Chapter 7
Chapter 7
"About the remaining roots."
Brisa gave her instructions calmly.
"They're hard and dense, so if we sell them separately, they should bring in some money. If you give us additional rice bran or wheat bran left in the guild warehouse, I'll also let you collect the roots."
In any case, the roots had to be pulled out before planting the seed potatoes.
By using the labor the guild master could mobilize, we could obtain rice bran or wheat bran and also save our own manpower.
'There's so much work ahead. I have to save every hand I can.'
The guild master asked with an expression that said he was not sure whether to believe any of it.
"My lady, where did you learn all these things?"
At that, the maids started chattering again in a rush.
"Our lady is a genius!"
"They say she could read at three and spoke five languages by seven!"
"The princess herself taught her history and culture, refinement and etiquette! She placed first in the Capital Academy entrance exam and graduated second in her class!"
Amid all that praise, Brisa said dryly.
The guild master took out his notebook again, and Brisa continued.
"They're books in the Capital Academy library. But both are originals written in the language of the Kingdom of Sernin, so they'll be hard to read."
The maids' praise was useless, but it was enough to win the guild master's trust.
"Old olive trees have especially beautiful grain patterns, so they're quite popular for decoration."
Brisa said, looking at the timber with her characteristic absorbed expression.
"But drying and working them isn't easy, so don't ask too high a price if you take them west."
"Is that so?"
The guild master's eyes sparkled; he looked convinced.
"These days House Nozen in the west is buying all sorts of materials, so passing them along there would be perfect. Thank you for the advice."
"In that case, pack plenty of rice bran and wheat bran for us."
"Isn't that stuff not even fit for people to eat? It's piled up in the warehouse, so of course we can give you plenty."
"Really? Then just give us all of it."
"Yes! That's possible! But what are you going to use that for......."
"For something that won't make you any money."
Rangsi quietly looked down at Brisa.
'She's a clever one.'
Knowledge and the ability to act on it.
She was young, but she had all the qualities one could want in a liege.
But a question still remained.
'Then why does she keep maids like those around her?'
Wasn't it only natural that capable people gathered around a capable person?
Why were only such out-of-touch maids around her?
'At the very least, she ought to discipline them for their useless talk. Why doesn't she?'
Rangsi thought he should ask when a suitable opportunity arose.
* * *
Thanks to the knights' sword aura, the felling was finished quickly.
I watched the site the whole time.
By the time the roots had been carefully pulled out and the soil turned over, the afternoon was nearly gone.
The guild master loaded the timber and left the marquisate grinning from ear to ear.
"Let's see......."
I inspected the seed potatoes the Potato Squad had bought.
As expected, probably because they had sent people with potato-farming experience, all the seed potatoes were in good condition.
"Now, make the ridges and plant the seed potatoes with the sprouts facing up. Philip, show them how."
"Yes! Everyone, watch carefully!"
Philip personally demonstrated how to plant the seed potatoes.
Just then, a snorting laugh came from among the knights. It was a rough-looking female knight.
I gazed at her quietly.
Then she spoke as if making an excuse.
"No, it's just funny."
She was a woman with her red hair tied back in a ponytail.
"Of all things, going this far over potatoes...... that's what's funny."
I sighed inwardly.
I had thought something like this might happen.
These were all Alpheus's people.
They were probably already irritated because of the maids, so it would have been stranger if no one had objected.
"What's your intention in making us, who roamed the battlefield, do this kind of useless work, my lady? Do you find us amusing? If so, just ignore us like you have until now. We're busy enough just training."
Fortunately, only one maid remained at my side. The rest had returned to the marquess's residence to prepare dinner.
The maid foamed at the mouth and raised her hand to slap the female knight's cheek.
"How dare you talk back to the young lady......!"
I quickly stopped the maid.
If the two of them had fought fair and square, the maid would have lost her life.
In the meantime, the female knight, Wendy, spun around and shouted at the knights.
"We're people who shared life and death with Alpheus! This is making our liege into a laughingstock! Don't you really get it? Unless she's out of her mind like her mother, why would she suddenly tear up a perfectly good Olive Plain and plant innocent pota......."
In an instant, the surroundings fell silent.
The maid collapsed, gasping for breath. She had collapsed from shortness of breath.
Philip muttered.
"......That was too much."
The other female knights standing behind Wendy clicked their tongues as well.
"She went after her mother."
"Look at that character......."
Wendy flinched at the atmosphere, as if cold water had been thrown over everyone. She seemed to feel that she had gone too far.
I asked calmly.
"What's your name?"
"We—Wendy Hite."
"Wendy, from now on, you won't plant potatoes. You may also withdraw from all future knight order duties. Train on your own as you like."
In the icy atmosphere, Wendy quietly rolled her eyes.
"Instead, though I truly didn't want to go this far......."
I spoke solemnly, then paused for a moment.
Before the words left my mouth, I inevitably hesitated.
Was it really permissible for one person to give another person this kind of order?
Could I truly be this cruel?
But if one is in a position above others, one must be cruel when cruelty is called for.
"Since you didn't plant potatoes, from now on......."
My voice trembled with conflict until the very end.
But in the end, I resolutely handed down the punishment.
"From now on, you may not eat potatoes."
At that moment, I could see everyone in the rear garden swallowing laughter with deflated faces.
Even Wendy was the same.
Wendy even seemed to inwardly forgive her young mistress.
'Good grief, what kind of power struggle was I having with a child like that.......'
It was almost as if I could hear her thoughts.
Philip, who was holding the seed potatoes, said quietly.
"That...... a grown adult throwing a tantrum in front of a twelve-year-old young lady...... doesn't look good. I only realized that once I saw it from the outside."
He looked genuinely pained.
"I apologize once again for the disgraceful behavior at our first meeting. It's truly shameful. I wish everyone would forget it."
"It's fine."
I nodded magnanimously.
"Because I'm going to record it in the history books."
Of course, only after some time had passed.
Everyone came to realize that my punishment had been tremendously cruel.
* * *
After planting the seed potatoes like that, when we arrived at the marquess's residence.
"Um, my lady. Once we arrive at the marquess's residence, would it be all right if I had a private audience with you?"
Rangsi asked hesitantly.
"While going over the budget proposal, there was something I wanted to ask you directly......."
"That's fine."
I followed Rangsi into the office. It had once been my father's space, and now it was the place Alpheus had inherited.
'I naturally assumed I would inherit it.......'
I swept my eyes once over the room with a gaze full of lingering attachment, then pointed at the documents stacked on the desk and asked.
"What are all those?"
"I've been sorting out the House Sears budget. It's five years' worth, but nothing was properly organized, so I've been checking everything one by one......."
The lingering attachment vanished immediately.
When I left the marquess's residence, I had been ten years old, and I hadn't known the detailed budget.
But going by the original novel, inheriting this household had already become a disaster.
I sat down haughtily in a chair provided in the office.
"So, you're in charge of the marquess's household, is that right?"
"Even in the mercenary company, everything related to money and documents was my job."
Rangsi sighed and sat down in front of me. Then he spoke carefully.
"Well, my lady....... Actually, I have one question and one favor to ask......."
"Ask first."
"Yes. Actually, it's one of the budget proposals from five years ago....... Here, there's a budget allocated under 'Personal Top-Secret Matter—Related to Brisa.' It was a full two years' worth of the marquisate's budget."
Rangsi flipped through the documents and pointed at one item as he asked.
"Such a large sum was spent, yet there are no receipts or detailed line items. I have no idea what it was for....... The maids just keep saying 'I don't know'......."