Our Family Has Fallen

Chapter 318: Chapter 235: Serving Hamlet!_1

In this era, nighttime entertainment was actually quite abundant, and some even indulged in extravagant activities. Take Lantern Street in Totnes, for example. It was vast, catering to men and women of all ages and builds; it truly had something for everyone. This was only a small part of it; the entertainment venues in Totnes consisted of long streets, even whole districts, where various amusement methods would drain the ”wallets” of those who ventured into them.

However, Totnes’s prosperity did not mean other places shared its fortune. Just a short distance away, in the Outer City or the suburban farms, nighttime recreation was scarce. Most people simply curled up in cramped spaces to sleep. Not to mention other towns far from the city, where most people could hardly afford nighttime lighting, let alone entertainment. For workers, nighttime activities were generally limited to those available in commercial areas, such as ports, if any.

Town and village dwellers typically went to sleep around seven or eight o’clock. Consequently, they received more sleep than most people in modern times.

But in Hamlet, the situation was somewhat different. Public lectures were held in the square at night, teaching simple knowledge. Lance had initially promoted this to encourage numeracy and to teach three to five vocabulary words daily, aiming to spread knowledge. But as attendance grew, the importance of this gathering increased. Beyond basic education, it became a platform for announcing policies and collecting public feedback.

This was not a job for just anyone. It required literacy and clear, organized thinking. After selection, the task eventually fell to the principal—Rosa.

Those who attended these lessons were considered relatively ambitious. The majority of the townsfolk would have already gone home to sleep. To them, literacy or illiteracy made no difference to the speed of their bricklaying.

Following procedure, they reviewed the three vocabulary words from yesterday and learned three new ones for today. The policy to be learned today was the public order ordinance: Hamlet strictly forbade assault and murder, and any incidents were to be reported to the security team immediately.

Once the lecture concluded, people quickly began to inquire about the news that had circulated that day.

”Where did My Lord go?”

Mrs. Rosa explained the situation candidly. Upon receiving confirmation, the people felt a genuine sense of security from the news. The relatives of patients who had been waiting anxiously couldn’t help but shed tears. These were not tears of sorrow, but of gratitude for everything the Lord had done for them.

Rosa noted the people’s reactions. Having grown up and lived in the city, she hadn’t had much contact with noble lords. A movement to boycott the nobility system had even become popular in her school, as students championed it, believing the city to be progressive and open, and the school a place of civilization.

But watching those students passionately campaign for this, she found it laughable. As an adult, she had her own understanding of the city’s bureaucratic system. The so-called nobility system had always been present; in the city, it merely went by the name of bureaucracy.

Her life had been manageable enough that she hadn’t paid such systems much mind, until the disaster struck, shattering her last shred of confidence in the Empire. She had believed the world was doomed to despair. But now, she sensed someone different—distinct from both the Imperial Nobles and the city’s bureaucrats.

The lecture lasted nearly two hours, from seven to nine o’clock. It was not an easy task, and her throat had grown quite hoarse.

After class, the townsfolk would address her as ”Principal Rosa” or ”Mrs. Rosa,” always with kind words. Some brought her berries they had picked; others offered wild vegetables dug up from unknown patches, or fresh sea fish caught that morning.

However, Rosa declined all these gifts. She knew these people had ulterior motives: their children attended her school, and they were hoping for preferential treatment. She knew the Lord would not appreciate such gestures, and she herself was content with her current life; she wouldn’t invite trouble.

As a reward for her efforts in maintaining order in the town, although Rosa hadn’t asked for anything, Lance eventually provided her with a larger house built of brick and stone. Such houses were rare in town. Their construction time and cost were incomparable to those of ordinary dwellings. Very few had been built in this period; most were structures that had survived from before.

But when Rosa returned home, she noticed something amiss. Her daughter, Joan, was copying books by candlelight. The roots of her hair were slightly moist, and tiny droplets of sweat beaded the tip of her nose. Although the weather was hot these days, the evening temperature wasn’t so high that one would sweat just from sitting still.

At that moment, Rosa frowned and asked sternly, ”You’ve gone against my wishes again, haven’t you?”

As a teacher, Rosa maintained strict discipline at home. Her sharp tone instantly made Joan sit bolt upright and turn to look at her.

How could a mother not know her own daughter? One look at Joan, and she knew the girl had been exercising again. Her daughter had always been so obedient and intelligent. She had planned to cultivate her into a respectable scholar. But after enduring such hardships, Joan had begun to pursue strength, diverting the focus she once had on her studies to physical training instead. Other students showed little interest in this physical training; they preferred studying, even devouring knowledge greedily. Joan, however, was the opposite. She had developed an interest in physical training and dedicated her free time to it. For Rosa, this was unacceptable. This was one of the reasons she wanted to send her daughter to the Lord’s side.