Chapter 16 Let it be
Click, snap.
The slippers suddenly got stuck in the stone slab, and two small golden beads popped out.
"Ugh!" Melia bent down frantically, searching for it, and she and Taffy held down the rolling gold beads on either side. Unfortunately, the shoe's cleat had cracked, making it completely unwearable.
"Miss, the spare shoes are in the carriage. I will carry you."
After saying that, Taffy squatted on the ground, raised her hands behind her back, and signaled her owner to quickly lie on her back. Her little back was smooth and her shoulder blades were clearly visible.
"No need, it's just a short distance." Melia laughed dryly and looked away. She didn't have the nerve to let a 14-year-old carry her on his back.
Click.
“Ouch!”
After only two steps, the broken-strap slippers broke into pieces without mercy, and the gems bounced to the ground. Fortunately, there were gladiators in front, behind, and on both sides to block them, otherwise they would have all fallen into the sewer.
Melia supported Ronnie embarrassedly, but before she could say sorry, she suddenly felt lighter.
"ah!"
His two arms firmly supported her thighs and back, holding her in his arms like a princess.
Melia raised her head, and her vision around her suddenly became wider.
The buildings, previously shrouded in shadow, became more distinct, with specks of mud visible beneath the eaves. These houses were clearly very old, with many of the wooden boards rotten.
Rome had the most primitive sewers, with stone slabs built over the drains.
But the streets of Xicheng District are so cramped that only two people can walk side by side. Some alleys are squeezed into a single line by houses, so only children and cats can easily squeeze through.
Melia was carried out for dozens of steps and soon saw the residents of Xicheng District.
Most of them were dressed in rags, brown linen replacing the colorful strips of cloth favored by Roman citizens, but even they wore one or two pieces of metal jewelry, especially bracelets so bright yellow they looked like gold.
A thin old man brushed past the gladiators: he looked nervous, clearly unwilling to engage with such a strange group of people. The alley was so narrow that he could only carefully avoid Ronnie's arm, eventually making it out of the alley and quickly leaving.
During the whole process, Taffy kept pointing the dagger at his back, but fortunately the old man didn't notice it at all.
"Ronnie, are you tired of holding me like this?"
Melia glanced at the ground sheepishly.
She was just thinking about walking barefoot, but when she saw the suspicious-colored sewage on the ground, she felt so disgusted that she didn't dare to step on it.
I don’t know how many illegal buildings have been built here, blocking the sewers!
"Haha." Ronnie moved her waist so that her hips rested steadily on her arms, switching from a princess hug to a one-handed hug. "It's not tiring this way. You're not even as heavy as the wild boar I strangled last time."
What are you talking about!
Melia glared at her angrily, swayed her legs, and returned to her arms.
This posture is slightly better.
The alley ahead became narrower and narrower. The gladiators formed a long column, with Ronnie holding Melia and walking in front.
Most buildings in Rome are two-story buildings. The aristocratic area has three-story buildings, with the smallest top and a solid foundation underneath.
Xicheng District is full of "three-story buildings".
However, a closer look reveals that the third floor is entirely an illegal structure built later, made of loose straw and fur to make a tent that can accommodate people.
Wooden poles were strung in the air, draped with linen clothes, some still dripping. Following the dripping water, one could always see puddles of muddy water. One hoped they were filled with nothing but mud.
No one would throw dirty water from above...
When Melia looked up, her eyes met the woman who opened the window. The woman was holding a bucket that looked like a spittoon and was about to pour it down.
She was startled by the gladiator next to Melia and slammed the window shut.
"Ha...it seems that this place is really not safe."
There were only them on the street, and the houses on both sides were not scenic at all. If you looked at a few more houses, you would find that they were all equally shabby.
Melia fell into Ronnie's arms, feeling very comfortable with the swing of her arms. The sleepiness that she had suppressed early in the morning gradually rebounded.
She slowly closed her eyes.
Click, click.
There were brisk footsteps in the alley, but Melia didn't even raise her eyelids; it was just the sound of a child's footsteps.
A young man carrying a basket ran over from not far away. He was short and dressed in ginger-yellow linen clothes, blending in with the old house and looking inconspicuous.
Click, click.
His pace slowed, and he seemed startled by the procession of gladiators.
Then, the boy stepped aside almost silently on the mud, giving Ronnie his place in the alley.
In the dim light shrouded by the old clothes, a crisp clicking sound was heard.
What's that sound?!
Melia raised her head suddenly, but Ronnie was faster than her and kicked the boy directly.
Boom! The boy's back hit the wall so hard that it made his teeth ache.
Ronnie didn't hear the sound of the weapon falling to the ground. She grabbed the boy's robe and said, "Tell me! Where is your knife hidden?!"
Assassinating a noble in the street is the most serious crime among all serious crimes.
If the victim is willing to express forgiveness, only one person will suffer. If the victim insists that there is a political conspiracy behind the attack, the murderer's entire family will be beaten to death.
Ronnie had heard rumors about Melia, saying that she was assassinated on her seventh birthday, and the assassin happened to be a slave in the family.
So she didn't even need to go to court. She just had the assassin's entire family stuffed into the corpses of pigs and cows, roasted them alive, and left them to the hunting dogs to eat.
Regardless of how true the rumors are, we must try to let her vent her anger first...
"Ronnie."
There was a gentle pat on the shoulder: "Let him go first, his ribs and arms are about to be broken."
The girl's voice was cautious and she seemed a little scared.
"Here, I pulled out when he pulled it out. Don't touch it, miss. It's too dirty."
It was Taffy who spoke, and she held up a battered dagger in her palm for display.
The dagger was covered in rust and a thick layer of dirt. If it cut you, you would probably get tetanus.
Hiss—Meliya took a breath of cold air:
If Taffy and Ronnie hadn't been quick-witted, she would have been stabbed through the chest by this thing and would have fallen miserably in the mud!
The pity in her eyes was slowly replaced by anger. She pouted at the boy and said, "Sura is such a piece of shit, sending such a young kid here."
12? Maybe only 10.
"Cough... cough... bah!" The young man spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes red. "What Sura?! I came here on my own!"
"Yes, yes, yes~ It was the immortal who told you in a dream to come and assassinate me, right?" Melia rubbed her forehead with a headache. She wanted to come down and confront the boy, but Ronnie's hands tightly held her waist.
"——" The young man opened his mouth wide: "You, you don't remember me, you don't remember my sister, and you don't remember what you did to Xicheng District!!"
What has been done to Xicheng District?
Melia thought about it for a moment and realized that the title deed was only recently obtained.
She spread her hands and said, "Muala only collects rent, what else can I do?"
The boy's face twisted. "You, you, you came here before the New Year and said you wanted to tear this place down... and told us all to get out."
Years ago?
Melia choked up. She couldn't explain clearly what happened before the New Year. She had only been here for a few days.
"But... aren't you all living well?"
"Because we haven't been able to pay the rent yet, and there are all these extra houses."
The boy curled up in agony, hugging his chest instead of his injured shoulder. "You said we should pay off the debt, including the extra house, and all sorts of fines."
It sounds reasonable. Unauthorized renovation or subletting of a house will definitely involve money, so it is normal to ask for compensation?
Before Melia could sort out her logic, the boy's voice was completely hoarse: "My sister was sold to a brothel a few days ago. She has nothing left, nothing at all——"
Something exploded in Melia's mind.
"You...your sister..." How old is she? She couldn't bring herself to ask.
It's a deeply ingrained belief that people should obey laws and regulations. But what if—this isn't modern, and the laws are ancient?
As long as you live in Rome, you must of course abide by Roman rules.
Brothels were allowed to open here, but commoners were not allowed to default on debts owed to nobles for any reason, even if they had to sell their children or even themselves to repay the debt.
Melia tried to speak several times, but no sound came out.
A soft sigh sounded in the alley.
Then she closed her eyes: "Ronnie, let's go."
"Then he..."
"Oh yes, Taffy, you're fast, help him find a doctor."
No one took a step, not Taffy, Ronnie, the gladiators in the queue, or even the boy lying on the ground, all remained relatively still.
They did not understand such an order.
If one wants to show mercy, one should kill the assassin immediately. Death is the end of everything, and one no longer needs to pursue the parents, family, or the conspiracy behind it.
If they wanted to punish him thoroughly, there were enough people here to immediately arrest the boy's entire family and throw them in jail.
Also, what does all this have to do with the boy's sister? Why did the lady's last question be "your sister" and then stop asking halfway?
"Taffy?"
Melia looked up at Taffy's leg in confusion. Did he just twist his ankle?
Hearing the lady's deepening tone, Taffy rushed out without saying a word and soon disappeared at the end of the alley.
"Does she know where the doctor is? She should be able to ask." Melia murmured to herself.
Hearing this whisper, Ronnie slowly lowered her head and asked in a voice that only they could hear: "What exactly do you want to do?"
Would he be cured and then tortured again? Would this also involve the boy's sister?
For some reason, when I see those clear eyes, the doubts caused by the rumors will slowly dissipate.
The transparent emerald color reflected her, and she was understandably confused. "Of course I have to find out why."
"Find out who ordered the assassination."
"Well, that makes sense. But that's not important. What's important is what he said."
Melia sighed softly again: "If his sister really was sold to that kind of place, we must get her out immediately!"
The speech is fast and natural.
For a nobleman, this statement was hypocritical and petty.
After all, Ronnie had once heard a renowned elder at a banquet declare, "Every year I spend a whole jar of gold coins to buy back poor children and reunite them with their parents in my manor."
But for some reason, the rumors and doubts about Melia that kept ringing in my mind - all fell silent at this moment.
The author has something to say:
Thanks to Inoue Hei, 57584721, Mirai, An, and 48622012 for their support.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
