I Became the Wife of the Hero Who Killed Me - Chapter 45

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#Episode 45

Chapter 3. Without the North Wind or Sun, the Traveler Removes His Coat Alone

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Getting out of the carriage, I blinked at the unbelievable sight.

At the Arnor Border… no, at the foot of Barg Mountain, which was now under my name, Territory Residents had gathered like clouds.

Since that stingy Duke wouldn’t lend me any Workers, I contacted Thomson through Berry with a “nothing to lose” mentality.

I told him I wanted to survey the newly purchased mountain to see if it was useful and asked if he could help.

“If Madam needs us, of course we must drop everything and come running!”

“Absolutely, we Northern people never forget a favor or a grudge once received.”

Some were familiar faces.

They were Carpenters from Norvelrn Village, including Thomson, whom I had encountered several times at the Construction Site.

But the people on the opposite side were completely unfamiliar.

Just then, they approached me.

“We are late in greeting our life-saving Madam. Please forgive us.”

“Hmm?”

“You may not remember, but we were there during the previous collapse accident…”

I thought about it carefully, but they were indeed complete strangers.

I nodded with an ambiguous smile, acting as if I knew yet didn’t know.

They seemed to be referring to the day I got caught up in the mine collapse accident while visiting the Monastery, but the situation was so urgent then that I had no time to look at people’s faces.

Then, Berry whispered to me.

“The Miners’ union has just as much solidarity as the carpentry guild. They say everyone has been counting the days to repay their debt to Madam for how you stepped up during the collapse accident.”

“I didn’t do it expecting repayment.”

“That’s how people’s hearts work, isn’t it? The Northern Region may be cold, but everyone’s hearts are warm.”

I gazed at the brightly smiling Miners.

It was the sight of Citizens that I, as an official in my distant past life, had so longed to see.

‘Ah.’

A somewhat strange feeling…

For some reason, my eyes became a bit teary, but if I shed even a drop from my eyes or nose in this bitter wind, I couldn’t guarantee the safety of my skin.

I cleared my throat loudly and looked for the leaders of both unions.

Along with Thomson from the carpentry guild, a man named Bolik from the Miners’ union approached and shared his thoughts.

“I heard that Madam wants to utilize Barg Mountain.”

“Yes, what do you think?”

“When I asked the Miners from Alnor, they assured me that Barg Mountain was just worthless forestland. But I think differently.”

First, Miner Bolik continued speaking.

“Since Alnor is a small territory completely surrounded by mountains, it would have been difficult to survey each mountain slope in detail. Their technical level is also incomparable to our Lombard. So I think they didn’t properly know the value of this land.”

“Would it be alright if I entrusted you with a new Geological Survey?”

“I actually already took a look around beforehand. There are several ways to find ore veins, and among them, I discovered a Quartz Vein in the cracks of a steep gorge.”

Bolik explained that gold veins often appear together with quartz, making it a good sign.

Next, Thomson continued speaking.

“I also prepared something in advance. Please look at this.”

It was a young branch of a Frost Thorn Tree that grows in the deep mountains of Northern Lombard.

Thomson peeled the bark off the branch and split the inner flesh in half with his Work Knife.

“Here, this side. The color is a bit reddish, isn’t it?”

“I can’t really tell.”

“I thought you might say that, so I brought a control group too. This is a Frost Thorn Tree branch collected from a different mountain.”

As Thomson said, the colors of the two branches were slightly different.

Bolik reacted to this before I did.

“It’s a metal reaction.”

“As expected, you recognize it at a glance!”

Thomson laughed heartily and offered me congratulations.

“Madam has purchased very good land. We’ll have to dig to know exactly what’s underneath, but if the branches turn red to this degree, we can assume there are considerable mineral deposits.”

“I see.”

I nodded as if hearing this for the first time.

Actually, I knew from my previous life’s memories that there was a huge Gold Mine in Barg Mountain, but it would be strange for a duchess from the imperial family who knew nothing of worldly affairs to be knowledgeable about such things.

Thomson and Bolik asked with enthusiastic eyes.

“What do you plan to do now?”

“As expected. I’d like to entrust the work to you.”

“We’ve been waiting for those words! This is important work that might bring Madam enormous wealth, so we’ll start today.”

“No, not now.”

“Pardon?”

The two men, who had been ready to call their colleagues immediately, hesitated.

All the nobles they had met so far would urge them to start mining immediately and report results as soon as ore veins seemed likely to be found in the mountains.

It was natural to feel impatient since their future would depend on whether what was buried under the Mountain was gold, silver, copper, or iron.

So they couldn’t understand at all why I was being so leisurely.

“Isn’t it dangerous to work in this kind of season? You’d slip with just one wrong step.”

“Oh, we’re used to it since we make our living from this kind of work. We don’t choose seasons whether it snows or rains.”

“Being used to it doesn’t mean it’s not dangerous. Since the terrain here is steep, it’ll be different from Church or Monastery construction.”

“…”

“Start when the weather gets warmer.”

I made plans in my head.

Since that stingy Duke probably wouldn’t provide the Safety Equipment previously used at Lombard Castle, it seemed better to prepare new equipment.

Since accidents would put me, the mine owner, in trouble, I decided to set short daily working hours and generous wages so they could focus solely on mining without side jobs.

Of course, thinking about the enormous costs made my heart ache, but—

‘Anyway, these are people who trusted and followed me.’

Someone had trusted me.

So this is what it feels like to receive the trust and support of many people.

…The moment I thought that, I felt like something would come out of my eyes and nose again, so I pretended to act haughty and lifted my chin with all my might.

This time it was really dangerous.

“Please keep today’s discussion secret for now.”

“Of course we will. Since Madam saved our lives, we will now follow only Madam’s orders.”

“It’s good that you’re loyal to me, but I won’t take responsibility if Duke gets upset with you.”

“Hahaha!”

Thinking it was a joke, Thomson and Bolik laughed heartily.

But I was serious.

Thinking it was their lives, not mine, I shrugged my shoulders when rough hoofbeats echoed from the opposite side of the road.

It was Duke Lombard’s direct Mountain Guard.

‘Don’t tell me I’m already in trouble?!’

Just how far do the Duke’s ears reach? This is going too far!

The Knights tied their horses a little distance away and immediately approached me and bowed.

I was just going to accept their greetings appropriately and leave, but unfortunately, the clueless Thomson began talking to them casually.

“What brings the guard officers all the way here? I thought this area wasn’t under your jurisdiction.”

“It wasn’t originally.”

Thomson seemed to have quite a friendship with the Mountain Guard thanks to traveling throughout the Northern Region as a Carpenter.

I left first under the excuse of letting them talk comfortably.

I could hear their conversation behind me.

“It was Duke’s order. He said to clear this area since wild beasts might appear.”

“The lord said that?”

I was just as surprised.

As far as I remembered, the Barg Mountain area wasn’t under the Mountain Guard’s jurisdiction.

They mainly handled the treacherous terrain adjacent to the Northern Wall.

While Barg Mountain was located at the northern edge of the continent, it was physically far from the Northern Wall that blocked the Black Continent.

There was no need for elite knights specialized in fighting great demons to come all the way down here just to deal with a few beasts.

‘Surely not for my sake?’

I decided not to entertain such delusions.

Wasn’t this axe obsession getting a bit excessive?

…Even as I thought that, I kept having these ridiculous feelings, which made me feel embarrassed for no reason.

‘Let me stop these strange fantasies and find another topic.’

I casually asked Berry, who had been following behind me—I had ordered her to always stay by my side to resolve things peacefully through conversation(?) when encountering mountain beasts.

“Thanks to you, my meals have been perfectly to my taste lately. How did you know?”

“Meals, you mean? Should I prepare the lunch box I brought in case you get hungry?”

“Not that. I know you gave Bertol hints about my food preferences.”

“Um, I’m really sorry to say this to you, Madam… but I’m not good with courtly language. I don’t really understand what you mean. D-did I make some mistake?!”

Berry seemed genuinely clueless.

Instead, she panicked in gradations and began kneeling and apologizing faster than light.

While I barely managed to help the innocent Berry up—though actually, I couldn’t lift her at all with my strength—I was secretly flustered.

If it wasn’t Berry, then it really meant the Duke had been taking care of my meals.

He had cleverly figured out what I liked to eat and even gave orders to Bertol.

Why?

‘So, about that… could you lend me some workers from Lombard Castle? I want to survey the land I recently bought.’

‘No.’

When I asked to borrow workers from Lombard Castle, the Duke said this.

He said there would be many people who wanted to help me without needing to borrow his hands.

I really thought it was ridiculous nonsense.

Who would truly want to help me? There was no one like that even in the past, and now that I’d become a detestable duchess, it would be even more…

‘I don’t understand the reason.’

If he had provided the castle’s workers, I wouldn’t have noticed the goodwill the carpenters and miners were showing me.

Since my past life was one where kindness turned into malice—

Learning that there were people who believed in and supported someone like me was, regrettably, thanks to the Duke.

I stopped walking and blankly stared at the backs of the knights deep in conversation with Thomson.

It felt like a small stone had fallen into a mirror-like calm lake.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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