Chapter 312
Chapter 312
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Reforming Rose
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Reforming Rose in my own way turned out to be more difficult than expected, yet surprisingly easy.
It was fundamentally challenging, but perhaps because it was just scaling up what I'd been doing since childhood?
Fortunately, it was much easier than I'd initially thought.
I brought my businesses into the Rose Earldom to stimulate the economy vigorously and renovated the roads and transportation to facilitate easier exchanges with regions outside the territory....
"Demolish that building over there. It's useless anyway, and no one lives in it. Just tear it down, and if anyone complains later, build them a new one then."
"Understood."
"And for the cleared space, convert it entirely into farmland that's easy to cultivate."
"Should we do it to the size you specified before?"
"Yes, please proceed that way."
Lately, I'd been traveling around the interior of the territory for redevelopment.
Tearing down useless buildings, developing unused land, and repeating the process.
The areas around the central square, where people gathered a lot, or other key spots had improved thanks to the businesses I'd brought in.
But other places were still in poor condition.
Even without my businesses, the Rose Family needed to generate their own income.
Self-sufficiency was sorely lacking, but the businesses alone had made significant improvements.
Still, it fell short of what the Rose Family name deserved.
That was why I was creating farmland, maintaining ties with Nordal and Rosaki—families connected to me—and diligently preparing.
"Aunt, just to confirm, is it okay to cut down the trees surrounding the territory?"
"As long as it's not excessive, it should be fine. Those trees are just there for decoration anyway."
"That's a relief."
"Why? Planning to build something there?"
"I'm thinking of constructing a church. Nothing too big, just a moderate size."
"...A church?"
In the future, there would be a lot more workers inside the Rose Territory.
Previously, a few landowners with small plots had employed people at meager wages.
Now, I planned to have them work directly under the Rose Family.
Demolishing that earlier building to make way for farmland was part of it, as was bringing in my businesses.
"The territory folk will have to work really hard from now on, right?"
"Probably."
"Religion is important for laborers."
Didn't a certain very red figure say that?
Religion is the opium of the people.
Of course, it was overly succinct in many ways, but the impact stuck with me.
"I'll pay them decently, but I'll also expect them to work hard for it."
"Yeah."
"In return, I'll give them weekends off. They can rest at the church while at it—hear some uplifting words there and motivate themselves to work hard the following week."
"That's your intention...?"
"Yes. No need to build a bunch of entertainment facilities right away. A church should suffice."
I'd get help from acquaintances to staff the church anyway.
Plus, I'd skim a portion of the operating funds as payment for it....
Since I'd provide the land and building, it was only right to collect periodically.
"Hmm...."
"I'm covering all the costs anyway. No need to worry."
"Well, it's going to be yours soon enough. Do as you like."
"Hehe, true. I'm already doing pretty much whatever I want."
I toured the earldom slowly, chatting with Alexandra.
She was the most helpful for these matters, having handled similar tasks for a few months.
Rozalin had no real experience with this.
Lize was still focused on her maid duties.
And Ashley... was Ashley.
It was an unavoidable choice by my standards.
"But what else are you planning to do today?"
"Hm?"
"You're working seven days a week now. Are you some kind of work machine? Even farmers don't come out every day like this."
"...It's just riding in a carriage or walking short distances anyway."
"No, I want to rest too!"
"......."
...Well, maybe.
My schedule wasn't much different from when I used to work my hardest.
It felt like a bit of overreaction.
*
"Grace, it's been a while."
"About a month."
"Karen sis couldn't come because she's busy studying, right?"
"Yeah, she said she still has a ton to learn, so no choice."
It had been a while since I last saw my girlfriend.
Grace, whom I was meeting for the first time since staying in Rose.
I saw Rozalin, Ashley, and the others I met daily, but I hadn't seen the girlfriends living in other regions at all lately.
We couldn't help but smile upon seeing each other.
"Anyway, so this is Rose?"
"First time?"
"Even among count families, there's a hierarchy. We had no reason to come to Rose first."
"Pfft, fair enough."
Comparing it to Rosaki was impossible.
Anyway, Grace had arrived in Rose.
"So? You called me here looking all unprepared—what do you want?"
"I want to get closer to the Rosaki side. Well, Grace and I are already close, but Rose and Rosaki aren't."
"True."
"But since I'm taking over Rose anyway, it seems good to improve relations between the families starting now."
"Why not go to Ivana? You always ask her for stuff like this."
"...Did I?"
Did I?
Grace pouted as she said it, but honestly, I wasn't sure.
I had discussed business with Ivana before... but I didn't always rely on her.
"Didn't I ask you and Karen sis before too?"
"Yeah, but you asked Ivana more."
"Hmm... In that case, Ella's the most pitiful. She always gets pushed aside by Ivana, you, and Karen sis."
"...Oh, really?"
"Yes. Business-wise, I haven't talked to her much in the last few months. I've barely met her at all."
"Was that so...?"
"Yes. We're close, but I've been too busy lately. No helping it."
Well, I understood why Grace felt bad.
But when it came to business, treating my girlfriends equally got tricky in various ways.
I couldn't proudly say I hadn't advanced my business and family through their help.
But that was different from this.
Rewarding girlfriends who helped with business would inevitably disadvantage others.
"Anyway, it's your call. Ella's too gentle—she'll stay quiet unless you bring it up first."
"Hahaha...."
"You're not going to keep ignoring her, right? You'll treat her well later."
As Grace said, I'd handle it myself.
Of course, work was piling up and I was tired.
But once I had some leeway, I'd do as they wished, starting with developing the Rose Territory like this.
I had to do it, no matter how annoying.
"Let's talk business first. What do you need?"
"Hmm.... Could your family distribute their wine here?"
"Again?"
*
"If you have any priests or nuns you're connected to, send them here."
"...Huh?"
This was why I'd called Grace instead of Ivana.
Among my girlfriends, excluding me, she had the most diverse connections, and they were reasonably neutral.
Karen's connections ended with my girlfriends.
Ivana believed in a northern religion, so she surely had no ties to the Sun God Church priests of the standard imperial faith.
That was why I'd summoned Grace this time.
"I'm planning to build a church in a few months. But I don't have connections with... upright people like that."
"...Figures."
"But having a church in the territory seems like it would definitely be good."
Well, truthfully, it was to give laborers a day off and get them right back to hard work.
But admitting that outright to my girlfriends would make me seem like a terrible person.
"The territory folk would surely love it, right? I don't believe in religion, but everyone else seems to pretty devout."
"Wow.... You thought of that?"
"Yes. It's the territory I'll manage now, after all. Gotta do it right."
"...It feels so out of character, like you're pretending to be nice. You know that?"
"Really? I don't think so."
Well, Grace didn't seem fully convinced, but I made the request for a priest or nun dispatch anyway.
No rush to complete the church immediately.
We could take it slow....
"But Grace, isn't it great seeing each other after so long?"
"...Yeah, it is."
"Last time, Ella told me that if I invite you or other girlfriends to the territory, I have to invite her too without fail."
"...What?"
She'd said that before I came to Rose.
Always invite her if I was calling another girlfriend.
"...For real?"
"Yes. From Ella's perspective, living nearby, it feels like she's been left out."
"...You didn't invite her? What were you planning...? You know how scary it is when a sweet girl like her gets mad?"
"Pfft, I know that well."
It was obvious that the angriest from a usually kind person was the scariest.
So Ella mad would definitely be frightening.
"...So?"
"I sent a letter to you first, then to Ella a few days later."
"...Huh?"
"Don't we need some alone time together too?"
"...Ah."
"But you'll have to head back home a bit earlier."
It was my way of balancing time among girlfriends.
Grace arrives early and leaves early; Ella arrives late and leaves late—a simple solution.
I could've had them arrive together, but I liked one-on-one time too.
I'd planned this deliberately.
"Let's have fun together before Ella arrives."
"...Yeah."
...A plan any girlfriend would love, naturally.