MIRACULOUSLY ESCAPING SLACKERLIFE

XXIV

A father's love may be distant but it's the greatest pillar of support.

Deruth tried his best in supporting the people outside the capital walls. He used all his connections to sustain their needs, especially medicine, and food. Henituse County is also sending good every week but it's nowhere near to feeling thousands of people. Deruth loathes them. The nobles keep themselves safe when their people are crying for help.

"My Lord..." one woman reached out to him, "you should rest My Lord."

Deruth who was out of it nodded and smiled at the woman, "You should too."

He entered his tent and no reply yet from the crown. Three weeks...

Deruth had been holding on to his own while keeping everyone alive for three weeks.

Viscount Chetter and Count Wheelsman already sheltered many people. But there's still a great number that needed to be taken care of.

He just prayed that Cale wouldn't hear a single damn rumor about this place.

He stood up from his chair to make his rounds but he suddenly felt dizzy to the point he almost fainted. His breathing was ragged and the chills on his back were enough.

"of all times." He wished; Cale won't hear a thing about this.

**

I can feel it... death is looming outside the castle walls.

When Cale woke up one morning, the priestess said. The dark clouds were nearly gone, and he knew the sun would rise again. However, he couldn't shake the uneasy feeling..

Alver was summoned back to the palace a week ago and has yet to return. Antonio also accompanied the prince because he was in a position to do so. He clenched his fist and decided to scout the castle walls at night.

And so he did.

He noticed shabby tents erected on the muddy ground. There are numerous corpses dumped on the mass grave. The food carriages are almost empty. Cale couldn't help but look for Deruth in the crowd.

"Hah! They're going to ask for something again! They're knocking at the wrong door! They should knock at their territory lords who feed on their hard work!"

"I heard Count Deruth sent a missive, but the palace refused his requests based on the noble's recommendations."

"They are unable to send any more personnel to care for those sick bastards.""

"Count Deruth also contracted the disease!"

Cale's heart grew cold at the knight's chatter station on the castle walls.As he heard them say, "serves him right." and "he should've laid low since he's a lowly count," his heart quivered with pain.

Cale gritted his teeth in anger and stomped his way to the prince's palace.

When he opened the doors to the Palace of Joy, he saw equally stressed Zed Crossman and Alver Crossman attempting to mediate the nobles' wrangling.

He approached the father and son who were still compromising the situation, enraged by their slow movement.

"What are you doing here, Cale?"

"That's my question, your Highness, what are you doing?" he snarled, ignoring any respect for the royal family.

"Baby Cale," Alver muttered helplessly..

"Your people are dying!" he cried, gritting his teeth in anger and resentment, "my father is dying there while no one is helping him!"

Alver noticed tears falling from Cale's eyes.