Chapter 424: The End of Suniva
"Suniva is on the brink of ruin," Oswin said to the head of the Gin family, who sat on a lavish satin-covered chair.
"People are starving, and you, as the head of one of the powerful clans, should contribute as well. I am not asking for charity. Every grain will be returned after next year’s harvest. Just until then, please, help Suniva."
The head of the Gin family smiled gently. "I am certainly aware, my lord."
From the way he gritted out ’my lord’ with a smile, Oswin knew things would not go as he hoped.
"But you see, every region has its own problems. Our estate has suffered greatly. And you know how big our land is. We aren’t left with much. Surely you wouldn’t force my family to starve, just to feed a horde of beggars, right?"
Oswin was very much aware of how the Gin clan had been hoarding all the harvest for months. And the land in the Gin estate was far more fertile than in other regions
Every year, they would also take heavy tributes from the counties and towns.
But they preferred the grains to be eaten by rats rather than to feed them to the starving people.
Why? The answer was Oswin himself.
Years ago, when Oswin was fighting at the border, Theodore Darkhelm had promised the entire Suniva province to the Gin clan on the condition that Oswin died.
But he survived, and now Suniva
was still called Suniva and not the Land of Gin.Since the crowning of the new Archduke, that dream had been buried until Silas had offered some special deal to this old man.
And if he was acting this way, what kind of hope could Oswin have for Silas Valaria?
Who among them cared about the corpses increasing day by day?
Oswin held back his curses as he tried again. "I know you stopped other families from supporting me. But can you put our animosity aside and at least think of the people? If you have any conditions, just tell me."
That made the grin on the old man’s face widen.
"Since you put it that way, my Gin family can lend you grains, but you have to fulfill two of my conditions."
There it was.
They wanted to see Oswin bow to them, and the poor governor didn’t care about his self-esteem anymore.
"Go ahead. Tell me what you want."
"I am a generous person, so I will give you two choices for my first condition. Either accept his majesty Silas as your liege and swear your loyalty to him."
The grim look on his face made the old man laugh.
"Don’t look so tight, my lord. You can also do this instead. Give me the seal of the governor. Kneel down and apologize for your insolence."
"You are going too far!"
If Oswin gave the seal away, everything would fall under the head of the Gin family. It would be nothing but opening the gates for a new kind of disaster.
"Don’t be so rash now. I still have to tell you my second condition. You don’t get to pick and choose in this one, though."
Even without listening to it, Oswin knew he wouldn’t like whatever came out of that grinning mouth.
"Your granddaughter Crystal will be wed to my third son. A perfect match, don’t you think?"
The third son was nearing his fifties, and it was Oswin who threw him in jail for committing crimes against the daughters of other smaller families.
Oswin’s hands trembled at his sides. Only sheer will kept him from drawing his sword.
"You! You and the master you serve both deserve to rot in hell!"
Spitting those words, Oswin stood up to leave, only for the old man to snort.
"How dare you offend his majesty? Are you still counting on the support of Darius? Don’t you know the entire church and royal army are after Xion?" the old man mocked.
"Why would Darius come to save you when he couldn’t even save his blind husband? Open your eyes, old fool. The world has changed, and left you behind."
"No. Not for me." Oswin said. "As long as I have a single breath left, I wouldn’t associate with the likes of you!"
The head of the Gin family suddenly laughed. A mocking laugh that felt like a slap on Oswin’s angry face.
"My gates are always open, for when your pride finally turns to ash."
Because he was sure Darius wouldn’t come. Even if the Archduke sends some help, he could easily withhold it at the entrance gates of the province.
It would leave Oswin with nothing.
The old man waved at his third son to help him stand up from his seat.
"It’s time for our dinner. I won’t offer it to you."
Oswin watched as the entire Gin family happily went to eat the scrumptious meal. Even from afar, he could smell the scent of freshly cooked meat and bread.
Absurd. So ridiculous.
Oswin was so angry that his beard trembled. His blood pressure soared, and the ground beneath his feet seemed to shake with every step he took toward the refugee camp.
However, it didn’t take more than a week before Oswin was standing back at the gates of the Gin family.
Someone burned the storage where the grains were stored. There was nothing but charcoal left.
The entire Gin family, including his sons and grandchildren, stood there, watching him with smug smiles. The position of Governor was about to fall into their hands.
Oswin’s cheeks had sunken so much that it was hard to even recognize him. No one would be able to match his face with the radiant figure he was in the past.
His shoulders sagged under the terrible weight of thousands of lives. His gaze fell toward the sky where the morning sun had just started to peek out behind the clouds.
So this is how Suniva ends, he thought. Not with swords or fire, but with my knees breaking before a snake.
His knees lowered, and with a heavy thud, he hit the floor.
The laughter that rang in his ears was worse than death itself. It was the tolling of Suniva’s death bell.
Before Oswin could force the apology from his lips, a loud voice startled all of them, including the cluster of people gathered there to watch.
"His Grace is here! The divine healer is also here! My lord, help has arrived!"