I Was Told to Drink Poison, So I Drank It - 31 - Who is to Blame?

I decided to go to the royal capital with Cain.

Whether or not I would trust Cain—what made up my mind was when he confessed he was a spy, in the office where only General McGregor was present.

To reveal your true identity in enemy territory… He could’ve been cut down right there. Even so, Cain confessed.

Probably because he couldn’t ignore the doubts he felt inside.

After leaving Utis, I quietly thought while riding on horseback.

(This country is now at a turning point.)

Once, I gave up on this country.

I gave up, and chose to abandon it.

After accepting the death of Queen Chalize, I planned to leave this country after telling Noah that I was still alive.

But that didn’t happen.

I met a prince of the enemy nation, the Arkana Empire, and learned about the strange happenings in the forest of Utis.

While that was going on, Noah decided to kill his political enemy, Aidan Lips.

(Surely, Noah intends to start a revolution…)

I thought I understood Noah.

But maybe, deep down, I didn’t really understand him at all.

☆

Once again, I returned to the royal capital.

Louis, Cain, and I decided to eat at a tavern in the castle town.

Led by a server, we sat on stump-like stools placed in front of a round table.

The server came back holding the menu.

When I looked at the prices on the menu, I slightly furrowed my brows.

(…Expensive.)

The prices were higher than what I knew.

Taxes must have been raised along with them.

Just as I was looking down at the menu, a loud bang echoed from a nearby table.

Startled, I looked over and saw a red-faced man slamming a wooden mug on the table.

He started yelling loudly, not to anyone in particular.

“Enough already!! Why do I have to… That damn king… Yeah, kill the king! That’ll fix everything!!”

His voice was so loud, it echoed through the tavern.

The noisy place fell completely silent, like water had been thrown over it.

Confused, annoyed eyes turned toward the man from all directions.

But the drunk man didn’t notice.

He slumped over the table and spoke in a stretched-out voice.

“That woman… That woman’s the problem, that wicked queen…”

Wicked queen—that word made my shoulders twitch.

Louis gave me a look, and I subtly shook my head in reply.

He was probably asking if we should leave.

But there was no need for that.

(The people believe I led the tax increase… I already know that.)

After all, I saw the newspaper that reported it.

It’s true—I approved the tax raise.

King Henry wanted to raise all taxes from 20% to 50%.

I argued to make it only 30% instead.

(…Because of my lack of power, I couldn’t stop the tax hike.)

In truth, without collecting taxes from the people, the royal family wouldn’t survive the winter.

The national treasury was already running dry.

By the time I found out, the country was already buried in debt beyond saving.

The people and other nations probably couldn’t imagine it.

The country of Victoire, looking so luxurious and prosperous—was actually on the brink of collapse.

Compared to ten years ago, Victoire’s total funds were less than one-tenth of what they had been.

But just raising taxes doesn’t mean the treasury will recover right away.

Still, I believed I should at least try to do what I could.

I believed it wasn’t time to give up yet.

The most urgent matter, I decided, was disaster prevention.

I declared in parliament that the tax revenue would be used for disaster relief.

Of course, ministers, the temple, and His Majesty fiercely opposed it.

Things didn’t go smoothly. I was obstructed many times and heavily criticized.

They only cared about lining their own pockets. Not a single one of them thought about the people.

In fact, there were many who thought the population was too large and were purposely trying to reduce it.

Why didn’t they do anything about disaster prevention—

When I learned the reason was to reduce the people and stop their strength from growing… I couldn’t help but laugh.

The disappointment was so deep, I was too dumbfounded to even get angry.

All I felt was shame, sadness, and pity.

The nation of Victoire—built by our ancestors as a land of victory.

And yet now, those who should protect the people only think about oppressing, exploiting, and hoarding luxury for themselves.

But it’s not over.

There are still things I can do—

That thought alone pushed me forward.

For farmlands heavily damaged by drought, I made plans for irrigation works.

For rivers that flooded every rainy season, I arranged for embankment construction.

If the projects succeeded, the temple would take the credit. If they failed, Queen Chalize would be publicly blamed.

We were overwhelmingly short on time and manpower to go against the temple.

What I really needed to do—was balance the reformists, fix the national deficit, fund both Victoire’s defense and disaster measures, and also arrange monster countermeasures and saintess training, all quickly.

But—my hands were too small to carry all that.

What I could do was limited, and most of it slipped through my fingers like water.

I often fell behind, and was betrayed even when I trusted people.

There was only so much a teenage girl could do, and I lacked so much experience.

As a result, I neglected the most important thing.

Winning people’s hearts, and managing the flow of information to the public.

I only realized that too late.

“…………”

While I was lost in thought, the man shouted.

“Kill that upstart queen, Stellaaaa!”

Hearing that name, I was so shocked—I gasped.