Chapter 21

"What do you mean! Why is Marianne going to the territory in the middle of her studies?"

Alexandre was flustered. Marianne had left with her father, the Earl, last night, and he had just been informed that she had submitted a leave of absence from the academy.

"Alex, calm down. She’s probably already finished everything she needed to learn at the academy on her own," Daryl, his classmate, tried to soothe the prince.

"A leave of absence? How long does she plan to stay in the territory? I haven’t heard anything about this."

"It seems that this year’s wheat harvest in the Randforia territory wasn’t good. Marianne was worried about it, saying, 'Our territory has always had little rain, but there are periodic years with extremely low rainfall.' She might be planning to take some fundamental measures."

"When? When did you and Marianne talk about this?"

"Hey, Alex. Don’t be so narrow-minded; it’s not a good look. I just happened to see Marianne carrying books and materials, so I helped her. That’s when I heard about it. I’m still not even remembered by name; she just calls me 'the guy with brown hair.'"

"What kind of fundamental measures does she plan to take…" Alexandre ignored his friend’s complaints.

□ □ □ □

The night before, at the Randforia household.

Marianne was discussing with her father, Earl David.

"Marianne, if what you say is true, the years with too little rain will last from five to ten years, starting this year. If that’s the case, we need to start taking action as soon as possible, before the people go hungry."

"Yes, Father. I think the best solution is to build reservoirs. If the river dries up during the wheat growing season, it’s best to secure water by building reservoirs beforehand. First, we need to see the terrain to decide where to build them. Father, please let me go with you."

"What about the academy?"

"Well, I didn’t want to cause trouble, but I’ve already finished all the necessary studies, both at the academy and at the higher academy."

"Really?"

Father David finally realized his misunderstanding. He had always thought his daughter was very talented, but she was actually "incredibly talented."

That night, they packed their essentials and set off. There was a mountain of work to do before winter came and the ground froze.

□ □ □ □ □

"Reservoirs, you say?"

The village chief was surprised. The lord had suddenly returned to the territory, gathered the village chiefs, and announced plans to build reservoirs in several locations.

"My lord, it’s true that this year’s rain was scarce, and the wheat harvest was poor, but next year might be normal. Is it really necessary to build reservoirs?"

At that point, Marianne spoke up.

"Based on historical records, folklore, and old lord records, our Randforia territory experiences severe droughts every sixty years, lasting several years. During the period when rain clouds should come from the east, the wind shifts to the south, and by the time it reaches the territory, the rain has already fallen on the other side of the mountains, leaving only dry, hot air."

"A sixty-year cycle. But, will that cycle really come? Building reservoirs of that size in four locations will be a massive project. With all due respect, how will you cover the costs?"

"Funding is not a concern. Our Randforia family is well-off from the postal service. Fortunately, it’s the agricultural off-season now. If the people can participate in the construction, I will pay them. If we don’t have enough people, we can gather more from other territories."

"That’s impressive, my lord."

The village chiefs were all impressed, but the lord chuckled.

"Unfortunately, it wasn’t me. The idea for the postal service and the research on the sixty-year drought cycle were both done by this girl," he said, placing his hand on Marianne’s shoulder.

"Really!"

The village chiefs were in an uproar.

However, one of the village chiefs, the representative, nodded in understanding. He was the man who had received the buckwheat and distributed it to the villages.

"Everyone, it’s no wonder you’re surprised, but the one who recommended we grow buckwheat this year is Lady Marianne. Moreover, the one who advised us to raise chickens with the lord’s subsidy is also Lady Marianne."

Everyone was speechless.

The rumor that "the lord’s second daughter is very talented" had spread throughout the territory, but no one expected this much.

"So, where do you plan to build the reservoirs? We need to discuss what to do if there are houses or fields in those locations."

"I have a plan for that as well," Marianne said, spreading a large map on the table.

Thank you for reading.