Appreciative of the respect and kindness shown, the peasant spoke while holding back his tears, "I'm Alex Payne, Your Holiness. I come from Hillington County of the Zon Duchy. Last year, there was no rain in the region, and our crops were ruined. But Count Hillington refused to hear our plea and demanded the tax as usual. When we couldn't pay, he offered to lend us money so we could pay the tax.
"This year, our crops yielded less than we hoped, and we could only afford to pay the tax in the form of grains. But the Count demanded we repay the loan as well as the interests—we have no such money, Your Holiness.
"The Count would send his soldiers to our village and harass us from time to time. They sometimes beat our people and openly steal from us. On occasion, they even burned down our small homes. We try to hide our wives, mothers, and daughters when they come because… because of rape.
