"But what are you going to do? You saved Wright—could it be..." Before Tang Feiliu could finish, Edward patted his hand reassuringly. "It wasn't me who saved him. It was Her Majesty Josephine."
That prince had been branded by Her Majesty as a weak, useless good-for-nothing. Yet compared to Charles's ruthless arrogance, Wright's gentleness ultimately moved Her Majesty Josephine. Even at the cost of leaving such a massive loophole, she chose to spare his life.
That countryside—that carefully arranged rural retreat—was a place of extraordinary beauty. Vast gardens and meadows stretched across the land, while rivers tinkled through orchards nestled in the woods. Spring brought pink peaches, summer offered sweet-tart berries, autumn filled the air with the scent of wine, and winter blanketed the hills with bare branches and snow. When the ice cracked on the ponds, fish would leap out of the water of their own accord.
It offered everything a common man could desire. Yet those in high positions, who savored the sweet, beautiful fruits, the plump, tender fish, and the comfort of fine silk robes... inevitably bore a despair and suffering beyond the capacity of ordinary people.
And Wright was not suited for any of this.
It was a pity he didn't know that this was a rare act of mercy from Her Majesty Josephine. Yet he still rushed out, just to ask for that answer.
Of course, whether it was worth it was for him alone to decide.
After all, no one truly knew what had transpired back then. What had Wright endured when Danny died? And what had Her Majesty Josephine done afterward to make Wright cling so desperately to his mother's love, as if a man in the depths of despair had found the only glimmer of light?
But those were mere coincidences. Just as a lioness wouldn't forever indulge her grown cubs by keeping them by her side, everything Wright prayed for would never come to pass within this royal family.
Edward knew little of these matters. If he wished, he could certainly uncover the full truth of the past, but what good would that do?
Edward had no desire to engage in such futile pursuits. His enduring favor and reliance by Her Majesty Josephine likely stemmed from this very lack of excessive curiosity.
"Don't be sad," Edward patted Tang Feiliu's hand. Hearing footsteps approach, he saw his captain of the guard arrive. Nodding to him, he turned to Tang Feiliu. "Let's go fetch your brother to rest. What do you say?"
"Found him?" Tang Feiliu relaxed instantly. Seeing Edward's nod, he too no longer wished to dwell on the past, which could not be changed. He rose quickly, urging, "Then let's hurry."
Alexander was currently enjoying dessert, paired with sparkling apple wine.
His emotions were complex.
He had visited the Imperial Palace several times. After all, the young gentleman occasionally managed to secure invitations to balls hosted by the palace nobility. These were invaluable social opportunities, where one might meet young ladies from fallen families yet still of noble birth—perhaps leading to a marriage that pleased all parties.
Of course, such outcomes were rare.
After all, young ladies from fallen noble families were highly sought after precisely because of their elevated status. A minor gentry like Alexander, whose estate brought in no more than fifty or sixty pounds a year, was unlikely to catch the eye of any noblewoman of standing.
Of course, Alexander's fortune had now doubled. After all, he owned a two-story confectionery shop on Black Swan's finest square! The delicacies sold there were now impossible to replicate, and after deducting his brother's thirty percent share of the profits, he was still raking in a fortune.
It must be said, merchants are truly rolling in money these days!
And the Black Swan's salaried class possessed formidable spending power. Alexander had originally opened his shop purely out of passion for confections, but now its earnings were visibly surpassing those of the estate, prompting him to manage it with increasing diligence.
...For instance, even after being kidnapped, he remembered instructing the inn's young clerk to fetch the most popular cream cakes and sparkling wine for him to enjoy.
Of course, Alexander's composure stemmed from the knight's parting words: once he reached this location, he would be free—but he must wait at the inn, where the knight would arrange for Alexander's younger brother to retrieve him.
Alexander was skeptical, tempted to flee. He stepped outside the door unhindered, but the money he carried wouldn't cover a safe return to the Black Swan. So he sat in the small bar on the inn's ground floor, eating cream cake, sipping sweet-tart sparkling wine, and watching everything on the street through the large glass windows, trying to wait and see if the knight's words were true.
Though the imperial city bustled with prosperity, to Alexander it felt overly solemn and lacking warmth. What struck him most was the old-fashioned attire of its inhabitants. Despite being only a month's journey from the Black Swan, everything here seemed separated by an entire era.
Someone passed by, carrying a stench of neglect that seemed to have accumulated over years without bathing.
Alexander felt a wave of suffocation wash over him, threatening to make him vomit the sweet cream cake in his mouth. He swallowed hard several times, forcing himself to keep his eyes open and swallow the cake without rolling them.
Then he gulped down his drink in discomfort.
Alexander thought of the milk tea his brother had perfected, its sweet, silky flavor; of the delicate apple pie, tart and sweet; He thought of Black Swan, of its clean, well-maintained roads, its vast squares, and the fountain carved with the Black Duke riding his warhorse. He thought of the second batch of workers' apartments set to be completed in summer, the new city roads, the grand public gardens, and the series of activity centers his brother had described.
And the people's white clothes and the soapy scent of their skin.
Living there, one doesn't notice it. But once you leave and see the contrast, you realize where you live now isn't even as good as the stables where the Black Swan's horses stand.
Even a five-penny night at a country inn was cleaner than this two-shilling lodging!
But what was truly unbearable was the pollution. The city was so overcrowded that the nearby river reeked of sewage. Alexander found it hard to adjust from luxury to hardship. Having spent so much time in the countryside with the Black Swan, he'd almost forgotten how dreadful the city could be.
The royal city's manure piles were nearly level with the walls—walls that had been reinforced by the old emperor's orders before his death, for fear enemies might climb over the city walls using the excrement as footholds.
Alexander hadn't thought much of this approach before, but spending more time with his brother now made him deeply reflect.
Precisely because of this, the water around the city was undrinkable. The imperial city had rudimentary, half-finished waterworks, but the concept of sanitation was absent. Consequently, all filth was dumped directly into the rivers, rendering the water utterly undrinkable and foul-smelling.
While the royal family had access to mountain spring water delivered daily from distant hills, commoners had no choice but to drink alcohol. Water caused frequent stomach pains, something Alexander had never understood before. Now he grasped why: the water was unclean, likely teeming with bacteria. No wonder people had died from drinking it in the past.
As Alexander idly passed the time, he noticed everyone at the street corner scattering to make way. A gilded carriage, drawn by two white horses, came trotting directly toward them.
The carriage bore the Black Duke's insignia. Before Alexander could recover from his shock, it halted at the gate. Then, a golden head peered out. Tang Feiliu's wide blue eyes lit up upon spotting her brother. Waving excitedly, she dashed straight inside.
Alexander was overcome with emotion too. Though he appeared fine now, he’d fought desperately during the kidnapping, even attempting to escape—only to be beaten senseless by that damned knight. Seeing his younger brother now, he felt a profound sense of relief, like surviving a catastrophe. He embraced his brother tightly, his voice choked with emotion. "Lance, did you come looking for me?"
"Yes, brother! Are you all right?" Tang Feiliu looked around anxiously, then relaxed completely upon seeing Alexander looked tired but otherwise unharmed.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," Alexander replied, his tense nerves finally easing. He let out two loud sneezes, wiped his nose with a handkerchief, and continued, "Just starving and exhausted. Need a bath and some sleep."
Though they were at an inn, how could Alexander possibly sleep soundly after being held hostage? He had eaten, but his nerves remained on edge. Now that they finally relaxed, his whole body went limp, and he even started yawning.
"Come on, let's head back," Tang Feiliu urged her brother to climb into the carriage.
Since he'd been taken away suddenly, Alexander had nothing on him and didn't need to pack any luggage. Seeing his family now, he couldn't bear to linger in that place any longer. Before long, the whole group boarded the carriage, and Alexander was brought back to the duke's residence in the imperial city. That very night, he developed a low-grade fever.
Sneezing, watery eyes, body aches, low fever... When Tang Feiliu noticed Alexander's symptoms, her heart sank. She immediately suspected he had caught a cold. She swiftly had him drink a strong medicinal broth and rubbed him down with alcohol to lower his temperature. For days, she didn't step outside, staying home to care for Alexander.
During Alexander's high fever, Edward was urgently summoned to the palace overnight. Upon returning, he hurriedly told Tang Feiliu, "You must return to Black Swan immediately."
"What? My brother isn't fully recovered yet!" Tang Feiliu was stunned by Edward's words. Afraid of waking Alexander, who was still sleeping, she stepped outside the door and asked, "What's going on, Edward?"
"...Many in the city are suffering like your brother—burning fevers. Worse still, anyone who comes near them catches it," Edward said urgently. "Whenever this happened before, countless died. Now it's worsening. Her Majesty Josephine heard of Alexander's condition and inquired about his illness again today."
Tang Feiliu's heart instantly tightened. Disease was terrifying in this era, especially contagious influenza. Without medicine or basic medical knowledge, the most frightening part was... Tang Feiliu clasped her hands, pacing nervously as she asked Edward, "Edward, tell me honestly—besides the cold symptoms like my brother has, are there any other symptoms?"
But influenza alone wouldn't cause such panic. Colds could resolve on their own—as long as there was no fever or inflammation, those with particularly strong constitutions might even overcome it through their own immunity. Yet the fact that even Edward sensed something gravely wrong left Tang Feiliu's face ashen. Gripping Edward's arm, he urged urgently, "Tell me everything. Don't hold anything back."
Please, please don't let it be what he feared. Tang Feiliu's heart pounded so hard it felt like it would leap from his chest.
Edward's voice was heavy. "...Yes. A high fever or low-grade fever alone wouldn't cause such panic. But the critical issue is that many people in the city are suddenly suffering from severe diarrhea—dying from it. Numerous such cases have already erupted, and no one knows what's causing it..."
Tang Feiliu exhaled a long breath. His face drained of color, his legs buckled, and if Edward hadn't caught him, Tang Feiliu would have collapsed to the ground.
He whispered hoarsely, "It's cholera... Not the Black Death... Cholera, cholera... No, there's no cure for cholera now..."
As he spoke, Tang Feiliu began muttering anxiously again.
"Lance, don't worry about this now. First thing tomorrow, get out of the city. Leave this place. I suspect it's because this area isn't clean enough. Many people have died from this disease before. Once it starts, it won't stop in a day or two. Lance, don't make me worry, okay?" Edward said softly. He was deeply anxious. Having lived alongside Tang Feiliu for so long, Edward knew firsthand how treacherous this Imperial City Illusion truly was. His reluctance to bring Tang Feiliu out stemmed from his confidence that within the Black Swan, she could enjoy the highest standard of living.
With Tang Feiliu's frail constitution, Edward feared he'd be utterly defenseless against these pathogens.
"Then will you leave with me?" Tang Feiliu asked Edward. Before Edward could answer, he added, "...If we don't help, many, many people will die here, right?"
"The nobles are packing to return to the countryside," Edward said, gazing at Tang Feiliu. He gently stroked the boy's golden hair and whispered, "I'll do my best to help everyone, but you don't need to be here."
Truthfully, Tang Feiliu had never imagined he would one day face head-on the most terrifying pathogen of the Middle Ages, second only to the plague. He had worked so hard to build Black Swan, so diligently cleaned the cities and villages under Edward's rule... fundamentally because Tang Feiliu feared those dreadful pathogens.
Yet when this day finally arrived, Tang Feiliu discovered his courage had grown considerably.
"If it were the plague, I'd run away immediately..." Tang Feiliu murmured softly, "Because it's terrifying, utterly unpreventable, and its causes remain unknown... But with this, I know. People may still die, but I understand why... Could you convey this to Her Majesty Josephine?"
Tang Feiliu had once wondered why he’d been granted such a mysteriously bizarre encounter—to witness the magnificent civilization of the future. But in this moment, looking at Edward before him, he thought: perhaps this extraordinary experience wasn’t meant for him alone, but for this entire timeline.
For this time and space, still stumbling along, still striving to figure out how to survive and how to live better—let it take its tentative steps forward, carrying everyone in pursuit of happiness.
Author's Note:
Thanks to Wusan for the support.