Joachim explained.

“Those people are what the slum dwellers commonly call the ‘powerful’ gang. They steal from, trample on, and exploit the powerless. They also make people collect relief supplies two or three times. That’s why no matter how abundant the supplies we bring, they’re always insufficient.”

“What? Then we should stop them!”

“Do you think the temple allows this out of ignorance? This is the ecology of power.”

Blue eyes colder than winter turned toward the slum dwellers.

“No matter what methods we use, they won’t stop taking what belongs to others. Even if we check and distribute carefully, we can’t monitor the situation after we leave. Food can be consumed immediately, but everything else inevitably falls into their hands. The powerless submit to them out of fear of retaliation, and the endless vicious cycle continues.”

“But…… that’s not fair! What if we report them and make them leave this place?”

“If they disappear, others with power will emerge among those who remain. That’s the natural order. Equality is merely an illusion. This is reality, Your Highness the Princess.”

Joachim’s words were as sharp as a knife and as heavy as a stone, leaving Acelia unable to move.

“Some things certainly cannot be changed.”

His words seemed to imply she should accept fate, and Acelia wanted to object.

If she hadn’t known his secret, she would have found Joachim’s typical behavior suspicious, but they were in a cooperative relationship now, weren’t they?

Why? You shouldn’t say that. You, who are struggling to break free from the loop, shouldn’t say such things.

But then—

Ding!

[〈Spin, Spin, Crazy Roulette!〉!

The 〈Servant of God Who Receives True Love〉 is looking down on you. What action will you take?]

‘What is this?’

Acelia was bewildered.

Here? Suddenly?

What does 〈Servant of God Who Receives True Love〉 mean? Does it refer to Joachim?

Beep beep beep–

Boom-boom boom-boom……

While watching the spinning roulette that answered none of her questions, Acelia felt anxious.

Surely it wouldn’t tell her to break his head again.

Just in case, Acelia hurriedly cleared away stones rolling nearby.

Joachim’s eyes narrowed when he saw her frantically sweeping the ground.

He doesn’t even know I’m saving his life!

Acelia glanced nervously at the still-spinning roulette.

……

[Not my problem? Ignore him back]

[Ignore me more! Discover a dangerous taste]

……

The roulette that had been spinning between insane choices gradually stopped.

Click. Ta-da!

[It was warm sunshine, not fierce wind, that removed the traveler’s clothes! You will 〈Enlighten him with sparkling wisdom〉!]

‘Ooh……! That’s reasonable! So what’s the method?’

The roulette remained silent.

‘How do I remove his clothes—no, enlighten him?’

No matter how much she called out, the roulette didn’t answer.

Acelia was dumbfounded at first, then anger surged.

‘Ah, damn! I knew this would happen. Why did you appear, why!’

Suddenly, Acelia became someone who received harsh words from Joachim, hurriedly cleared away stones, and then got angry at thin air.

What would Joachim think of her?

“What? What is it? Why are you lurking around Acelia again?”

“I’ll be taking my leave now.”

“Stop right there!”

When Liam approached, Joachim slightly frowned and walked away.

“Acelia, what were you talking about with that guy?!”

“……Liam.”

Acelia closed her eyes tightly and pressed her temples.

“Please shut your mouth. I already have a headache.”

Her mind was completely filled with thoughts of Joachim. Did he really believe what he said?

Come to think of it, she hadn’t heard why he wanted her to participate in the temple event. Could he have wanted to show her this? Why?

On top of that, the sudden homework she received. Like when she broke Liam’s head, the roulette’s choices had a compulsory force. Acelia would have to fulfill the choice somehow.

Otherwise……

Ding!

[Witnessing injustice troubles you. Heavy guilt weighs on your chest!]

See?

Already her chest felt heavy, like a stone had been placed on it. Not metaphorically—her heart literally felt tight.

Ugh. Pressuring people like this.

Suddenly wondering what Liam would think of this situation, she asked.

“Liam, those people over there diverted the relief supplies. Should we just leave them alone?”

“Ah~ really?”

Liam seemed uninterested. He paid more attention to the filth on his shoes. Frustrated, Acelia raised her voice.

“They diverted the relief supplies! They made people collect them two or three times! That’s why those children couldn’t get any!”

“So what? If we’re done, let’s go back quickly, Acelia. I can’t stay in a place like this for even ten more min—oof!”

Finally, Acelia smacked Liam on the back.

‘Good grief, what did I expect from this person.’

Leaving Liam screaming that he was dying, Acelia looked back at the children.

She couldn’t bring herself to ignore their desperate looks, eyes brimming with tears, silently pleading for help. Acelia bit her lip.

I’ll show him that there’s no such thing as unchangeable fate.

* * *

“Ah, I don’t know!”

Sitting at her desk with a pen for once, she crumpled up the paper full of doodles in despair.

Didn’t they say all Korean test-takers become stupid once they enter university? Somehow, everything she had studied so far felt useless.

Her pride in her academic achievements vanished as helplessly as a raccoon whose cotton candy had been washed away.

‘Reporting them won’t be a fundamental solution. We can’t monitor everything, and I don’t have the authority to deploy troops. How many nobles in this country care about the slums? I can’t do anything alone.’

Joachim was right. She couldn’t do it. At most, she could give the little kids some pocket money.

Ding!

[Unable to find a solution to the injustice, you’re in agony! Stress-induced circular hair loss is begin……]

Ah, stop!

“This is driving me crazy……”

In times like these, she couldn’t help but think about how efficient and reasonable her home country had been during the COVID-19 pandemic, depositing support funds directly into bank accounts based on household size.

That way, benefits were distributed fairly, and any problems like omissions could be spotted at a glance.

“Wait. Household size?”

While pondering the words, a flash of insight struck Acelia’s mind.

“Resident registration numbers! Yes, why didn’t I think of this before?”

Acelia unfolded the crumpled paper and quickly moved her pen.

She had heard that only a few countries worldwide implement resident registration numbers.

This was because people were wary of resident registration numbers being used by the state to control citizens, but Acelia, born in a country that used them from the beginning, had no aversion to them.

She actually thought they were convenient.

‘If I suddenly demand everyone register for resident numbers, there will naturally be resistance. Since I’m only trying to solve the inequality problem in the slums, I’ll limit the scope to the poor people and have them receive relief supplies directly, which should reduce the number of those who don’t receive any. The problem is how to monitor afterward.’

Like the saying “when the tiger is away, the rabbit is king,” even if she removed those currently ruling the slums, similar people would emerge again.

‘……That’s it! That would work.’

Acelia looked down at her roughly sketched plan with satisfaction.

I’m quite brilliant when it comes to clever thinking, aren’t I?

Now she just needed to find someone to take charge and implement this plan.

Though she wondered who would do such a thankless job, Acelia didn’t lose hope.

When a woman draws her sword, she should at least behead the enemy general.

Acelia solemnly gathered up the rolled paper.

* * *

“……Therefore! I would like to ask Duke Seta to take on this task.”

Acelia summoned Duke Seta to the palace.

She had considered visiting the ducal mansion directly but felt that would appear too intimate.

Perhaps she was using her connection to her friend’s father, but so what?

She steeled herself.

It’s not like he was someone she needed to impress; she could make a desperate request.

Duke Seta wore an enigmatic expression after hearing Acelia’s words.

Acelia gulped as she faced his unreadable countenance.

“Your Highness the Princess, forgive my rudeness, but what do you intend to do by identifying the number of poor people?”

“We cannot turn a blind eye to them forever.”

Her prepared answer flowed smoothly.

“They are also citizens of the Empire. The number of poor people increases every year, and unmanaged streets have turned into lawless zones. Just a short distance from the center of the capital, the stench is overwhelming, and people are starving to death. Yet we leave them unattended without any proper measures, which also lowers our national dignity.”

Good, I mentioned national dignity. Anyone involved in politics can’t ignore that.

“But wouldn’t it be more valuable to focus our time and resources elsewhere rather than on the poor?”

“Isn’t that excessively efficiency-oriented?”

Acelia countered.

“I’m not asking for much. I’m not suggesting we reform the slums. I’m simply saying that we should step up to help them maintain human dignity and value better than they do now. That’s what we, who enjoy privileges as nobles and the imperial family, should do.”

Dignity and value. Duke Seta’s eyes wavered at those words.

He looked at the determined Princess with surprised eyes.

‘Does the Princess not realize what she’s saying?’