CH 21

Chapter 21 – The uncouth daughter and the strange mansion

"I've heard most of the story. The original family of lords died as a result of damage by magical beasts, and the next lords who were assigned to rule the land did not last long, so they quickly retired and are now in the royal capital."

"Yes, that's right. The lord had no heir, so a noble relative sent from the royal capital became the new lord, but he became ill and handed over the position to his son, and the unmarried son who succeeded him was also attacked by a magical beast and died. Eventually, rumors began to circulate that he would be cursed if he became lord of Sutrena..."

The death of the last lord was said to have been a terrible one.

No one wanted to be the next lord, and Henry was to take over various duties until the next one was decided.

Perhaps because it went unexpectedly well, the decision of the next lord was left unattended until now, with the next lord to be decided carefully.

And so it seems that this is how it has been up to the present.

Has Master Naser been forced to take a cursed title, so to speak?

But I wonder how many magical beasts are attacking the lords?

I heard that there are a lot of attacks from magical beasts on the frontier, but it might be worse than I thought. I'll be careful too!

"I may be an outcast, but now that I am the lord of this land, I intend to do the best job I can."

"Thank you, Lord Nazelbert. You must be tired today, so I will show you to your residence. I will explain the details of your work tomorrow. We are short on staff, so please forgive me for not being able to help you."

"I don't mind. Thank you, Henry. You look tired, too. I know it's difficult for you, but I hope you can rest when you can."

It seems that Lord Nazel was also concerned about the color of Mr. Henry's face.

It would be less of a burden on him if we quickly headed back to the mansion.

"Well then, I'm going home too~"

Tony was about to leave the room with us, but......

"Wait a minute, Tony. I need to talk to you. I won't let you get away that easily."

Mr. Henry, who looked pale and stern, had a firm grip on Tony's tanned arms.

I don't know why, but even Tony looked pale.

※

After we left the fort, Lord Nazel and I came to the lord's mansion. Of course, Kelly was with us.

The large mansion is the home of the Lord who rules this land and will be our own home from now on.

I gasped when I saw the large mansion.

I don't know why, but even though it is in the middle of nowhere, it seems like a lot of money has been spent on the building.

The exterior walls were new for a house where lords have lived for generations. There were many strange decorations in the garden.

"Lord Nazel. There's a waterfall running from the window of the mansion..... It's amazing."

"I've never seen a house like this before. Is the waterfall connected to the man-made river in the garden?"

"There are colorful fish. The flowering plants entwined with the buildings are also big and beautiful. The petals are flowing into the river....."

But why is the lord's mansion so luxurious when I hear that the frontier is not a wealthy land?

"Agnes, Kelly, let's go inside the mansion."

"Yes, Lord Nazel!"

"Yes, sir."

We all went through the big door, and the inside of the house was also an amazing sight.

"Wow, it's so elaborate!"

I couldn't help but let out an honest comment.

"Lots of ornaments that look like they cost a lot of money. And there's a river running through the house...."

"I agree. Maintenance has been really minimal, hasn't it? It's almost exactly as it was when the previous owner was here...."

Lord Nazel was also scurrying around, puzzled.

"Looks like it might be worth cleaning up."

Kelly, with her arms rolled up, was already in fighting mode.

"Kelly, you don't have to do this. It's an impossible scale to clean by yourself. You're probably tired today, too. For now, just check Agnes' room."

"Understood. I will check the rooms of Agnes and Lord Nazelbert with the highest priority."

After saying that, Kelly went to the back of the mansion at a fast pace.

"At the very least, I'll need a servant to clean up. It is difficult to find people in this remote area."

"Yes, Lord Nazel. It's not on the same scale as the detached villa, is it?"

"There are only three of us and we don't need such a big house."

"I wonder what happened to the previous lord?"

After a few moments of faraway glances, Kelly returned.

"Only the kitchen, dining room, bathroom, the couple's bedroom, and one servant's room have been properly cleaned. It's really minimal....... For now, I think you'd better spend the rest of the day there."

"Thank you, Kelly. You can take a break too."

"But......"

Kelly is tired from the long trip as well. I joined Lord Nazel in suggesting that she take a break.

"It's okay. I just need to rest now and I can change my clothes by myself today. Henry has arranged for the food, and he's going to bring it in later."

"Then I will just take care of you in the bathroom later."

With a bow, Kelly took her own luggage and sent us on our way.

Lord Nazel and I both headed for our own rooms.

Our luggage had been brought in beforehand by the fiefdom's men while we were talking to Henry.

"At any rate...... a married couple's bedroom?"

No way, no way, right? The rooms are separated inside, right?

Fearfully, we proceeded down the ramshackle hallway.

Two people in a room together, my heart can't take it!

"What's wrong, Agnes? Let's enter."

As I was leaning back, Lord Nazel held one of my hands tightly.

I had held his hand before, but I was still a little nervous.

I thought Lord Nazel was a wonderful person from the moment I met him, and I am happy to be with him like this.

But ...... I'm sure Lord Nazel doesn't see me that way.

I know he doesn't hate me.

But even though he doesn't hate me, that doesn't mean he is in love with me. Lord Nazel is just doing his duty.

He is a good man and he is trying his best to be a good husband and wife.