Chapter 25

Today, just like yesterday, I kept myself busy scurrying about to improve our living environment within the mansion.

I even decided to tag along when Kelly went out for supplies in the early afternoon.

The market in the frontier was small, a far cry from the bustling scenes I had glimpsed from carriage windows back in the royal capital.

They sold the bare essentials: meat, fish, and various wild plants, mushrooms, and fruits gathered from the forest.

There were vegetables and grains too, but they were few in number and looked quite withered.

Since Kelly had lent me a maid’s uniform, no one in the market realized I was the “Potato Lady.” They simply took me for one of the servants working at the mansion.

“I hear the new lord is quite the handsome one. I’d love to get a look at him myself.”

Rumors about Lord Nazel were already spreading among the older women at the market.

“But we still don’t know what kind of person he is. It’s a worry. The previous lord was a truly nasty piece of work.”

Since the topic of the previous lord came up, I decided to ask them a few questions. After all, I had been curious ever since Lord Nazel’s talk yesterday.

“What kind of person was the previous lord?”

“A total scoundrel. Well, it wasn’t just him; the lords governing this land have been a string of no-goods for generations. But that last one was the worst of the lot.”

“I see. I haven’t been here long, so I don’t know much…”

As soon as I said that, the talkative ladies were more than happy to fill me in.

“He taxed us like an idiot just to live in luxury, forced the commoners to work for free to build that bizarre mansion, and whenever he spotted a pretty girl, he’d snatch her away to the estate. He’d thoroughly get rid of anyone he didn’t like… Oh, and he even kept a violent magical beast as a pet. Not the kind of creature a human has any business keeping, either. He was a man of strange tastes.”

I see… so all those items in the mansion were bought with squeezed tax money.

I’ll sell them off, and whatever money is left after hiring servants, I’ll use for the territory. If I give it to Lord Nazel, I’m sure he can put it to good use.

“He was violent and didn’t think of commoners as human beings. Plenty of people were relieved when the magical beasts finally got him. We were just grateful that the sensible Lord Henry took over afterward. So, no offense to the new lord, but we aren’t exactly holding our breath.”

The stories from the ladies were all quite discouraging.

So Lord Nazel is suffering because he’s bearing the brunt of the previous lords’ reputations…

I wish there was some way to get everyone to trust him.

“Lady Agnes, it is time we head back to the mansion.”

Kelly called out to me quietly, and I obediently followed after her.

“Even so, you’re amazing, Kelly. You were capable in the capital, but you’ve adapted to the frontier in no time.”

“Perish the thought… I am merely a maid. I am simply blessed with good masters.”

Well, her previous master was Princess Mia, after all.

Compared to her, most people would probably be classified as “saints.” Though Lord Nazel really is a wonderful person.

When we returned to the mansion, Lord Nazel had already made it home ahead of us.

“Lord Nazel, I’m back from the supply run with Kelly.”

“Welcome home, Agnes. That maid uniform is cute—no, wait, that’s not it. Something incredible has happened.”

“Incredible? Is something wrong?”

Seeing Lord Nazel in such an unusual state of fluster, a seed of anxiety began to sprout in my heart.

“The seedlings we planted in the garden.”

Lord Nazel had been drunk last night, but I had informed him this morning that we had all planted the seedlings together.

“The seedlings… what about them…?”

As I responded, alarm bells were ringing in my head: This is bad!

Surely, surely they haven’t all withered…!?

And for Lord Nazel to be the first one to find them…! Oh, the cruelty of it all…!!

“Agnes, just come with me.”

Lord Nazel took my hand and strode purposefully through the garden.

Before long, a startling sight jumped out at us.

“The seedlings… the seedlings are…!”

I could only flap my mouth open and shut.

Looming before me were the seedlings we had planted yesterday… or at least, they were supposed to be.

The plants that had been on the verge of death this morning had now grown taller than the mansion itself. Even the stems were incredibly thick.

“Lord Nazel, what kind of seedlings were these again?”

“If I recall, they were supposed to be ordinary Viola Berries.”

Viola Berries are a fruit unique to this country, very similar to blueberries. They are said to thrive in warm climates and produce large, sweet fruit.

Though, when people say “large,” they usually mean about the diameter of a thumb.

The fruit hanging from this giant tree was the size of a human palm.

“I don’t understand how this could happen. The growth is too fast, and the plants themselves are far too large. According to my inspection, there doesn’t seem to be anything harmful about them, though.”

Lord Nazel observed the objects—which could no longer be called seedlings—with a look of pure bewilderment.

Watching him, I began to sweat.

“C-Could it be…?”

Yes, I had a hunch.

The reinforcement magic I had desperately cast on a whim after being shocked by the wilting plants…

“Eek…!”

Could it be that I’ve done something absolutely terrible?

“Agnes? Do you know something?”

Lord Nazel sharply caught my reaction. Oh no, this is bad…

“…Agnes?”

Standing beside me, Lord Nazel raised an eyebrow and peered into my face. As usual, he was such a beautiful young man.

Failing to keep my cool under his amber gaze, my eyes darted around shiftily.

“W-Well…”

“Hmm?”

Lord Nazel, your face… your face is too close!

“Agnes, if you won’t tell me, I’ll stay like this forever, you know?”

With those words, he did the unthinkable: he cupped my face with both hands, locking me in place. A beautiful face, right in front of mine. The stimulation was far too strong for me.

“Waaaaah…!”

Breaking in an instant, I honestly confessed to Lord Nazel that I had cast reinforcement magic on the plants.