The answer

The rhythmic motion of the carriage had almost lulled Zach into a state of ease, but the sudden halt pulled him back to reality. Outside, the torches flickered against the evening sky, revealing a mass of people kneeling in the dirt road. A hundred? Maybe more. They were silent, heads lowered in a display of submission and desperation.

His mother, Lady Vivian, looked up from her thoughts, her sharp mind quickly assessing the situation. His sister clung to her arm, sensing the shift in the air. The carriage door remained shut, but the tension among the guards outside was evident.

Zach peeked through the small opening in the window. A young teenager, knelt at the front of the crowd. Her posture was stiff, her hands clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Her clothes were torn and stained, her cheeks hollow from hunger. Behind her, men and women many sickly, some holding children bowed their heads, their expressions unreadable in the dim light.

He observed the surrounding citizens of Ravennest. Some had stopped to watch, whispering amongst themselves. A few seemed sympathetic, their faces filled with pity, while others turned away in discomfort. Then there were those who looked on with scorn, seeing the refugees as nothing more than a nuisance.

Zach's analytical mind kicked in. This wasn't just a plea for help this was a last resort. He had studied enough history in his past life to recognize the signs. When people were ignored for too long, desperation turned to anger, and anger turned to chaos. If they were turned away now, it wouldn't just be a few refugees leaving in disappointment. It could become something worse.

The guards were on edge, waiting for an order. Would they force the refugees aside? Drive them away? His mother could order their removal, and it would be within her right. After all, they weren't citizens of Ravennest. But if she did, what would it mean for the people's trust in her?

He turned to look at her. She was unreadable, her eyes locked on the kneeling girl at the front of the crowd. A silence stretched between them all, thick with expectation.

Then, in one deliberate motion, Lady Vivian reached for the door handle.

Zach sat quietly inside the carriage, his small hands gripping the edge of his seat as he watched through the small window. The flickering torchlight illuminated the gathered figures in the street refugees, thin and desperate, blocking their path. His mother, Vivian, remained composed, not a single hint of panic in her expression.

"Stand up. I cannot speak with someone who has thrown themselves to the ground in such a manner."

The woman hesitated before slowly lifting her head. Others around her murmured, uncertain whether to obey or remain where they were. Vivian's sharp gaze swept across the gathered refugees.

"You will cease blocking the road at once. If you require an audience with me, there is no need for such desperate measures."

Her voice was commanding, yet not unkind. The tension in the air was thick, but Vivian did not falter. She did not move backward, nor did she avert her gaze from the crowd. Zach, observing closely, noted that she was not merely dismissing them she was controlling the situation before it spiraled beyond her grasp.

The woman, still kneeling but now meeting Vivian's eyes, spoke, her voice trembling. "We… we have nowhere else to go. We have nothing left. Please, Lady Vivian, hear us."

Vivian let out a quiet breath before replying. "I understand your plight. And because I understand, I will listen. However, I will not negotiate in the middle of the road. Choose a representative among you. I will grant an audience to discuss your needs and what will be done moving forward."

Zach observed the reaction of the refugees. Uncertainty flickered across their faces, but there was also something else hope. His mother was not promising miracles, nor was she offering empty sympathy. She was giving them structure, a path forward, one that required cooperation rather than chaos.

The guards, who had been prepared for forceful intervention, relaxed slightly at her words. The gathered people began to shift, some whispering among themselves. Slowly, the tension in the air started to ease.

Zach leaned back in his seat, thinking. His mother was not just a noblewoman handing out charity. She was a leader, one who understood that control and diplomacy must go hand in hand.

Even in a moment where desperation could lead to recklessness, Vivian had asserted herself without cruelty, without unnecessary force. She had turned what could have been an act of defiance into an act of submission on her terms.

Zach smiled faintly to himself. His mother was more than capable. And he had no doubt that whatever she decided next, it would be nothing short of brilliant.

The next day

Zach sat in his mother's room, absentmindedly playing with Miya as the meeting unfolded before him. The tension in the air was thick, but he remained silent, observing as Vivian handled the situation with her usual commanding presence. Across from her sat Mara, the teenage girl who had led the group of refugees in blocking the road the previous night.

Mara's hands trembled as she clenched them together, her voice wavering as she finally spoke.

"I… I'm sorry for what happened last night, Lady Vivian. If it made you angry, please, punish me instead. I started it. I will take full responsibility."

Zach's gaze shifted to his mother. Vivian did not react immediately. Her expression was unreadable as she leaned slightly forward, her fingers tapping lightly against the armrest of her chair. When she finally spoke, her voice was calm but firm.

"I don't care about what happened yesterday."

Mara's eyes widened slightly, her breath hitching in her throat.

"What I care about is what we do next. You said you'd take responsibility?"

Mara nodded hastily, gripping the hem of her worn-out cloak. "Yes! If it means saving the others, I'll do whatever you ask!"

Vivian exhaled slowly before delivering her next words, ones that made even Zach widen his eyes.

"You can't be accepted the way things are."

The room fell into a heavy silence. Mara visibly flinched at those words, her mouth opening slightly but no words coming out. Zach watched closely, trying to understand what his mother meant. But before Mara could despair, Vivian continued.

"Resources within the territory are limited. We barely have enough to sustain our current citizens, let alone a sudden influx of refugees. If we simply take you in and support you indefinitely, we will all suffer. Do you understand?"

Mara lowered her head, her hands tightening into fists. Zach could see the conflict in her expression the desperate hope and the crushing reality of their situation clashing within her mind.

Vivian didn't stop there.

"Space is also an issue. If we cram all of you into the town, there will be chaos. You saw how the fights have already started among the refugees, didn't you?"

Mara bit her lip and nodded, unable to deny the truth.

Zach let out a slow breath, understanding now why his mother had handled things this way. She wasn't being cruel she was being practical. Simply taking them in wasn't a solution; it was a temporary patch that would eventually tear apart. His mother was planning something. She always did.

Mara fell to her knees, her hands clasped together, her voice trembling with desperation.

"Please, Lady Vivian, we will do anything! We will work, we will follow the rules, we won't be a burden just don't send us away! We have nowhere else to go!"

Her plea echoed in the quiet chamber, but before she could continue, Vivian raised her hand, cutting her off mid-sentence.

"Enough." Her tone was firm but not unkind. "Crying and begging will not solve your problem, nor will it change the reality of the situation."

Zach, seated in the corner with Miya in his lap, observed the exchange in silence. He had expected Mara's desperation, but what intrigued him more was his mother's response. His mind raced as he considered what she might be planning.

The problem they faced was something he had never needed to handle in his past life. Back then, disaster management was an established system, prepared long before he had ever stepped into office. Shelters were built, emergency supplies stockpiled, and government agencies coordinated efforts to mitigate any crises. Refugee issues, at least on this scale, were simply not something he had to personally oversee.

But here, in this world, there were no large-scale contingency plans. No organized humanitarian response. Resources were scarce, and every decision carried weight far beyond simple policies and procedures. The difference between the two worlds had never been clearer to him than at this moment.

Vivian's gaze swept over Mara and the other representatives from the refugees, her expression unreadable.

"I have already thought of a way to help you," she finally said, breaking the heavy silence in the room.

Mara's eyes widened, hope flickering through her exhausted features, but Vivian continued before she could speak.

"However, I will not entertain unrealistic expectations. What I propose will require your full cooperation, discipline, and willingness to work."

At that moment, the doors to the chamber swung open. Sebastian entered, his composed demeanor unchanged despite the tension in the room. Beside him stood Hadrian, his usual smirk absent as he studied the situation.

Zach's interest piqued. If Sebastian and Hadrian were involved, then his mother's plan wasn't just an empty promise it was something carefully thought out.

And whatever it was, it would determine the fate of every refugee standing before them.