The mother stopped her work and turned to the maid with a puzzled expression.
โA guest? We canโt meet with anyone while in isolationโฆโ
โA guest, you sayโโ
Before the maid could finish her sentence, voices overlapped:
โPlease! Please!โ
โWe beg you! Thereโs something we must ask of the lord!โ
Multiple voices of desperate men and women could be heard. Sara froze, startled.
โWait, wait! Weโre in the middle of an epidemic isolation period, so meeting is impossible.โ
โThis is for your own good! Later, submit a petitionโโ
The attendants seemed to be trying hard to hold them back.
โA petition, you say? Do you know how many weโve submitted already?!โ
โWeโre not afraid of the plague!โ
โYeah! Either way, weโre all going to die!โ
The visitors were shouting such things at the attendants.
โAre they villagers?โ
While hugging the frozen Sara tightly, I asked the maid.
โYes, they appear to be residents of a nearby village. They say they have an urgent request.โ
The villagers were calling for the lord. They must have seen the grand dukeโs carriage and assumed that Father had returned to the lakeside villa after several years.
โWow, so this area is also under Fatherโs domain? Wasnโt it farther away?โ
โThe capital of the Valois Grand Duchy is much farther, but these two villages, the lake, and the forest here are also part of the Grafโs territory.โ
It seemed Father owned land in various places besides the Valois region.
โโฆIn this area, we could keep goatsโฆ right?โ
I thought it would be fun to build a small house here and live with goats. There was a forest and a lake, so there must be plenty of animals. We could grow crops and even fish.
โHeheโฆโ
โLuria , you really love goats, donโt you?โ
Mother chuckled and lifted Sara, who I had been hugging, onto her lap.
โSara, are you okay? Were you scared?โ
โYeah, Iโm okay.โ
Mother hugged Sara tightly and gently stroked her hair.
โThere, there.โ
โEhehe.โ
Being held by Mother seemed to calm Sara.
While stroking Saraโs hair, Mother murmured,
โHmm. I donโt recall receiving any reports about issues in this region from the stewardโฆโ
โWhat will you do?โ
โWell, weโll hear what they have to say first.โ
With that, Mother stood up.
โIf the Graf failed to notice this problem, then itโs his responsibility. In that case, Iโll clean up after him.โ
โโฆBut are you sure? Accepting direct appeals isโฆโ
โThis visit is unofficial anyway, so itโs fine. Letโs pretend there was no direct appeal.โ
Carrying Sara, Mother walked briskly ahead. I followed along with Daru and the others.
โMother, is it bad if thereโs a direct appeal?โ
โYes. Skipping the necessary procedures makes a direct appeal a crime.โ
โWow.โ
โIt also means theyโre desperate enough to break the rules.โ
After walking for a while, Mother stopped and spoke to the maid.
โLetโs have Luria listen to this as well. Could you bring her hood?โ
โUnderstood.โ
As the maid ran off, I asked Mother,
โMother, is it really okay? Iโm happy, though.โ
โI think it will be a good learning experience. Besidesโฆ donโt you want to raise goats around here?โ
โI do.โ
It seemed Mother had heard my earlier muttering.
โWhether itโs possible or not, you should understand the problems rural estates face.โ
Apparently, Mother had various thoughts on the matter. Shortly after, the maid returned with a hood, and I put it on.
โDoes it suit me?โ
โIt does. Hehe.โ
Sara, still in Motherโs arms, giggled happily.
โSara, youโre coming too. Are you scared?โ
โโฆIโm okay.โ
โSara, since youโll become the lord one day, itโs better to know these things. If youโre scared, just hold onto me.โ
โ?โ
Sara didnโt seem to fully grasp the idea of becoming a lord. But since she was the only child of the baron and Marion, she would naturally inherit the title. Even if she married a man who joined the family, Sara would still need to know how to manage the estate.
Mother must have considered all of this.
โMother is always thinking about so many things, huh.โ
โOf course.โ
When we reached the entrance, Mother spoke to the steward in charge of indoor security.
โI will hear what the villagers have to say. However, ensure thereโs sufficient distance between us.โ
โUnderstood. Please wait a moment.โ
The steward bowed and went outside.
He explained the risks of infection to the villagers and marked a line they were not allowed to cross. After positioning attendants for security, he returned inside.
โThank you for waiting. Preparations are complete.โ
โThank you.โ
Carrying Sara, Mother stepped outside, followed by me, Daru, Carol, and Koruko.
As we emerged, the villagers on the other side of the attendants all prostrated themselves at once.
โHuh?โ
At that moment, I noticed something unbelievable beyond the villagers and exclaimed.
(Whatโฆ is that?)
Something was in the distant forest. Using my special skill of focusing hard to enhance my eyesight, I observed closely.
โA goat?โ
There was a giant goat in the forest. Not just a goatโthere were also large cows and wild boars.
(Wow! So cool!)
As I was lost in thought, Mother scolded me in a whisper, โLuria , donโt get distracted.โ