Became the Owner of a Poor Estate
Chapter 10
The bread inside the rustling clear wrappers came in all sorts of shapes and colors.
Donghee picked up one and peeled back the packaging to demonstrate.
The butler couldn’t hide his amazement at the transparent paper, something he had never seen before.
“Peel them like this. This is all I have for now, so distribute them to the children first. Once the wagons from the castle arrive, start rations for the elderly and the infirm.”
“Yes, I understand.”
The bread the Lord handed over gave off an incredibly sweet aroma.
Even for someone who had served as a butler at the castle for over forty years, it was a luxurious bread he had never once tasted.
The butler swallowed hard without realizing it and busily began peeling the wrappers. The knight standing beside him joined in to help.
The knights guarding the carriage stole frequent glances at the bread.
Seeing them salivating made her feel a bit apologetic.
“As soon as we return to the castle, the same bread will be distributed to the knights who accompanied us today.”
“Th-thank you!”
Large smiles broke out on the knights’ faces at Donghee’s words.
Pop, pop, pop!
At Donghee’s single sentence, red hearts erupted relentlessly above the knights’ heads.
Because some individuals were firing off dozens of hearts at once, the popping sounds didn’t stop for quite a while.
She hadn’t even given it to them yet—she’d only promised—and they were already this happy.
Once the wrappers were all removed, a crowd began to gather and murmur nearby.
Starving as they were, their eyes gleamed with a desperation that made it look as though they might pounce at any second.
One might have been intimidated, but the butler, perhaps accustomed to such situations, straightened his back immediately and stepped forward to speak in a loud voice.
Donghee hadn’t expected the back of the thin, frail-looking butler to appear so reliable.
“The Lord shall distribute food to Morta Village today!”
The moment the butler spoke, the people who had been glaring at the carriage began to buzz.
She expected a cheer to break out immediately, but it didn’t. Instead, they looked even more tense than before, watching carefully to see if there was some hidden catch.
“First, only those with children under the age of five in their household, come forward.”
The bread the Lord provided was nowhere near enough to give to every child in the village.
At the butler’s shout, adults clutching young children began to step forward hesitantly.
Even as they drew closer, they seemed uncertain, repeatedly looking back after every few steps. They were terrified by the sharp aura of the knights standing beside the butler, and they seemed nervous about approaching a carriage carrying nobility for the first time.
The first to arrive before the carriage was a young woman holding a child of about two.
The woman, who looked to be in her early twenties, was gaunt like the others, but she had the courage to step out first and a certain steely resolve in her eyes.
Donghee watched the approaching woman intently from her spot in front of the carriage.
Holding her child tightly while staying constantly wary of the knight and the butler, she looked like a hedgehog with its quills fully raised.
It seemed as though she would charge at an armed knight with her bare hands if it were for her child’s sake.
“Here. Take this first, and you can collect grain in a moment.”
Contrary to her intense anxiety, the woman’s eyes went wide when the bread was thrust toward her without any restraint.
“Are… are you really giving this to me?”
“Take it.”
The butler spoke as he pulled the bread from its plastic packaging and held it out.
Seeing the mother successfully receive the bread, the others holding children began to gather one by one.
The front of the carriage was soon crowded.
The remaining bread vanished in an instant, and the area around the carriage became busy with parents breaking off pieces of bread to put into their children’s mouths.
Perhaps because the knights were watching with sharp eyes, no one tried to steal bread from the parents.
It also helped that the parents, just in case, fed their children near the knights.
A woman who had been offering a dry breast to her baby split a piece of bread in half, put it in her mouth, and then offered the rest to her husband. However, her husband shook his head and fed the bread back to his wife. A bright smile spread across his face just from watching her eat.
Ding, ding, ding.
The sound of the fief residents’ favorability indices changing rang out frantically from all sides.
Even though they were only receiving a single piece of bread, hearts large and small rose constantly above their heads before bursting like soap bubbles.
But right now, she didn’t really want to check the numbers.
With a heavy expression, Donghee silently watched the people devouring the bread in the blink of an eye.
“My Lord, it is time to return.”
“Already?”
It felt as though they had arrived less than thirty minutes ago, but the butler approached the carriage and spoke.
The butler stuttered in confusion at Chloe’s surprised expression.
“Ah… at other times, you would depart immediately. Shall… shall you stay a little longer?”
“Yes. I must see the wagons arrive. I need to confirm the distribution as well.”
“I see! Yes! Understood!”
The butler was visibly delighted as he ran toward where the people were sitting.
A short while later, a temporary distribution center was set up at the village entrance.
Though it consisted only of a few tables and old chairs hastily brought from the village hall, hope began to drift across the people’s faces.
“The wagons are coming!”
Someone’s loud shout rang out.
“Waaaaaaah!”
Only then did a cheer echo through the quiet village.
Despite the butler’s suggestion to wait comfortably inside the carriage, Donghee insisted on sitting in a chair prepared at the temporary distribution center.
“The chair is uncomfortable.”
The butler was restless as he brought out a chair that had neither a cushion nor a backrest.
“It’s fine. It’s comfortable enough.”
The old chair had loose legs and wobbled from side to side with the slightest movement. However, Donghee balanced herself appropriately and sat upright, staring straight ahead.
Dressed in a modest navy gown with minimal jewelry, the Lord appeared to be sincerely empathizing with the suffering of her people.
To the butler, who knew Chloe’s flamboyant tastes better than anyone, the Lord’s attire today was deeply moving.
“If you feel any discomfort, please tell me at any time. I will escort you to the carriage.”
When the butler spoke with sincere respect, Donghee simply smiled brightly and nodded instead of answering.
Thelma, who had arrived with the wagons loaded with grain, also stayed by Chloe’s side.
Thelma had been in a state of constant tears since arriving at Morta Village.
At first, Donghee thought she was crying because of the villagers’ wretched state, but listening to her tearful mumbling, there was another reason.
“To think our Lord is finally looking after the fief. I can die now with no regrets.”
The reason Thelma was crying was none other than Chloe Grace.
The selfish, spoiled Lord had finally begun to take an interest in the lives of her people.
Feeling awkward, Donghee kept her mouth shut, not knowing how to respond.
At the front, the food distribution had already begun.
The villagers, while receiving the meager amounts of grain, repeatedly offered words of gratitude toward Chloe.
How long had she been sitting there?
Her back and tailbone were starting to ache from the hard chair. Fortunately, the distribution was nearing its end.
“I think you can stand up now.”
Thelma, who had been standing close by Chloe’s side, spoke while looking at the short line remaining.
Donghee, who had already been debating whether to stand, got up from the chair as if giving in. It was then.
A young boy who looked to be about five years old approached hesitantly.
“What is it?”
Donghee asked, looking at the child standing before her. His ankles, visible beneath his high-watered pant legs, were thin as twigs. Yellow mucus dripped from his pink-tinged nose.
The boy quickly wiped his nose with the back of his hand and then held something out to Chloe.
It was hard to see what was in his grimy hand.
“What is that?”
“A… gift.”
The child’s voice was a mixture of shyness and tension, trembling slightly.
“For me?”
“Yes.”
Donghee stole a glance at Thelma beside her, then leaned down and held out her hand to the child.
The boy was overjoyed and placed what he had been clutching with both hands onto her palm.
“What is this?”
What the child had handed her was a white pebble about the size of a small coin. He must have been holding it for a long time, as it felt warm against her palm despite the weather.
“It’s my treasure, but I’ll give it to the Lord.”
It was a meager and very common object to be called a treasure, but seeing its smooth, polished shine, she could tell how dearly the child had cared for it.
“Is it alright to give something so precious to me?”
Instead of answering, the boy nodded vigorously.
“Mama said. If the Lord hadn’t come today, my younger sibling would have died. She said I could starve a bit longer, but it would have been hard for my sibling to hold on. They felt better after boiling the bread the Lord gave us today in water. Mama said she’ll make porridge for me too with the grain we got today.”
She had estimated him to be about five, but hearing him speak, he seemed older than that.
“How old are you? And what is your name?”
“I’m nine years old. My name is Danny.”
Danny’s thin cheeks flushed red as he introduced himself.
“Danny, you are a wonderful older brother. Your sibling is very lucky.”
Donghee took off the cloak she was wearing and handed it to Danny.
“This is a reward for your gift. Use it to cover your sibling.”
She purposely told him to cover his sibling, fearing he might refuse if she gave it to him directly. Danny accepted what Donghee held out with a dazed expression.
“The weather will turn cold soon.”
Seeing the child hesitate, Donghee added.
“Thank you!”
At the mention of the cold, Danny bowed deeply in greeting. A musty smell drifted from the child, who hadn’t washed in a long time.
Donghee watched Danny’s back as he dashed toward home after bowing to her, then slowly took in the sight of the village.
As soon as she returned to Grace Castle, Donghee opened the status window to check the favorability index.
- The current favorability of the fief residents is -171,010.
“Oh my god!”
The favorability index, which had been over minus 200,000, had risen by nearly 30,000 points.
