"How many years have we struggled in the mud? Our children, our grandchildren, generation after generation living beneath the boots of the nobles. Today, I finally heard a king say those words—he said we are equals... This isn't just talk, this is hope!"
In the crowd, a white-haired old man with trembling hands stroked the cheek of his equally tearful wife.
"I remember the year my child fell ill and needed money for a doctor, but the nobles' taxes left us without enough to eat, let alone pay for medicine. I could only watch helplessly as my child died in my arms..."
Chapter 25