CH 273

“”””Welcome home, Master.”””””

“…………”

When they entered the mansion, they saw a row of butlers and maids who were the same quality as they had seen in the Carruthers mansion. Working at Helmut’s mansion means that Helmut is paying them. This quality of House Servants…… this number of heads……. And Helmut has an income of about 500,000 ploe? Something is wrong…….

“My!” Clementine said as she looked up at the entrance hall. “It’s different from the chandelier I saw before! This one is more beautiful!”

The rest followed her gaze, and saw something reminiscent of a gigantic sparkling jewel floating in the air.

“It’s really beautiful, isn’t it…?” Marianne swooned, enraptured.

“Ah, aah…” Karl mumbled indifferently.

What is this? He’d never seen anything like this before. He took a step inside and understood. It’s not just that the mansion is huge. The interior, decoration, and everything is top-notch. It’s so splendid that Duke Bayen’s home is not even a match. Is this the house of the son of a viscount?

“What happened to the old chandelier?” Clementine idly wondered as she looked at the chandelier. “If it’s not wanted anymore, can I have it instead?”

“We exchanged the previous one because it was a prototype,” a maid said professionally. “Since it was a prototype, it is not an item that can be handed over to Master’s mother. If you desire one, we will prepare a genuine product.”

Hearing that, Clementine’s eyes lit up.

“Hey, did you hear that, Dear?” Clementine said. “They’re going to prepare a chandelier for us too. I’d love to have this one too…”

“Hold, hold a moment…” Heinrich III says hastily. “It’s heavy, so you need the proper equipment to hang it up, right?”

“Yes. That is correct, Your Lordship,” the maid replied.

He doesn’t even know how much it will cost. He can’t stand having to buy something like this. If he doesn’t make up a reasonable reason and refuses…

“It’s impossible to install it at our home,” Heinrich III said. “Just enjoy it at Helmut’s house.”

“Mmm~!” Clementine whined. “……Ah! That’s right! Then why don’t you retire early and live here with them? There’s no need for you to keep being the Viscount of Rocye in our House.”

Ultimately, Heinrich III shook his head, thinking it was happening all over again. Apparently, his wife hadn’t given up yet.

“But it’s certainly more beautiful than before,” Christa said. “What do you think, Mother?”

“Yes, it’s so lovely… I wonder if this can be used at our home?” Marianne asked, looking up at the chandelier with an entranced expression.

“Ugh!” Karl choked.

He was at a loss for words. Heinrich III and Karl once again talk to each other through their gazes. “Every woman likes this sort of thing…” one said and the other replied, “Exactly. We’re in trouble…” And although neither said it out loud, it was clear that they were both thinking it.

They don’t know how much it would cost to buy something like this. If you give it to the King, you will receive a huge reward. They’re afraid they can’t use anything like this to decorate their homes.

“Christa……” Helmut said. “You can’t just let your Father-in-Law and Mother-in-Law stand like this forever, can you?”

“Ah, that’s right,” Christa said. “Then I’ll show my Father and Mother my and Helmut’s home. Since Father-in-Law and Mother-in-Law are already used to it, please relax in your room with Helmut.”

“Indeed… it would be better for Christa to be with just her family, so let’s leave them alone for a while,” Clementine said.

It is the women who decide almost everything quickly. They have no authority over the Heads of the House like Karl and Heinrich III, but they only decide to follow what the women decided.

In this way, Helmut and the Lord and Lady of Royce rested in the living room, and the Lord and Lady of Reingen were guided around by Christa.

The mansion they toured was a large mansion that was beyond common sense. It’s not because there is surplus land in the countryside to spread out arbitrarily. The luxury and beauty of the interior, the items used to decorate, everything is top-notch. And of course, this mansion also has a number of the standard utilities in this territory.

It is normal for water to come out of the faucet. All plumbing such as flush toilets and large baths are fully equipped.

Let’s say it’s good to have just the Hexen White Porcelain vases and pots. If they were told that it was a gift from the Lord of the Territory, they would have no choice but to accept it. However, the paintings, murals, sculptures, armor, and swords that are displayed are all splendid items. Were these all gifts from House Carruthers? They can’t fathom why they would go that far for Helmut.

And the number and quality of the House Servants. Helmut should only have an annual income of 500,000 ploe, they would probably be wondering if he could hire at most one or two servants and that they were also of poor quality, like a commoner. But how is it in practice? The people working in this mansion are of higher quality than Marquis Reingen’s servants, or even Duke Bayen’s. Is it possible to retain so many people with that amount of money?

“Fuh~……” Karl sighed.

He was guided through the mansion and arrived at the living room, where he sank deep into the sofa and exhaled. This sofa is also very comfortable for you to sit on. This comfort is probably a matter of structure rather than material. He doesn’t think there is such a difference between the upholstery and the stuffing inside compared to other sofas. If so, the only reason for this comfort is the difference in the construction of the frame itself.

“If I marry Helmut, will Father and Mother live here together with us?” Christa asked.

“We will…” Marianne said honestly. “It would so lovely to live here.”

But that implies that it would be possible to. It’s not that they don’t want to live here. Rather, they think it would be wonderful if they live here with their daughter and son-in-law.

But it won’t work. Carl is on trial for a large-scale fraud case involving the Bayen Faction. He can’t shut himself up here just because the trial is over. He will probably be found guilty. In that case, Karl would not be able to live out the rest of his life by shutting himself away in Carruthers Territory.

It is unclear whether Marianne will be implicated. So Marianne might be able to live here with their daughter. But Marianne wouldn’t be able to, either. If Karl is convicted and imprisoned or exiled, she knows she will be close to her husband regardless.

Karl thought it was good to be here. It’s true that he was always surprised by many things, and he’s still in disbelief. With how things are, he can entrust his daughter to Helmut.

At first, he was worried that a daughter raised in a marquisate would not be able to endure the poor life of a viscounty, but rather, the life here is much richer than the life of the Reingen Marquisate. If Helmut’s master trusts him this much, his future will be safe. Rather, it is House Reingen that will be saved by this marriage.

He just has one question. He can’t be relieved he gets a satisfactory answer.

“I was sure… Helmut’s income is 500,000 ploe, isn’t it?” Karl said. “Even so, is it possible to have and support such a luxurious mansion and House Servants?”

Yes……. that is the question. If the house and all the things related to it were given by the master, Karl could understand. He’s wondering where you could find a Feudal Lord who would do such a thing for his vassals, but it’s good because they’ve found the vassal who had such a master. The bigger problem is the House Servants.

It would be a bit of a problem if the Feudal Lord pays for and feeds the House Servants and makes them work here, but the employer is the vassal. House Servants essentially share their fate with their superiors. There are many opportunities to learn about the Master’s secrets and behind-the-scenes circumstances. On the other side, the Master takes care of his House Servants, takes responsibility for them, and pays them a high salary.

If the Master collapses, the House Servants are often implicated. That’s why the House Servants pledge allegiance to their Masters and try to support them. The Master relies on House Servants, cherishes them, and tries to protect them. Because of that relationship, they can trust each other fully even if they know what happens behind closed doors. The story changes when it comes to just having House Servants employed by the others around you.

Even if you only allow the House Servants to leave this mansion, it means that all information from their Master will be leaked. It’s not a matter of trying to do terrible things or planning a rebellion, or something like that. Even if you don’t intend to do anything wrong, it’s bad that all the information is leaking through.

So what kind of people are employed here? Are they really prepared to share their fate with Helmut and Christa? He has to make sure of that.

“That’s right…” Christa said. “Right… of all the salary he receives, the biggest expense is the salaries for the House Servants. Even the Royce Viscounty has House Servants, so they were trained under the care of those people. Also, I myself have learned a lot from Lady Flora, so I plan to think about them as much as possible.”

“Hmm… but is there enough precedent?” Karl asked.

He knows Helmut’s background. Helmut also grew up in such a situation, and he probably understands the feelings of those House Servants because he himself was one of them. But the important thing is not the heart to take care of the family members, but the salary. House Servants also have to support themselves and their families. If you don’t pay enough to satisfy them, they will start going astray.

If the salary is too low and not enough, some people sell information to someone, use the name of the House to do crimes, or sell the mansion’s property unauthorized. Those who have room and board, clothing, and shelter are good, but those who have a family of their own to support will need much more wages.

“I don’t know much about money, but is 6 million ploe a year not enough?” Christa asked.

“… Hmm? Helmut’s income is 500,000 ploe, right?” Karl asked, tilting his head in confusion.

Christa does the same. “… Yes. That’s right,” she said. “He receives 500,000 ploe a month. That would make his annual income 6 million, yes?”

“………… Hmm?” Karl said, stiffening.

500,000 ploe per month? 6 million ploe a year? That’s what it sounded like.

“I heard that it’s quite high for his age and position….is it still not enough?” Christa asked. “It takes a fair amount to maintain a mansion of this size…. I’m going to have to ask Helmut to talk to Flora about this. Would it be better for him to do more work for her?”

Christa is seriously worried. The burden of Helmut’s work will increase, but if he has more duties and jobs, he will be able to increase his salary accordingly. This is not just Christa’s idea to make Helmut work for a larger salary. The two had been discussing that kind of thing for a long time.

They were discussing that they wanted to maintain a house of this size, support their families, and call their parents to live together with them in the future. Helmut understands the living standards of the Royce Viscounty, so it’s fine, but he didn’t know the living standards of the Reingen Marquisate, so he thought it would cost a lot of money.

“6 million a year in income…” Karl muttered.

But Karl was having none of that. If it was Karl, Lord of the Reingen Marquisate, he would not have handled money of that magnitude. But that doesn’t mean Karl can use all of that tax revenue as he pleases. Helmut’s income is quite large compared to the money that he and House Reingen can spend freely.

“For the time being….. isn’t it fine as it is…?” Karl said.

That’s all Karl could say. His surprise and exhaustion are at their limits. It’s already too much for his heart. It’s certainly very advanced and comfortable, but it’s full of unconventional surprises and he can’t stand it. He guesses he should get used to it, but he won’t be able to do it for a while. He was truly grateful this was meant to be a short trip.

After that, Flora had work to do, so Houses Royce and Reingen were able to move around freely with just a guide and a carriage. If you claim they’re neglecting their guests, it may be so, but in the first place, this was about Helmut and Christa’s engagement. Even though Flora is the daughter of the Feudal Lord, they don’t need to be around all the time.

After staying at Helmut’s mansion for several days, House Reingen finally arrived in Carruzan. But Carruzan was, well, more normal than they thought. It’s true that the public toilets are well-maintained and it’s cleaner and more hygienic than the royal capital, but compared to the townships they’ve seen so far, it’s relatively normal.

“Ah… this is my house…” Heinrich III said.

“I see……” Karl said.

And… Viscount Royce’s mansion was normal. Nothing out of the ordinary. It just feels like a normal viscount’s house that you could find anywhere.

“My apologies for having brought you here,” Heinrich III said, embarrassed.

“No, no… rather, that it’s only to this level makes me feel calm…” Karl replied with a nice smile.

Yes, it’s normal. It’s an ordinary viscount’s home. It’s an ordinary viscount’s home that he’d visited in the royal capital and the Bayen Faction’s members. He feels relieved. In the old days, when he was the Marquis of Rheingen at his prime, he would have been angry for having been invited to a house like this. But now he appreciates this normality. It feels like a relief…

Karl was worried about what would happen if Viscount Royce had a home that was even more amazing than Helmut’s house. He never intended to make fun of him, but Karl was relieved from the bottom of his heart and was fine to be in an ordinary viscount’s house.