The fighting within the Royal City continued unabated. The dignitaries who had been invited up to the ramparts were either there because they had been implicated in some affair and detained, or they were simply trapped, unable to return to their homes. Of course, most of them were lucky; while they could not go home, at least their homes still stood.
Our side did not mistreat these people. We provided food and drink as needed, and by midnight, we had even prepared open-air bedding for them—everything was well-arranged.
Although most of them were too anxious to sleep, some were simply unable to hold out any longer. My naive, innocent mother, for instance, had eaten and drank her fill, tried and failed to swear sisterhood with some other women, and after throwing a brief tantrum, had actually fallen asleep. It is said that fools have their own brand of luck, and that is certainly no empty phrase. Only someone as thick-skinned and carefree as her could fall asleep at a time like this.
Chapter 266