The Abandoned Duchess Seems to Want a Peaceful Life - Chapter 83

Chapter 83: The Outcome and Assessment

Gathered in the parlor and sipping warm tea, Rad finally seemed to relax, letting out a sigh of relief.

“Drinking corn tea makes me feel like we’re back at the lord’s residence.”

“Thank you for your hard work in the snow. So, what was the duke’s response?”

“Since the duke was busy, I couldn’t meet him directly, but Lord August and the butler, Rufus, investigated. The right of the first night does exist in the duke’s domain, but it has become a mere formality long ago. Now, it functions essentially as a tax paid at the time of marriage.”

I was told that when people get married, they can be exempt from the right of the first night by paying an amount set by the lord or magistrate. This amount can be substituted with goods like grain or cloth, and while there may be some variation depending on social status, it is reportedly not excessively burdensome even for serfs.

The tax on marriage itself serves as a regular source of income for the lord.

According to church law, only children born to married couples have inheritance rights to their parents’ property, and the right to manage children also exists only for those born to married couples.

Land or property without heirs reverts to the lord.

Essentially, the lord retains ownership of land in their domain, and landlords or producers are considered to be renting the land from the lord. The tax on land transactions, leases, and inheritance is viewed as paying for the right to handle the lord’s possessions.

In this world, where medical and sanitary standards are not as high as in previous lives, the average lifespan is markedly shorter. Given the uncertainty of what might happen, it is necessary to always designate an heir to protect one’s property. It was common for commoners to marry and have children as soon as they reached adulthood.

“The burden of the marriage tax isn’t too great. If a household or man cannot prepare an amount at least equivalent to what is paid to the lord and attempts to offer the lord a new wife as compensation instead, there seems to be a tendency to advise reconsidering the marriage.”

“I see… It’s a more well-designed system than I thought.”

Despite this, it seemed that in Rad’s village, exemption by monetary means was not permitted. In fact, Rad and others were apparently unaware that exemptions were even allowed in other regions.

In this world, with poor transportation and slow information dissemination, it’s quite normal for local areas to receive very little information about other places.

“So, what will be the future response of Rad’s village?”

Rad’s expression turned awkward, and he said slowly, as if squeezing out the words.

“It seems that what was originally supposed to be paid as a marriage tax and submitted to the duke’s family was consumed by the magistrate for personal gain as the right of the first night, which amounts to embezzlement of the tax. Lord August said they would address it before spring comes.”

Perhaps his own relatives or friends had already fallen victim to this personal greed. Although his expression was gloomy, Rad bowed deeply.

“Thanks to this, I believe our village will be able to marry without worries in the future. If we hadn’t sent the inquiry to Lady Melfina, it would have been difficult to get the duke’s family to listen, or rather, I wouldn’t have thought of it myself. Thank you, Lady Melfina.”

“No, I’m glad to have been able to help. To prevent unfortunate marriages, let’s implement the right of the first night in the Enkar region as well. Although, I think it might be better to change the name a bit.”

The name isn’t very favorable, and if someone takes over the governance of this region after Melfina, she wants to avoid any troubles arising from that name.

—After me, huh.

The lord owns all the land in the domain, which becomes the lord’s private property, so conditions differ from commoner inheritance, but essentially, children born to formal marriages are the ones who succeed.

The Duke of Oldrand seems to have a direct male heir, Alexis’s nephew, but since the Enkar region is officially Melfina’s personal property, it will likely revert to the Oldrand family after Melfina’s death.

If Maria marries Alexis and the divorce is finalized, without any prospects of adopting from the Crawford family, it will likely be absorbed by the Oldrand family, the northern rulers.

The concept of local autonomy is still far off.

There are possible moves, but they’re not without challenges.

Realistically, some of it may not be too difficult to anticipate. However, Melfina does not want to choose these methods.

—Providing stable and long-term governance to the people is one of the lord’s roles, but she is not yet ready to become a mere cog in the machinery.

“Honestly, the right of the first night is nonsense. Who would want to deal with so many women? I can’t imagine it at all.”

Julius’s lively voice snapped everyone out of their thoughts.

“To begin with, there’s no way such a practice would be accepted among the northern nobles, who rarely engage with numerous women. The right of the first night is most active around the border with the Romana Republic.”

“Are you referring to geopolitical reasons?”

“It’s not a complicated matter. Are you aware that the amount of magical power people possess tends to decrease the further south you go? Northern nobles have such strong magic that if they were to get a woman pregnant, there’s a high chance they would damage her mind and body. In the south, where even nobles have less magical power, if the right of the first night results in pregnancy, it only means an increase in the population. However, constantly harming people’s bodies and minds could lead to decreased tax revenue and a loss of public support. Conversely, it’s common for women from northern noble families to marry into other regions because they have difficulty bearing children with other strong magical individuals.”

As Julius spoke fluently, like water flowing from a spout, and I couldn’t find a response, he leaned forward from his sofa.

“The reason northern men are generally seen as devoted is largely due to this characteristic. In political marriages with nobles, it’s very problematic if the partner dies in childbirth early on. On the other hand, issues with inheritance arise if the child is not born to a formal marriage. I don’t understand it well myself, but apparently, many vassals don’t want to serve anyone who isn’t of legitimate lineage. So, it’s become common for nobles to marry women from families with less magic or commoners, avoiding mistresses. The temples don’t look favorably on nobles spreading their blood around either! A wife might break down after bearing one or two children, but remarrying is an option. It seems that by having children only with the legitimate wife and not with mistresses or high-class courtesans from other regions, a noble can appear devoted to their spouse. Of course, there are exceptions to everything.”

“Lord Julius.”

When I called his name clearly, Julius immediately stopped his torrent of words. His puzzled expression showed no malice or ill intent, which made it even more troublesome.

“Thank you for the valuable information. Since Rad has work to attend to, he will be leaving now. I’ll prepare new tea, so if you wouldn’t mind, could you tell me about the capital city? I grew up in the capital, so I’d love to hear some stories about the bustling city after a long time.”

“Well, I mostly stay holed up in the tower, so I’m not sure if I can provide much of a story.”

“In that case, please tell me about life in the tower. Unfortunately, I didn’t have many opportunities to visit the palace while I was in the capital. Rad, you may leave now. Marie, could you prepare some new tea?”

“Y-yes!”

“Understood, Lady Melfina.”

As she saw the two of them off, Melfina also took a moment before rising from her seat and gently touching Marie’s pale golden hair, which was gathered at the back.

“Marie. Your hair is a bit disheveled. Please fix it first.”

“…Thank you for your consideration.”

“Take your time. I’ll be chatting here and waiting.”

Marie, responding with a “yes”, seemed somewhat relieved. As the two left and the door closed behind them, Cedric let out a growl.

“Julius, what do you think you’re doing?”

“What’s there to be angry about, my friend? The southern nobles are quite something. There’s a wizard in the Ivory Tower researching the magical power of the human body, and since the south sends wizards to combat magical beasts in the summer, they’re closely connected with the Ivory Tower. According to statistics, the actual exercise of the right of the first night only amounts to about ten percent. It’s quite amazing, you know. I wouldn’t even want to marry one person, let alone many.”

“If you don’t stop, I’ll sew that mouth of yours shut.”

Sewing is a common activity in the parlor, so there’s no shortage of needles and thread. Cedric’s gaze briefly fell on a basket containing partially sewn winter garments.

Understanding Cedric’s seriousness, Julius smiled awkwardly.

“Honestly, I’ve never understood why you get so angry. Is there a northern woman you’re considering marrying? Fortunately, as long as the man you marry has low magical power, there should be no issue with her ability to conceive. However, the children might inherit magical power, so it’s advisable to have more.”

“Be quiet.”

Cedric’s voice, filled with intimidation, made Julius finally close his mouth with a resigned look.

“Lord Julius. This is the north, and many people have various circumstances. I am also married into a northern noble family myself. While I found your story interesting, I ask that you refrain from discussing this topic in the future.”

“Hmm, just because I remain silent doesn’t mean the facts disappear, but I understand. It’s a matter of feelings, I suppose. Cedric used to teach me that with a fist.”

“How many times must I tell you to be more cautious? If you go around making enemies everywhere, even you will eventually be stabbed.”

“The only one who could manage to stab me is someone with the talent of the “Sword Saint”, like you.”

“It’s not just about directly stabbing with a blade.”

“Is that so? You always make things so complicated. Nevertheless, Lady Melfina, you remain impressively calm. I find it very appealing.”

When Julius’s golden eyes were directed at me, it felt rather unsettling, as if he were assessing whether he could swallow his prey whole like a snake.

Although not a very pleasant gaze, it reminded me of how I used to be looked at in the capital.

The daughter of the southern great lord, the Crawford family, who lived in the capital’s townhouse with her free-spirited mother who rarely returned to their domain. There were rumors that there might be some issue since she hadn’t yet settled on a fiancé as she approached adulthood.

“Julius, be cautious.”

“Even if it’s only for a short time, I think it’s within the ‘general’ scope you mention to want to verify what kind of person I’m serving.”

“Julius…”

“Fine, Cedric. However, I am a noble daughter who’s somewhat sheltered and now lives freely away from my marital home, so it might be difficult to meet your standards.”

“No, Lady Melfina, I’m sure you’ll be a master who entertains me greatly. Besides—”

Julius’s lips curled into a smile as he spoke.

“I quite like people who live freely.”