I Inherited a Beautiful Wife and a Territory - Chapter 22

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

Inheriting a Beautiful Wife and Estate Episode 022

22. The Lord’s Dignity Resists Fear

“…I think your reciprocal gift might have been excessive.”

At the butler’s counsel, the Duke’s lips curved up slightly.

“Young Master Barton met with that merchant.”

With an expressionless face, the butler continued his report.

Barton who had made contact with the merchant. And the conversation that would have taken place between them.

The Duke chuckled and opened his mouth.

“That boy is always so simple. Leave him be. No matter how he is, he won’t be able to intercept or block the reciprocal gift I sent.”

“…Are you truly certain this is fine?”

“What could I do if it weren’t fine? That must be the extent of that fellow’s limits.”

Hearing the Duke’s response, the butler thought.

The Duke’s reciprocal gift would provoke Barton. There was no way the Duke hadn’t considered this.

‘Perhaps…’

Even the provoked Barton’s response was all within the Duke’s palm.

In conclusion, Barton would think he had acted on his own, but…

‘Did His Grace use the third prince? Then why?’

The Duke smiled.

“…What about Baron Elimis?”

“The news will soon be delivered to Lord Cliff.”

“Good. There will be many things ahead, so we must cut off early any existence that could hold us back.”

That was all the Duke said.

A faint smile could be seen on the Duke’s lips as he closed his eyes.

The butler thought he was anticipating something.

The beautiful race, the forest race, the race beloved by spirits, etc.

All expressions referring to elves, especially White Elves among them.

With their beautiful bodies, youth approaching eternity, and being beloved by spirits, they were popular in human society.

‘…The problem is that they’re good as slaves.’

Cliff looked at Leticia.

That very popular elf slave.

Among them, a female.

Most importantly, a young female elf.

‘Ah, I finally understand.’

I can see why Barton was angry with me.

Barton had also been targeting her. But Leticia, whom he had coveted so much, came to me instead of him.

It wasn’t strange that he showed anger.

“But it seems there’s more than one slave document?”

Cliff muttered while looking at the bundle of documents Tom had handed over.

Tom nodded at his words and this time revealed those who had been behind.

“You’re correct. The reciprocal gift His Grace sent includes these ones as well.”

What appeared this time were four men.

However, they also looked distinctive. What appeared in front were furries, beastmen.

They were also popular as slaves.

They were easier to tame than elves or dwarves, and with their keen senses and combative nature, they mainly took on duties like escort or security.

‘Or those with peculiar sexual preferences… no, never mind.’

So four beastmen.

And one elf.

What the Duke had given him was a total of five slaves.

Tom handed over all five of them to Cliff.

With this, all his business in this domain was finished. With a bitter expression, Tom opened his mouth.

“Getting to know the Acting Lord has been a great fortune for this humble one.”

It would be.

After all, he had met with a Duke.

“This humble one’s insight isn’t particularly great, but there’s one thing I can know for certain. The Ellemis Domain will prosper, and the name of the Elimis Family will shine brightest on this Yusta Peninsula.”

His voice praising Cliff.

He believed Cliff was a greater person than Barton. But even so, Tom’s choice wouldn’t change.

The two men had different starting points.

Barton who had the Duke’s house backing him, and Cliff whose connection with the Duke had been exhausted.

“I sincerely hope your endeavors go well.”

Tom finished those words.

At those words, Cliff clicked his tongue and said.

“That won’t do. Even if you’re leaving, I’d like us to conclude at least one final transaction well.”

“What do you mean by that…?”

“The wagons. How about transferring the wagons that will be empty anyway to us? Preferably at a cheap price.”

Tom’s pupils wavered for a moment.

Soon he relaxed his expression and laughed heartily.

“I think I’m already going to regret my choice.”

“Let’s wish each other well. You’ll stay in our domain today and leave tomorrow, right?”

“That’s correct, Acting Lord.”

The transaction with Tom was finished.

Bitterness remained, but it was a clean transaction where both sides benefited. It was indeed win-win as initially thought.

Now only the future problem of whether he could protect those gains remained.

Cliff, who had been watching Tom leave, looked at the slaves.

“What are your four names?”

Cliff first asked the beastmen for their names.

The names he learned were all with the ‘r’ ending.

Gar, Bar, Jer, Or.

He understood the Duke’s intention in sending them.

‘These ones would be perfect as escorts to protect a trading guild.’

Beastmen have superior senses compared to humans.

Based on this, they were masters of security.

They were good to entrust with escort duties when operating trading guilds and such.

‘His Grace is now telling me to directly trade with the outside.’

The Ellemis Domain is too isolated.

Even without coming directly to this remote place, the Duke would know this fact well enough. So the Duke was essentially guiding him to trade directly with the outside.

He too had thought this would be necessary someday.

“…Still, I was planning to use Tom’s trading guild for a while.”

He felt regretful.

But for now, what he had to do immediately took priority. Cliff called Nigel.

“Receive these supplies well and store them in the storehouse, and… is there anyone in the domain with merchant qualities?”

“Hmm.”

Nigel had also heard the conversation between Cliff and Tom just now.

Through this, he had also confirmed that Tom’s trading guild would no longer come to this domain.

Therefore, he understood why Cliff was asking such a question.

‘This is troublesome. In this domain, those who can do arithmetic… there probably aren’t many.’

If there was one, it would be about Bellman.

In the domain, there was no one else with merchant talent besides him, and even if there were, they weren’t known.

It wasn’t a domain that required arithmetic above a certain level to begin with.

“Somehow I feel like I can know the old man’s answer without even hearing it.”

“I apologize. The domain residents weren’t in a position to learn anything or be capable of much.”

“Then what should we do?”

“I’ll reach out to people I know.”

“People you know?”

Come to think of it, Nigel had said he wasn’t originally from this estate.

He was a guest teacher that Baron Ellemis had recruited from outside.

‘That means he was an intellectual with a certain level of expertise from the outside world…’

He must have had connections too.

But it was still too late to use his connections. Cliff turned his head to look at where Tom had left.

‘I really need to win that man over somehow…’

Even if Nigel brought someone, they would likely be a scholar. While they might work as bureaucrats, it would be difficult to prove their abilities in the merchant world.

Not to mention the beastmen sent by the Duke.

‘Considering beastmen characteristics, they have courage but tend to be simple-minded. Of course, being wolf beastmen, their intelligence would be relatively high, but still, with numbers… it’s better not to expect too much, right?’

They were perfect for security.

But insufficient as merchants.

Cliff’s gaze next turned to Leticia.

She was staring intently at something with a beautiful face befitting the name of the race of beauty.

He momentarily lost himself.

He immediately turned his head away.

‘Hmm. This side is also impossible.’

It was right to keep Leticia on the estate as much as possible.

When it came to female elves, just calling for one was worth a fortune.

If she traveled around outside for trade, she would likely become a target.

‘But sending the old man is too risky given his age, and while I could go myself once or twice, it would be difficult to keep leaving the estate empty for expeditions.’

It was difficult to find a suitable person.

He glanced toward Teobaldt.

“…I don’t know about complicated things.”

Teobaldt seemed to notice his gaze and immediately struck first.

“Hmm. I thought as much.”

He was out too.

Cliff clicked his tongue.

“Tsk tsk. Are there no suitable talents in this estate?”

Should he acquire an appropriate person from the first trade expedition?

But it would still be difficult to find someone to his liking right away. Cliff’s gaze turned toward the direction Tom had gone.

‘I really need to meet with that man again.’

Cliff recalled the look in Tom’s eyes when he had been watching him.

Those eyes that dripped with regret.

There was plenty of possibility.

Cliff sent word to Tom asking him to join him for dinner.

Then he brought Leticia and the four beastmen to the manor.

‘I can just give the beastmen appropriate rooms to stay in, but Leticia is…’

Scratch.

He still hadn’t decided how to treat her.

The Duke seemed to have sent her to be used as a concubine, or perhaps to provoke Barton, but he found it troublesome.

‘Whatever the case, I need to establish Leticia’s position first… but what’s this?’

Cliff looked at Leticia.

Cliff considered himself perceptive. From his perspective, Leticia seemed to have been tense since earlier.

That wasn’t incomprehensible.

She was a beautiful woman, and she had come here as a slave. She was in a position where she couldn’t refuse whatever harsh treatment she might face, so it was natural for her to be tense.

The problem was.

‘No matter how I think about it, it doesn’t seem like I’m the one she’s wary of?’

She was being cautious of some other direction, not him, her master.

The kind of tension one would have when facing someone of very high status.

That was the emotion he sensed from Leticia.

‘Who?’

It was strange.

He had clearly signed the slave documents and seen her brand respond…

And Leticia.

At first he thought her expression of watching him was just because she found him intimidating, but now he could see it wasn’t.

“You have something to say, don’t you?”

Cliff asked her.

Flinch.

She couldn’t hide her emotions.

“…Yes.”

“Go ahead.”

“Then I’ll ask just one thing, Master. By any chance, is there… a great grand spirit mage in this estate?”

“…?”

What was this about all of a sudden?

Cliff tilted his head, not understanding her words.

A great grand spirit mage.

Come to think of it, elves were beings blessed by spirits. So perhaps her senses could detect something he was unaware of.

But Cliff shook his head.

“Hmm. As far as I know, there isn’t one. If there’s a spirit mage in this estate, it would probably be you. Ah, speaking of which, have you made a contract with spirits?”

“Yes… I’ve received the blessings of two spirits, water and wind.”

Decided!

She was a spirit mage.

He could have her stay on the estate as a spirit mage.

‘As a hidden card depending on the situation.’

Spirit mages were more useful and rare than ordinary mages.

There was a high probability she would be helpful. Cliff was pleased with his judgment and wore a satisfied expression, but Leticia still said something strange.

“But… it’s odd. The spirits have been watching someone’s mood since earlier. This has never happened before…”

“Huh?”

Cliff didn’t understand at first.

Then Cliff made a face of realization.

“Ah, Kyuung.”

In this estate, if there was someone the spirits would watch out for, it could only be Kyuung.

And the moment he thought of that bear, Cliff’s eyes widened.

This time, even he, with his weak magical power, could clearly feel some kind of wave spreading.

-…!

And he heard it.

From somewhere both distant and near.

An aura filled with intense killing intent and malice.

Cliff’s body trembled. It was a fear that momentarily made it impossible for him to move his entire body.

-The Lord’s Dignity resists Fear.

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