The Abandoned Duchess Seems to Want a Peaceful Life - Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Light

“Hehehe, hehehe.”

Melfina’s composure remained disrupted as she stared at the vast pile of gold coins stacked on the table in the dining hall adjoining the lord’s mansion’s kitchen, and she couldn’t seem to return to her usual self.

As a noble daughter, she scored zero points in etiquette. If her former tutor, who had once shed tears of joy at her transformation into a perfect lady of manners, were to see her now, they might despair of the world.

“Lady Melfina, you seem very pleased.”

August, who had brought the gold coins along with many guards, also seemed somewhat taken aback. Even though he understood, he couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from lifting.

“I haven’t felt this happy since Marie told me she would become my secretary.”

“Well, that’s relatively recent, Lady Melfina.”

Marie calmly informed her, but a smile played on her lips. For Marie, whose expression rarely changed, it was akin to a full-blown smile.

These were three thousand gold coins, equivalent to a total of six hundred million yen in Japanese currency. Moreover, this was just the down payment, with the prospect of even greater revenue in the future.

With this, the investment from Melfina’s personal funds had turned completely profitable. Even if the market were to decline, just thinking that this could continue next year and the year after made her feel good enough.

“Could anyone resist being pleased by this? Distributing profits to the peasants means we can buy winter supplies, call in craftsmen to expand the village houses, increase livestock and dogs, and even acquire new farming tools.”

“Um, Lady Melfina, you’re not in financial trouble, are you?”

Asked August tentatively, and Melfina reassured him firmly. Perhaps they had been somewhat suspicious of her overly exuberant joy blinded by the gold coins, but Marie and Cedric visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

“I do have a fair amount in my personal funds, and I receive dividends from my dowry, so I could use pocket money if I wanted to. But managing the territory with my personal funds isn’t exactly sound fiscal practice. I need to till the fields, sell goods for profit, and further enrich the land.”

“Lady Melfina, surely you receive a budget from the ducal household, don’t you? A considerable sum must be allocated.”

“Well, I wouldn’t know since I’ve never heard of it.”

“Eh?”

Cedric, standing behind her, exclaimed. Across from her, August’s mouth hung open in astonishment.

“Well, I’m not managing the ducal mansion as the duchess, nor am I socializing in the capital to maintain connections, so I don’t think I have the right to receive it.”

“You do have the right! If Lady Melfina isn’t receiving the budget, then it must be accumulating somewhere!”

“Neither the Duke nor the butler has mentioned anything to me, and I don’t need it, so it’s fine.”

Given Melfina’s indulgent behavior in the game, it wasn’t difficult to imagine that the budget would be allocated to the townhouse in the capital, but since the Duke’s family would divorce if it followed the Alexis route, there was no need for her to establish any achievements as a wife.

The money she would receive upon divorce would be sufficient.

On the other hand, assets such as mines and land rights, which were her dowry, would return to the Crawford Marquisate if they divorced. They wouldn’t want Melfina, whom they kicked out as soon as she reached marriageable age, to come back.

In other words, these gold coins were a dazzling light illuminating Melfina’s future after divorce.

“And Lady Melfina, you really dislike the Duke, don’t you?”

“Hey, August!”

“There’s just nothing to like about him. Oh, by the way, Eli, I have something to discuss with you.”

“Yes, Lady Melfina.”

Eli, who had been instructing the loading and unloading of various small tools alongside the payment for the corn, approached with light steps.

In these four months, she had become a bit plumper, and her complexion and skin had improved.

“Currently, all the serfs in the Enkar region have worked exceptionally well. As their reward, I will emancipate them all from serfdom and elevate them to freemen.”

“Eh?”

Not only Eli, but also Marie, August, Cedric, Rad, Cliff, and Ed all voiced their surprise.

When she saw the lush cornfields, she had already made up her mind.

Without the dedicated work of the serfs, expanding the fields to this extent and achieving such a bountiful harvest would have been impossible.

If there’s profit, it should be distributed among those who labored.

“M-Lady Melfina. Does that mean, we’re no longer needed!?”

“Eh?”

“We’ll continue to work hard! We’ll give our all to any task under Lady Melfina’s orders. So please, don’t abandon us!”

“Wait! I’m not abandoning you, why would you think that!”

Though she raised her voice in agitation, relief washed over Eli as tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill over.

“Not like that. As serfs, you wouldn’t be able to own your own land no matter how much land you cultivate, nor would you be able to accumulate wealth, right? This year, half of the newly cultivated land will be directly managed by the lord, but the rest will be divided among the families of the serfs, allowing each family to own their portion as pioneer settlers.”

Serfs were bound by contract to their overlords and were not allowed to own property or move their residence. They were even lower in status than tenant farmers who tilled someone else’s land.

They were called upon to work in various fields as needed, received meager wages, most of which went towards buying food for themselves and their families, leaving little in their hands.

Even if they could buy back their freedom for three gold coins, they couldn’t afford to save up such an amount. Moreover, serfs’ children were born into serfdom.

“Of course, we’ll continue to cultivate and develop various income-generating ventures. I want everyone to cooperate as freemen in these endeavors.”

As freemen, they would have the freedom to choose professions other than farming. They could become apprentices to craftsmen or merchants, or pursue careers as engineers in the mines.

For them, this land isn’t just filled with pleasant memories. It’s saddening, but it’s also their freedom to sell the allocated land to Melfina or others and move their families away from the Enkar region.

“Madam, are you serious?”

It was Cedric who asked, his expression a mix of various emotions, looking rather complex.

“In a pioneer settlement, serfs are vital laborers. There’s no precedent for emancipating them all to freemen.”

“Then let this be the first precedent.”

“But, that’s not so simple.”

“I think Cedric is overthinking it. Even knights, if they work admirably as knights without seeking rewards, wouldn’t they be disappointed by a lord who doesn’t reward them? If you work hard, there should be rewards. I think that hope is important.”

Perhaps those were words spoken by the Melfina in the game, who, despite striving to become a perfect noble daughter, ultimately went unrewarded.

Hope for a reward when you put in effort. It’s because one realizes that the world isn’t always so kind that one wishes for it.

“Well… yes, that’s true.”

Attempting to argue, Cedric swallowed his words, placing his hand over his chest and bowing deeply.

It was a formal knightly gesture.

“I believe it’s a commendable decision, Madam. I, um, am impressed.”

When he lifted his head, the internal conflict that had been apparent in Cedric’s expression moments before had vanished, replaced by a bright smile.

“When I first came to the Enkar region, I didn’t understand what you were thinking, Madam. I underestimated you as an ignorant noble daughter, frustrated even by your carefree behavior in dangerous places.”

“Well, that’s probably true…”

Marie’s career change discussion left things ambiguous, but Cedric had changed a bit since that day too.

He stopped interfering with Melfina’s actions and even helped with simple tasks while she was around.

Surely, he had felt his posture of reconciliation from him.

“When we burned the wasteland, when we gathered straw and mixed it with something unclear, I was extremely anxious about what would happen. But you brought prosperity to this land far and wide. You were a beacon of hope for all the people of the Enkar region.”

Cedric’s words were exaggerated and somewhat grandiose.

This was knowledge gained from fully completing “Maria of the Kingdom of Hearts”, an otome game, and in reality, those who had worked were Marie, the former trio of porters, the villagers, and the people of Enkar village who had adhered to the new system.

“I will now return the answer you gave me when you said to choose whether to return to the ducal domain or follow silently. I will work diligently under you alongside the people of Enkar village and the settlements.”

“Thank you, Cedric.”

“I also appreciate the guidance you’ve provided. Lady Melfina.”

It was a smile befitting a sunny day, radiant and joyful. Marie inexplicably started clapping, followed by Rad, Ed, Cliff, Eli, and others who were carrying loads, as if drawn in by her applause.

“It’s a bit embarrassing, isn’t it? It’s like we’re being blessed.”

“Blessing? That’s a good thing. Blessings from selling the crops we all worked on, blessings from everyone becoming freemen, and then, blessings from Cedric falling.”

“Falling? What do you mean, Marie?”

“I mean his current state.”

Murmuring in confusion, Cedric joined in the applause with a face that didn’t seem entirely displeased. At this point, it felt like Melfina alone was the star of a birthday party. Unable to resist the embarrassment, even he clapped his hands.

“Alright, then let’s have a festival once we finish the final harvest and shipments.”

“A festival?”

“Yes. I’ve been thinking about having a harvest festival to commemorate the bountiful harvest. We could all gather, make flatbread sandwiches with our favorite fillings, toast with ale and wine, and then sing and dance.”

“That sounds like so much fun!”

“I’ll let Nid and everyone else know too!”

The embarrassed atmosphere quickly dissipated into excitement over the upcoming festivities, and Melfina felt relieved.

Though the festival idea had sprung from a spontaneous whim, she had a feeling it would turn out to be a delightful day.

“A festival sounds wonderful. Can I join in too?”

“August, aren’t you a close aide to the Duke and a knight of the guard? If you spend too much time in the Enkar region, won’t people start gossiping about your demotion?”

“I figure if I work three times as hard in emergencies, I should get three times the vacation days too.”

“Then if you’re officially granted triple the vacation, you’re welcome to join.”

With a sheepish reply from August, the laughter of everyone brightened the mood, and then they naturally returned to their respective tasks.

“Let’s start expanding the estate and building accommodations for the servants before winter. It’s scary to have too much cash on hand, so I’d like to spend it early.”

“I’ll place orders with the capital’s construction guild. And also, procure furniture—”

As Marie and Melfina discussed plans for the winter, the atmosphere returned to its usual state.

＊　＊　＊

August distanced himself from the work mode Melfina and the others had entered, gazing up at the sky.

While guarding the three thousand gold coins was nerve-wracking in its own right, now he felt more overwhelmed, almost as if he’d been knocked off balance.

Melfina’s foresight, her care and affection for those beneath her, and her ever-growing ambition for the development of her territory—it all weighed heavily on him.

All of that reverberated painfully in August’s chest, who had chosen to dedicate his life to serving as a knight.

Even the stern Cedric couldn’t help but acknowledge Melfina’s talent.

August couldn’t help but feel deeply envious of their positions.

After the wedding of the two, it was he who escorted Alexis to Melfina, who hadn’t yet removed her dress.

August knew that Alexis rejected both loving others and being loved. Though he felt it was harsh to treat a newly arrived bride in such a manner, he had nothing to do but respect his master’s will at that moment.

If only on that day, Alexis hadn’t rejected Melfina.

If only from that day on, Melfina had become the lady of the Oldrand ducal house.

Unthinkable scenarios filled the knight’s mind.

“This might have been a fish we let slip through our fingers, Your Grace.”

August murmured softly, his words dissolving into the cool breeze of approaching autumn, disappearing unheard by anyone’s ears.