The Abandoned Duchess Seems to Want a Peaceful Life - Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Shadows of Famine and the Frustration of Rulers

“So, the west and south sides are no good either.”

As he glanced over the report, Alexis von Oldrand muttered in a groan.

Always composed, and now as emotionless as if his feelings were dead, Alexis pressed his fingers to his temple—a gesture that only his butler and his bodyguard knight knew signaled severe irritation.

“The potato fields in the areas I personally inspected were almost entirely dead. I confirmed with my uncle in the royal palace, and it seems the fields are in the same condition throughout the kingdom.”

“And what does the temple say about the cause?”

“They claim it’s a disease, not a curse, so the matter should be left to the church.”

“…And the church?”

“They haven’t confirmed it’s a disease, so they are still investigating, considering the possibility of a curse.”

“Useless, both of them.”

This curse was a rare sign of irritation Alexis displayed only in his office with his two close aides. The fact that it came out now indicated he was in an exceptionally bad mood.

The temple, which upheld the development of culture and tradition and worshipped the goddess, and the church, which was a research institution for magic and propagated the prestige of the male deity, had a long-standing rivalry.

Typically, they managed to coexist without major conflicts, but in times of crisis, they tended to blame each other, proclaiming the other’s incompetence.

Getting angry at such pettiness has always been the lot of rulers. During these times, the words from their own mouths about their duty to save the people often felt painfully hollow.

Both the priests serving the temple and the clergy working in the church were required by their doctrines to learn healing and recovery magic, with the general practice being that injuries were treated at the temple, and illnesses at the church.

This time, since it was a disease affecting crops, the temple likely wanted to pass the responsibility to the church.

“Though it’s only early summer, people are surviving by foraging for wild plants and fruits and fishing in rivers and lakes, but this is only a temporary measure. Such resources won’t last forever, and foods that can’t be stored will run out by winter. More importantly, it’s impossible to gather enough to feed all the commoners.”

“Lord August, please refrain.”

“It doesn’t matter. …Are there already people dying of starvation?”

“It seems there are a few, but it’s primarily among those who were barely getting by to begin with. As a whole, the impact is still minor at this stage. It’s not yet severe enough to warrant opening the duke’s reserves, but if this continues, the summer wheat harvest might be reduced.”

With stalks of wheat swaying in front of hungry people, it’s impossible to expect them not to reach out. Even if soldiers are sent to patrol and prevent theft, continuous deaths from starvation would reduce the number of available laborers for the harvest.

Forcing those in a state of hunger to perform farm work would only result in them collapsing and being unable to continue.

“If only there was a crop we could substitute… No, it’s too late for that now.”

“If the blight had progressed slowly, we might have been able to take measures in the meantime. However, it seems the plants went from having slightly yellowed leaves to complete root decay almost instantly.”

Even if the disease were to stop now, planting potatoes at this stage means it’s uncertain how widespread the hunger would become by the time of harvest. Predicting the worst-case scenario is bad enough, but reality is likely to be even more grim.

“We’ll have to lower the tax rate and instruct the bailiffs of each city to prioritize distributing food to serfs and the poor who don’t own land.”

“There’s no guarantee that the food will actually reach the poor. As they say, you should expect that the grain given to the miller will be reduced by ten percent.”

This saying means that one can’t always trust those who are entrusted with resources to manage them properly. Additionally, it implies that millers and bakers are often resented by those who are struggling.

“If the situation becomes dire, we may need to close the gates of the fortified cities from autumn until spring.”

“I pity the soldiers at the gates.”

Starving people invariably head towards cities, where jobs and resources are concentrated. If they find the gates closed, the consequences are obvious even to a child.

As the butler and knight argued, Alexis imagined vividly the corpses of farmers and serfs lying like sticks outside the city walls, and he rubbed his aching temples.

…Here we go again.

Since Alexis inherited the ducal title, there haven’t been any major public troubles. He has always managed to extinguish problems before they could grow by sheer force. He has been particularly strict with corruption and crime. Alexis believes that if you let one thing slide, everything will follow suit.

But the blight on crops is different. At best, he can only implement policies that seem effective and severely punish those who exploit the situation for their gain.

The Duchy of Oldrand is a cold region within the Kingdom of Francesca. Compared to the southern and western regions, it has never been particularly fertile. If the lord does not manage it properly, the people quickly face hardships.

It is a land that imposes great stress on its ruler, provided they govern it properly rather than indulging in debauchery and neglecting their duties. Five years into his ducal reign, Alexis now understands why his father always seemed perpetually irritable.

“It’s ironic that the wheat harvest is as usual. This means that the nobles in the capital might not truly grasp the severity of the blight’s impact, unlike the local lords.”

“We eat bread just like everyone else. We can’t criticize the folks in the capital for this.”

Nobles eat white bread, affluent commoners eat black bread, and the poor farmers and serfs subsist on potatoes and beans. That’s the hierarchy of staple foods in this country.

The problem is that the lower you go in this hierarchy, the larger the population. If the wheat harvest is as usual, those eating white bread may not feel the severity of the situation.

If many farmers and serfs die of starvation, it will affect the harvest, which in turn will reduce tax revenues and possibly raise alarm. Yet, there will still be few royals or central nobles willing to take comprehensive action.

Even if it’s just a stopgap measure, lowering taxes and timing the opening of the ducal reserves will be necessary.

…Everything is a headache.

With this thought, Alexis flips through the papers at hand.

“There’s no petition from the northern regions.”

To be precise, there are no petitions from the pioneering village at the northernmost end of the duchy. Requests for tax reductions and aid have come from the villages and towns leading up to it, but as you go further north, these requests dwindle and eventually stop altogether at a certain point.

…This is the frontier region.

Pioneers clearing the mountains and fields to create settlements usually face a high risk of food shortages, even in ordinary times. Therefore, a very low tax rate is imposed until the area stabilizes.

Despite this, it is usually the pioneers who are the first to petition for aid at the signs of famine.

“Come to think of it, we haven’t heard much from the north. Since it’s a remote frontier region, there might be fewer people traveling in and out, possibly preventing the spread of the disease.”

“…Lady Melfina is staying in the Enkar region, which is in that area, isn’t she?”

At the butler’s words, Alexis recalled his wife for the first time in a long while.

Before and after the wedding, he had been preoccupied with preparations and hosting parties. Since she left, he hadn’t heard much from her, only occasionally skimming through the reports from Cedric, the knight he had assigned to guard her.

The reports didn’t indicate any major issues, and with the famine investigation keeping him busy, he hadn’t even looked at them recently.

“She seemed to be troubling the village head of Enkar Village, but if the disease hasn’t spread there, it’s a small blessing.”

Since Melfina had been granted that land, it was no longer part of the Oldrand Duchy. Even if the region fell into dire straits, he had no obligation to intervene. However, it was originally land developed with Oldrand family funds. He couldn’t let his wife’s whims ruin it, especially since she had no experience in managing a territory.

Melfina could abandon the village and head to the royal capital, but for the pioneers, the land they had cleared was like their own flesh and blood. No matter how desperate their situation became, they wouldn’t be able to leave.

“Lady Marie is also staying there with her. It might be worth checking the details.”

“Marie… yes, you’re right.”

Although she never formally claimed the title, he had always treated the girl as a sister. About three months ago, shortly after Alexis’s wedding, she sent a letter stating her intention to leave the ducal household.

She wasn’t officially part of the household, and he knew she felt constrained here. So, he sent a letter granting her permission, along with an invitation to return whenever she changed her mind. But in the chaos of his duties, it had slipped from his mind.

…Thinking back to his sister, who had always suppressed her emotions since childhood and never sought anything for herself, Alexis couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt.

Even though he knew it wasn’t her fault, Marie’s presence had been associated with many tragedies that befell the Oldrand Ducal household afterward, leading to her being unconsciously excluded from his thoughts.

Despite never officially claiming her as a sister and never calling her as such, he believed he had cared for her. Yet, he had failed to notice her silence since then.

While silence could be a sign of good health, the lack of any information during this emergency situation made him uneasy.

“Send someone available to Enkar Village to confirm the current situation. Even though I handed over the lordship to my wife, Enkar is still in the north. We can’t let it starve and perish.”

If the situation there had deteriorated to a severe extent, it could be used as an excuse to reclaim the Enkar region and finally keep his wife in the capital.

“Well, then I’ll go there by horseback. It’s been a while since I’ve seen my cousins anyway.”

“…Just don’t overdo it.”

With a bow from August von Carlisle, a knight of the Oldrand Ducal Knights, Alexis’s interest in the north vanished from his mind.

There were plenty of other matters demanding his attention until the reports came in.

It wasn’t until the following week that reports of an exceptional harvest in the Enkar region reached Alexis.