CH 196

It’s been about a week since I told Viscount Royce, Heinrich III, that I’d start preparing Helmut’s house. 2 weeks have passed since I came back to my parent’s house, and 3 weeks have passed since the school closed and the long break began. Considering the schedule for my return trip, I have so little time that I can’t stay for another month.

While I was preparing the house to hand over to Helmut, I had a series of inspections, research consultations, meetings, and interviews every day. I have no time to rest. I have to take Viscount Royce to see Helmut’s house, so I need to clear my schedule for a day. I’ve been really busy this past week to finish that part ahead of schedule.

I was able to forcibly complete the planned inspections in one day, which had the same pace as a forced march, check the progress of various types of research, and give all the advice I could give, such as to new settlers, interviewing workers at the affiliated factories, farms, and ranches, and so on…

Above all, the most troublesome thing is meeting people who want to do business with us or meet the President of Caanza Trading Firm. There seem to be one or two quirks, from those who are like scammers trying to steal money from Caanza to those who come to Caanza thinking that if they snuggle up to us right now, they will be able to get a sweet deal and leech off our success.

Of course, some of them are useful and capable people. Not all are such scammers and self-interested people. That’s why you can’t know what the other person is like until you meet them, so I spent time getting to know them, but again, this is exhausting… it was an exchange that took the most delicacy because I couldn’t show my weakness.

Anyway, after working hard for a week, I had a day off my schedule, so I took Helmut and Christa to Manor Royce. I thought Katharina would also want to meet their parents with her brother, so I took her there, but somehow she doesn’t seem to be having much fun. It was only the other day that Helmut and Katharina returned to their parent’s house… I wish I could go back to my parent’s house more because it’s so close by…

Well, that’s not something I’m going to say out loud, so I’ll leave it to the two of them, but today I have to go to Caanburg with Lord and Lady Royce.

I’m not particularly concerned about it, but it seems that Father’s policy is to prevent the Carruthers Vassals from entering Caan territory unless there is a serious need.

It’s true that not only Houses Carruthers and Caan but also other neighboring territories are included, but it’s a little embarrassing for the nobles to go in and out without official business. Of course, if you have to go to the royal capital, you can’t reach it without passing through other territories, so it’s not like you absolutely can’t enter other territories. However, it is difficult to go to a neighboring territory even though you don’t have any business there.

Of course, I don’t manage all human traffic, so I wouldn’t know if they went silently. And even if they find out, if they didn’t do anything illegal, there’s no reason to complain. However, you should be careful because it may give you an unnecessary reputation.

For example, don’t you think it’s strange if a vassal of your territory keeps visiting the capital of a neighboring Feudal Lord? It would be unavoidable to be suspected of colluding with that neighbor and plotting something terrible. You should know that you shouldn’t go to other territories too often so that you don’t have such unnecessary reputations and suspicions hanging over you.

Moreover, Sir Floto von Caan has already been exiled from Carruthers territory, although it has already become almost infamous. This is why I still don’t use the name Floto von Caan in Carruthers territory. There are times when I almost forget, but…

You’ll understand that it’s not very advisable to go in and out of neighboring territories owned by a person your Lord has exiled and banned from his land. That’s why there seems to be a tacit agreement that the Carruthers Vassals won’t go in and out of Caan territory unless it’s absolutely necessary.

It seems that Viscount Royce has never entered Caan territory, so today seems to be the first time. Today, he is not coming as Viscount Royce, Vassal of House Carruthers, but as one of the parents of Helmut, the Head Butler of House Caan.

Well, no matter how tacitly it is, it has been confirmed that there are also Carruthers Vassals who have gone in and out of Caan territory. It seems that there are people who do have business there, and there are people who come to see how things are going, just for sightseeing or to see if there is any talk of profit. There’s no reason to turn away or arrest someone who isn’t a criminal, so I’m letting them go freely, but I’ve got the information that they’re coming to my territory.

While I was thinking about that, the carriage had arrived at the northernmost part of Caanburg. You can see Manor Caan, which has been expanded and renovated and is larger than before. The large mansion on the right side of Manor Caan, to the west, is the mansion that will be handed over to Helmut.

There are many large mansions on the left and right in front of Manor Caan. This was the site temporarily rented during the early days by those who wished to live together until the settlers were able to stand on their own. Some parts have been rebuilt and some have just been refurbished. As expected, you can’t live in an empty space like a gymnasium.

If the settlement progressed and all the settlers disappeared, it was planned to be redeveloped into an aristocratic district where the Caan vassals would live. That’s why the grounds of each house are wide, the structures are big, and the design is that of a nobleman’s mansion.

The Kingdom of Ploiss puts weight on the Upper Right, so being on the Right side is more precious. In Japan, the Minister to the Left is higher than the Minister to the Right, as the Upper Left position is more valuable. In comparison, in the Kingdom of Ploiss, the Right side is more prestigious. To give Helmut this mansion shows both inside and outside that he stands to the Right of the Lord and her main residence, Manor Caan, that is, he’s the highest below me.

Isabella and Helmut are people who have served me since the beginning and are talented people who can also do fantastic work. These two people have helped me a lot so far. That’s why giving this mansion, the most prestigious real estate shows my trust in Helmut.

And the other meaning is to back up Christa. If Helmut is reluctant to marry after all this, the marriage between the two will not go well. Introduced to his parents, a potential union recognized by Margrave Carruthers, his parent’s Lord, and even from House Caan who he now serves, he still can’t reluctantly agree to or refuse to marry as he could normally have. If Helmut doesn’t take to the union enthusiastically now, it will only lead to unhappiness if he is forced to marry.

And that happens, I’ll stop Christa by force. I want Christa to be happy. That’s why if she wants to be with Helmut, I’ll support her. But if she can’t be happy even with Helmut like this, I’ll stop her.

“You can’t tell how it is just by looking at it from the outside,” I said. “Please, take a look inside.”

There is no point in looking at the building from the outside forever. I guide them inside the mansion to have them confirm their new home.

“So beautiful! Say, Floto, what is that?” Christa asked.

“That’s called a chandelier,” I said.

As soon as I entered the entrance hall, Christa said that while looking up. Above the entrance hall was a reasonably fine chandelier.

I was thinking of making the chandelier itself someday after it became possible to manufacture glass. It is only natural to add value to cheap products and sell them at a high price, in other words, to make a profit. So when I was looking for something nice, I thought about a chandelier. Because things like this that look gorgeous or luxurious are easy to sell at a high price. Kukuku…!

That’s why I told the craftsmen about the chandelier before going to the Academy and had them start research and make a prototype, but this time I decided to attach the first finished product, this chandelier, to this home. You may think it’s a bit much to it installed in Helmut’s home before Manor Caan, but don’t worry about that. Our developers said it wasn’t suitable for Manor Caan and were adamant they wouldn’t put it in Manor Caan even if I asked.

They told me that they’re researching various things such as how to cut the glass, how to take in light, how it reflects, how to attach the glass, and so on. While researching how to make it look beautiful, this is just the first stage of practical application after the completion of the prototype, and it is far from complete.

I think it’s beautiful enough, and since it’s something I’ve never seen before, I thought they’d be pretty awestruck, but it seems that the House Servants didn’t like it, either. They were excited to create something suitable for Manor Caan. I also like pretty things and cute things, so I want them to do their best.

……But isn’t it funny? I don’t think I liked pretty things, cute things, or small things like that… my house in my previous life was almost empty. There were only yuri goods and anime items for girls. Or maybe a game system somewhere…

I kept things neat and tidy so that they wouldn’t get dirty, but after that, I lived with nothing but the necessities like a bed and a table. It’s beautiful to see a chandelier! It’s cute to see small items! I shouldn’t have been the one to say that. Rather, it would be disgusting if I, a man in my previous life, said such a thing.

Well, that’s fine. Now when I see something like this, I think it’s beautiful, and Christa is also happy. Also, Helmut’s mother, Clementine, was squealing like a little girl. This mother is a funny person. Besides, she looks young and beautiful because she’s the handsome Helmut and beautiful Katharina’s mother. Her eldest child is even older than Helmut, so she must be… you know what, let’s not go there…

I look around the mansion, but it was a rushed construction, so the interior is not good enough. I’ll fix it later, but for now, I’m just showing it to Lord and Lady Royce, Helmut, and Christa, so it can’t be helped.

Water, sewage, bath, and toilet are essential facilities for me, so I can’t remove them. It’s not the house I live in, but it’s absolutely essential if I’m going to give it to someone. In addition, the large glass windows are used frequently, mirrors are installed, finely crafted furniture, Hexen White Porcelain tableware, glass cups, etc. are prepared to the extent that they can live in it immediately if they had to.

After I finished the tour, Clementine also poked me about Helmut’s salary. Helmut, who is the Head Butler of House Caan and also plays an important role in the Caanza Trading Firm, is too cheap to hire at 400,000 ploe. So, for the time being, I told them that I would raise his salary to 500,000 ploe and ended it at that today..

Viscount Royce had a slightly troubled face, but he didn’t complain publicly, so I wonder if he was convinced. I’ve never been to Christa’s house, so I wouldn’t know, but it’s unavoidable that this mansion is inferior to Manor Reingen. Considering Helmut’s salary, Christa’s standard of living will drop compared to before.

I will try to help as much as possible, but there is a limit to what I can do. I think that Helmut’s salary is still low, but there are balances with other obligations, so I can’t just raise Helmut’s salary like that. Since they didn’t complain about the house or the salary, I’ll assume that they were convinced that I was able to clear the minimum requirements.

And then… after returning to Manor Carruthers after seeing Lord and Lady Royce off… after taking a bath and eating, I went to the empty training ground behind the mansion.

“Miss Flora…… I’m surprised to find you here.”

“Helmut…” I said.

When I came outside, Helmut was staring up at the starry night sky. Come to think of it…, at the very start, I was secretly building a chicken coop in the forest from this training ground. From that time on, I started getting Helmut and Isabella to help me with various things. Even though it was only a while ago, it seems like a long time ago and I miss those days.

“Miss Flora… I have always adored you, Miss Flora,” Helmut said.

“……………… Huh?” I asked.

What? What did this guy just say? Didn’t he say something offensive just now?

“Even now, my feelings for you have not changed, Miss Flora,” Helmut continued. “However… since you asked me to protect Lady Chrisa then… I’ve also come to want to respond properly to Lady Christa’s feelings for me. I have not lost my feelings for you yet, Miss Flora. But I also want to face Christa properly. From now on, I wish to face her… and confirm if my feelings towards her are true.”

“Is… is that so…?” I said.

What do I even say? I can’t say anything because it’s too shocking… Helmut, you bastard…… were you looking at me like that? There is no choice but to stick him to Christa no matter what. After all, it would be unbearable if he came back saying that I was better than Christa.

It’s good to have him serve by my side. Helmut is very talented and reliable. But if he sees me as a woman or says he loves me, I feel terrible. I’m a woman now, so it can’t be helped if people look at me that way. How would you feel if someone you thought was a male friend said he liked you? Do you think most people would feel uncomfortable? That’s how I feel right now.

“I know that what I’m saying is terribly selfish and troublesome to you,” Helmut said. “My loyalty towards you will not change from now on, Miss Flora. Even though I am such a selfish person, will you allow me to continue serving by your side?”

“Of course I do,” I said. “I want both you and Christa to be happy, Helmut. There is no reason to stop now that things have become this way between you and Christa. But, since you’re so positive about Christa, I have no reason to stop you. From now on, you and Christa will support each other and serve me.”

“Thank you very much, Miss Flora!” Helmut said.

Did I manage to fix it somehow? As I watched Helmut bowing his head… I felt indescribable.