To the Love Born in the Lowest Place

“That was a close call…”

At that time, Hildegard was alone in her room, organizing her thoughts.

When Walter was recently imprisoned in the imperial palace, Hildegard was greatly surprised. Until then, Hildegard had thought they would be safe under the Hamelsvoort family. However, in reality, even Hamelsvoort was no longer safe.

Moreover, it wasn’t just Walter who was in danger. Didn’t Liv also have to pretend to be sick without healing her illness after being hit by ancient magic? Liv too was not safe from the Emperor’s threats.

It was a situation where two giant families of the Empire, Hamelsvoort and Lartman, were shaking.

‘What should I do?’

Hildegard had the responsibility to protect Liv. However, protecting Liv now had become more difficult than before. Because Emmett and Liv had caught the Emperor’s eye.

The best way to protect Liv might not be to stay quietly in place, but to step forward first and attack the Emperor…

Hildegard glanced at the door with an anxious face. Recently, the Hamelsvoort couple had been communicating frequently with the temple. Although the Count and Countess didn’t tell Hildegard the details of the situation, it seemed to her that they were preparing for a rebellion.

‘No, if it goes on like this, it will fail…’

It was five years ago that ten noble families who had prepared for rebellion against August were exterminated. The nobles still remembered the terror of that time when dozens of heads were hung in front of the imperial palace, and they all acted passively, trying not to come to the forefront. In this situation, it wasn’t easy to unite the power of the nobles.

Hildegard hoped that the current peace would not be broken. Having experienced the worst life in the slums, the current life was too ideal and perfect for her. And to maintain this peace, perhaps…

“I need to persuade Sister Liv.”

Using Liv’s power, it wouldn’t be difficult to dethrone the Emperor. Although Liv seemed reluctant to use her power, being a ‘being loved by God’ was actually quite amazing. Liv would serve as a focal point in getting rid of the Emperor, and if Liv acted actively, she could secure a majority of forces following her.

Finally, Hildegard stood up with a determined face. Now she knew what she had to do.

* * *

A few days later, Liv was heading somewhere in a carriage with Hildegard.

“Hildegard, where are we going?”

“You’ll see when we get there.”

Liv glanced at Hildegard, who somehow had a solemn face. Hildegard had suddenly come to find Liv and asked her to go somewhere together, and since it was the first time she made such a request, Liv had no choice but to follow. Above all, looking at her expression, it was clear that this was no ordinary matter.

The road gradually narrowed, and the coachman’s driving became more and more precarious. Liv slightly opened the curtain on the window, saw the carriage almost collide with a building, and closed it in fright.

A little later, the carriage that had been running between commoners’ residences stopped, unable to go any further.

“Young ladies, I don’t think we can go any further by carriage.”

“It’s okay, stop here. Sister, let’s get off.”

As the two women, dressed unmistakably as nobles, got off the carriage, people’s gazes focused on them. Hildegard wrapped a cloth she had brought around Liv’s face to cover it.

“Please wait at the big intersection we passed on the way here.”

“But young ladies, how can you two go alone in a place like this…”

“It’s okay, we have our ways. Don’t worry and go ahead.”

After driving away the coachman with an uncharacteristically firm attitude, Hildegard took Liv’s hand and headed somewhere.

“Isn’t a place like this dangerous?”

Liv asked cautiously, trying to ignore the piercing gazes of people. She worried that they might catch some infectious disease, or if they were robbed, the gods might make a fuss again.

“That’s right. It might be dangerous for you, Sister. If so, I’ll be punished by the Supreme God too. But…”

Hildegard, saying this, seemed to have made some decision.

“Just this once, there’s something you need to see, even if we have to take risks.”

The place Hildegard took Liv to was a clothing store. As one could guess from its location in a narrow commoner’s street that the carriage couldn’t approach, it wasn’t a place nobles would come to. In the poorly organized store, clothes were tangled haphazardly, and even the neatest ones hanging on display stands were inferior to their everyday clothes. Seeing Liv and Hildegard’s dresses, the owner waved his hands in shock.

“Oh my, we don’t have anything suitable for sale to such noble people.”

“That’s why we need it.”

As Hildegard said this and removed the cloth covering her face, the owner’s eyes widened.

“It’s the young lady from Hamelsvoort!”

Hildegard said to the bewildered Liv:

“I’ve sneaked out of the mansion like this occasionally. I’ve met this person a few times.”

As far as Liv knew, Hildegard was a daughter who adapted better to noble society than anyone else and acted docile and obedient, so when on earth did she do such things? It seemed surprising that her actions hadn’t reached the ears of the Hamelsvoort couple until now.

Hildegard looked more comfortable now in the commoners’ street than when she was among the nobles. Because of this, Liv couldn’t bring herself to ask Hildegard in detail about her escapades.

The store owner handed them two sets of clothes. Liv, led by Hildegard’s hand, entered the changing room and changed clothes. The clothes were low-quality dresses made of thin material. Having seen nobles’ belongings, Liv now objectively knew that this was ‘low quality.’

“Sister Liv.”

“Yes.”

“Now you need to be careful not to lose me. Oh, and be careful of the little rats too.”

“Little rats?”

“…That’s what we called pickpockets.”

After leaving the store, Hildegard began leading Liv into narrow alleyways. The paths were so complex and winding that it seemed like once you entered, you could never get out again. It was understandable why there were many pickpockets in the back alleys. It seemed that even if someone stole something here, you wouldn’t be able to chase after them.

“Hilda, do you know the way?”

“Of course.”

Hildegard, answering like that, somehow had a strange look in her eyes.

“Because I was once a little rat here.”

“Ah.”

To think that this was the slum where Hildegard had lived. At this unexpected answer, Liv closed her mouth. It felt like she shouldn’t add any words about this place.

The deeper they went, the more dilapidated the houses became. Houses made of boards that looked like they could collapse at any moment were clustered together. Walking quickly through the slum like someone who lived there, in silence, Hildegard quietly spoke up.

“Sister.”

“Yes?”

“You’re an orphan, but you weren’t from a slum like me, were you?”

“How did you…”

“Well, you seemed different from me.”

People usually misunderstood Liv as coming from a slum, and since Liv didn’t refute that, her past was known that way. But Hildegard had already noticed her true origin. Hildegard quietly looked at Liv, who showed a surprised expression.

“I’m now a Saintess, and if I just pretend to be kind and pure, I can live surrounded by people who will support me for life. I do go out to volunteer sometimes, but that’s nothing compared to the pickpocketing I used to do here. But you know…”

Hildegard smiled with a somewhat sad face.

“Sometimes I find it hard to control myself. I feel the urge to run away with these things I have, afraid they might be taken away. But you’re not that kind of person, are you? Except for matters related to Duke Lartman, I’ve never seen greed in your eyes.”

“Ah…”

“At least you’ve never had to live lowering yourself and begging people. Isn’t that right?”

“…That’s right.”

“That’s why I brought you here.”

Hildegard whispered in Liv’s ear.

“I wanted to show you the life here. Because I know that when you see it, your mind will change.”

“What do you…”

At that moment, as they turned a corner, Liv’s brow furrowed at the scene that appeared. People with festering bodies, emitting a foul stench and oozing yellow pus, were lying on the ground groaning. It was a very pitiful and terrible sight, but it was so miserable that human instinct first spoke up, saying that this was dirty and hideous.

“These are patients with serious illnesses. They’ve been abandoned here for fear of spreading the disease to others.”

“H-How…”

Of course, Liv had heard how miserable the lives of slum people were. They starve every day without being able to eat properly, have to sell their pride while leaving their fate to the charity of passersby, and when they fall ill, they have to leave home on their own feet for the future of their remaining family. Hayden, who had seen many things traveling around the Empire, had told Liv this.

But Liv had never seen such a scene directly before.

She felt like she could finally grasp what their lives were like…

“Still, from what I’ve heard, it was a bit better when the previous Emperor ruled. Food would periodically come down to the slums, or doctors would be dispatched. They also seemed to repair collapsed houses. But how is it now?”

Hildegard pointed to the path they had walked so far.

“When all the houses collapsed due to a typhoon recently, no one came to repair them. So people ended up living in shantytowns like this.”

Liv recalled the people lying listlessly in houses where the insides were clearly visible.

“What about food? Do you think the current Emperor would distribute such things?”

On the streets were young children with swollen bellies, sick from extreme hunger.

“Now the people here are just abandoned, waiting for their deaths.”

Those sprawled on the ground were only hoping for a quick death.

“There are more than one or two slums like this in the Empire. And one of them completely disappeared recently. Do you know why?”

Hildegard cried out as if screaming.

“Because the Emperor set it on fire!”

For a moment, Liv felt as if her breath was caught. She felt strange somehow. Really strange…

One resolution seemed to be quietly growing in her heart.