Chapter 77

"You're back early. I thought you were going to stay overnight?"

"Many things happened. Many things..."

My words seemed to bring something to mind, as my husband's eyes twinkled with amusement, and I couldn't help but glare at him.

One of the many things that happened was Rosalimonde, but since she left the care of her to me, he must know what I want to say.

The current appearance of my husband, now in much more comfortable loungewear than when he left, only fueled my anger.

"Did you have a very productive time alone? I'm so envious."

"I'll give you a point for coming out to greet me, but that's it!"

I plopped down on the sofa in a rather rude manner, and Rihito jumped up beside me.

"I was taking care of this troublemaker who was getting in the way of work, so it's even, right?"

I stroked Rihito, who was rubbing against me.

"You're always so energetic, aren't you? Don't you ever get tired?"

"But, my lord, I prefer taking care of this one. Please take care of Rosalimonde tomorrow."

"By the way, why did you come back so early? I thought Rosalimonde would stay no matter what anyone said."

"Perhaps she had some thoughts, I guess."

My husband looked surprised for a moment.

"Rosalimonde? That's quite a bit of growth."

I can understand his harsh words.

"What I realized today is that it's not that she doesn't read the room, but rather that there are very few things she finds unpleasant. That might be why she seems to not read the room."

Normally, people don't do things they find unpleasant to others. Of course, there are people who do such things, but they are a small group of unpleasant people.

However, being disliked by others is also a matter of subjectivity.

What might not bother me could be very different for someone else. In Rosalimonde's case, the range of things she finds unpleasant seems to be very narrow. When I conveyed this to my husband, he sighed thoughtfully.

"Even if that's the case, people adjust through experience."

"There are people she's not good with, so I can only say that Rosalimonde is one of them. But thanks to that, I was able to hear many things."

Currently, only my husband and I are in this room.

No—two people and two animals is more accurate.

Rihito is asking to be petted, showing his belly, but Leitzel is being well-behaved.

Rosalimonde has returned to her room to rest until dinner.

"Since we both heard many things, let's try to align our perspectives. The success of the business you thought of depends on this discussion."

My husband handed me a few documents.

It seems he had taken the rough draft I gave him before leaving—more like a list of ideas—and turned it into a proper business plan.

Hmm, he works fast. I wonder when he did this...

"I made some revisions. The situation varies by territory. If you have any concerns, let me know—so, how was it in reality?"

When asked by my husband, I looked up from the documents. The playful atmosphere turned serious, and I put down the documents and began to speak.

I relayed what I had heard, including the people I met.

Some of it, my husband seemed to already know from reports, but he sighed deeply when I mentioned the livestock disease and the debt.

"Do you think that's true?"

"No... To be honest, I don't think it's true."

"I have the same impression. No matter how incompetent her father was, the people around him wouldn't have kept quiet. Especially the nearby villages and towns. Even if the mining village is remote, it's impossible to completely cut off the flow of people."

"Why didn't it become a big issue?"

"There are various possibilities, but if the top of the ducal family was involved, it could have been handled in any way."

We know Rockdel is involved, but my husband also suspected his father.

"However, from what I heard, most of the residents don't seem to be working in the mines out of choice."

"It's more like they do it to earn money, to support their families—and to keep their families from being taken as debt."

"I can understand that. Although I don't want to admit it, the ducal family is also at fault, so we want to resolve this as quietly as possible."

That would be the case from my husband's position.

Even I would want to resolve it quietly.

However, repairing the already strained relationship will require considerable effort.

And normally, a budget would be needed, which could lead to it becoming known. But in this case, it's almost resolved, so there's no problem.

It was a complete coincidence, but our interests aligned.

"If we're going to talk, I think it would be best to meet with Illegar, the owner of the tavern."

"He's a central figure in the village."

"Yes, he seems to be quite respected by everyone."

"I'm curious. Given Lisha's impression, it's possible he knows that what he's doing is a crime... but it also seems like there could have been a different way."

Karnak definitely believes in him.

And so do the people who gathered there.

I don't think he's deceiving the villagers. Of course, he could have a hidden side.

"By the way, what did Rosalimonde hear?"

"Mainly about the mines. How much was being mined, who was managing it, and about the wages."

"How much?"

When I mentioned the amount I heard, he sighed again.

"That much? When the mining business was active, we paid more than double. Even if the debt was deducted, it's too little. It would barely be enough to support a family."

"I felt the village was struggling from the moment I stepped in."

Also, the village's population is generally older.

Because of this, it lacks youth and energy, and it felt like it was declining.

"Originally, the plan was to abandon the village, but as people lived there, they formed families, and the children born there consider it their hometown. In the end, the village didn't become abandoned, and those people are still living there."

"Quite a few people have left and returned as well."

"Large territories have difficulty keeping track of the conditions of small villages. That's why we select someone to manage a specific area, but if they engage in corruption, it rarely reaches the lord. We need to correct that corruption."

That's why my husband came on this trip. From his perspective, the previous generation had already provided compensation, so it should have been enough, but since the ducal family's stain is involved, the situation is different.

"By the way, what kind of report did you receive?"

My husband nodded and began to tell me.

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