Over the next few days, Lux and her guards made a wide loop around Silvermine City.
They spent the days crossing fields and hills.
At night, they stayed with local farming families.
Lux saw another world—a world completely unlike her own.
At first, everything felt novel and interesting to her, and made her feel a little out of place.
But the more she saw, the less novel or interesting—or awkward—everything became.
After a week, she seemed to have truly become a hunter's daughter. She no longer maintained her manners out of habit, could casually scoop river water from a chipped bowl, and no longer lay awake because of the damp, musty bedding.
At last, she could also answer the question Karya had asked her before.
If they could, every farmer would want to become a noble.
There were all sorts of reasons.
Perhaps a noble lord's raspberry dessert before dinner meant a farmer had to pick berries deep in the mountains.
Perhaps the fuel for the fireplace in a noble lord's home was never something they had to carefully ration.
Perhaps the noble lord's unremarkable guard was the farmer's most cherished son.
Perhaps the patterned carpet beneath a noble lord's feet had cost someone countless sleepless nights.
Lux had once naively believed that nobles and commoners had equal rights and obligations—that nobles were more refined and composed than vulgar commoners, loved their country more, and were willing to sacrifice themselves for Demacia.
But in reality, no matter the circumstances, the lives of commoners could not compare with those of nobles.
Even in war, it was the same. Though noble sons were expected to enlist, and many gave their lives for their country, far more commoners died in war than nobles.
It was just that few people ever brought their bodies to the Hall of Valor.
As far as Demacia was concerned, they had come to the battlefield "of their own free will."
This realization shook Lux's worldview to its core. She had never imagined that everything nobles took pride in was built on the hard work of commoners, or that everything nobles took for granted was beyond the reach of commoners.
The more she experienced and understood, the more ashamed Lux felt—ashamed of her former self-righteousness, even ashamed to be a noble.
It was only when her guard reminded her that they had delayed too long and really needed to return that Lux finally understood what Karya had meant by the "fundamental problem."
At that moment, thinking of the vast disparity between Demacia's farmers and nobles, she even found herself thinking, Farmers shouldn't have to pay taxes at all.
Lux was stunned by the thought herself.
"How could this be?" Lux murmured. "Karya, I feel like I understand something now, but at the same time, I don't..."
"That's because you've seen a new kind of conflict, one you'd never noticed before," Karya said calmly. "It's the conflict between nobles and commoners."
"Does that really count as a conflict?" Lux asked uncertainly. "All I've seen is envy and longing."
"That's because the conflict hasn't become acute, and it hasn't erupted. It's always been there, like those Nullstone deposits absorbing magic, waiting for an opportunity." Karya continued, "And taxation is one of the most direct points of conflict."
"But now I don't even know which side I should be on!" Lux tugged at her straw hat. "I... I've always thought things shouldn't be this way!"
"You're right. They shouldn't be this way." Karya affirmed her view. "Some people failed to see it. Others chose to turn a blind eye."
"If what you said is true, and they've reduced the farmers' taxes, then this really is a problem." Lux couldn't help sighing. "Good thing I saw all this."
"Then have you found a solution?"
"I haven't found the root solution yet." Lux answered honestly. "But I'm ready to deal with the situation as it stands."
"Oh? Let's hear it."
"Whether the nobles have reduced taxes before now doesn't matter anymore." Lux's confident smile returned. "We just need to divide the problem in two!"
"How?"
"For the farmers, promote some of them to squires and knights, give them a chance to become nobles, and put them in charge of this!" Lux had grasped the key point. "For the nobles, deal with those who break the law. Announce their crimes and punish them in public to warn everyone else!"
"Very clever, Lux." Karya sounded full of admiration. "Use power to curb the conflict—win some over and punish others. I thought you'd need more time to think it through!"
"I'm not that naive! I know the difference between the goal and the method!" Lux said proudly. "And I've figured out that you were trying to guide me toward the farmers and get me to see things from the commoners' perspective!"
"And so?"
"So even if I haven't found a solution yet..." Lux sounded utterly confident. "I'll find one sooner or later!"
"Is that so?" Karya chuckled. "Then let's keep watching. And don't say I didn't warn you, Lux: so far, you've only seen the kindest, gentlest side of things."
"?"
"When life is peaceful, conflicts hide their sharp edges. But when they erupt, you'll find that everything can turn insane." Karya spoke meaningfully. "Are you ready?"
"Always!"
Meanwhile, while Lux was investigating the countryside, Gao Kan finally arrived in Vilos Town at a full gallop.
Gao Kan had made extensive preparations to win Lux over.
First, he put his money to work, booking the room next to Lux's party. Then, on a sunny afternoon, he sat on the balcony and began to play the harp.
Gao Kan hoped to meet Lux as a fellow music lover.
Unfortunately, there was no sound from the rooms next door. Even though it was a fine day for sunbathing, Lux's window remained shut.
Gao Kan wasn't discouraged. That evening, he tried playing again by the fireplace, but once more, no one responded.
It seemed that using music to make friends wasn't going to work.
Gao Kan changed tactics and began drawing portraits for people on the street outside Lux's window.
He picked the perfect spot, angling all his work toward the window on the second floor.
But after drawing for three whole days, until he was sick of it, Lux's window was still shut tight.
This time, Gao Kan finally realized something was wrong. No matter how reserved Lux was, he could rule out the possibility that her guards had told him to stay away. After all, the crowd was rather noisy.
But the guards had never reacted at all. They'd even let their watch grow lax.
After putting his money to work once again, Gao Kan finally got an astonishing piece of news from a servant with a loose tongue.
"That room next door is strange. They never even ask for meals. That noble girl must be so spoiled..."
Spoiled?
Spoiled my ass!
The doors and windows of the room next door hadn't opened once in all these days, and no food had been delivered either. Unless Lux could live without eating or drinking, that meant there was no one in there!
In other words, Lux wasn't next door. She'd already left!
Where could a sick person go?
Wait. A sick person?
What sick person? She probably wasn't sick at all!
Realizing this, Gao Kan checked out immediately, then galloped back to Silvermine City.
As soon as he got home, he told his father everything.
After hearing it all, Dili was stunned too. In the next moment, he quickly realized what Lux had been up to.
Well, well. He'd thought she was a pampered girl who couldn't handle the local climate, but she was actually a formidable dragon hiding in the river!
"Looks like we'll have to change our approach." Dili narrowed his eyes. "When Miss Lux reaches Silvermine City, perhaps we should have a proper talk with her."
"Are we still going ahead with the plan?" Gao Kan finally turned serious. "She's only twelve, but she doesn't seem easy to handle..."
"No. We can't go ahead with it. Don't show yourself again, or it'll be awkward if those people recognize you." Dili shook his head. "This time, we're not playing the dream lover. We're playing the loyal new recruit."
"The loyal... new recruit?"
"Besides, we've barely got any money left." Dili quickly came up with another plan. "Since Miss Lux is serious about this, we'll give her all the evidence she wants. She must have been investigating the nearby farmland to see whether frost damage occurred."
"So?"
"So we'll offer whatever support we can." Dili's smile finally returned. "For a naive young girl, the best approach is to win her heart. For a powerful young lady, the best approach is to offer her your loyalty."
"But what about Codora?" Gao Kan looked incredulous at his father's decision. "That old man won't be easy to deal with!"
"Trust me, our little princess is the one who'll really be hard to handle." Dili's smile widened. "I hear her uncle has been dead for three years, and the main branch doesn't seem to have many heirs. Tell me, might she need a pledge of allegiance from a member of a collateral branch?"
"That's not like you..."
"What am I like?" Dili raised an eyebrow. "You little brat, are you asking for a beating? How many times have I told you, your mother and I are true love!"
"Sure, sure..."
"You brat! Bring me my riding crop!"
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