After seeing the welcome and fear coexisting in the eyes of the child who poked their head out, Nina smiled gently and said,
“Hello, little one. We’re people who came for a prayer visit. Is there perhaps an adult at home?”
“Uh, yes. M-My grandmother is here.”
She stroked the head of the child, who was smiling brightly despite their grubby appearance, and once the door opened, she slowly stepped inside.
“……”
But not long after, her face froze deathly pale.
