Chapter 76

"What do you mean by that... Mr. Murdoch?"

"Take it literally. It's difficult here in this mine. We can't avoid a collapse unless we move to another location."

"Wh-what? But we can still mine here!?"

"Kirk, it's impossible. This is the conclusion. I wanted to talk about this today, but I couldn't because of the guests."

The guests he referred to were us. It seemed he had really been holding back some important information.

"But, then... the debt!"

"Kirk, calm down. It's okay."

"What do you mean by the debt?"

Murdoch was trying to calm down Carnac, who had turned pale and was in a state of confusion. Rosalim seemed hesitant to ask such a question to the two of them, so she asked me.

I shook my head, indicating that this wasn't the place to talk about it.

She seemed a bit unsatisfied but decided to watch the two of them without saying anything.

"You're a bit mistaken. You were a child back then, so it couldn't be helped, but it's our fault for not explaining things properly."

"Mr. Murdoch... "

"I'm sorry, but I'd like to end it here today. I need to have a talk."

"I understand. I'm sorry for the trouble we caused today."

I also needed to organize the information a bit, so it was a relief.

It was a mystery how much the information from Rosalim and what I heard from Carnac would align.

"Miss Rosalim, I'll take my leave today."

"That's right. It seems to be an important conversation, and I wouldn't want to be interrupted when I have an important talk either."

I looked at Rosalim, a bit surprised.

I realized that she often failed to read the room because she didn't think it would be unpleasant for her if she were in the same situation.

She was insensitive to others' feelings.

In other words, fundamentally, she was a self-centered person.

We had originally planned to stay in the village for the night, but I couldn't bring myself to do such a presumptuous thing.

The only accommodations in the village were the inn attached to the tavern run by Illegar or the mayor's house, but I hesitated to ask either of them.

If there had been no issues, we would have stayed at the inn without any problems, but with everything that had happened, we decided to come back another time.

A short distance away was the mansion of the person overseeing this area.

Incidentally, the master was there to hear the report.

I wondered what he would think when he saw us return.

In the carriage, Rosalim seemed to be dozing off.

She had been talking non-stop about various things right after we got in, but she was clearly tired.

Michelle, who was sitting across from me, also seemed a bit tired, but since she was the only one I could rely on, I spoke to her.

"Michelle, I need you to do some investigating."

"Ah, that's not really my job, Lady Reisha."

"Who else can I ask?"

"Ragnart would be the best person, but he's on leave right now..."

Actually, Ragnart didn't come with us to the territory this time.

Perhaps because we had pushed him too hard, and due to his age, he had fallen ill. I had hesitated to introduce such an elderly Ragnart as the chief steward to the master, a great noble, but Ragnart had already been involved in secret dealings with the master.

Therefore, the master had also been considering finding someone who could work alongside Ragnart in the territory and learn to be a chief steward.

Originally, Ragnart was only a temporary appointment—specifically, until a successor was found.

His role was more about grooming a successor than actually working as a chief steward.

He looked younger than his age, but he wasn't a young man anymore.

"Maybe we should just go with Ragnart's recommendation? I understand that someone from the territory would be preferable, but if they're single, that could be worked out."

Marriage, for example.

Arranged marriages with the daughters or granddaughters of important officials, but I didn't want to do that if I could help it.

In the case of such a large noble territory, it wasn't always ideal.

"Ragnart believes that someone from the territory should be chosen over someone from outside. I agree with that."

"I understand as a former member of a marquis family... but do we have the time for that?"

Even if Ragnart were to fully enter a convalescent state, the minimum operations would continue, but the role of the chief steward was significant.

The master intended to take on as much as he could, and he would help, but there were limits.

"I'm sure the master has something in mind."

I was the duchess and the master's legal wife, but I was almost ignorant about the territory.

I understood the surface-level things, but I didn't know the internal details.

The same went for the people in the territory.

I shouldn't interfere with matters related to those who had served the Lindvold duchy for generations.

If I had to say, it would be best if the person could work well with Ragnart.

"Anyway, getting back to the topic. I think it would be better to consult with Lord Claude. He is, after all, the lord of this territory and might have specialized agencies."

"But isn't it a bit much to go straight to the lord?"

"Before being the lord, he's your husband. Lord Claude asked you to report, communicate, and consult. If you don't, it would be unfair, don't you think?"

"Who said that?"

The talk about reporting and such came up when I was alone with the master.

"Lord Claude. He said you complained, but of course, you'd have complaints. From what I heard, Lord Claude was completely in the wrong. I felt sorry for you."

Ah, from the early days of our marriage to the matter of the princess.

Thinking about it now, there are a few things I'd like to say to the master.

"But, I do think what you said is correct. That's why I recommend you report to Lord Claude properly."

"I know, but..."

"Then, when we get back, let's report what we learned today. It was quite an informative inspection, wasn't it?"

The inspection was mostly a pretense.

Michelle glanced at Rosalim, who had her eyes closed.

"Miss Rosalim can be a bit scary, asking such important questions out of the blue."

Yeah, I agree.

Her curiosity-driven approach to asking anything and everything is admirable in a way.

At the same time, I imagine the people around her must be on edge, as if their stomachs are about to burst from tension.

"I think Lord Claude might be a formidable opponent for Miss Rosalim."

Conversely, Miss Rosalim might also be a formidable opponent for the master.

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