Chapter 11: Exploring
"How impudent! You even dared to have a child without a husband—could you be any more shameless?" the woman scoffed coldly, her eyes narrowing with disdain.
"Mother," Juko called out softly, tugging at Erica's sleeve, his voice filled with concern.
"Don't worry, Juko. It's time for us to feast!" Erica declared, completely ignoring the woman's words. With a playful grin, she led Juko to the table laden with food. The woman's face twisted in frustration as she watched them go, her anger deepening when she heard Demetrius and Derek laughing heartily at her expense. Humiliated, she quickly walked away, her cheeks burning with shame.
As they sat down, Juko looked up at Erica with a troubled expression. "Why did you say I'm your child? Won't it cause misunderstandings?"
Erica snorted, ruffling his hair affectionately. "I said I would be your new mother, and I stand by my word. Now, eat up!" She began piling food onto his plate, oblivious to his nervous glance at the growing mound before him.
'Hmm, the food quality here is poor compared to Erica's former place,' she thought as she sampled the dishes. 'Maybe it's because of the techniques she taught them.'
Derek approached, his tone casual yet probing. "Erica, is he really your son? You two look nothing alike. It's causing quite the stir."
Erica glanced around, noticing the curious and judgmental stares from the other nobles. She simply shrugged. "I don't mind," she replied, her focus returning to Juko, who was now eating with a bit more enthusiasm under her watchful eye.
"Just eat, okay, Juko? You don't have to worry about anything," Erica reassured him, patting his head gently.
"My daughter gave me a grandson before I'm even near death—how wonderful!" Demetrius exclaimed, kneeling beside Juko and playfully tugging on his soft cheeks.
"Father, I doubt you're dying anytime soon. You're already 140 years old—stop overreacting," Erica chuckled, though a flicker of worry crossed her face as she noticed how tired and drained he looked. His once-vibrant presence seemed slightly dimmed, and it made her heart ache.
"So cruel to me as always—that's my daughter!" Demetrius cried out, feigning being hurt.
---
Later, in her new office, Erica was surrounded by stacks of papers, her focus entirely on the documents before her. Juko sat by her side, contentedly eating a slice of cake, when Derek walked in, a teasing smile on his lips.
"Already working as King?" Derek chuckled, surveying the chaotic mess in her table.
"Just doing some research," Erica replied, not looking up from her notes.
"I didn't spend time getting to know the nobles when I first arrived, so now I'm learning about each noble family and what they contribute to the kingdom through the palace archives. But it seems a lot of them are quite useless. And, of course, there's the mountain of documents Father left for me—matters he was supposed to handle but didn't." She sighed, standing up and draping a black cape over her shoulders.
"Sister, where are you going?" Derek asked curiously as he watched Erica prepare to leave.
"I'm going to explore the kingdom! I'll probably be gone for a few days, so please cover for me," Erica instructed, her tone firm but lighthearted. Derek nodded in agreement.
"Juko, could you be a good boy and wait for me while I'm gone?" Erica asked, her smile warm and reassuring.
"Yes, I will!" Juko declared, his voice filled with determination.
"Good. See you later, Derek!" Erica said before leaping out of the window and onto the rooftops, moving swiftly through the night.
"I wonder what she's up to," Derek mumbled to himself, staring at the dark sky, the stars twinkling.
---
As Erica dashed through the capital, her thoughts raced alongside her. "If I'm going to be King, it's better that I see the entire kingdom with my own eyes. From what I know of history, most kings who ignored their kingdoms and failed to improve them met early and unfortunate ends. I have no plans of dying early," she mused.
The stench of the town hit her as she moved through the streets, her senses assaulted by the reality of the current appearance of the Kingdom. "The smell here is unbearable, and it's clear that people are suffering from starvation and sickness. Rats and other pests are rampant, spreading disease everywhere," Erica muttered, pausing to observe the filth around her before moving on.
"And people defecating in the open... It's no wonder. There's no proper drainage system. They're still using holes like in the medieval period instead of toilets. Even the Royal Palace's facilities, as weird as they are, are cleaner than the commoner areas. The air reeks, probably from the poorly maintained factories around here," Erica noted, her eyes narrowing as she leaped across rooftops.
"But I'll see what can be done. For now, it's best I visit all ten towns and twenty villages, and fully explore the capital," she resolved, disappearing into the shadows.
---
After a few days...
"You finally decided to come back. Father was worried sick and wouldn't stop complaining," Derek blurted out as Erica climbed back into her office through the window.
"I can imagine," she replied, a bit sheepishly. "Well, I had some things to check out, and I've learned a lot in these past twelve days."
"Mother, you're back!" Juko beamed, running toward her, but he suddenly stopped in his tracks, recoiling from an unexpected smell.
"Ehh, why are you backing away?" Erica asked, her expression puzzled.
"You need a bath, Mum. You stink," Juko stated bluntly, causing Erica to gasp in shock.
"He's right, Master! You definitely need a good bath!" chimed in the little water spirit girl, appearing suddenly with her arms crossed in disapproval.