Chapter110

Hmm… this really is even more strange than the purity seal women have.

But that's not the point.

Elara walked forward and saw the young boy almost in tears from all the mocking around him. His eyes were red and his body was shaking.

She raised her hand, and Uno, along with the suddenly appearing Dos and Tres, pushed aside the crowd and cleared a path for her.

The men standing farther away had already noticed the rare sight of a woman like Elara, but since she had been standing behind the crowd, those yelling in front hadn't paid much attention.

Now, seeing several skilled guards suddenly appear around her, and even though she wore simple clothes, her aura and refined beauty clearly showed she wasn't an ordinary person.

As her guards moved the others aside, the mocking men began to quiet down and took a few steps back.

Elara walked up to the boy with red eyes and glanced at the cloth in his hands. It seemed to be what he had used earlier to cover the flower mark on his forehead and hide his identity.

"You're not from the Plumera State?"

The space in front of the boy, which had been tightly packed, suddenly opened up, and light shone in. He looked up and met Elara's eyes, clearly stunned.

Only after Elara asked again did he snap out of it. He quickly lowered his head, wiped his red eyes, and answered softly.

"I'm not from Marigold County, but I am from Plumera. I was picked up by Grandma when I was five. She raised me in Lian Village outside Marigold, but not long ago, rebels raided the village.

Her son died, her daughter was taken, and Grandma became seriously ill. I had no choice but to escape with her.

I heard Marigold was opening the granaries and taking in people from outside the city for work, so I brought Grandma here."

As he spoke, the boy suddenly gritted his teeth and dropped to his knees in front of Elara, banging his head to the ground.

"Kind one! I've lived in Lian Village my whole life. People always mocked me for the flower mark on my forehead and called me a man from a matriarchal country, but I've always considered myself a child of Plumera!

I'm just as strong as they are! I can work! Grandma's illness is very serious, and I can't delay anymore!

Please let me work here! As long as you say yes, I'll do anything you ask!"

Elara nodded. She now understood the situation.

But she didn't answer him right away. Instead, she stepped forward and helped him up, then glanced at the officials still taking down work applications.

She looked back at the boy and asked again, "How long have you been waiting here?"

The boy stared at her in surprise. He hadn't expected such a noble girl to help him up herself.

"N-not long… I just got here…" Then his headscarf, which had covered the mark on his forehead, fell off by accident and someone noticed. That's how he ended up like this.

Elara nodded again, then turned and pointed at the crowd that still hadn't dispersed. "Tell me, which ones were the first to mock you? And which ones pushed or hit you?"

The boy froze and stared at her again in surprise.

The men she pointed at finally realized something was wrong. Afraid of getting into trouble, they tried to slip away quietly.

But with Uno, Dos, and Tres there, no one could move without Elara's signal.

Elara patted the dazed boy on the shoulder and asked again. This time, he snapped out of it, blushing as he pointed at the men who had insulted and shoved him the most.

Elara followed his hand with her eyes. She let go of him and casually walked over to those men.

"I heard you all earlier. You seem to really hate the idea of being beneath a woman. But the reason you're even allowed to work here is because the Princess gave you that chance.

What, do you look down on the Princess too?"

The men had looked fierce before, but now, faced with Elara's words, even though they didn't know who she was, her tone frightened them.

Two of them dropped to their knees in front of her immediately.

"Your... Your Grace, we... we've just never seen men from a matriarchal country before. We were just a little curious..."

"We... we would never look down on Her Highness the Eldest Princess..." They had all been in Marigold County on the day the governor's office was wiped out. They saw with their own eyes how quickly the swords fell on people like Gao Qiong. How could they not be afraid?

"We... we just... just..."

"Please... please forgive us..."

The group was so frightened they could barely speak clearly, stammering uncontrollably. But Elara said calmly, "Oh? So if you weren't looking down on the Eldest Princess, by what you just said, are you saying you look down on the men in her residence? Hmm? Just because a man is under a woman's rule, is he missing an arm or a leg? Or is he no longer a man? The Eldest Princess has always had men under her, and every one of them was outstanding. Like the eldest son of the Pei Family in Summer Capital, or the last top scholar of Plumera State. What? Just because they served the Eldest Princess, you now think you're better than them? That they're no longer real men?"

The commoners had already been terrified by Elara's earlier words. Now, hearing this, their hearts sank even further.

"No... no! Your Grace, they were sons of heaven. It was only right that they served the Eldest Princess. We... we wouldn't dare look down on them... no, never..."

"Then why aren't others considered men just the same?" Elara interrupted coldly. "And do you think being able to bear children is something shameful? If no one gives birth anymore, wouldn't the whole line just die off?"

The men were speechless, shivering with fear. Many of the onlookers nearby started changing their expressions as they listened.

But Elara said no more after that sentence.

The debate between patriarchal and matriarchal systems had lasted thousands of years without end. People from both types of countries often mocked and insulted each other.

Elara had no intention of sparking any ideological revolution. In the future, if Plumera State grew strong, she would use both types of people equally as long as they were capable.

She ignored the men's stammering pleas and turned to Uno.

"Uno, go call the new officer from the patrol unit. Tell him to take these men in for disturbing the public peace."

The men had just been begging a moment ago. But now that Elara mentioned government officers so casually, as if it were a given right to command them, their faces immediately changed.

The few who had still been standing quickly dropped to their knees with a thud, bowing their heads and begging for mercy.

Elara didn't respond. Instead, she looked at the crowd of job seekers who had been quietly waiting in line but were now nervously glancing over. She raised her hand and gestured to Kalyan behind her.

Kalyan quickly understood and rushed to the front of the line, raising his voice loudly to reassure the crowd:

"Don't worry, everyone, don't be scared. We're only dealing with a few troublemakers. As long as everyone follows the rules, stays in line, and doesn't cause problems, the authorities will never arrest people without reason. Everyone just stay calm, you'll be fine..."

He shouted loudly several times. Only then did the crowd quiet down and return to their orderly queue.

Uno went off personally to fetch the officer, so it didn't take long.

Within a few minutes, the new officer arrived in a sweat, bringing soldiers with him. They took the troublemakers away. At the same time, the officials in charge of recruitment, who had been trapped deep in the crowd, finally managed to squeeze their way out. They brought their supervisor with them and caught sight of Elara in the middle of the group.

The supervisor gasped. He had attended the state assembly before and Elara's appearance was etched in his memory. Now, seeing this powerful figure surrounded by people in the street, he panicked. Images of the severed heads hanging in the city center flashed through his mind, and he wondered if his own head might soon join them.

"Y... Your Highn..."

He trembled as he stepped up to Elara, ready to kneel and greet her formally. But she caught him mid-motion and stopped his words.

"Enough. I'm just here for a casual look. I saw someone causing a disturbance and dealt with it. You just make sure to strengthen your patrols and deal with any future disturbances properly."

"Y... Yes..."

The supervisor and the new officer were relieved that Elara wasn't angry and that her tone remained calm. They both hurried to agree.

Elara pointed to the young man still staring at her in shock and said to the supervisor, "Record his information. If similar cases happen again, regardless of identity, as long as the person isn't a criminal, go ahead and recruit them. The recruitment policy has never depended on whether a country is patriarchal or matriarchal. As long as someone is willing and able to work, Marigold County won't turn them away."