The Abandoned Duchess Seems to Want a Peaceful Life - Chapter 46

Chapter 46: The Lady and Negotiation

Unexpected guests can be made to wait as long as necessary—this is an unspoken rule among the nobility.

However, this excludes the royal family and ducal houses, something every noble should be aware of.

Hurriedly adjusting his appearance, he stood before the reception room. The butler announced the visitor, and he deliberately entered with slightly louder footsteps through the opened door.

“I apologize for keeping you waiting!”

“No, it is I who should apologize for the sudden visit. I appreciate you taking the time to see me.”

The woman did not rise from the sofa, instead smiling as if she were the true mistress of the house.

While the king ruled the kingdom, in the northern regions, Duke Oldrand held power equivalent to that of the king. It was clear that even an Count would not be spared if they incurred the Duke Oldrand’s displeasure.

Count Dantes was familiar with the visiting woman. At the Duke Oldrand’s wedding held around springtime, all the northern surrounding nobles, either the heads or their representatives, had attended, including Count Dantes.

—In any case, she was a beautiful woman.

Her small face was almond-shaped and well-proportioned. Her slightly elongated and cool eyes, the noble’s characteristic translucent white skin, and her shining golden hair. The deep green eyes, a color often seen in the royal family, occasionally appeared in the houses into which royal princesses married.

The dress’s rippling drape adorned with intricate embroidery was clCounty the work of a master craftsman.

The emerald brooch at her chest alone would easily surpass the annual tax revenue of the Dantes Countdom.

She was the lady of the Marquisate of Crawford, the largest territory in the south, and the mistress of the practically sovereign Duke Oldrand’s house in the north.

Even though their lands were adjacent, it was a rare honor for Count Dantes to have the opportunity to converse with such a nobleperson in person.

The day after the wedding, she reportedly fled from the ducal house, and she must be living extravagantly in the royal capital.

“Since you must be busy, Count, I’ll get straight to the point. Recently, bandits appeared in my domain, and some of the residents were affected.”

“In the ducal domain?”

“No. Currently, I am the lord of the Enkar region, which was ceded to me by my husband. It is there that the bandits struck.”

“You, the lady, are the lord?”

As he repeated her words, puzzled, the woman narrowed her eyes and gave a distinctly aristocratic smile.

“It’s not uncommon for a wife to serve as acting lord in her husband’s absence, is it? I grew up in the royal capital and am not familiar with managing a territory firsthand, so I am also using this as a learning experience.”

“I see… The Duke Oldrand’s domain is vast, so such education is necessary.”

“Yes, it’s a small territory, and much of the administration is entrusted to a secretary, but there is still much to learn.”

Count Dantes nodded in agreement.

For nobles, it was common to entrust unmanageable territories to stewards. If she was learning the role of a lord, that was sufficient.

Count Dantes, focused on the beautiful lady, did not notice the escort knight behind her repeatedly twitching his temple.

“Regarding the bandits that appeared in my domain recently, they claimed to be residents of the Dantes Countdom.”

“The bandits are just saying that.”

“They carried the village chief’s document. Judging by their appearance, there’s no mistake. —Count Dantes, I do not intend to debate here whether they are truly your subjects or not. The investigation is already complete.”

Sweat began to trickle down Count Dantes’ forehead.

When the people of one’s own domain turn into bandits and attack other territories, managing the territory is the lord’s right and duty. Collecting fifty percent of the harvest from the residents and managing it is the lord’s role, and the responsibility for any wrongdoing by the residents lies with the lord.

That said, since every territory is adjacent to another, some problems are mutual, and it’s common to capture the bandits and either behead them or use them as slaves. He never imagined that a lord would invade the manor of another lord and demand, “Your people attacked my land; what will you do about it?”

If this were an ordinary local lord, he could deny knowledge or kill them or use them as slaves, but being confronted by someone named Melfina von Oldrand made it impossible to take such actions.

In the north, surviving the ire of Duke Oldrand was not an option.

“I apologize for the trouble caused. If you could transfer the bandits to us, we will hang them and display their heads at the castle gates.”

Due to an unprecedented famine, public order had deteriorated rapidly, and expenses were becoming intolerable. Although they managed to harvest wheat this year, it was uncertain how many serfs capable of tending the fields would survive the winter.

Paying compensation for the bandit’s damages was an unwelcome topic, but causing trouble now could lead to even more complications later. If he refused her demands and Duke Oldrand himself intervened, it was obvious he would end up paying much more compensation.

However, Melfina took out a fan, opened it gracefully, and laughed, hiding her mouth behind it.

“I appreciate your consideration. However, every place is facing difficulties now. I don’t intend to trouble you, Count. How about selling me those bandits?”

“Sell the bandits, you say…?”

“I mean treating them as serfs.”

In that case, she didn’t need to come here to tell him. Bandits could be beaten to death on the spot without any complaint.

“Those bandits attacked my manor. Fortunately, there were no personal injuries, but punishing only the perpetrators who attacked the manor wouldn’t suffice for their crimes, would it?”

“Ah, so you mean to make the people from the bandit’s village into serfs as well?”

“Yes, I’m not asking only for the workers. From children to the elderly, there are all kinds of work they could do. Of course, I will pay you for them. Gold coins are acceptable, but if you prefer, I can pay in corn at the same rate as sold to the ducal house.”

Corn is the grain currently spreading throughout the ducal domain this year. Originally grown as animal feed, it has now expanded due to the food shortage and is accompanied by quite tasty recipes, or so they say.

Indeed, she is likely learning about the flow of managing a domain by selling corn grown in her newly acquired territory to the duke.

It is an extremely attractive… no, in fact, amidst a famine that has reduced tax revenue and caused the prices of all crops to skyrocket, her offer is something he would eagerly grasp at.

Many farming villages have already been devastated or are in similar conditions due to the current famine. While reducing the fields planted with wheat is not an option, there is no room to support people who cannot work.

Those who would only starve to death if kept here could be converted into food rather than paying compensation. It would put a strain on the remaining villages, but planting wheat and vegetables might help them survive this famine.

“I see, you need more hands for the development of the territory you have begun to govern?”

“Yes, I need usable labor because I lack the necessary hands for anything.”

Melfina smiled aristocratically. It was the expression of a noble who had lived surrounded only by beautiful things, knowing nothing of dirt and toil.

—Most likely, she was told to say such things by an assistant or a steward assigned by the duke.

“In that case, I have no objections. Punishing the criminals would help us as well, and for the sake of the residents, I would appreciate it if the payment could be in food.”

“Then, we shall proceed that way.”

“And, just to confirm, is it acceptable to receive food equivalent to three gold coins per serf?”

In a situation where it wouldn’t be unreasonable to capture and behead all of them and demand compensation for the damages incurred, even if she insisted on handing over the peasants as slaves for free, there would be no grounds for complaint. As a lord, Count Dantes had to negotiate if there was an opportunity for profit.

“This is a special case, so how about a large silver coin per person?”

A large silver coin is worth a quarter of a gold coin.

“If the number of peasants decreases, so will the tax revenue. Considering that, three large silver coins per person seems fair, doesn’t it?”

“Oh, is that so? … What do you think, Cedric?”

When pressed, she showed a slightly puzzled expression and began to seek the opinion of the escort knight standing behind her. It was clear she did not truly understand domain management, but such was typical for a young woman who had just married into a noble family.

“I oppose this transaction itself. Even though there were no injuries, the proper course for ruffians who attacked the manor would be to behead them all, including their kin and acquaintances.”

“Well… is that so.”

Count Dantes suppressed a shout of anger at the knight who stated this with a calm expression.

“Increasing the number of serfs will also increase the number of mouths to feed. Winter is approaching, and food shortages will become severe. There is no guarantee that the serfs taken in will survive until spring. If it’s three large silver coins, it would be reasonable to wait for the thaw and then reconsider taking in those who have survived.”

“Hmm…”

“Wait a moment! … Delaying the enforcement of rewards and punishments unnecessarily causes confusion. In this case, one large silver coin per person should be sufficient.”

“I’m glad you understand. Cedric, please inform the secretary accordingly.”

“Understood, Lady Melfina.”

“Then, Count, I will send my subordinates later to take the relatives of the criminals. We will confirm the number and send the food equivalent to their price.”

With an annoyingly elegant bow, Melfina, escorted by her knight, left the Count’s manor.

—I’m terribly exhausted. But, exchanging food for a large silver coin per villager is not a bad outcome.

In fact, in this time of food shortages, if the food received could be resold at two or three times the price to another territory, it would sell quickly. In that sense, it was not a bad deal.
Later, it turned out that the village from which the thieves came consisted of five villages in total, with over two hundred villagers taken in. The corn’s value had now risen to match that of wheat, and proof of the transaction with the ducal house was submitted. This caused Count Dantes to collapse to his knees, but that’s another story.

Cedric had a hard time holding back his laughter in the background.

Among Melfina’s belongings during her marriage were appropriate dresses and jewelry, but these were left in her room at the ducal residence. This time, Marie went to retrieve them along with winter clothes.

[Author Words]
When I began writing this story, I assumed that a small village had about a thousand people, so I made Enkar Village about a thousand strong. However, upon reflection, the world’s population has increased explosively since the Industrial Revolution, making it entirely different from modern times. The global population in this world is about one-tenth of today’s population.