Reborn as a Mind-Reading Empress
Chapter 514: She’s Diligent and Capable [Bonus - ]

Chapter 514: She’s Diligent and Capable [Bonus Chapter]

"She would have had to read a ton of books. But how was she able to take in all that information in that short amount of time? There are those who do not pass despite studying from childhood," Narcissa pointed out.

"Simple. Because she’s diligent and capable.

"Ivan is on a different level, but Nadia also has a strong memory and understanding.

"Even if Nadia had not studied for the exams since childhood, she was able to make up for it with effort and diligence.

"She was determined and desperate to help her oppressed, hungry, sick, and dying people. Thus, she poured her heart and soul into it for a chance to alleviate her people’s situation.

"She barely had sleep while juggling her work and studies. It all bore fruit when she successfully made it with the top marks," Arabella clarified.

Narcissa still doesn’t seem convinced, so it is better to show her the root of Nadia’s desperation.

"Desperation brings out the best and the worst in people. For Nadia, who loved her people so much, there was a time when what was right or wrong barely mattered anymore just so she could help their people at least be able to eat and drink and have enough clothing. You must have heard by now that she once was a mercenary?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"They did even life-threatening jobs such as killing monsters just to bring home some resources. All because they loved their people so much and were devoted to their duties and responsibilities as the leading household of Safiro."

"Killing monsters?!" Narcissa gasped. "Nadia can kill monsters?! She’s that skilled with the sword? Isn’t she afraid of them? She could die any moment."

"Yes, she could. Of course, there may have been a time when she was scared to die. But after seeing all their people suffer to that extent, she had to brave her fears.

"After witnessing how your men beat up Ivan, she could have decapitated them if she wanted to. But she’s not that kind of person," Arabella added for Narcissa to know that Nadia could have fought back but chose not to because of the possible repercussions.

As planned, Arabella gestured for Riley to show Narcissa what Safiro looked like when they first visited.

"Look at this. What do you think is this place?"

"A wasteland, Your Majesty. There are traces of settlement so it must have been occupied before but was abandoned. Perhaps because it is arid and desolate," Narcissa replied quickly.

[Why is Her Majesty showing this to me?]

"This is Safiro just a few months ago and it was like this for years. Those broken-down houses still had people living in them," Arabella revealed.

"What?! How?! This place looks dead. It doesn’t look like there’s anything living in it," Narcissa blinked repeatedly and tried to get a closer look at the houses.

"These are the people living there," Arabella had Riley show what the Safirans looked like when they first visited and Narcissa gasped.

"W-What’s these? What’s wrong with them? Are they even alive?!!" Narcissa was horrified at their sickly, weak, and malnourished appearances. They looked dirty as well since there was no water to clean up. They looked so exhausted, but their eyes had that glint that screamed they were alive.

"They are. These are the people of Safiro who survived after everything they went through. As you can see, there’s much less of them compared to their recorded population. All of them were malnourished since their only source of food was by working in the mines to get daily rations. But those rations were just soup and bread that may only come once a day. Most of the time it was just soup. There were times they were not able to eat at all in a matter of days," Arabella revealed.

Nadia did not go into detail since she knew she would be more emotional and may end up crying.

Arabella wanted Narcissa to know just how much difficulty Nadia had gone through, yet survived and persevered, just to be where she was now. Only to be looked down upon and accused of cheating by Narcissa.

"Even Nadia and her siblings who were supposed to be the royalty of Safiro had to work in the mines just to be able to eat. It was a situation that would have made other people give up. But Safiro was battle-hardened. They had a strong will and did their best to survive despite the seemingly hopeless situation."

"They even mined?!! Nadia did? But she looks so cheerful every day to the point it’s irritating," Narcissa couldn’t believe it.

"Yes, they mined. She looks cheerful here because her situation is already so much better compared to everything she went through. And she’s already assured that her people are not dying of illness, hunger, overwork, or abuse. She appreciates every little thing because she has been through so much. Just being able to eat thrice a day already makes her happy," Arabella explained.

[It was that bad?]

Narcissa gulped. She was beginning to feel bad for Nadia.

But Arabella wasn’t done yet. She would tell Narcissa more to make her understand that Nadia was not the kind of person to cheat. She was one to work hard for her goal.

"Since their father and eldest brother were imprisoned by Count Dempsey, they could not go against him. A magician was also involved and made it difficult to fight back.

"The Count made them think their father and eldest brother were both alive to make them do their bidding. Until Nadia and her siblings realized that they had to risk even the lives of their father and eldest sibling or else all their people will perish. They did not know the two were long dead."

[I see. No wonder the Count was executed. It caused quite an uproar when it spread that a Count was executed in Arno.]

"Due to this situation, as the children of the Chief of the Safiro, they knew it was their duty to save their people.

"Too many have died, and many were sick so they decided to risk their own lives in hopes that they could help their people.

"Nadia and her older siblings did their best to escape the fully guarded borders and find a way of survival outside their homeland. Three of their siblings remained to lead and protect their people while the elder ones searched for work to be able to bring home resources."