Chapter 65

After returning from the inspection, Opal sighed deeply as she handed her hat to Najja. She wasn’t physically tired, but her mind was somewhat confused. The inspection had gone more smoothly than she had expected, but it had raised questions about Duncan.

When she first went out for the inspection, the farmers had stopped their work, stood at the edge of the road, and bowed their heads as if to hide their frightened faces when Opal arrived. Opal inwardly scolded herself for forgetting to tell them that such a greeting was unnecessary and immediately declared that no such greeting was required in the future. Duncan seemed suspicious of Opal but accepted it without comment, giving instructions and obediently following them thereafter.

At first, the farmers answered Opal’s questions with a sense of bother, but as the questions became more probing, their attitude changed, and they began to answer sincerely. When Opal spoke to the villagers, they were initially wary but did not interfere, showing respect as the lady of the manor, which was surprising. Moreover, there were instances where they seemed to mediate between Opal and the villagers who were afraid of her.

In short, there was nothing wrong with the inspection as if Opal were inspecting her own land—except for the development of the land.

Opal also asked the villagers about new farming tools without Duncan’s knowledge, but to her surprise, they didn’t even know the existence of seed drills or threshing machines. Some knew about scythes, but there were no ridiculous ideas about them being the devil’s tools; rather, they seemed to admire them.

(And they didn’t seem to have such devout faith...)

It was unnatural that Duncan, who so strongly disliked tools of the devil, would be so suspicious. While it was true that this region might be isolated from information from the south, it should have been possible for information to come in, as stones were brought in from the port. However, as Claude had manipulated information in other areas, it was possible that information was being manipulated here as well, perhaps even more so.

(But it’s strange that Claude wouldn’t know about this...)

It seemed unlikely that Claude would keep such important information from her. Moreover, it seemed that Alessandro’s agent hadn’t reported it either, suggesting he might not have known.

(The agent is suspicious...)

Over the past four years, there had been three agents. The first died of illness after a year, the second quit after six months, and the last two years had been spent by Opal’s predecessor, who had tried to improve the land.

(Maybe I need to be careful about my food. Or perhaps I should watch my back?)

While rereading the records of her predecessor given to her by Claude, Opal thought to herself, somewhat jokingly. If there really was a danger to her life, Claude would never have allowed her to come alone. The first agent had struggled when Alessandro first brought the land under his control.

(If Duncan had always been like this, it must have been difficult for him...)

Duncan had been the land manager for over a decade. The previous Duke of Bottselli had taken a special interest in the young Duncan and educated him.

(Education, huh...)

Perhaps Duncan had been taught biased knowledge. Introducing new tools requires investment. The previous Duke of Bottselli might have thought that making life easier for the villagers required investment, which he was unwilling to make. He might have taught Duncan that convenient tools were the devil’s tools that would corrupt the villagers.

(I need to learn more about the previous Duke of Bottselli...)

While this land had been a source of funding for the anti-royal faction, there had been no direct conflict. The main source of funding, the silver mine, had dried up, and the previous duke had died in an accident while traveling, leaving the anti-royal faction without support and losing momentum.

Even as dinner time approached, Opal was still lost in thought and unconsciously changed into her evening attire and took her seat at the dining table. There, the butler, Conary, made a deliberate cough. Opal finally focused on the present and noticed a young man standing next to Conary.

"Madam, this is my servant, Julian. He was unable to greet you yesterday due to other duties, so I apologize for the late introduction."

"Madam, I am Julian. I apologize for the late greeting."

"…Don’t worry about a mere greeting. I’m not that easily upset."

"Really? Oh, that’s good. This new lady is very generous."

"Julian!"

"Ah, sorry."

Julian’s innocent smile seemed to be endearing, and even Conary, who scolded him, didn’t seem to be serious. Julian then turned to Opal with a smile.

"Shall we eat?"

"Yes, of course."

Opal quickly averted her gaze and turned to Conary, telling him to start the meal, but her tone was a bit haughty. In the corner of her eye, she saw Julian bow deeply and leave the room. Before he bowed, Opal noticed a mocking smile on his face.

(…That’s not a good feeling)

She felt irritated but decided not to react and focused on her meal. The dinner was not much different from the previous night, and the taste was decent. The chef had been with the Duke of Bottselli since his time, so the duke probably wasn’t very particular about food. Opal wasn’t either.

After finishing her meal, including dessert, Opal stood up and moved to the living room to have tea, but it seemed silly, so she returned to her room. Najja was already there, having prepared tea for her.

"Madam, did you meet Conary’s favorite servant? Was he handsome?"

"Well, I don’t think he’s handsome, but I don’t know. Is he Conary’s favorite?"

"Yes, that’s what I heard. He’s quite young but is said to be Conary’s assistant. He was sent to the northern port… well, that’s where he was."

"Port…"

Opal wondered what Conary’s business at the port could be but decided to investigate it later. There might have been something necessary from his position as butler. Before that, Opal mentioned something that was on her mind.

"Hey, Najja. I don’t know if I should say this… but while he might seem handsome—Julian, the servant—you shouldn’t get too involved with someone like him."

"I understand. Besides, from what everyone says, many have tried to win him over and failed, so I wouldn’t stand a chance."

"Oh, Najja, there’s no man who wouldn’t like you. I just don’t recommend him."

"Thank you! I agree!"

Najja answered honestly, despite thinking it was unnecessary advice, and smiled mischievously.

"My ideal is a kind man who loves only me. Julian is said to be very bright and kind, but he’s so popular that I’d always be worried. I want love and peace together. Is that too much to ask?"

"No, not at all. I think it’s completely reasonable."

When Opal calmly agreed, Najja blushed. Najja deserved to be happy, and Opal smiled encouragingly, then stood up to prepare for bed.