Chapter 171

“If you’re tired, don’t strain yourself. I’m not going to put you on a mission. Just enjoy the trip.”

“It is a pleasure to be welcomed. I’ve never seen how the people of our territory lived before.”

I could not see a single village from the villa where I was imprisoned. I could see only trees in the forest, which changed color with the seasons. I could finally see the other side of that forest with my own eyes.

No, I had seen it on the journey from the duke’s estate to the capital. However, my mind was not in the right place, and I was only looking out the window to keep my eyes away from Big Brother.

This time, with memories from my previous life returned, I could now look around and appreciate the houses and clothes of the villagers, which still reminded me of Switzerland and Scandinavia. The houses were made of wood and had white walls, and the clothes were colorfully embroidered, reminding me of Heidi in the anime.

Cattle and goats could be seen here frequently. There were also pigs and chickens wandering around.

A boy who was pretending to be a knight climbed up on a goat to use it like a horse, and was easily shaken off.

It was cute but dangerous, so please don’t do it. The goats also look very annoyed, so stop it. But I bet this was a common thing among boys in this area.

“It may look peaceful and joyous, but the people’s livelihoods are fragile, am I right? When I see the people in the territory, I am reminded of the difference between what you spoke at the office and what I read in the documents.”

“Ah, Novak had also advised that we should take a closer look at the site. …You seem to understand without being told.”

Sorry, it was because of my knowledge from my previous life. It was vital for me to see and understand the situation on the ground when designing the system… sorry for being a kind of cheat.

When I asked Alexei, he readily told me the name of this village, its main products, population composition, and approximate history.

He laughed and said that I was the only young lady who enjoyed listening to him talk about these things.

We arrived in the town where we were going to stay the night.

We stayed not at an inn but a small mansion belonging to a local lord in charge of the area. The elderly lord welcomed us, the young duke and his sibling, with a warm smile on his face.

He had once been in the service of Grandfather Sergei, and had always taken care of Alexei when he needed to stay in the area.

So, Ekaterina was told she could relax and feel at ease, settling into the small but cozy room she was shown in, admiring the beautiful embroidery on the bedspread, and enjoying a cup of herbal tea made by the lord’s wife, which had a rather unusual flavor.

Then, when she noticed the townspeople gathered outside her window, she opened it and smiled and waved at them, earning jubilant cheers from the crowd.

I was just like the Royal family. So embarrassing!

I wonder if the prince had been doing this since he was born. It must be hard work. Next time I see him, I’ll treat him a little better.

Ah, but that was for Flora-chan to do, right? I would not do that as a villainess! What if it raises a doom flag!

Then, for the umpteenth time, I opened the window and leaned out, thinking that it was almost nightfall and to my surprise, there seemed to be more people than ever.

“Ekaterina!”

“Big Brother!”

Ekaterina’s eyes widened when Alexei came into the room and called out to her.

“You must be tired, don’t work too hard. I should have known better than to take advantage of your frail body.”