Chapter 292
I cocked my head at the prince’s abrupt words.
Why did he suddenly start talking without a subject or an object? I was wrong to think that just because he was a prince, he would understand my intentions, no matter what I said.
“I thought you would be angry with me for not informing the commoners of Maddie’s existence. They said that only the nobles deserve to be privileged.”
“…Is there a great disparity between rich and poor in the Ravaal Kingdom?”
The prince froze at my sudden question. I averted my gaze from him and continued my story.
“I can’t say anything because I haven’t checked the wealth gap in this country yet, but it’s rich enough to have an arena. The lives of deported people and sinners are as good as none. Besides, from my book knowledge, the Ravaal Kingdom also had slave markets, right?”
“Most of the slave markets have been destroyed, but there are some black markets that remain.”
The prince might be a pretty good source for information about the Ravaal Kingdom.
“Merchant families are likely to be wealthy. So, some of them might show up and pay a lot of money to buy Maddie when they find out about it. But what about the other commoners? The hierarchy is always pyramid-shaped.”
“Pyramids?”
Oh, that, there is no Egypt in this world, so there should be no pyramids.
“It means a triangle shape. The rich are at the top, and the poor are at the bottom. This is the only thing that can never be changed. Given this, one of the things that might help is to not give hope to the commoners..”
Not giving hope was a very Villainess-like statement!
He looked at me with wide eyes at my mutterings.
Oh, perhaps he was expecting me to speak like a saint. Sorry, I was a Villainess at heart.
“I never thought of it that way… Surely, giving them hope when they can’t have it will only cause them pain. There is a great possibility that they will go bankrupt trying to get Maddie, and the whole family will be destroyed in order to save the one person infected with the spotted disease. It will be worse than it is now, and there will be more misery.”
“Besides that, security will deteriorate, and the prince will be put in greater danger if a riot breaks out.”
Having said that, I was not a fan of the aristocratic preferential system. I believed that meritocracy was the best way to go.
Why couldn’t they just abolish the hereditary system and hold a once-a-year exam to determine nobility status…
Of course, let the nobles take it and disqualify those who fail.
But this was the Ravaal Kingdom. I couldn’t interfere in any way. When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
“You’re too smart for a kid.”
“It’s just the rambling of a kid. Were you disappointed? Should I have raised my voice just to give them a glimmer of hope?”
I would never say such a thing.
“No, I would have been disillusioned with you if you had said something so flimsy and beautiful.”
Victor said with a small chuckle.
I wondered why a smiling beauty looked so sparkling. Putting aside his personality, his looks were perfect.
“Sometimes it’s a blessing not to know. The people who are on top have to face and solve problems that everyone else doesn’t like, so those who are spoiled simply because they are nobles or royalty can go to hell for once. You should really think about what that position is for.”
As I gazed absentmindedly out the window of Victor’s room, I spoke my thoughts out loud.
I was such a Villainess to say in front of the Prince, “Royalty can go to hell!”.