The Abandoned Duchess Seems to Want a Peaceful Life - Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Hope

As summer pretended to come to an end and the days gradually grew shorter, the Enkar region suddenly saw a surge in people coming and going.

Hired laborers, employed by the ducal household, carried sacks of harvested corn one after another. They transported them to nearby village depots and even all the way to the capital, returning promptly for more, resulting in an uninterrupted procession.

There were three types of corn: dried, shucked, and grain. Naturally, the further down the line, the lighter and less bulky the load, but there were still plenty of wagons transporting the undried corn that hadn’t made it in time.

The relatively nearby villages and towns’ depots already had dried corn prioritized for transport to the capital.

“Lunch is served here! Try our Enkar Village specialty: flatbread sandwiches!”

“And here you go! Today’s filling is egg and pork with red sauce!”

With the increase in traffic, businesses naturally sprouted up to cater to the influx of people. Villagers made good profits selling lunch and corn tea to laborers, guides, knights, and officials, pocketing quite a few copper coins.

Taking a break from inspecting the issues consulted by Lutz before lunch, Melfina stepped out of the lord’s mansion into the bustling crowd, letting out a sigh at the familiar hustle and bustle.

“Hello, could I have one too?”

“L-Lady Melfina!? We’re making them fresh now, so could you wait a moment!?”

“No, I don’t mind one of the premade ones. They look delicious.”

Purchasing three sandwiches for an iron coin, she instructed them to keep the change. While slightly pricier compared to the capital’s stalls, these sandwiches, wrapped in moon rabbit leaves, were generously filled with meat and vegetables.

“They certainly have quite the volume.”

“We were taught that if you eat plenty, you can work harder!”

“Being hungry is tough!”

The two young men, using a table they seemed to have brought from home as their makeshift stall, energetically echoed each other’s sentiments. Both exuded enthusiasm and vigor.

“Sorry for the intrusion. Keep up the good work!”

“Yes, ma’am!”

“Take care, Lady Melfina!”

Still searching for a spot to sit and enjoy her still warm sandwich, Melfina looked around, but unfortunately, there was nowhere to sit.

In fact, Enkar Village had neither benches nor squares. The streets were simply wide gaps between houses, giving it the semblance of a main thoroughfare. With exposed dirt and the frequent passage of people, it was a bit dusty.

“In the capital, you have to pay a stall tax when setting up a stall.”

Marie murmured thoughtfully.

Since roads were considered public spaces, essentially belonging to the rulers of the land, it was customary to pay a fee when conducting business in them. The fees varied between stalls and stalls, and the available space was often strictly regulated.

“Selling food in Enkar Village has never been a thing before.”

Marie continued.

In this area, where self-sufficiency was the norm and bartering for necessities was common, the act of selling goods was a very new cultural development.

“As for taxes, they’re usually based on the harvested yield proportional to the area of agricultural land, but there are no regulations regarding commercial activities. There simply hasn’t been a need for it until now.”

“In the past, taxation was often delegated to tax collectors, as it was too labor-intensive for lords and bailiffs. Tax collectors were entrusted by the ruling class to levy taxes from farmers and merchants in their assigned territories and deliver them to the lords or bailiffs. They were allowed to increase the amount collected by various means and pocket the difference as their profit.”

“Tax collectors have been synonymous with villains from the time of the compilation of the Bible to the French Revolution.”

The system where individuals can adjust tax amounts seems to presuppose the occurrence of corruption. Nevertheless, this system has been in operation for over two thousand years in previous lives. Taxation can be considered a cumbersome task that must be entrusted to individuals who can remain indifferent even in the face of resentment.

“This is something we need to think about. At the very least, we must ensure that fewer people suffer due to the distortions in this system.”

“It’s quite strange to see so many people walking around like this.”

“Yes, it’s something that was unimaginable not too long ago.”

During what seemed to be the lunch break, some were eating their meals using wooden boxes and barrels placed against the walls as chairs, while others sat comfortably on the bare ground without a care. There seemed to be someone selling ale, as laughter echoed here and there while people raised their tankards.

“I can’t help but feel uneasy about the security here.”

Transporting food is an urgent task for the ducal household, and they seem to have gathered those who need work and food. Since most of the residents in Enkar Village live by tilling the soil, most houses are empty during the day.

Although knights dispatched by the ducal household patrol to prevent trouble between the village and the ducal household, issues have already arisen in various places, such as a young girl witnessing a disreputable man relieving himself near a house after teasing a chicken.

“Oh, that’s what Lutz was talking about.”

Upon leaving the village enclosure, several tents were pitched along the highway. They were simple constructions made of waxed cloth hung from wooden branches with ropes, barely covering both cargo and people.

Behind them, mule-drawn carts remained tethered, some areas becoming quite congested.

“There are quite a few…”

“Yes, although the current tents will be taken down by tomorrow, new ones will soon replace them, so it seems endless. And with discarded old fabric and waste piling up, it doesn’t look pleasant.”

Marie’s words elicited a soft murmur of acknowledgment.

Enkar Village is located at the far northern end, with a considerable distance to the neighboring village where there is lodging available. Complaints arose when some laborers set up tents outside the village, either arriving late to depart for the neighboring village or wishing to rest for the night before loading their cargo and departing the next morning, as they receive their daily wages based on the number of crates and barrels they transport.

While the residents of Enkar Village are not particularly wary of outsiders, it’s still unsettling to see burly-looking individuals setting up tents and loitering around, especially since they make a living by carrying loads.

There’s also concern about fires at night due to cooking and the need to ward off beasts, and while the knights patrol and inspect the cargo, they have a hands-off approach to those outside the village premises.

“It seems they should be dispersed and set up their tents elsewhere.”

“We can’t simply transport empty carts to the neighboring village, and if we start loading now, it will be nightfall by the time we depart.”

“If it’s your command, we can drive them away with the knights currently in the village.”

“There’s no need for such measures.”

Cedric, who seldom spoke up, voiced his opinion. However, they hadn’t done anything wrong.

There’s no law prohibiting camping outside the village, and it’s common for people to sleep around fortress cities’ perimeters.

Nevertheless, the pressure is undeniable. While such occurrences are unlikely in Enkar Village, the gathering of individuals in places like this often leads to the formation of slums.

“Perhaps we could designate specific areas for tent pitching, and impose removal or fines for those who pitch elsewhere, but it might provoke resistance.”

With most of the land near the village turned into fields, even if they were to designate a camping area, it would likely be closer to the forest.

“They’re making an effort to shuttle between Enkar Village and the storage yards as much as possible, which makes it difficult.”

Ultimately, the overflow of people is due to Enkar Village’s lack of capacity to accommodate them. If there were affordable accommodations like boarding houses for laborers, they might opt for those, but currently, there isn’t even a cafeteria serving light meals in Enkar Village.

Enkar Village is by no means a large farming community. There are just over fifty households in the village. Even if you combine all the serf settlements, the population is just over a thousand. There haven’t been any artisans visiting due to the village being considered a frontier settlement, and most of their needs have been met through self-sufficiency.

…If I intend to develop the village further, I’ll need to make significant changes.

However, Melfina was unsure whether that was the right course of action.

The procession of cargo transportation would only last for another month. It’s understood that once all the harvest is complete and the food is delivered to the ducal household, the procession will cease.

Next year, there should be corn cultivation in other regions as well, so the disruption will likely be much less severe than this year. Melfina knows that incidents like this will hardly occur in the years after next.

…Yet, is it not my own ego driving me to change things now?

Melfina now understands that material wealth alone does not bring happiness.

No matter how much luxury one indulges in, if they can’t obtain what they truly desire, it cannot be called happiness. Even if told that one is blessed, if they continue to carry unfulfilled desires, their heart will remain frozen.

…Perhaps it’s better to quietly live as a frontier settlement at the northern edge.

With prosperity, people will gather for the sole purpose of it. With an increased population, there will be more possibilities, but with various individuals gathering, troubles are bound to escalate.

…Especially when I’m not even sure if I’ll stay here forever.

Even after the annulment with Alexis, Melfina intends to continue living here. However, there’s no guarantee that the Crawford family will remain silent.

Melfina is the daughter of the Crawford Marquis family. With her brother Rudolf as the heir, and having been treated almost like a non-entity in her family, she thinks they might choose to leave her alone rather than recall her now.

However, there’s a possibility that any attempts to increase the family’s bloodline outside could lead to family discord.

Despite being the lord, her family has the power to forcibly take away a daughter without any backing and send her to a distant monastery.

Continuously meddling and then leaving things half-done would only harm the people living in the Enkar region.

As the peak of summer fades, a sweet and gentle breeze blows, tousling Melfina’s golden hair.

After the harvest, the cornfields emit a sweet, dry scent, reminiscent of millet.

“Lady Melfina.”

“Hmm? What is it, Marie?”

“Well… It just seems like you’re about to go far away. I’m sorry. Is something wrong?”

“Hehe…”

She laughs, feeling a mix of wanting to cry.

…What are you being timid about, Melfina?

Melfina is not a saint. It’s impossible for her to provide enough food and salvation for everyone, but she managed to protect what she could within her reach.

She also felt anxious about not being able to protect them in her position as the lord.

There were times when she smiled and accepted easily believable lies, knowing she was being looked at strangely while knowing famine was imminent.

Now that things seemed to have settled down, she must have become a bit anxious.

“Hey, Marie, Cedric. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could make the Enkar region stronger and bigger? Let’s challenge ourselves in various ways, create lots of interesting things, and enrich our lives.”

“It will naturally happen. Because you’re here, Lady Melfin.”

“I agree.”

The secretary and the guarding knights nod as if it were obvious.

In the gentle breeze, the light was dazzling, as if everything would go well from now on.

Melfina smiled.

“That’s right. Let’s do everything we want to do. And let’s all be happy together.”

After a while, Melfina approached a breeder who was selling hunting dogs and decided to bring one puppy to the lord’s residence.

It was a shepherd dog with a color resembling freshly baked white bread, and its ears stood tall and erect.

Choosing to have a dog as a companion, capable of herding livestock, protecting the land, and bonding with people, was Melfina’s expression of determination.

…As long as I desire, I’ll live in this land.

In homage to that wish, the puppy they welcomed was named Felice Fortuna.

At that time, nobody knew that she would become the first of a breed beloved by the noblewomen of the northern frontier.