I Inherited a Beautiful Wife and a Territory - Chapter 17

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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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Inheriting a Beautiful Wife and Estate Episode 017

17. Winter Will Come Again

Once upon a time, there was a boy who grew up without a father.

The boy was afraid of winter.

When snow fell, the fields would be covered in white, and he had to endure clutching his hungry stomach.

Even in his young mind, he thought:

“I’m going through such hardship because I don’t have a father.”

So the boy made a vow to himself.

“I will never let my family go hungry when I grow up.”

The boy grew up, met a woman, and married her.

And he had a child too. Now he had become a father.

But winter remained unchanged.

Snow fell, cold winds blew, and hunger came.

The food they had gradually dwindled and eventually ran out.

He decided to protect his family.

“Wait. I’ll go find something to eat.”

He put on a thick coat and went outside into the snow-covered world.

However, no matter which house he visited, the situation was the same.

“Sorry, we don’t have any food either.”

“We have no choice but to wait for next year.”

He went out to the mountains and fields, wandering in search of food.

But there was nothing to be found in winter.

The bright sky turned dark and snow poured down endlessly.

As he walked the path, his legs grew heavier. His fingertips became numb. His eyes began to close.

And then he realized.

‘Why didn’t I have a father?’

His father too, only after becoming a father himself, would have finally understood what it meant to be a father.

He too would have wandered late into the winter night, and ultimately never returned home.

Even after he disappeared, winter would come again.

The family left behind would endure this winter, and another child would grow up. And someday, that child would also become a father.

Winter always returns with the same story.

In endless snow, in endless hunger.

Lucas had heard this story when he was young.

The story called “Winter Will Come Again.”

A story that taught about a father’s love and the insurmountable terror of winter.

That’s why going outside during winter was taboo in the Elimis Domain.

If you went out, you would die.

Until spring came and the snow melted, you had to endure to avoid becoming a corpse buried in the snow.

That’s why many people died from smoke inside their homes. They lived by blocking out the bitter cold wind completely and keeping fires burning.

‘Right, last year I thought we couldn’t endure any longer too.’

Lucas recalled last winter.

The domain’s situation had been serious then too. Two households in the village were wiped out inside their homes, and many others died as well. There were also those who died buried in snow on the roads, just like in the fairy tale.

Lucas hoped this winter would pass without such accidents.

But it was truly strange.

“…Has winter not started yet?”

It was definitely cold.

He wasn’t immune to feeling the cold either.

‘Is it the effect of the black wood that the acting lord permitted?’

The house was warm, so it didn’t feel that cold.

At this level, it was warm when you stayed inside.

But even when he occasionally went outside, it was the same.

‘Last winter, I think there was much more bitter cold than this…’

Sometimes in the Elimis Domain, cold and chill were called the energy of death.

Especially winter cold truly brought death.

But this time it didn’t. Shrugging, Lucas began clearing the snow outside.

He got a ladder and climbed onto the roof. He began lowering the snow from the roof bit by bit. If you didn’t do this work, sometimes the roof would collapse.

Even if you made the roof slanted so the snow would slide off naturally, it was the same.

It certainly had an effect, but more snow fell than that.

“Whew.”

Lucas caught his breath.

His face felt like it would freeze in winter’s cold air, but it was truly strange.

‘It still doesn’t feel like winter.’

Climate Immunity (Lv. 3): Grants creatures resistance to heat and cold

It was bearable.

There were even better things.

A window opened and his daughter’s voice came from below.

“Dad! Come eat!”

“Got it, I’ll be right down!”

Lucas climbed down from the roof using the ladder again.

As soon as he entered the house, warmth rushed toward him.

Even though they were heating like this, there was almost no smoke compared to before.

‘In the past, the inside of the house was in terrible condition.’

They couldn’t not light fires, and because of that, many people coughed.

There were chimneys, but that alone wasn’t enough to solve the problem.

Most of all, sometimes there were people who blocked the chimney, saying it made things colder. It was foolish. If you did that, nine times out of ten you’d die from smoke.

Also, another thing that made winter frightening.

“Isn’t there too much food?”

Like all commoners, the table was modest.

In the past, even this was often absent. When Lucas spoke worriedly, his wife answered.

“This much is fine. We didn’t pay taxes this time. And when the acting lord called us to work, saying he was preparing for winter, we received some things…”

If only every winter could be like today.

That was Lucas’s thought after hearing his wife’s words.

‘Winter wasn’t only bad after all.’

The children seemed to feel the same way.

Just being able to eat without going hungry was tremendous progress in itself.

“…I think our whole family can overcome this winter.”

His wife seemed to feel this hopeful atmosphere too.

Lucas nodded at her words.

“I think so too. Really, it hasn’t even been a year since the acting lord came… Yes, the domain is changing.”

From a place where you couldn’t live to a domain where you could live.

A domain like this was worth living in.

It wasn’t just Lucas who felt this way. Everyone in the village thought the same. The more they did, the more hope they felt.

This winter… they could overcome it.

“I just hope there are no events. Then I think we could get through winter smoothly and spring could come.”

Lucas spoke with hope.

But this time, that hope would not be fulfilled.

Knock knock.

There was a sound of someone knocking on his house door.

“Lucas! The lord… no, the acting lord has summoned people!”

Cliff had heard the story passed down in this domain.

‘Winter returns again, what a romantic title indeed.’

It was very good.

But still, he didn’t like it.

He didn’t like tragedies. Absolutely happy endings. At least reality should be made that way.

So he gave orders.

“Eh?”

Nigel looked at Cliff with a bewildered expression.

‘Has the lord deputy not fully sobered up yet?’

The butler knew that he and Priscilla had drunk alcohol last night.

And he even knew the fact that the two had finally become one. Perhaps after losing his virginity, Cliff had become even more eccentric.

From his first appearance, he had been someone who destroyed common sense, but it hadn’t been to this extent.

“Gather people. And tell them. I, Cliff E… No, Cliff Elimis will hold a snow festival.”

A festival.

At Cliff’s declaration, Nigel’s face became strange.

This was something he had never heard of even when he lived outside the Elimis Domain.

“There’s some food left over, isn’t there?”

“That’s true, but…”

“If there isn’t any, let’s slaughter the geese we have. We’ll regret seeing the geese numbers decrease later, but we can buy more then. We’ve increased the charcoal kilns quite a bit, so we can work hard to produce and sell charcoal, can’t we?”

“…You mean to slaughter even the geese?”

“Yes. So that all the village people can eat at least a piece of meat. Have them boil soup in huge pots. It’ll be hard for everyone to taste meat, but we should at least feed them broth with oil floating on top.”

The domain residents here were still too thin.

At least by Cliff’s standards.

‘It would be a lie to say I don’t feel sorry for the geese, but…’

They could be increased again.

Let’s buy more and leave just a few goose families to increase their numbers.

“Let’s slaughter them all except for three or four breeding pairs.”

“…!”

The more Nigel listened to Cliff’s words, the more surprised he became.

“If we’re going to have a festival, we need to have food first.”

If it were just for the Cliff couple to eat, he could understand.

But Cliff clearly intended to give it to all the domain people. Of course, there would be people who couldn’t eat.

Even if they slaughtered all the geese, that would be difficult.

So Cliff was thinking of at least feeding them broth with oil floating on top.

“If there’s not enough, feed the children first.”

“…I understand.”

“Then please go and prepare quickly.”

“Yes.”

Thus Cliff’s plan was conveyed to the domain.

They would hold a festival.

Everyone was bewildered by the sudden news of a festival. Above all, even if they were to hold a festival, no one had thought to do it in winter.

The soldiers also became busy.

“What’s all this sudden commotion about?”

Not just the soldiers, but the village people came out to clear the snow.

They had to make a path for Cliff to pass through.

Where snow mounds were formed on both sides. Cliff walked through the middle with Priscilla.

Priscilla also had very bewildered eyes.

“Hmm.”

Cliff looked at a hill of snow piled up in one place.

‘This seems perfect?’

Cliff’s eyes sparkled.

“Kyaa!”

He lifted Priscilla into his arms.

Being held by him in front of everyone, she let out a cute scream and blushed.

A face not knowing what to do.

It was an expression that made him want to tease her, but now he had to maintain dignity. Cliff used mana and climbed onto the snow piled up in one place.

On a natural platform made of snow.

The Cliff couple stood there.

From there, Cliff observed the people.

“Finally, the most joyful day permitted by God has come, the blessed season when those who worked faithfully through three seasons enjoy rest!”

Naturally, there was no response.

That’s fine.

Winter would come again. Next year, people might look forward to winter.

“I declare a festival in the domain for three days.”

People who showed no reaction even upon hearing the word festival.

He had expected that too.

But these people would have no choice but to respond now.

“To celebrate that festival, I will feed you meat today!”

Meat!

The expressions of people who heard these words changed.

“Waaaah!”

Amid their cheers, Cliff shouted.

“Nobles are those entrusted by God with the duty to properly teach the people. I, Cliff, according to the duty I received from God, will teach you the grace of God who gave you winter.”

In this world, the power of faith was strong.

The duty to properly teach the people that Cliff mentioned was also real. By the way, the standard of ‘properly’ here refers to theology.

So Cliff had also learned doctrine and scripture.

Something came to mind.

Everything created by God is good, and if received with gratitude, nothing should be rejected.

“Enjoy this winter with gratitude and happiness.”

Cliff resolved once more.

He would definitely change the perception of winter.

“Then among you, there will surely be those who await next winter.”

And this beginning was right now.

“Waaah.”

“Ow!”

“Hey! How dare you throw that at me?”

Children’s crying sounds.

Screams, and sounds of anger.

It should have been negative emotions.

“Hehe. Why don’t you try hitting back?”

“Oh my, where are you throwing that?”

“Hahaha!”

Mocking sounds as if teasing.

But clear laughter mixed within.

“…It’s strange.”

Priscilla muttered.

She had never seen such a winter.

Children ran around. And they aimed at each other while packing and throwing snow.

Yes, a snowball fight.

In the midst of it, there were those who fell down, or cried or got annoyed from being hit by snow, but…

‘Amazing.’

Priscilla’s hands trembled slightly.

Her face was red from the cold.

But her eyes were sparkling brightly at this moment. She didn’t want to return to the manor.

Winter always carried a gloomy atmosphere.

But winter could be this lively too.

‘Ah.’

In one place, they were boiling snow again. More precisely, it was the work of melting it.

Through this, they obtained water.

They put cloth into it and took it out. They wrapped their cold hands with the cloth that had absorbed plenty of hot water.

Or they carried water in jars.

With that water, they washed their hands and feet inside their homes.

“Teobaldt, keep a good watch so no one leaves the village. Especially among the children, there will surely be some who try to go outside the village… bring those ones back inside, even if you have to subdue them appropriately.”

Cliff prepared Teobaldt for any possible accidents.

A smile hung on Cliff’s lips as he spoke.

It was a mischievous smile. At first, Priscilla didn’t know why he was smiling like that.

But she soon found out.

“Take this!”

“Get hit!”

At some point, the children began to regard Teobaldt as a common enemy.

They chased after him, throwing snowballs.

Teobaldt, who had become everyone’s target, wore a troubled expression. He couldn’t get angry at the children just because they were attacking him.

Above all, there was Cliff watching this with a giggling expression.

‘He planned this.’

He realized Cliff’s intention.

So he avoided the children’s attacks while counterattacking with appropriate force.

The children following him.

And Teobaldt leading them around.

“That guy, he’s enjoying this.”

Cliff said this while watching.

And he too crouched down at some point. In that position, he began to pack snow.

“…Are you going to have a snowball fight?”

Priscilla asked with curiosity and a bit of anticipation.

The children’s play looked fun to her too.

“No. What I’m going to do is something different.”

“…?”

Contrary to his words, he packed the snow.

Still, the shape of the snowball was unique. One small one and one big one. The big one wasn’t a perfect circle but an oval.

On top of that long, big snowball, at the end, Cliff placed the small snowball.

“Huh?”

Then Cliff was making something on the small snowball.

Long ears.

Yes, this was a small animal.

Cliff held out the rabbit he had made from snow to Priscilla.

“Hmm. It turned out better than I thought. Does the skill apply to me too?”

He muttered words she couldn’t understand. Then he held it out toward Priscilla.

“Here, it’s a gift.”

“Eh?”

“Happy birthday.”

This was a gift…?

She received Cliff’s gift.

It was cold.

But it was cute. She stared blankly at the snow rabbit.

Snow could be a gift too.

“It’s cute. I want to keep it in my room and really raise it.”

“Heh. Even if you wanted to, it would melt quickly, wouldn’t it?”

“Ah…”

The disappointment that arose upon hearing Cliff’s words.

Cliff said.

“Don’t be disappointed. Winter will come again anyway.”

I’ll make one for you every winter.

At those words, a faint smile appeared on her face.

“I hope next winter… comes quickly too.”

“Right?”

Already, one person had appeared.

Someone who awaited winter.

Cliff smiled as if he had expected this. He felt thrilled at having conveyed winter’s charm, at having changed her perception.

And something even more thrilling happened.

-[Environment] category level increases

-[Culture] category level increases

Yes, actually, I thought your levels would rise.

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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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