“About the remaining roots.”
Brisa spoke calmly.
“They’re dense and sturdy, so we can earn a little extra money by selling them. If the Guild is willing to give us the rice bran and wheat bran left in its warehouses, we’ll allow your people to gather the roots as well.”
The roots would have to be pulled out eventually if they wanted to plant seed potatoes.
Using the guild master's manpower would not only secure the bran they needed, but also save their own labor.
There’s going to be more work than we can handle in the future. We need to conserve every pair of hands possible.
The guild master looked uncertain, as if he still wasn't sure whether to believe everything he was hearing.
“My lady... where did you learn all this?”
Immediately, the maids erupted into chatter.
“Our young lady is a genius!”
“She could read when she was three and spoke five languages by the age of seven!”
“The Princess personally taught her history, culture, etiquette, and refinement! She graduated first in the Academy entrance exams and second in her final rankings!”
Amid the flood of praise, Brisa replied dryly.
“A book called Basic Understanding of Soil contains a lot of information about soil properties and farming methods. Volume Seven of Types and Uses of Fruit Trees discusses olive trees.”
The guild master hurriedly pulled out his notebook again.
Brisa continued.
“They’re books from the Royal Academy Library. Both are written in the original Sernin language, so they’ll be difficult for you to read.”
The maids’ praise was useless, but it was more than enough to earn the guild master’s trust.
“Old olive trees have particularly beautiful grain patterns,” Brisa said thoughtfully as she studied the timber.
“They’re quite popular as decorative wood. However, drying and processing them isn’t easy, so if you take them to the west, don’t ask for an excessive price.”
“Is that so?”
The guild master’s eyes sparkled.
“The House of Grand Duke Nozen has been buying all sorts of materials lately. They’ll be perfect customers. Thank you for the advice.”
“Then make sure to send us plenty of rice bran and wheat bran.”
The guild master laughed.
“That stuff isn’t fit for people to eat anyway. We’ve got piles of it in storage. Of course we can spare plenty.”
“Really? Then just give us all of it.”
“Yes, absolutely! But... what exactly are you planning to use it for?”
“For something that won’t make you any money.”
Rangshi quietly observed Brisa.
She’s a clever one.
Knowledge.
Initiative.
Though young, she possessed all the qualities of a worthy lord.
Yet one question still lingered in his mind.
Then why does she keep those maids around?
Capable people usually attracted capable followers.
So why were all the people surrounding her such hopeless airheads?
At the very least, shouldn’t she discipline them for talking nonsense all the time? Why doesn’t she?
Rangshi decided he would find a suitable opportunity to ask.
Thanks to the knights’ aura-enhanced blades, the logging was completed quickly.
I remained at the site the entire time.
By the time the roots had been carefully removed and the soil thoroughly turned over, it was already late afternoon.
The guild master left the marquisate with carts full of timber and a grin stretching from ear to ear.
“Let’s see...”
I inspected the seed potatoes the Potato Squad had purchased.
As expected, since I had sent people with actual farming experience, every seed potato was in excellent condition.
“All right. Now make ridges and plant them with the sprouts facing upward. Philip, show everyone how it’s done.”
“Yes, my lady! Watch carefully!”
Philip personally demonstrated the planting process.
Then a snort of laughter came from among the knights.
The culprit was a female knight with a cocky expression.
I turned my gaze toward her.
She immediately offered an excuse.
“No, it’s just... kind of funny.”
She had bright red hair tied into a ponytail.
“Of all things, potatoes.”
I sighed inwardly.
I had expected something like this.
These were all Alphius’s people.
Considering how irritated they already were because of the maids, it would have been stranger if nobody objected.
“What exactly is your intention, my lady?” the woman continued. “Making us do something this pointless?”
Her voice sharpened.
“We fought across battlefields. Do you think we’re a joke? If that’s the case, I’d rather you ignored us like before. We’re busy enough with our own training.”
Fortunately, only one maid remained at my side. The others had already returned to the mansion to prepare dinner.
The remaining maid nearly exploded.
“How dare you speak to the young lady like that—!”
She raised her hand to slap the knight.
I stopped her immediately.
If those two actually fought, the maid would lose her life.
Meanwhile, the female knight—Wendy—turned dramatically toward the others.
“We fought beside Lord Alphius through life and death!”
She pointed accusingly at me.
“This is making our lord a laughingstock! Can’t you see that? Unless she’s inherited her mother’s madness, why would she suddenly tear up a perfectly good olive plain and plant ridiculous potatoes—”
Silence fell.
The maid collapsed to her knees, gasping for breath.
Philip muttered under his breath.
“...That was too much.”
The other female knights standing behind Wendy clicked their tongues.
“She brought up her mother.”
“What awful manners...”
As the atmosphere chilled, Wendy flinched.
Even she seemed to realize she had crossed a line.
I spoke calmly.
“What’s your name?”
“W-Wendy Height.”
“Wendy. From now on, you don’t have to plant potatoes.”
The cold atmosphere only deepened.
“You may also excuse yourself from all future knightly duties if you wish. Train on your own instead.”
Wendy’s eyes shifted uncertainly.
“However... even though I truly didn’t want to do this...”
I spoke solemnly before trailing off.
For a moment, I hesitated.
Is it really acceptable to order something like this?
Is it right to be this cruel?
But a leader had to be cruel when necessary.
“Since you refuse to plant potatoes...”
My voice trembled with inner conflict.
Yet in the end, I delivered my judgment.
“From this day forward, you are forbidden from eating potatoes.”
For a moment, everyone in the garden looked as though they were struggling not to laugh.
Even Wendy.
In fact, Wendy almost seemed to forgive me.
Honestly... why am I getting into a power struggle with a little girl?
Her thoughts practically showed on her face.
Philip, still holding a seed potato, spoke quietly.
“Seeing a grown adult lose their temper in front of a twelve-year-old girl...”
He looked genuinely pained.
“Now that I’m an outsider looking in, I finally understand. About our first meeting... I apologize again. It was truly shameful. I sincerely hope everyone forgets it happened.”
“That’s fine.”
I nodded magnanimously.
“I’m planning to record it in the history books.”
“...”
Naturally, some time later, everyone would come to realize that my punishment had been unimaginably cruel.
After the potatoes were planted, we returned to the marquis’s estate.
“My lady... would it be all right if I spoke with you privately?”
Rangshi asked hesitantly.
“While reviewing the budget reports, there was something I wanted to ask directly.”
“That’s fine.”
I followed him into the study.
It had once belonged to Father.
Now it belonged to Alphius.
I always assumed I’d inherit it...
I cast one lingering glance around the room before pointing at the towering stack of documents on the desk.
“What are all those?”
“The marquisate’s financial records.”
Rangshi sighed.
“Five years’ worth. Nothing was organized properly, so I’ve had to verify everything one document at a time.”
My nostalgia vanished instantly.
I had been ten years old when I left the estate, so I had never learned the details of its finances.
But judging from the original story, inheriting this household had already become a disaster.
I seated myself elegantly in a chair.
“So you’re handling the estate’s finances now?”
“I managed all the money and paperwork for the mercenary company too.”
Rangshi sat opposite me with another sigh.
“My lady... there’s actually one question I’d like to ask. And one favor.”
“Ask your question first.”
“Yes. It concerns a budget entry from five years ago.”
He flipped through several pages before pointing to a line item.
“It’s labeled Personal Top-Secret Matter — Related to Brisa.”
His expression grew serious.
“The amount allocated here equals nearly two years’ worth of the marquisate’s budget.”
He tapped the page.
“There are no receipts. No details. No records whatsoever.”
Then he looked directly at me.
“The maids keep saying they don’t know anything.”
He paused.
“So what exactly was all this money used for...?”
