~Chapter 22~
Luckily, the little morning bird wasn’t badly hurt.
I treated it carefully, fed it well, and let it go in the garden.
I pretended to enjoy eating, so Nero wouldn’t feel sad.
I also ignored Mrs. Olden when she kept asking what I talked about with the duke last night.
After finally leaving Nero safely with Bertolt, I started my long, tired day.
“How did things go with what I ordered yesterday?”
“We sent back all the workers from Alnor and are now hiring new people from Lombard.”
“Good. Hurry up so the construction isn’t delayed.”
Just like the site manager said, many townspeople had gathered outside the inner gate.
They wrote their names and ages and were given jobs that fit them.
Their faces looked brighter now that they had steady work during this slow farming season.
“I’ll buy meat at the market today. The kids will be happy for once!”
“I need to fix my roof. I was just patching it up because I had no money, but every time it rained or snowed, I couldn’t sleep at night from all the leaks.”
“I don’t know how such good luck happened, but thanks to this, I’ll finally get through this winter with peace of mind, haha!”
I watched them quietly through the carriage window.
Seeing their happy faces, I really—
‘I feel proud.’
Just as I thought that, I was startled and quickly shut the window.
This cursed way of thinking!
I am not the same person I used to be.
I won’t break myself and sacrifice for some greater cause against the cartel anymore.
No more lonely sacrifices that no one cares about.
All that matters is if I’m comfortable and happy. Why should I care about the people’s lives?
The carriage started moving again.
“Ugh, this road is terrible!”
The baron sitting across from me bumped his head hard because the carriage shook so much.
I laughed at him honestly.
Of course, the baron couldn’t say anything back to me. That’s what rank is for.
Finally, the carriage reached the monastery.
“Madam, you’re here!”
The carpenter Thompson, who was outside, spotted me and ran over happily.
I stopped him from calling everyone else and just told him to bring Gilbert quietly.
Meeting a lot of people would only wear me out. It was best to just finish what I had to do and leave quietly.
“How’s the clinic construction going?”
“It’s going smoothly. The building was so old that we had to rebuild some parts almost from scratch. It should be done in a few days.”
“Good job.”
I patted Thompson on the shoulder.
Workers, patients, and volunteers who saw me started to run over, wanting to kneel and greet me, but I waved my hand for them to get back to their work.
It felt a bit cold, but I had no choice.
I was already tired out by the bird incident this morning.
Just then, Gilbert arrived. He looked worn out, maybe from caring for patients all night.
“You’re working hard.”
“It reminded me of my days as a trainee. Still, it feels better than sitting alone in a clinic with no patients.”
“There’s a bonus waiting for you, so hang in there.”
“That’s the best thing I’ve heard all day. Very comforting.”
I looked around the tents where patients had been temporarily moved.
A few doctors worked under Gilbert’s direction.
They looked exhausted, but their expressions had changed a bit.
Now I could see a sense of pride, accomplishment, and purpose in their eyes.
“Why are there so few doctors here?”
“This clinic is mostly back to normal, so we only kept a few. We sent the rest to other clinics.”
“They agreed to go?”
“They asked to be sent where they were needed most.”
It felt strange.
Even if they loved money and power, doctors who graduated from the academy still had a bit of duty left in them.
‘Or maybe it’s just because I’m here glaring at them like a bandit leader.’
Either way, it would help the poor people near the outer wall.
After inspecting the clinic, I walked quietly to a secluded corner.
Now, it was time to reveal the real reason I’d come all the way to the outer wall, feeling old and tired.
“I have a favor to ask you two.”
“What is it?”
“Just tell us.”
Maybe they sensed this was serious, because Gilbert and Thompson answered right away.
There was no one I could trust more right now. Still, I decided to change my reason a bit.
“You know I haven’t been in Lombard long, so I don’t know much about this place.”
“Did you hear something bad?”
“Do I look like someone who cares about rumors?”
They both shook their heads.
As if they didn’t already know.
“I think it would help to have a local servant who understands Lombard, but it’s not easy to find the right person. Do you know anyone you can recommend?”
“Oh, if you care about Lombard’s affairs, that’s a huge help for us.”
“Actually, people have talked about your maid situation more than once among the townsfolk.”
“What do you mean?”
Gilbert scratched his chin awkwardly.
“Bertolt tried to hire a few local maids for you, but people say you turned them all down because you didn’t want any lowborn Lombard girls near you.”
“Hm.”
That sounded just like the old Elysia.
She filled her rooms with maids from the capital and wouldn’t let anyone from Lombard come close.
At first, people didn’t mind her, but eventually everyone said,
‘She acts like a bandit sitting in the lord’s house but still pretends she’s a Baldin princess.’
But I had no shame, so I pretended this was news to me.
“There are a lot of crazy rumors in the world. If you care about all of them, you won’t survive.”
“Sorry…”
Thompson muttered in a miserable voice—he’d once believed those rumors and acted badly toward me.
But I moved on to the main point.
“Anyway, I need a trustworthy servant from Lombard. Can you find one?”
“There actually is a good candidate.”
Gilbert thought for a moment, then continued.
“Thompson here has several daughters. They’re all quick and hardworking. They’ve always done well on errands I gave them.”
“Really? Then, Thompson, why are you so quiet?”
“Well… it feels strange to brag about my own daughters…”
Thompson hesitated, but then looked proud.
“They actually scolded me a lot. They said I should be grateful you forgave me for being rude, but instead I just took the wages and didn’t even thank you.”
“It wasn’t my money anyway—it was from our donation angels.”
“Yes, when I told them that, they calmed down. They even told me to ask for more pay, just like you… Oh, never mind.”
I liked that they were good with money.
“How old is your oldest daughter?”
“She’s twenty-two this year.”
“Perfect. I’ll write her a pass. Once the construction is done, bring her to the castle. I’ll pay her well.”
“I can’t believe someone from my family will serve the madam! We’ll never forget your kindness, madam!!”
Usually, even the personal maids of noble ladies weren’t from poor families.
But now, a daughter from a poor area would be serving me.
For Thompson, it was like his daughter’s future was now wide open.
‘No, I should be the one saying thanks.’
All my current close staff were Mrs. Olden’s people.
That meant everything I did went straight to her.
I needed some breathing room. Thompson’s daughter seemed reliable and just what I needed.
Gilbert suddenly added,
“Since you’re here, why not meet Father Filio? He really wanted to thank you in person for your help. If you leave now, he’ll be disappointed.”
“Well, I can’t ignore the head of the monastery’s kindness. I’ll go.”
Just as I left the clinic area and headed toward the monastery entrance,
I bumped into someone coming out.
“Oof!”
“S-sorry! Are you okay?”
It felt like I’d run into a wall.
I looked up and saw a man as tall and broad as the duke.
He had the build of a knight, but he was wearing a priest’s robe.
He wore thick glasses that covered half his face and had long red hair down his back.
