Chapter 16
“Gasp, she made eye contact. Eye contact!”
“She’s really pretty!”
“Hey, you can’t just say that!”
“Why not? She’s really, really, really pretty?!”
It was a flooded disaster area, after all, so the children didn’t look much better off.
Some had bandages wrapped around injuries, while others were a complete mess, probably because they hadn’t been able to wash.
“Hey.”
I called over a nearby knight.
When I looked, it was the one who had scooped me up first earlier.
I’d been about to comment that his olive-colored hair made him hard to identify from afar, but I said something else instead.
“What’s your name?”
The knight paused for a moment, a strange expression crossing his face.
“It’s Jet, milady.”
The Altizeit Duke had assigned Charlize a personal guard of elite knights he had handpicked for her.
Yet this Charlize hadn’t even known the names of the knights protecting her.
“Got it, Jet. Is the whole territory in that state right now?”
“……That’s what I’ve heard.”
I’d planned to ask another knight if he didn’t know, but he seemed to be informed about the situation here.
“Then going back and forth would be pointless…….”
I turned my gaze.
Now that I wasn’t solely focused on the debris, I noticed things I’d missed before.
The cityscape wasn’t the only thing in ruins.
People groaning in pain were scattered everywhere. There were the injured, and others sitting listlessly in front of collapsed homes, their faces etched with despair.
Askin Remute wasn’t the type to turn his back on his own people.
So this scene must have arisen because the damage exceeded what he could handle.
“It bothers me.”
“……Pardon?”
I turned around.
I looked at the territory children who had been sneaking peeks at me.
The ones still staring flinched when they saw me notice, but when I didn’t say anything, they went back to staring hard.
“Hey, see? She’s prettier than the prettiest big sister in our neighborhood!”
“But if we keep this up, won’t we get in trouble? There’s a scary knight next to her!”
I glanced at the children and let out a chuckle.
“Eek, she laughed scary!”
“Is she gonna punish us?”
What? I thought I smiled quite prettily, you little brats?
I turned my gaze away.
“Call the head servant.”
“What for, milady?”
“Distribute food and water to those flood victims over there.”
“……Pardon?”
Jet froze, as if he hadn’t understood.
When I frowned, he quickly apologized.
Soon, the head servant and the captain of the guard arrived before me.
“Give food and water to the flood victims.”
“……If I may be so bold, milady, why…….”
“You don’t see that?”
I pointed one by one at the people collapsed or sitting dazed, and those covered in dirt from clearing debris.
“If they stay that filthy and an epidemic breaks out, catching it myself—what then?”
“Ah…….”
“I have to keep coming here. Got it?”
I didn’t know how many times I’d have to come and go until I found an opening with my fiancé.
But if I suddenly pitied them and provided water and food out of sympathy, they might grow even more suspicious.
It could also unnecessarily arouse suspicion among the Altizeit people.
“I-I understand!”
This was a decent excuse.
“But…….”
“Are you saying it’s fine if I catch an epidemic right now?”
“No, milady! W-We’ll procure water and food right away and distribute it.”
With that, the servants headed back to the capital to fetch food and water.
It wasn’t long before we heard that carts loaded with food and water—apparently with help from a merchant caravan—were on their way here.
“Tell the workers to fix those houses once they’re done clearing debris. I can’t stand looking at them.”
“……Yes, milady.”
Upon hearing that, I issued orders toward the scene of ongoing debris removal and construction, then turned to leave.
It seemed like it would take quite some time, so since I’d already stopped by today, I’d come back early tomorrow.
* * *
When I got home, I changed out of my dirty clothes at the maids’ insistent urging and sat on the comfortable sofa, sipping tea.
My body was at ease, but my mind was a little uneasy.
‘……Is the territory’s situation really that bad?’
The sight of Remute Territory I’d just seen wouldn’t leave my head. On the other hand, a question arose.
‘Askin talked about breaking off the engagement and said he’d be able to repay me the money soon.’
It looked difficult even to restore the territory now—where on earth would that money come from?
‘There must be some faction helping Askin or cooperating with him.’
I recalled the book’s contents in order. Places with a lot of money, able to provide large sums at once.
Places that could withstand the Altizeit family’s enmity even if their cooperation with Askin was discovered…… Places that needed Askin’s power enough to endure the Altizeit family’s wrath.
‘But there doesn’t seem to be any at this point……?’
I was deep in thought when, not long after, I was summoned by Grandfather.
When I opened the door to his study and entered, he was sitting there with an unusual expression.
I thought he might be angry about something, but when he saw me, he smiled.
Not a full grin, but a smile brimming with satisfaction.
“Oh, Charl. I heard the news!”
As soon as I sat down, Grandfather spoke.
He even stood up abruptly and came over to sit beside me.
Wait, Grandfather, what’s this about?
“You went to Remute Territory and stirred up a storm, huh?”
“Pardon? A storm?”
“A very good kind of storm!”
I tilted my head inwardly. What had him in such a good mood?
“As expected of my granddaughter. I never imagined you’d turn that flood disaster to your advantage like this.”
His cryptic words continued, so I decided to listen quietly for now.
“Yes, I got the full report. You called in workers to repair the roads, ordered building repairs and construction. And you even arranged for extra food and water.”
“Ah……. That was.”
“In exchange, you took their land deeds, right?”
I froze. Pardon? What? What was this Grandfather saying?
Did he think I’d helped those who lost their homes and were injured, only to seize their livelihoods?
I was floored. The problem was that I’d failed to control my expression without realizing it, letting my shock show.
Grandfather looked at my face and stopped short.
“Why that face? Don’t tell me…… You took something else instead? Well, even if it was money, that’s fine.”
“……No, Grandfather. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The smile faded from Grandfather’s face.
“Hah, so you…… Did all that without taking any compensation?”
“…….”
“You just handed out money to thin air?”
No, handed out for nothing? Saving lives wouldn’t register with this Grandfather at all. As I couldn’t respond to his unexpected words, he seemed even more furious.
“You’re still too young and don’t know how they cling if you help them for free—how much they turn on you at the slightest hardship later! Better to splurge on luxuries than waste money like that!”
Grandfather shot to his feet, venting his anger. I didn’t entirely fail to understand his mindset, but it felt excessive.
No, hadn’t I helped my granddaughter’s fiancé’s territory?
Even setting aside morals or politics, Grandfather seemed to need that man too—wouldn’t helping him bring long-term gains?
“Ha, I thought you’d grown some sense after traveling abroad…… Turns out that was this old man’s huge mistake. No, I can’t leave my foolish granddaughter tied to that scum.”
While I was at a loss for words, Grandfather escalated from anger and scolding through verses one and two straight to the breakup card.
“Maybe breaking off the engagement like that guy wants is the way to go.”
“Grandfather.”
“This won’t do. You need to be sent somewhere that’ll drill some money sense into you. Among the marriage proposals that came in, the Child family seems the best fit—go there instead.”
I was dumbfounded.
This Grandfather was deciding his granddaughter’s fate in three seconds flat.
This wasn’t the time to panic over being sent to my doom. If I let this slide, it’d be set in stone.
I pulled myself together coldly. No way—the dream of a rich unemployed life……! I couldn’t let my dreams vanish and die!
“Grandfather, please calm down and hear me out now?”
“Hah? What more is there to hear?”
“For starters, I said I didn’t know what you meant because I thought you assumed I’d only taken money.”
My mind raced. This Grandfather loved money so much his eyes would spin.
“Free? What nonsense is that? Of course I took land—but what use is barren land like that? Instead, I loaned them money with interest covering the building repairs, construction costs, water, and food.”
“They agreed to pay interest willingly?”
“Are they scared of interest right now? When they might die any moment?”
Grandfather’s sharp gaze turned to me. It wasn’t as frightening as my fiancé’s glare when angry, nor as terrifying as when the tyrant brother glared at me.
“……Is it true?”
“Why would I lie? You always said lies are for those who lack.”
