The Isolated Marchioness Just Wants to Make a Living
Chapter 17
* * *
I knew this would happen.
I looked at Baron Hawin’s servants gathered in the potato field.
Holding torches, they stood frozen with dismayed expressions.
“Planning to throw those torches into the potato field?”
I asked nonchalantly.
“Don’t throw them. Instead, I’ll let you roast some potatoes over that fire to eat.”
The servants’ breathing grew ragged.
“Even if you throw them, you’re already surrounded, and the fire will be put out in no time anyway.”
Buckets brimming with water were placed all around me. We had drawn water from the river in advance.
“Well, you might still ruin a few potatoes. The outcome is already decided, so you just have to choose.”
I spoke calmly.
“Will you just ruin them, or will you eat them? Either way, we already consider that amount a loss in the end, so we don’t care about the process.”
Truth be told, I had anticipated that the potato field would be in danger. Knowing Baron Hawin’s character, there was no way he would leave it alone.
That was why I had ordered buckets to be filled with water every night and placed throughout the potato field.
‘It’s water to give the potatoes the next day anyway, so the labor wasn’t wasted.’
Labor had to be conserved. After all, energy comes from food.
I also increased the number of knights on night patrol. I instructed them that if any arsonists appeared, they should immediately surround them, show them the water buckets, and contact me.
Tonight, word finally came, and I was called out in the middle of my sleep.
Before the hollow-cheeked servants, I gave a chin gesture to my maid.
With a crisp motion, the maid held out several plates.
“Here is the salt, and we have also prepared chilled tea brewed from boiled lotus root.”
The starving intruders succumbed instantly.
“W-We’ll eat!”
“We will eat!”
I knew they would. They were human, after all.
We handed out three thick, plump potatoes to each of them.
Watching them roast and eat them over the torches made us feel a bit hungry too, so we roasted one each for a midnight snack.
Dipping the piping hot, fluffy potatoes in salt and having them with chilled lotus root tea was simply wonderful.
Of course, Wendy couldn’t have any.
I had brought several escort knights with me, and Wendy was among them.
She wasn’t starving. She just couldn’t eat potatoes. But in our estate’s current situation, that meant she was barred from eating the staple food. Above all, being unable to eat while everyone else was eating was pure torture.
“Goodness, it’s truly so fluffy and delicious. Wendy, this is really fantastic.”
“It’s hot and tender. How long has it been since I tasted something this soft? Though Wendy will have to wait much longer.”
The knights even took delight in teasing her while eating potatoes right in front of her.
“Wendy, be nicer. It’s because of your bad personality that you can’t eat such delicious potatoes.”
“That’s right. Just stick to dried fish and eggs. It’ll do wonders for building your character.”
At this point, it was hard to tell whether the knights themselves had good personalities or not.
Regardless, Wendy was in agony every single time. A few days ago, she had even dropped to her knees before me, begging for forgiveness.
Yet, I did not lift the potato ban.
“Now, then.”
Once midnight snack time was over, I gave the knights a look.
“We should deliver you back to Baron Hawin.”
The knights promptly bound the intruders with ropes.
Blinking blankly, the intruders murmured,
“Pardon? W-We can head back on our own…”
“Do you think I’m crazy enough to just let criminals walk free?”
I said nonchalantly.
“I must make Baron Hawin pay the price.”
“…Pardon?”
“Come along, let’s go.”
Together with a group of knights, including Wendy, I headed for Baron Hawin’s manor.
It was a moonless midnight.
“U-Um, my lady.”
One of the intruders, softened after being fed potatoes, spoke up.
In truth, not long ago, these were domain residents who recognized Sears as their master.
“The thing is, there’s truly nothing left in our territory, sir. How do you plan to collect the debt…?”
“There are probably only a few ears of corn left in the baron’s manor as well, you know? Besides, our baron isn’t the type to hand anything over willingly…”
“He’ll definitely never admit that he ordered it. He’ll pin the whole blame on us!”
At that, Philip roared from behind me.
“How dare mere thieves speak to the young lady!”
Though I hadn’t brought a maid on the way to the baron’s manor, I momentarily felt the illusion that my maid was right there beside me.
“She is a noble lady whom the likes of you cannot even look upon with open eyes!”
Philip glared fiercely, delivering a stern warning.
“Lower your heads! Walk properly! If so much as a speck of dirt gets on the hem of the young lady’s skirt because of you, know that that day will be the day your blood stains my blade!”
The intruders immediately bowed their heads. Though it seemed they were terrified more by Philip’s massive physique than his manner of speech.
Then Philip stepped up to me and whispered proudly,
“This is the noble way, right, my lady? Am I doing well now?”
In truth, the maids of Riente were simply excessive; not even the nobles of the capital behaved like that.
Philip had learned the wrong lessons.
“You’re doing well.”
Even so, by Riente’s standards, he was doing fine. The problem was that Riente had fallen.
I replied haughtily,
“Let it be recorded in the history books.”
For the first time, Philip was satisfied with that remark of mine.
* * *
‘What in the world is happening!’
Baron Forman thought as he returned once more to Baron Hawin’s manor.
‘To think I’d have to come back here again!’
Moving about in secret made the elderly informant’s joints ache.
In the dead of night, Brisa had dragged the intruders straight into Baron Hawin’s chamber.
Accompanied by well-fed knights, no one was able to stop her.
“Hmm.”
Having received the complaint regarding the intruders, Baron Hawin twirled his mustache and spoke.
“I know nothing about this, Brisa. Why would I ruin my own niece’s field?”
Feigning ignorance, as expected.
Brisa asked sharply,
“Then why on earth would these people waste valuable labor in the middle of the night to set fire to our field, which is heavily guarded by knights? Unless it was by your command, Uncle.”
Baron Hawin feigned nonchalance and replied,
“Well, it’s a bit delicate to say this during such difficult times… but it seems they were simply envious of you.”
“You should have been careful with those words.”
Brisa shrugged.
“The intruders’ expressions don’t look too pleased.”
Indeed, the bound intruders were glaring at Baron Hawin with murderous eyes. They had anticipated it, but they still resented their master for cutting them loose to save his own skin.
“Brisa, I’ll give you a piece of advice out of concern for you. Don’t take offense,”
“Saying that means I’m bound to feel offended the moment I hear it.”
“You are truly ill-mannered toward your elders. Is that how your mother raised you? Coming to an elder’s home in the middle of the night to argue so disrespectfully?”
“As expected. I was right. Because I’m feeling offended now.”
“I remember clearly, three or four years ago, when I last saw your mother…”
“Saying ‘three or four years’ means you don’t remember clearly at all. It’s inaccurate, so I won’t listen.”
Brisa crossed her arms and spoke haughtily.
“More importantly, I would like you to take responsibility for this matter.”
“Responsibility? Why should I?”
Baron Hawin bristled at the word ‘responsibility.’
“A lord cannot possibly manage every single person in his territory, can he?”
“Then what should be done regarding their punishment? May I handle it as I see fit?”
“Well…”
Pressed by Brisa’s relentless barrage of questions, Baron Hawin rolled his eyes in fluster.
“Still… they are my residents, so the final authority must lie with me. Don’t you agree? That is the standard principle.”
In principle, the authority to punish territory residents belonged to the lord. No matter how much Brisa protested, there was no helping it.
At that, Brisa asked nonchalantly,
“Then how about selling them off?”
Outside the door, the elderly informant, Baron Forman, nearly fainted on the spot.
Sell… them off? What did that even mean?
