Rosie's Games

Chapter 96: The Unbelievers 3

"Young Duchess please mind your steps…" the General warned her as she took a step out of the carriage. It was already the dead of the night and the surroundings were already a bit dark.

"Those people— " she looked at the people camping outside of the large gates. She was certain that they were not soldiers as they were too skinny. She even spotted a pregnant woman carrying a skinny child.

"Ah… unbelievers."

"Unbelievers?" Rosalind's expression changed. Unbelievers were people who did not believe in the Goddess. Many empires and kingdoms accept them, but the citizens usually do not treat them well simply because they have different beliefs. "And you are camping with them?"

"Young Duchess, this is the only place where the Empire allowed camps. If one would camp on the other side of the gates, soldiers would arrest them and punish them according to the laws of the Empire." The General calmly said while staring at her face.

Rosalind nodded without another word. She knew that the General was testing her reaction. In the past and even now, unbelievers were not really treated like a citizen by any empires or kingdoms.

On the outside, they were accepted, but they were not given any rights.

For instance, they cannot own land or a house or any business inside any Empire or kingdom. They are also not allowed to seek medical help inside any Empire. Though some smaller kingdoms allow them to give birth and die in their hospitals, many still refuse to entertain them.

Their fates were like this because they refused to acknowledge the existence of the Goddess and even claimed that the Goddess was nothing but a cruel existence that lived to torment people so the people would pray to Her. These people do not really believe in the dark lord as well or any gods and goddesses. They simply lived without believing in anyone.

Now, one would ask why people would choose to live a life like that. The answer is quite simple.

They did not have any other choice.

Some of these people were born into a poor household that cannot pay taxes and were forced to move out of the Empire and live in a place without proper health care or any education system. They… simply did not learn anything about the Goddess or the history of the Continent, as they were busy looking for food and trying to survive.

Soon, they realized they could live a normal life without these gods and Goddesses and that the most important thing is working hard. Those people that the community had rejected the Goddess and refused to teach their kids about faith and history and so, this has become a custom for most of them.

Obviously, many people tried to convince them to have faith in the Goddess, or they would die. But these people would only laugh at their faces and tell them that they have been living outside of the walls for tens of years and they are still alive. In the end, the unbelievers would mock those who believe in the Goddess, while the latter would defend the Goddess. A fight would ensue, and then there was only chaos.

"Come this way…" the General said. "Our people found a really good spot."

Again Rosalind nodded. She was not surprised that the guards at the gates would tell the Northerners to stay here with the unbelievers, as there were actually rumors that most people in the North do not actually believe in the Goddess. Again, these were nothing but rumors. But people inside the walls of the Empire react badly to rumors.

"Everyone… the Young Duchess is here… Henrye, go ahead and call everyone."

Soon, men started crowding towards her.

"Young Miss, are you sure this is alright?" Milith could not help but ask. "This place— "

"It is alright," Rosalind smiled. About a few hundred unbelievers were camping just outside of the gates and the camp where the soldiers were staying was located on the outskirts of the camp. Meaning they had to walk all the way through the other encampments to arrive here. Meaning…. They have to see everyone else before seeing the soldier.

Rosalind could not understand if this was some sort of test. Was the General trying to see if she would vomit if she smelled something nasty? Isn't that a bit too childish?

"Ah… who visits an encampment wearing something like that?" a woman's sharp voice interrupted her stupor. She looked to her left and discovered a black-haired woman looking at her from head to toe. "A gown? Is this the young duchess's way of telling everyone that she is a duchess and that these people were nothing compared to her?"

"I do not like your tone," Rosalind answered. "For someone who failed to introduce themselves, I don't believe you have the right to question my reasons." Rosalind quipped back. "Unless, of course, it was you who arranged this meeting. Was this deliberate to try to embarrass me?"

"You— "

"That is enough," General Lytton uttered. "Lieutenant Fraunces, introduce yourself."

The woman snorted and took a step in front of Rosalind. "I am Lieutenant Fraunces of the North. It is a pleasure to be in the presence of… the young duchess."

Rosalind only stared back without saying a word. The fact that the General might be doing this to test her was irritating. She hated tests. She hated surprises.

She did not understand why he was doing this.

Did he want a reaction? If he did… then he was just wasting his time.

She had seen these problems before. She had dealt with it along with the Empress. Rosalind had interacted with the unbelievers In her past life. She had seen things that no one could even imagine.

"Aren't you going to introduce yourself?" Lieutenant Fraunces asked.

"Is there a need for me to introduce myself? Why don't you do it for me, young lieutenant? You seemed to know a lot of things about me, even though this was our first meeting." Rosalind's lips lifted into a beautiful smile.

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