The Abandoned Duchess Seems to Want a Peaceful Life - Chapter 109

Chapter 109: Thaw and the End of Winter

The carriage came to a stop, and the door was opened from the outside.

“Lady Melfina, please be careful as the ground is slippery.”

Melfina placed her hand over Cedric’s extended hand and stepped from the carriage to the ground, feeling indeed a slippery, soft sensation.

Although the air was soft and not cold, the humidity was high due to the melting snow scattered around.

Serleine, who had followed Melfina out of the carriage, was kicking the snow piled up on the roadside with her toes.

“Serleine, be careful not to slip.”

“Yes, sister!”

After the bright response, Serleine followed Melfina at a leisurely pace, a little behind her.

“Recently, the days have been warm, but the snow will be ending soon. After all, Francesca has an earlier spring than Luxen.”

“I wonder if there will still be snow left in Luxen for a while?”

“Depending on the year, it might remain until around mid-May. It’s more about melting away with rain rather than warming up and melting.”

Luxen is a country even further north than the Enkar region. Indeed, it seems that spring arrives later there than in Francesca.

“Isn’t Serleine tired of the snow?”

“No, because in Luxen, we didn’t walk around outside like this.”

With the warmth, Serleine’s health has also stabilized considerably. She seems to have grown a bit, so it would be better to prepare slightly larger clothes for spring.

It was supposed to be just for the winter that Serleine would stay, but due to her strong wishes, it was decided that she would stay a little longer in the Enkar region. This decision was made during the time when Alexis was staying at the lord’s residence, while there was still snow on the ground.

Serleine, whose health has improved significantly since coming to the Enkar region, expressed her desire to witness the region’s transformation into a more urbanized area under Melfina’s leadership from a close perspective, once she takes up a governing role. Alexis understood her wish and agreed to negotiate with the Francesca royal family on her behalf.

Originally, Serleine had been entrusted to the Oldrand family due to the famine being less severe in the northern regions. Considering that the famine was still an ongoing concern, permission for Serleine to remain in the north for a while longer was granted just recently.

—By early summer next year, she might need to move to the royal capital before Maria arrives in this world.

“Sister?”

“No, I’m just glad to see you looking well today.”

Serleine smiled bashfully. As Melfina arrived, the children ran over excitedly.

“Lady Mel, welcome!”

“Hello, Rena. Where’s Nid?”

“Should I go get him? Do you want to come with me?”

“Then let’s go together.”

Melfina patted Rena’s head, who smiled happily, and followed the children at a leisurely pace. Although she hadn’t seen much of their faces during the winter, none of the children looked as thin as they did when she first met them in the spring of the previous year. They were now chubbier and more childlike in appearance.

The children were dressed warmly in long-sleeve shirts under thick jackets, looking cozy.

“Today, we’re discussing the separation of the settlement, right?”

“Yes, it seems that monsters are more likely to appear when there are many people gathered. So, for now, we plan to create a settlement with a population similar to that of the original Melto village. If the distance is too great, communication will be difficult, but there is still plenty of land to develop, so we’ll be experimenting for a while.”

“Monsters, huh… I’ve heard that in Luxen, in cities with insufficient barriers, they sometimes break through the defenses. When their magical power is strong, only a few can defeat them, so it’s common for the lord or knights to go on subjugation missions.”

“It would be good if we could analyze the conditions for their appearance a bit more, but it seems there are few researchers studying them. So, in the Enkar region, we’ll need to keep thorough records. If we can determine certain conditions, it’ll be easier to take countermeasures.”

As she spoke, she looked up and saw that the winter-sown wheat had begun to grow, swaying in the spring breeze.

Once the humidity drops a bit more, they will burn the wilderness, make fertilizer, and expand the fields just like last year. In addition to the people from the former Dantes territory who were brought in as serfs during the winter, people from the local areas are gradually gathering in the Enkar region seeking work as tenant farmers.

With the people of Melto village, who had worked the fields alongside Melfina, the plan for this year will be to expand the farmland and build the city while supplying food to the northern region.

“This year is going to be even busier than last year.”

“There are now several officials in place, so please make sure to rest as much as you can, Lady Melfina.”

Recalling the busy period from last summer to fall, Marie spoke earnestly, and Cedric nodded solemnly in agreement.

“I would love to relax if I could, but with so much to do this year, it might be even busier than last year.”

Melfina said.

“Lady Melfina…”

“Of course, I will take breaks as needed. If I don’t rest, neither Marie nor Cedric will ever think to take a break themselves.”

As she spoke formally with a straight posture, Serleine chuckled softly, and both Marie and Cedric managed a wry smile, their tension easing.

Melfina’s gaze turned towards the expanding farmland visible from Melto village.

The fields that once reached close to the horizon will, this year, stretch far beyond the eye’s reach.

And as the years go by, with next year and the year after, the landscape will continue to change more and more.

“Sister, what’s wrong?”

When Melfina stopped to gaze at the scenery, Serleine spoke up. The children who had been walking in step with Melfina also looked up at her with curious expressions.

“I sometimes think about it. What kind of lord do I want to be?”

I want these children to not go hungry, to not feel the cold, and to have a happy childhood. I want them to run around safely outside without fearing beasts or monsters. To achieve that, I need to gather the necessary strength from now on.

“But sister, you’re already a wonderful lord, aren’t you?”

“I’ve been here for less than a year. I have little experience and often feel that I lack the resolve.”

“Well, then you should look for it from now on,” Serleine said with a casual smile, acknowledging that there’s much to learn for that purpose.

“From my perspective, you’re a remarkable lord of the Enkar region. You govern the land well, you’re loved by the people, and no one is going hungry. Seeing how people behave towards you shows how well you manage the land.”

Serleine smiled at the children gathered around them.

“I also think about it a lot lately. I want to become a strong, kind, and admirable adult. But I also wonder what kind of ruler I want to be for Luxen in the future.”

“Serleine…”

“I’m planning to start by training my body! Because northern men need to be strong!”

The boy, with his fists clenched, looked every bit the ordinary child he was.

At the beginning of winter, his form had been so pale and slender, it seemed as if it might vanish. Now, there was no trace left of that delicate appearance.

—I too will become strong.

“Yes, let’s start by growing strong and big! We need to eat delicious food, sleep well, and work hard.”

“Yes, sister!”

So that I can protect what I deem important with my own hands. For Marie, Cedric, and all the children who smile at the interaction with Serleine, and for everyone’s happiness. For my own happiness in this place.

In the gentle spring breeze that runs through the Enkar region, a small white flower swayed by the roadside.