The Isolated Marchioness Just Wants to Make a Living - Chapter 112

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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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Chapter 112

“Moreover, even if we generously assume that Nogen Vice Duke cherished Young Lady, this would be an even greater tragedy.”

“….”

“If he had seen Young Lady’s state at the Imperial Palace, he wouldn’t have been able to send that annulment letter so easily.”

In fact, Leopold hadn’t frequented the Imperial Palace during that time. No, it would be more accurate to say he couldn’t frequent it.

I was a special case. I happened to be valedictorian and caught the Empress Dowager’s eye on Academy entrance day.

The Imperial Court’s bizarre atmosphere was something only those who experienced it could understand. Even the Empress’s very private jokes about wanting to make me the Crown Prince’s concubine—no one could have imagined such things.

At that time, I was ten years old, and the Crown Prince was thirty.

How could the sensible Leopold have figured that out and sent an annulment letter?

But I had no choice but to remain silent.

“Well, I’m different from Nogen Vice Duke who was born with everything. Anyway, I’m five years older than the Vice Duke… and I’ve been tormented by Imperial Court intrigue since birth.”

Maximus spoke in a lowered voice.

“If you want to become completely on my side, Young Lady.”

“….”

“Think carefully about my proposal. Unlike that still wet-behind-the-ears Nogen Vice Duke, I’ll protect Young Lady to the very end.”

Actually, I had anticipated that Maximus might propose engagement to me. So I wasn’t particularly surprised.

“Don’t you think I might harm Young Lady?”

“I don’t. His Highness is probably seeing potential usefulness in me as well.”

If he wanted to announce to everyone that he had made Sears his ally, an engagement with me would be the best card.

“Are you certain that an engagement with Your Highness would truly keep me safe?”

When I asked vaguely with various implications, Maximus shrugged and answered.

“I always protect my people. My knights all rushed into the forest at just one word from me. Even considering the relationship between lord and knight, do you think it’s easy to build that level of trust? It means we all know that I too can do anything for them.”

He said this while curving his green eyes into crescents.

“Because I grew up without anything of my own, I treasure those who become my people immensely. Taking my knights into the forest was also because I cherish them. I know well what kind of predicament they might face when I’m asleep alone and can’t protect them.”

The Second Prince, who had already lost my trust, boasted about his trust relationship with his knight order.

“Once everything is over and Young Lady is safe, I can arrange an annulment anytime.”

Yet seeing him bring up annulment first, it seemed he didn’t want to die by Alpheus’s hand.

“If Young Lady has already decided on Alpheus’s side, there’s no better choice for Young Lady than me. I also need this level of procedure to trust Young Lady completely.”

“Your words are a bit strange. Alpheus’s side? Strictly speaking, this is the Imperial Court’s fight.”

“No, it’s Alpheus’s side.”

He said firmly.

“I too have taken his side, not the other way around where he took mine.”

At this point, I wondered if I should warn Alpheus to be careful of Maximus’s obsession.

“Of course, Young Lady and I will need to think together about how much to tell Alpheus, but I believe that if we two cooperate our brains, there’s nothing we can’t accomplish in this world.”

Maximus grinned at me.

“Aren’t we kindred spirits, Young Lady? Perhaps I’ve known that fact since Young Lady was ten years old.”

It annoyed me that I couldn’t refute the term ‘kindred spirits.’

“I’ll expect a positive answer. After all, life is too tiresome for either Young Lady or me to attach meaning to something like engagement, isn’t it?”

“….”

“Then I could give Young Lady all the ‘information’ you want. Though I’m worried Young Lady might not believe it even after hearing it, well, that’s a matter for then.”

After shrugging once, he walked away with a swagger to join the work site.

I sighed while petting the wolf-dog’s head, who had frozen at some point.

“Don’t worry about it, wolf-dog.”

I suspected the wolf-dog might have been hurt by Maximus’s remark about ‘is there any guarantee the wolf-dog won’t be dangerous forever?’

“You really don’t need to worry. Really.”

The wolf-dog looked up at me quietly.

Those eyes seemed more meaningful than ever, so I couldn’t help but whisper softly.

“I’ll give you strawberries later.”

Strawberries are precious at this time of year!

“Southern strawberries are originally famous. Expensive too.”

Still, the wolf-dog’s mood didn’t seem to improve.

“Leopold must have never given you strawberries. You don’t know what they taste like, right? They’re incredibly delicious.”

I bent down to meet the wolf-dog’s eyes and smiled broadly.

“I really love strawberries. So you should try them once too.”

That was true.

I loved strawberries so much that I was extremely excited about being able to eat strawberry cake on my birthday starting next year.

‘Since my birthday is in winter, I’ve never had strawberry cake on my birthday, but now Sears will have greenhouses too!’

Though since my birthday is tomorrow, I probably won’t be able to eat it this year.

‘I suppose I’ll have to stay in the South for a few more days.’

According to the servant who brought the adhesive earlier, a full day had passed outside after we entered the forest. We hadn’t noticed because time had stopped inside the forest.

Actually, while traveling to the South, I noticed Alpheus kept disappearing to whisper secretly with my maid. He seemed to be discussing my birthday.

‘It seems like they’re planning some kind of surprise party. Should I pretend I have no idea and act surprised? But wouldn’t it be too unrealistic for me not to notice?’

That’s when it happened.

A farmer approached hesitantly.

“Um, Young Lady.”

His eyes were full of worry.

“Cucumbers… would be difficult, wouldn’t they? And eggplants…”

There was a reason he said this.

Cucumbers and eggplants required extremely high temperatures. They weren’t crops that could survive well until harvest just by covering them with several layers of plastic.

“Well.”

I shrugged while looking at the setting sunset.

“That depends on Harrison.”

“…Excuse me?”

The farmer was horrified.

“We must quickly call a shaman! So that the youngest master may grow into a trustworthy person…”

The Southern people’s dependence on shamanism was serious.

“The former Marquis had good reason for frequently calling shamans, hoping that Young Master Harrison wouldn’t be last in his class at the Academy! Truly a wise former Marquis!”

“That shaman is a fraud.”

“Of course, I know outsiders don’t believe in shamanism. But Young Lady, please meet that shaman just once. Still, trustworthy shamans are quite skil…”

“Harrison was always last in his class.”

“….”

The farmer was shocked.

Right then.

“Brisaaaaaaa!”

Harrison, who appeared in the distance with a cart, shouted.

‘As expected, he can’t become a gentleman…’

I had sent Harrison via warp earlier.

“It’s not that I don’t trust you all, I just have an instinct to quickly bring good things to my territory first. I have more things for you to do too.”

Harrison said warp didn’t work well because his mana field was unstable due to this curse. His words about magic-related matters were trustworthy.

And since he hadn’t come until now, I naturally assumed warp was working well.

When I sent Harrison to Sears, I also gave him other errands.

The cart that came with Harrison contained mana stones.

“Brisa, the Magic Tower Master said he’ll process the mana stones as you requested and send them soon.”

There was a reason I couldn’t receive the mana stones from the Eastern Region directly at Sears Marquis Territory.

I had said I would write directly to Duke Dibostane to request this. Even though he offered cash, I insisted on receiving mana stones instead.

“If you permit it, I’ll handle sending the letter to the Magic Tower myself.”

I had inquired with the Magic Tower Master about changing the temperature of mana stones.

I thought that if there were mana stones that made surroundings cold, they could probably be modified to make things hot by changing the formula slightly.

Indeed, the Magic Tower Master replied, ‘I can’t make them hot, but given time, I can make them warm.’

While we left for the South, the improved mana stones had arrived at Sears Marquis Manor.

And I told Harrison to check the warp earlier, and if the warp worked well, to bring some of those magic stones from the Sears Marquis Estate.

‘I thought greenhouses were something that absolutely had to be developed from the beginning.’

When I was studying in my previous life, one of the inventions that made a mark in the agricultural world was the greenhouse.

Of course, the lack of materials was a problem. But now I had secured a supply of both vinyl and magic stones.

Having no way to express this sense of pride, I hugged the wolf-dog tightly once more.

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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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