Became the Owner of a Poor Estate
Chapter 28
As she entered the village entrance, the filthy scene from before was nowhere to be found.
Though the ground was still dirt, it had been swept clean. The waste that had once cluttered every corner was gone, leaving the streets tidy and free of stench.
“My Lord!”
The Village Chief came running toward Chloe as she entered, bowing deeply.
He explained that while Builder was overseeing the logging, he, as Chief, had taken responsibility for the village cleanup.
“You’ve worked hard.”
Donghee still felt awkward speaking informally to an old man with thinning white hair, so she feigned interest in inspecting the village to avoid eye contact.
“Not at all! This is all thanks to your great grace, My Lord. We are simply overwhelmed with gratitude.”
Even his gaunt appearance had transformed remarkably in just two days.
Seeing his once-sharp, defensive gaze replaced by eyes full of anticipation made her feel genuinely good.
“Village reconstruction will begin soon. I’ve given instructions to start repairs with the most damaged houses first, so keep that in mind.”
“Pardon?”
A flicker of disappointment crossed his eyes, as he had secretly hoped his own house would be repaired first.
“Starting with the houses in the worst condition,” Donghee repeated firmly, driving the point home.
The Village Chief hurriedly bowed his head. His few remaining strands of white hair fluttered in the breeze.
“Yes! I shall keep that in mind!”
“Once the village is splendidly rebuilt, I will reward you for your role as Chief. So, do your best to restore the village. However, if I see anything lacking, there will be no reward.”
The right carrot always increases efficiency.
“Yes! I shall give it my utmost!” the Chief shouted with determination.
As the logging reached its conclusion, the repairs to the village houses progressed rapidly.
Builder turned out to be more competent than expected.
Following Donghee’s orders, he began fixing the most dilapidated houses first. With many laborers mobilized, they repaired three or four houses a day. It wasn’t surprising that efficiency was high, considering the villagers were being paid a daily wage to fix their own homes.
When Gold Rich returned to the Grace Territory, he could not hide his shock at how much the fief had changed since his first visit.
Since one had to pass through Morta Village to reach Grace Castle, the transformation was even more striking.
“Is this really Morta?”
Gold Rich’s jaw dropped as he stared out the carriage window.
Previously, he had to keep the windows tightly shut because of the stench whenever he passed the village. Now, far from smelling, the place was so clean and organized it felt like an entirely different town.
Houses that looked ready to collapse due to falling roofs and rotting walls were being neatly refurbished like new.
Even as Gold Rich passed by, the village was bustling with construction.
The village that had reeked of death not long ago was now vibrant with the sound of children’s laughter. It was the sound of life.
If this much change had occurred in less than a month, he couldn’t imagine how much more it would transform in the future.
Furthermore, the Lord of this land, Chloe Grace, was a young talent not yet even twenty years old.
Gold Rich stopped his carriage and stared at the changed scenery for a long time, unable to close his mouth.
By the time he reached Grace Castle after passing through Morta Village, Gold Rich vowed to himself that he must never lose his trade relationship with this place.
“I greet the Lord!”
Donghee’s lips curled upward at Gold Rich’s attitude, which was markedly different from his first visit. He seemed to have gained even more belly fat in the time they hadn’t met.
Indeed, money was everything.
“You returned sooner than I expected.”
“Yes, the items Your Lordship gave me were sold as soon as I took them to the capital. Dozens of nobles have placed backorders, and even the Imperial Family is showing great interest in the jewels I am selling.”
The Imperial Family?
That was unexpected.
Wait, would getting involved with the Imperial Family be a good thing?
After a brief moment of deliberation, Donghee concluded it was not.
“Surely, you didn’t reveal the source of the jewels?”
At Donghee’s cold tone, Gold Rich hurriedly waved his hands. Being quick-witted, he immediately realized from the Lord’s lukewarm reaction that she wished to avoid involvement with the Imperial Family.
“I said nothing of the sort!”
As Gold Rich shook his head, the fat beneath his chin wobbled vigorously.
“Is that so? Good. The moment it is revealed that these jewels come from here, our dealings are over.”
Confirming that his quick judgment had been correct, Gold Rich smiled and nodded emphatically.
“Of course, of course!”
From Gold Rich’s perspective, an exclusive contract with the Grace Territory was far more profitable anyway.
Fearing he might offend the Lord, he bowed so low his forehead nearly touched the floor, acting quite flustered.
“I have been losing sleep since last night in anticipation of what rare treasures you might show me this time.”
Look at him, he even knows how to flatter.
Gold Rich bowed and scraped with a servile smile, looking like a classic sycophant from a cartoon.
Due to the lighting installed to make the gems shine brighter, Gold Rich’s oily face glistened.
When Donghee gave a leisurely nod, two servants brought a chest that had been set aside and placed it before Gold Rich.
Gulp.
As the chest drew near, Gold Rich’s Adam’s apple bobbed as if he were smelling delicious food.
Seeing him reveal his greed so blatantly actually made Donghee feel better.
Someone like this was easier to handle than a snake who hid his true intentions.
In case of any unforeseen incidents, Scrooge was joined by Red Bear and two highly skilled knights to guard Chloe’s side, while nearly thirty fully armed knights stood outside the office.
While it was partly a precaution, it was also intended to show Gold Rich the newfound prestige of Grace and to intimidate him.
However, looking at Gold Rich’s expression, it seemed like an unnecessary effort. He looked visibly delighted upon seeing the knights guarding the office. Far from being intimidated, he seemed to expect that he would be shown items even more valuable than last time. Though Donghee felt a bit deflated by the unexpected reaction, it also served to increase her liking for Gold Rich.
“M-may I open it?”
Gold Rich even stuttered, seemingly nervous.
“Of course. But please be careful. There are many rare items.”
Donghee whispered in a deliberately secretive voice. Since he was so expectant, she might as well fan the flames.
“Certainly! I shall inspect them with the utmost care to ensure not a single scratch occurs.”
Gold Rich, who had been waiting nearby, pulled a pair of white gloves from his pocket, put them on, and carefully opened the chest. As the lid rose, his eyes glistened like polished gems.
“Eh? What is all this?”
Gold Rich asked in a puzzled voice as he looked inside.
“I told you. They are precious. They even have their own individual storage cases.”
“Ooh! You mean to say these cases were made from such precious Bordoa cloth?!”
“Bordoa? Yes. It’s Bordoa cloth.”
It seemed they called velvet ‘Bordoa cloth’ here.
“And there are cases made of such exquisite leather! What kind of leather is this? I have never seen its like—it is so thin and the patterns are magnificent!”
“It’s Leza.”
“Does such an animal exist? Ah! It must be a Monster! Ah… I knew Your Lordship was a truly special person.”
It’s not, though. It’s just synthetic leather.
Since he wouldn’t understand a correct explanation anyway, Donghee let Gold Rich imagine whatever he wanted, wondering what kind of creature a ‘Leza’ monster would look like.
“Ooh! I have never seen leather with such a beautiful color.”
In a place where most jewelry boxes were made of carved wood, these cases—made of velvet and Leza over plastic—were extremely rare in their own right.
“My word! And the cloth lining the inside of the cases! The luster!”
Gold Rich marveled as he stroked the yellow fabric, which shimmered exceptionally well in the sunlight.
“Nylon.”
“Pardon? Such a fabric exists?”
“It is a very precious fabric. One that is hard to find in these parts.”
“Ooh! It is incredibly soft.”
Gold Rich was particularly fond of the new necklace and bracelet designs brought from Gold Diamant. Looking at the necklaces as thin as thread and diamonds set in sizes smaller than a fingernail, he marveled repeatedly, claiming they were items no human could ever create. Everything remained nestled within its storage case.
Stroking the shimmering fabric with his gloved, pudgy hands, Gold Rich stole a glance at the Lord sitting there with an arrogant expression.
He was dying to know where this young Lord was getting such precious jewels.
Even looking back at the past records of the Lord of Grace, there was no one she had particularly associated with. No, it was safe to say that almost no merchant ever entered this barren land, which was so dirt-poor there was nothing to take. Aside from Viscount Patrasche, who was intent on seizing the territory from a child, no nobles ever visited.
Gold Rich’s curiosity was bubbling up to his throat, but he kept his mouth shut, fearing that speaking out might ruin the current deal. Gold Rich was a man who could suppress any amount of curiosity for the sake of profit.
Hiding his boiling curiosity under a dignified expression, Gold Rich inspected everything from the cases to the jewels before handing over the massive sum of 3,000 gold and departing.
Seeing the gold coins filling the chest, Scrooge’s smile stretched from ear to ear. However, as soon as Red Bear withdrew, his smile turned into a look of concern.
“My Lord, where on earth are all these jewels coming from?”
No matter how much Scrooge thought about it, there was no place such jewels could have come from. Moreover, if such treasures had existed, there would have been no need to sell the territory’s land to Viscount Patrasche for a pittance. There were more than a few suspicious points.
Then again, the Lord, who always stayed within the castle, couldn’t have gone out and stolen them.
“There is a treasure storehouse that my father only told me about. I simply remembered it just now.”
“A treasure storehouse?”
“Scrooge.”
“Yes, My Lord!”
Donghee felt burdened by Scrooge’s suspicious gaze and subtly avoided his eyes.
“Call the Financial Officer.”
She felt it was necessary to manage the money systematically.
However, Scrooge’s reply was entirely unexpected.
“Did our territory have a separate Financial Officer?”
“We don’t?”
“One needs finances to manage before calling a Financial Officer. Until now, haven’t I been managing the meager budget we had?”
“But you are the butler.”
“I am the butler, the Financial Officer, and the tutor who instructs Your Lordship.”
“I don’t recall receiving lessons from you?”
“That is because Your Lordship ran away every single time.”
“Aha!”
No wonder Scrooge had dark circles under his eyes.
He was a very busy man, indeed.
“Then from today, Scrooge, you shall only perform the role of Financial Officer.”
“Does that mean…?”
“Hire more people. We have plenty of funds now, and there will be many more jobs.”
“Is… is that true?”
At the thought of having his workload reduced, Scrooge forgot his creeping suspicions and was moved to tears.
After Scrooge decided to focus on the role of Financial Officer, he selected someone from among the servants to act as the butler. Perhaps he had someone in mind already, for within a day, Scrooge presented the new butler to Donghee.
He was a young, handsome man with light brown hair bordering on blond and striking green eyes. He was tall and well-built enough to pass for a knight. He seemed quite nervous, standing as stiff as a mannequin in a department store from head to toe.
Donghee smiled pleasantly at the sight of the tall and handsome new butler.
Oho! Very desirable.
“I am Handsome, and I have been appointed as the butler starting today.”
“Handsome? Your name is Handsome?”
