The Abandoned Duchess Seems to Want a Peaceful Life - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Fertile Land

The wilderness area that includes Lake Moltre and the Forest of Moltre is situated in the northernmost part of the Francesca Kingdom. It is an area where the development by pioneering settlers is still ongoing, collectively known as the Enkar region.

As the lord governing the vast northern region, which extends even further into undeveloped territory, it could be said without sugar coating that it’s a plain area.

In contrast, the southern city of Elban, which has a well-developed port and thrives on trade to the extent that it’s called the second royal capital, is highly developed.

The western city of Austin amasses vast wealth through its mines and jewelry processing.

The eastern city of Yohou is a cultural haven, with elegant streets at the forefront of artistic development.

And to the north, the grand fortress city and lord’s capital, Soarasonne, is often referred to as the Great Flower of the North.

Every region has room for further development, and it was natural for the rulers to focus on these populous lands.

“There were no signs of famine in Enkar Village and its surroundings. Rather, it’s quite impressive. The fields stretched nearly to the horizon. The villagers and serfs alone are not enough, so they plan to hire laborers from nearby villages for the harvest. That likely explains the few petitions from this area. The payment can be sufficiently covered by a portion of the harvest, and the villages that were hired will benefit as well.”

“…Isn’t there some mistake?”

Enkar Village has had reasonable success in settlement and cultivation, primarily due to the fertile soil derived from clearing the Forest of Moltre.

Clearing the forest is no small feat and doesn’t dramatically increase harvests within just a few years.

It was natural for August, who went to confirm, to suspect some strange substance was involved when he heard about fields stretching to the horizon.

“Apparently, this year the lady took the lead and planted more than just the usual potatoes. In the newly cleared fields, they planted corn, which minimized the impact of the blight.”

“Corn? That’s more of a fodder crop than a food crop.”

“Potatoes yield a higher harvest, so they’re commonly grown as a food crop. However, corn isn’t inedible; it’s often boiled and salted as a bar snack in taverns in the lower town.”

Though not popular among the common folk, who still see it primarily as livestock feed, Alexis crossed his arms.

—What is the lady thinking?

When a lord clears land for cultivation, the first thing they plant is wheat. Wheat is a form of currency, and a bountiful wheat harvest signifies the land’s value.

Creating new fields and planting anything but wheat is something no one with even a basic understanding of land management would do.

Alexis pondered for a moment but realized it wasn’t something he could immediately answer. He didn’t know his wife well enough to guess what Melfina was thinking.

As the head of the ducal family, it was his duty to marry a woman who would manage the household and produce an heir. However, Oldrand already had a direct nephew, William, and an unofficial niece, Marie.

Melfina was the daughter of the Marquess of Crawford, who controlled the large granary region in the south and proposed the marriage.

The north was plagued by deep snow and frequent crop failures but boasted a highly trained knight corps that attracted officers from across the country. The south, with its fertile lands, often had tense relations with the neighboring country.

For the lords of the north, with its food supply instability but strong knights, and the south, with its abundant crops but political tensions, a political marriage was a reasonable proposition.

The essential need was an alliance between the north and south, and the marriage was merely a formality.

Alexis never felt the need for a partner in his private life. The thought of a young lady raised in the comfort of a townhouse in the capital meddling in the recently stabilized household of Oldrand was nothing short of a nightmare.

Thus, he withheld any significant authority from her, providing her with the comfort of a greenhouse to ensure no changes in his life.

However, Melfina took his words literally and seized control of the Enkar region’s lordship.

At the time, he thought her a peculiar woman, and since she left the ducal residence quickly, he relegated her to the back of his mind, receiving only minimal reports from the barest level of surveillance.

Honestly, he had almost forgotten that he was married.

“…Have you met with Cedric?”

“Yes. He often spends the whole day in the fields with the lady. He’s still doing his job as a guard, but he complained that the children of the serfs are about to take over his role.”

“What do you mean?”

“It seems the serfs are quite fond of Lady Melfina. When she visits, the children follow her around all the time.”

His impression of Melfina wasn’t particularly strong. He only remembered her pale skin, typical of nobility, with veins almost visible, and her slender fingers, perfectly smooth when he touched them while putting on a ring.

The combination of Melfina, a marquess’s daughter and pure-blooded noble, and serfs didn’t fit at all.

“If it were Cedric, he’d likely cut down any serfs who approached the lady.”

“Apparently, he already did once, and Lady Melfina scolded him severely for it. She gave him an ultimatum to either return to the ducal house or quietly follow her orders.”

August laughed as he spoke, expressing pity for his cousin with a tone that suggested he found the situation amusing.

Due to his rigid personality and noble lineage, Cedric often struggled to get along with other knights. August, standing before him, was a blood relative who often irritated Cedric with his flippant demeanor, leading to a notorious feud between them.

“But he seems to have changed a bit.”

When asked how, August smiled slyly.

“It’s like he’s relaxed a bit. The chains binding him to discipline, norms, and ideals have loosened slightly. Though he still nags about not wearing the knight’s uniform sloppily and walking with a straight back.”

“Cedric is right.”

With that, he tapped his fingers on the desk.

“Can we consider Enkar Village capable of exporting food to other areas?”

“Normally, as I mentioned earlier, corn is something that only drunkards, who don’t care what they snack on with cheap liquor, would eat. It’s not a food that’s particularly favored by the common folk. But if people are on the brink of starvation, they’ll eat anything, even poisonous plants. No one will complain about food that tastes decent.”

“So, what are you saying?”

“While it might be impossible to cover the entire northern region, it’s likely we can minimize the damage. However, there’s one major issue.”

“Go on.”

“My lord, there’s a good chance the lady holds a personal grudge against you.”

The fingers tapping on the desk suddenly stopped.

“Is that true…?”

“Absolutely. Declaring that you won’t show affection to a noble lady is as good as openly challenging her. If word spreads that the duchess is not favored by her husband, Lady Melfina will be ridiculed in social circles. A wife not loved by her husband, regardless of her status, has no standing.”

“I promised not to disregard her position.”

As long as she didn’t overstep her bounds, she could enjoy luxury in a peaceful place. Living comfortably there should be much better than enduring the cold and harsh northern region. Alexis had never complained about Melfina’s indulgences.

“Oh, saying you won’t love her, won’t sleep with her, won’t have children with her, and telling her she can go wherever she likes is a big deal. While Melfina didn’t back down, a weaker noble lady might have hanged herself on the wedding night if her new husband didn’t visit her.”

“…”

“And now, the lady has left and become the official ruler of the Enkar region. A lord is an independent sovereign of their land. Even if her title is lower, you can’t just demand food from her because our lands are in famine and hers are bountiful.”

“I have no intention of doing that.”

Such actions could easily lead to conflict between territories.

Alexis and Melfina were not likely to go to war, but if it turned into a one-sided invasion, the royal family would side against him if she filed a complaint.

Moreover, both the church and the temples loathed private wars. If they deemed a conflict unjust, they could cease their activities in the offending lord’s territory.

It goes without saying how catastrophic it would be if the organizations responsible for treating illness and injury ceased their activities. They could then proclaim that they are the saviors of the people.

“But, isn’t the Enkar region originally part of the duchy? It’s land that the ducal family has supported and cultivated for years.”

“That’s where it gets tricky. The fields the ducal family supported did continue to plant wheat and potatoes as usual, even if other vegetable percentages increased. The cornfields were newly developed after the lady moved to Enkar Village.”

“Fields extending to the horizon? Is that even possible?”

“They showed us the development plans and maps, and we verified everything thoroughly. Lady Marie, as a secretary, has kept all the records, and Cedric has confirmed the cultivation details.”

Creating bountiful fields in a region that had seen little progress for decades in just a few months seemed unbelievable. Still, Alexis interpreted this to mean that, regardless of any dubious methods, no evidence of wrongdoing remained.

“So, what should we do? Even if we were unaware, knowing that there is abundant harvest in the same northern region while our land is starving means we must take action.”

“Indeed.”

August appeared to ponder. Given their long acquaintance, Alexis knew that when August acted this way, he usually had a solution ready.

“Speak plainly.”

“First, we should approach the lady as an equal lord and propose purchasing her crops. Given the emergency, she might drive a hard bargain, but this would still be less damaging than emptying the ducal reserves.”

“Paying for the crops is only natural.”

“From my brief interaction with the lady, I found her to be quite rational. The feat of creating vast, productive fields in the northernmost part of the duchy in such a short period cannot be attributed to mere luck. I believe we should respect her capabilities. If approached with a proper transaction, I don’t think she will refuse out of personal grudge.”

“Hmm…”

“Well, the price might be significantly inflated due to personal feelings, but that’s the same anywhere.”

“As long as the price isn’t enough to bankrupt the duchy, we don’t have much choice.”

The notion that she was merely a pampered city woman, and ostensibly his wife, made it difficult to conceive of a truly equal transaction. August flipped this assumption by pointing out Alexis’ position as one being resented.

Despite being criticized for his irreverent attitude and disrespect toward his lord, August’s bluntness often proved beneficial. This was one such instance.

“Oh, and I think we should also purchase corn recipes from the lady.”

“Other than gnawing on it or making soup, is there anything else?”

“Actually, in the Enkar region, they’ve popularized a dish where corn is ground into flour and made into thin bread, which is then filled with various ingredients. It’s new and quite delicious. It pairs well with ale too.”

“That would definitely catch on in the capital. Absolutely.”

The grinning knight, who had clearly enjoyed this new dish, was enthusiastic.

“Understood. We will buy those recipes as well.”

“Shall I send an envoy to start negotiations?”

“No, I will go myself.”

“What?”

“It’s not that I doubt your report, but I want to see these supposedly vast and bountiful fields with my own eyes.”

It would take about a week for August to travel and return, but in that time, the famine caused by the potato blight was only worsening.

Petitions for aid were flooding in from nearly all the cities, towns, and villages within the duchy.

Even for Alexis, known as the Ice Duke, it was hard to stay cooped up and listen to grim reports all day.

“If we’re going to buy those recipes, I should at least taste the dish myself.”

I knew it was a flimsy excuse.

There was a mountain of work to handle, and the journey to Enkar village would take two to three days each way, with horse changes. Including on-site inspections and negotiations, I would be away for a week to ten days.

But I couldn’t suppress the urge to see it with my own eyes.

“Summon Rufus. I’ll temporarily transfer the oversight of the civil officers to him.”

“Rufus is getting on in years; you should take it easy on him. But he’ll be pleased to know you’re going to visit your wife.”

August’s penchant for teasing his lord, knowing full well his true intentions, was one of his bad habits.

But today, I didn’t feel like reprimanding him.