CH 17

Chapter 17: Lord Proxy Liddellina 3

At last, a full-fledged winter has arrived. The territory is literally closed off by snow and ice, and going out brings with it the danger of the cold. The plants also seem to be frozen, as if they are asleep.

However, the castle with the hot spring is always warm, and Liddellina was kept busy there with paperwork and studying the management of the territory. It was a lot of work because the territory was so large and different from her family’s territory. Even though winter preparations are over, she can’t let her guard down.

Of course, she also took breaks in between. She drank tea while chatting with Dorothy at times, visited the workshop to ask Fie if she needed anything, and passed the time reading books in the castle’s large library for a change of pace. It was all new to Liddellina, and she was awakened to the joy of learning. When spring comes, she plans to start something new.

She doesn’t know if it will safely reach the battlefield, but she regularly writes Friedrich by letter about the management of the territory and the newly started workshop. she has been told to leave everything to Liddellina’s discretion, but she feels bad just keeping quiet.

And in the letters, she attached pressed flowers of the season. He seemed to love the territory very much, and she thought it would be comforting, but he said he was lacking in emotions and might just throw them away. Liddellina was fine with that, since he was doing it on his own.

***

The winter, which she thought would be long, ended in a flash thanks to studying, work, and the comfortable environment with the hot spring.

When the snow started to melt, a letter arrived from the capital to Liddellina. It was a letter of apology from her cousin Kurt.

—I heard that while I was away, her parents and sister gave you a hard time. I am sorry to have made you feel so unhappy. As for your marriage, I am currently asking her parents what happened.

When I hurriedly returned home after hearing the news from you, I was surprised to hear that Gilbert, who was supposed to be your fiance, was going to marry her sister.”

According to the family’s story, Gilbert had a change of heart and cancelled his engagement with you, and is going to marry Yvonne. There is a lot of conflicting information, and I am still trying to grasp the facts myself.

And when I look at the financial situation of our family, I see that the debt has swollen since I went abroad. It was paid off right after you married the Duke of Weller. So you were married off to the Northern General to pay off the family debt.

However, after that, her foolish parents squandered their money again and created more debt. There was also a fuss over Yvonne’s marriage, and they are still in the midst of it. I want to formally apologize to you when things calm down.

I hear that your territory is in a very cold place. While General Weller is highly respected, there are also rumors that he is cold, so I hope you are not suffering any hardships…

It seems that cousin Kurt is having a hard time. It’s a little worrying, but Liddellina can’t do anything about it now, and Friedrich has told her not to worry about the family. Besides, she doesn’t have a place in that family anymore, so there’s nothing she can do.

It says that they are still having a hard time with the marriage, but what happened to Gilbert and Yvonne’s child? There’s no mention of that. What on earth has happened? Kurt seems to be confused himself, and he can’t get a grasp on the situation.

Liddellina put aside her feelings for her hometown and began tidying up her work after filing the letter away.

***

Spring arrived in the territory, and Liddellina visited Fie’s workshop. She seemed diligent, and there were many beautifully decorated pieces on display. They were all carefully crafted.

“It’s the first time I’ve handled such high-quality lapis lazuli.”

She said with a nervous expression. This winter, she had been blessed with food, clothing, and shelter, and her formerly thin body was somewhat plump.

“It’s amazing work. But don’t you think it’s a bit much for one person to make this many on their own? Please don’t push yourself too hard.”

“Not at all! There’s no yelling boss or apprentice brother here, so I was able to work comfortably. I really enjoy this kind of craftwork.”

Fie smiled brightly as she said that.

Liddellina had the silver necklace and earrings made with Fie’s lapis lazuli sold through retail stores in the capital. Since everything was locally sourced, there were no transportation costs, so the prices were lower. They were affordable even for people who were not aristocrats or wealthy merchants in the capital.

At first, she was nervous as she looked at the sales figures, but the reputation of the town was excellent, and the income was surprisingly high, surprising her. With this, she should be able to recover the investment right away. It looks like there will be profits soon.

She thinks it would be great if she could attract tourists to the territory, but unfortunately, there are few inns, and the roads are not well developed. With this, wealthy people with plenty of money and aristocrats will not come.

In any case, she will have to ask Friedrich about it when he returns. For now, she will continue her work in the territory diligently, pray for his safe return, and wait for him to come back.