"Let's pray for good weather when Sigrid returns."
Alkerto raised his glass lightly, and Marie-Chez lifted hers in response, as if making a toast.
While the two were wishing for Sigrid's safe journey, Sigrid herself was sitting in a swiftly moving carriage.
Though her heart was far from light.
In the swaying carriage, Sigrid, uncharacteristically, was half-leaning against a cushion with her eyes closed, continuing to listen to the conversation.
Alex, who had been speaking, looked up and asked, "Shall we stop?"
"No. I appreciate you organizing this for ."
He was in the middle of briefing her on the key issues of the territory as they traveled down to the estate. Arkana, folding so papers, said:
"Taking in too much at once won't stick. Let's take a break."
Knock, knock, knock.
Just then, there was a knocking sound on the carriage window, and Arkana chuckled.
"Perfect timing."
As Sigrid opened the carriage window, a cool breeze rushed in. Beramund said:
"Why don't we finish up and go for a ride? You've been sitting quietly for three hours now."
"You say that as if it's difficult for ."
"Isn't it?"
When Beramund asked with a smirk, Sigrid sighed. She tapped the coachman's window rhythmically, and the carriage ca to a stop.
"Let's take a short break before continuing."
At Sigrid's words, Arkana nodded and opened the carriage door. As she escaped out of the carriage, Alex said to Arkana:
"Will this be alright?"
"What?"
Arkana turned to him and asked, and Alex shrugged.
"I an, making a military officer do this kind of work. Isn't it too demanding?"
"If it's her duty, Siri will gladly do it."
At those words, Alex and the newly recruited Lilia looked at each other and nodded. If soone understood their duty and didn't take it lightly, they would work through to the end, even if it was an unpleasant task.
Stepping out of the carriage, Sigrid took a deep breath.
For a countess's entourage, the party was quite small.
It consisted of only three or four workers and two carriages. This made them highly mobile, and they were expected to enter Conwills territory tomorrow.
"How is it? Manageable?"
"I'm just listening to stories, that's all."
Sigrid shrugged in response to Beramund's question. Beramund chuckled.
"Active listening is hard."
It was entirely different from just hearing things passively. Sigrid nodded.
"A little. But I'm sure it's better than the person who organized all this."
"If you do well, I might share so tea with you."
At Beramund's teasing words with a grin, Sigrid made an aggrieved expression and said:
"I didn't get anything."
"That's right. I wonder why His Highness the Third Prince only gave a gift to ?"
Annoyed by his smiling remark, Sigrid lightly punched him in the stomach.
When Sigrid visited Awen as promised before her journey, Awen had presented her with a small tea box. It was an expensive-looking box crafted from ivory.
"Give this to Duke Lunatil. It's a gift."
"To Duke Lunatil?"
"Yes."
Awen nodded. He added:
"You absolutely must not intercept it or eat it yourself, okay? You have to, have to! give it to Duke Lunatil, understand?"
"I wouldn't do such a thing."
Sigrid, feeling wronged, said, "What do you take
for?" and packed away the box. And as promised, she handed it over to Beramund.
Beramund was surprised by the gift, and Sigrid grumbled, "How nice to be so loved."
How should she put it?
She had thought she was the one Awen loved most, but it felt like an unexpected person had appeared.
'Well, it's better than him hating Beramund.'
Inwardly, Sigrid thought it was fortunate that Awen was favorable towards Beramund. She said to Beramund:
"He must have given it to you because you're my lover."
"Haha, maybe so."
Beramund nodded readily. This deflated Sigrid even more.
'Co to think of it.......'
She had always disliked this man.
She thought he had a much better lineage, ability ―though that was a misconception― and was more trusted than herself. She had always considered him a rival.
'Looking back now, it was just an inferiority complex.'
Sigrid stared blankly at Beramund, who wore a puzzled expression.
At first, he didn't pay any attention to her at all― then as they kept clashing, their relationship worsened, reaching its peak after the slum incident. And then, when she begged His Majesty to follow Beramund's strategy, and went alone to rescue him when he was isolated―
'I went to save him and all I got was, "Are you crazy?"'
And then she really struggled to escape from enemy territory with the injured Beramund.
"Siri?"
Beramund finally called her na. Sigrid found herself asking without thinking:
"Do you really like ?"
"Of course. I wouldn't propose to a woman I didn't like."
Beramund whispered in a low voice.
He could have said sothing like, "Do you know how far I've crossed the line for you?" But he didn't, and had no intention of doing so.
Sigrid nodded seriously, saying, "Right." She went "Hmm―" and glanced at him cautiously before saying:
"The answer, a bit more......"
"I understand. You're busier with other things. Is that it?"
"It's not that Beramund isn't important! But this is a serious matter, so I want to think about it seriously before answering."
"I see."
Beramund agreed readily. If one keeps postponing the answer after a proposal, the relationship would either break or beco filled with anxiety.
But knowing that Sigrid always ant what she said, Beramund decided to take a long-term view. And he was trying his best to get a positive answer.
"Shall we start moving again then?"
"We've only rested for ten minutes."
"I want to arrive at the territory as quickly as possible. Mobility is crucial in battle, you know."
"Arriving much earlier than expected would certainly catch them off guard."
Beramund nodded. As he watched Sigrid climb back into the carriage, Beramund mounted his horse.
'We'll arrive much earlier than expected.'
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Most of Conwills territory was flatland, and those plains were rippling with green wheat fields. It was a scene that vividly demonstrated how prosperous this territory was.
And there stood the lord's mansion, boasting its grandeur as the residence for the territory's ruler. The building with its 250 rooms and the garden flaunted their splendor.
Two carriages, flying flags emblazoned with the lily crest, pulled up in front of that mansion. It was an arrival bordering on an ambush, yet the servants welcoming her were surprisingly composed.
As if they had greeted her many tis before, all the servants lined up neatly at the entrance of the mansion. Sigrid alighted lightly from the carriage, observing them.
"We greet you, Countess."
A middle-aged man, undoubtedly Rivans, bowed respectfully, and the people chorused in unison:
"Welco."
An ordinary commoner might have been intimidated here, but for Sigrid, who had received military salutes, it was a familiar scene.
"Pleased to et you."
Sigrid replied and started walking straight into the mansion. Rivans quickly fell in step beside her.
"I am Isaac Rivans, the mansion's manager."
"I've heard a lot about you."
At that mont, a man burst out from the opposite line.
"Countess."
"You must be Eintz, the tax collector."
"I'm honored that you recognize ."
"You've worked hard. Now, the person I've brought will take over that job, so you may leave."
"Pardon?"
Eintz inadvertently raised his voice, and a ripple of unrest spread among the lined-up people. Sigrid stopped, turned to him, and said:
"You've done well. You no longer need to perform that duty. I'm saying you're relieved from that task. So, good work. You should claim your retirent pay from the imperial family."
Leaving Eintz with his mouth agape, Sigrid continued walking. If he had embezzled, there was no reason to keep him around any longer.
She would need to press him to disgorge the amount he had embezzled so far, but she had already tipped off the imperial audit office about that, so they would handle it.
"Ah."
Sigrid turned around just before entering the mansion's front door.
"You may disperse."
She threw out just one sentence and then opened the front door and went inside.
"It's well-managed."
Beramund, who had quickly followed, comnted as he glanced around the hall. Sigrid nodded.
"Indeed."
"If you were aiming to establish dominance from the start, that was perfect."
Beramund whispered lowly, and Sigrid opened her eyes wide and whispered back:
"That wasn't my intention though?"
"It wasn't? Without any other words, as soon as the final decision-maker appeared, you cut off one pillar of the old power structure right from the start."
"No, I just found the lengthy explanations botherso."
Muttering, Sigrid blinked and asked:
"Did I make a bad impression?"
"I don't think so."
If it was an action taken instinctively, that's even more frightening.
Beramund finished speaking and stretched his body, assuming a relaxed posture. Rivans hurriedly caught up with them and said:
"Co-Countess. We haven't introduced the people yet."
"I plan to call them one by one to my room and talk."
At Sigrid's words, Rivans responded, "I see." His face, which had seed unlikely to show emotion, was tinged with bewildernt.
"If you're hungry, I can prepare a al. Or shall I guide you to the office right away?"
"I'd like to take a tour of the house if possible. Arkana, you'll co along, right?"
Arkana quietly replied:
"Yes. As long as the lord doesn't walk too fast."
Though polite in front of others, she was clearly criticizing Sigrid for rushing ahead on her own. Sigrid responded courteously:
"I'll match the magician's pace."
Alex and Lilia, who had followed behind, nodded.
The group toured the entire mansion ―it took about 3 hours― and headed to the office. Then they began interviewing one person at a ti.
By midnight, Alex and Lilia realized:
It wasn't Sigrid who couldn't handle it, but themselves.
'We're no match physically.'
The physical stamina of the two, who had only ever held pens their entire lives, was fundantally different from Sigrid's. Having traveled to the territory by carriage and started work without even unpacking, the two began to feel drowsy and fatigued as night fell.
But with their boss Sigrid still going strong, they couldn't bring themselves to suggest calling it a day and continuing tomorrow.
It was Beramund who broached the subject. Standing behind like a guard, he leaned forward and said to Sigrid:
"Let's call it a day. It's almost bedti for everyone."
"Is it that late already? Arkana, how many are left?"
"Not many now? About ten people?"
Arkana said, flipping through the papers. Sigrid narrowed her eyes and went "Hmm."
"It seems a sha to leave it, but if we continue, we'll be going until dawn."
What to do?
Sigrid lightly tapped the paper with her pen. Beramund chuckled and said:
"Do it tomorrow morning. Everyone's concentration is dropping, and those remaining people need to work from tomorrow morning, right? It's not good to make them sleep late either."
"Well, that's true."
Sigrid sighed and pulled the bell rope. Imdiately, Rivans, who had been waiting, appeared through the servant's door.
"Rivans."
"Yes, Countess."
"Tell the remaining people we'll start again tomorrow morning. Tell them to go and rest for today."
"Understood."
"Good work today."
"Not at all."
"The rest of you go and rest too. If anyone wants a late-night snack, order now?"
Alex and Lilia shook their heads.
"No, thank you."
"I'm fine."
More than anything, they wanted to go straight to bed and collapse.
"I see. Then tomorrow morning at seven―"
"Let them sleep in and make it ten o'clock."
At Beramund's words, Sigrid went "That late?!" but then sighed again and nodded.
"Then we'll start again at ten o'clock."
"Thank you!"
Leaving behind words of gratitude, though it wasn't clear to whom, Alex and Lilia quickly rose from their seats, gathered their docunts, and left the room. Arkana said "Oh my" and closed his files. He too was starting to feel eye strain.
"Then I'll rest now."
After saying this, Arkana stared pointedly at Beramund. Beramund asked, "Huh? What?
too?"
Arkana said coldly:
"Were you planning to stay alone with Siri here where all the employees are? If you want to do sothing more, you'll have to put
between you two."
Beramund let out a groan and kissed Sigrid's forehead.
"Sleep well. See you tomorrow."
"Ah, yes. Arkana, sleep well too."
"Sleep well, Siri."
After saying goodbye, Arkana opened the door. Seeing Arkana gesturing sharply with his head for Beramund to co out, Beramund left the room with lingering reluctance.
Walking side by side in the corridor, Beramund whispered:
"When I marry Siri, I'll make sure to fire you first."
"Hahaha."
Arkana laughed brightly as if he had heard an amusing joke and said:
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