Elena's territory

Handling of excreta

The next morning, the butler woke me up with a light knock on the door. He stood at the threshold, his posture respectful and voice soft yet firm:"Lady, would you like to have breakfast?"

I hadn't had a proper meal in days. The past two weeks of travel had been rough, and I had barely managed with some hard bread.

The butler led me into the dining room, which was merely a room built with stones, devoid of any decorations. The dining table was made from a single piece of wood, covered with marks and stains left by time. The dishes were made of iron, simple but practical.

The butler also called in two knights and Alistair. Alistair was still wearing his knightly attire, with sleeves and pants a bit short, revealing his pale wrists and ankles. It didn't look odd; in fact, it added a unique charm.

The knights, however, remained hostile towards Alistair. Adams and Raul glared at him and snorted. Out of respect for my presence, they refrained from saying anything unpleasant.

Alistair sat to my right, while the two knights sat on my left and right sides. The seat opposite me was empty, reserved for my future lord husband.

The servants began serving the meal, all with their heads lowered, appearing cautious. The breakfast consisted of a few pieces of bread and a bowl of thick soup.

I took a sip of the soup, and my expression twisted as I forced it down. The butler, standing beside me, proudly said, "This is the cook's specialty. The previous lord was very fond of it."

I had to force a response, "...Is that so?" In reality, the strange taste of the soup was indescribable. It was very off-putting and extremely salty. Adams and Raul, however, drank it with relish, praising it repeatedly, "Even in the metropolis, it's rare to find a cook who can make such delicious thick soup, with such generous use of spices!"

The butler was very proud of this.

The fermented bread that had begun to trend in the metropolis had not reached here yet, so even freshly baked bread was as hard as stone.

After breakfast, I couldn't help but tell the butler, "If possible, build a few toilets. Have someone clean them regularly, otherwise, I doubt I'll ever step out of the castle."

The butler did not object, though he didn't quite understand why I made such a request, but he faithfully carried out my orders.

That day, all the slaves in the territory received a new task—to build toilets and collect excrement. The slaves had been oppressed for so long that they did not question my command. One young slave couldn't help but murmur, "We bury our excrement, so there's no need for toilets, right?"

Hearing this, the butler immediately became displeased. He frowned, and a servant beside him immediately lashed the speaking slave with a whip. The slave didn't dare to dodge and took the blow head-on. The sound of the whip cutting through the air was particularly sharp, leaving a winding bloody mark on his face.

The butler coldly said, "Slaves are not qualified to question!"

All the slaves immediately lowered their heads, their shoulders hunching, not daring to make any further noise. The whipped slave was quickly comforted by his mother, who held him close, gently touching his wound. She was so thin that only skin and bones remained, her chest drooping like deflated balloons, covered by only a rag.

She gently caressed the child's face, filled with heartache.

The young slave lowered his head, his teeth clenched, full of resentment.

In the afternoon, as I was resting on the bed, the butler knocked on the door and came in. I sat up immediately. The butler's face was solemn, looking particularly dignified. "The excrement around the castle has been cleaned up, and the toilets are built."

The so-called toilets were merely a few large pits, where one had to bury the excrement after use, with enough soil piled at the side. Even so, it was already a great improvement from the previous practice of relieving oneself in the open.

"Have them collect all the excrement from the territory, including animal excrement, and dump it into the toilets," I said. Strangely enough, this manor had not been collecting animal manure for fertilizer, indicating the employed steward was clearly incompetent. Although I found human waste disgusting, I wasn't as averse to animal manure, possibly because it wasn't from my own kind, so it didn't seem dirty.

I thought for a moment and continued to the butler, "Starting tomorrow, give them two meals a day."

The butler frowned and sternly objected, "You are too kind, Madam. This will only make them more demanding."

But I made up my mind immediately, "That's final."

Once the excrement was cleaned up, I decided to leave the castle for a walk. After all, I hadn't really met my "subjects" yet, even though, in the butler's words, they were all my "slaves."

I walked on the flattened mud ground, accompanied by Mary and the butler, followed by Adams and Raul. Alistair walked beside me; he looked more like a noble lord than I did.

In the distance, the "subjects" included men and women, but they were almost all young or children; there were no elderly people in sight. I found it odd and asked, "Are there no elderly here?"

The butler answered indifferently, "Slaves don't live to old age."

Adams added, "Even among soldiers or knights, few live to old age! Lady, you don't need to feel sorry for them. Being your slaves is their lifelong honor!"

"...Adams is probably the sweetest-talking knight!" I thought to myself. But I wasn't swayed.

Alistair explained, "They labor all their lives without medicine to heal them. Accidents and illness can take their lives at any time."

But the butler couldn't care less; instead, he saw it as a good thing. "The elderly can't work and just waste food. Even if their family feeds them, it's still a waste."

As for himself, despite his old age, he considered himself useful, noble in character, different from those slaves.

The children were bent over, pulling weeds in the fields. They showed no sign of innocence or liveliness. The harshness of life made them understand from birth that they had to be mature and sensible because living was no easy task. Every child had a disproportionately large head, with thin bodies, naked, snot hanging from their noses, crying as they pulled weeds.

Two of the children stole a glance at me and immediately looked away, not daring to meet my gaze. Their eyes were full of caution, their noses sniffing as they testedly peeked with the corner of their eyes. Some children bit their fingers, with saliva dripping down.

I couldn't hear their thoughts, but I guessed they hoped I was a kind lady. Whether humans or animals, it's easiest to show kindness to the young.

After a brief inspection, I returned to the castle. The road was rugged and uneven, and I almost fell.

Adams and Raul rushed forward, looking excited, eyes sparkling. "Lady! I'll help you up!"

Adams: "I'll carry you up!"

Raul: "I'll lift you up!"

Me: "Save it. Don't cause trouble. I'll hold onto Alistair to get up."

Alistair extended his arm, every movement elegant and noble, bowing slightly. "Please."

So I extended my arm, taking Alistair's.

Me: "Thank you!"

Adams and Raul stared jealously at Alistair's back, their gazes practically shooting fire.