The common people gathered along the road did not bow out of genuine reverence for the royal family; they crouched low to the earth out of pure, exhaustion-driven compulsion.
Wherever Lilia looked, a scene of utter, heartbreaking wretchedness met her eyes.
Young children with hollow, sunken cheeks and severely distended bellies sat silently upon the hard, dry ground, their fragile ribs protruding sharply beneath garments that were little more than scraps of thin, crudely stitched cloth rags.
Nearby, exhausted women washed worn, tattered clothes in shallow wooden tubs filled with murky, stagnant water that smelled faintly of rot.
Meanwhile, desperate men with vacant, anguished gazes leaned heavily against wooden fences, staring intensely at the bright imperial crest emblazoned on young Leon's shield.
"Clean water is hard to come by in a place so close to a barren area like this," explained Vior in a low, somber voice, her sharp eyes scanning the shifting crowd, alert for any hidden threats. Her hand rested naturally on the broad hilt of her sword.
"Those savages attacked with cunning and cruel tactics."
Vior still explains while looking at the poor people. "They closed the only small river that was the lifeline of the people. They blocked the flow that was still in their territory, making the flow to this place stop completely."
She stopped talking for a moment, looking at the people around before talking again. "The Empire promised to send immediate aid for the construction of deep water wells, yet six months have passed, and the people here are still waiting for that promise to be fulfilled."
"Why haven't they arrived?" Lilia asked, her chest tightening as a wave of profound anger and sorrow washed over her mind.
She turned to face the veteran commander, her voice trembling slightly. "The royal treasury already approved the funds. I saw the official report myself before we departed the capital."
Princess Maria, stepping gracefully out of the carriage while holding a delicately scented silk handkerchief tightly against her nose to block out the pungent odor of the settlement, gave a soft, deeply cynical laugh.
"Oh, my dear sister," Maria murmured, her sharp eyes scanning the miserable surroundings with clear distaste.
"Those funds were likely diverted long ago to purchase a new marble fountain for Lord Danny's luxurious estate back in the capital.
The frontier is far away, Lilia—out of sight, and of course—out of mind. And if I recall correctly, it is their high noble family that is directly responsible for the administration and management of this specific border town."
"It shouldn't be," Lilia whispered, a profound sense of horror dawning upon her as she stared at the suffering citizens.
The absolute disconnect between the court's report books and human survival was laid bare.
Suddenly, a violent commotion broke out near a row of collapsed canvas tents just a few yards away.
Young Leon instantly stepped in front of Lilia, his instincts kicking in as he drew his steel sword halfway out of its scabbard, his boots kicking up dust. "Your Highness, stay back!"
"Stand down, Leon, it's all right," Vior ordered calmly, her commanding voice cutting through the sudden tension like a sharpened blade.
Unlike the panic-stricken apprentice, the veteran commander didn't even place her hand on her weapon.
Instead, she stood perfectly still, watching with a grim expression as a small, desperate-looking figure—disheveled and in rags—roughly pushed through the crowd of villagers.
It was a young boy, appearing no older than ten years old. His pale face was heavily smeared with black soot, his thin linen tunic was torn entirely at the left shoulder, and his wide eyes burned with a ferocious, terrifying hatred that seemed far too heavy for a child to bear.
In his small, violently trembling hand, he clutched a jagged, heavy stone.
"Leon, put the sword away," Lilia commanded softly, her voice steady as she deliberately stepped out from behind the young soldier's protective stance to face the threat directly.
"But Princess—!" Leon protested frantically, his eyes wide with worry as he glanced back at her.
"Do it," Lilia said firmly, without hesitation.
Leon reluctantly sheathed his weapon with a sharp click, though his young body remained entirely tense, his muscles coiled and ready to spring forward at the slightest hint of movement.
The boy glared fiercely at Lilia, his furious gaze instantly fixing onto the gleaming silver tiara resting atop her meticulously braided hair.
With a scream of pure, unadulterated rage, he pulled his arm back and hurled the jagged stone with all the strength his small hand could muster.
Commander Vior didn't even move a muscle to intercept it; her decades of battle experience told her instantly that the trajectory was completely off.
The heavy stone struck the dry dirt exactly inches away from Lilia's leather boot, kicking up a small, fleeting puff of gray dust between them.
"You murderers!" the boy shrieked at the top of his lungs, his voice breaking violently as tears began to track through the soot on his cheeks.
"You rotten, vile monsters! Why are you even here?! To steal the rest of our meager winter food reserves?! To watch us die in the dirt?!"
Before the boy could throw anything else, two terrified village elders rushed forward from the shadows, absolute panic painted across their terrified faces.
They roughly grabbed the young boy by his thin shoulders, forcing him down onto his knees in the dirt.
"Forgive him, Your Highness! Please, we beg of you!"
One of the elders cried out defensively, his voice trembling uncontrollably as he bowed so low his forehead pressed directly into the dry frontier soil.
"He's completely mad with grief! He doesn't know what he's saying to the royal bloodline! Please! We beg you, don't punish him!"
Instead of retreating, Lilia bypassed her personal guards entirely and walked directly toward the kneeling child.
"Lilia, don't be rash," Maria warned sharply from the safety of the carriage steps, her grip tightening on her scented handkerchief.
"These people are desperate and uneducated. They can lose their minds easily when pushed to the brink."