Chapter 152

“…I don’t know if it’s a ghost or what. People just say that on windy days, if you’re near Lake Nantier, you can hear a weeping sound, but no one knows what it is.”

“Oh, come on, isn’t that just the sound of tree branches hitting each other in the wind?”

“That’s one guess. But there’s also a scarier theory…”

Her voice trailed off, and I couldn’t hear the scary part of the story. A moment later, all that was left was the sound of a small scream and the scurrying of maids.

“Hey, what?!”

Esadien told me what he knew as I stamped my feet in disappointment.

“A long time ago, during a time when mages were persecuted… a group of them disappeared in that area. Since then, the weeping sounds began, so people say it must be their vengeful spirits.”

“Oh, really?”

See, this is much more interesting.

“By the way, Esadien, you have very good hearing.”

“I think it’s average.”

“It sounds like you’re teasing me about my bad hearing.”

“Were you listening?”

Every time Esadien makes a small joke like this, I feel like he has truly become a brighter person.

I chuckled and picked up Kaius, who had been pulling at the corner of the rug and suddenly started putting it in his mouth.

“No, Kaius. Don’t put things from the floor in your mouth. Do you understand?”

“Ugh-buh-buh!”

What are you saying?

Esadien wiped the baby’s drool, which was accompanied by an unintelligible protest.

“Since there haven’t been any reports about that story, it seems the villagers aren’t scared.”

“That’s true. That lake, it’s where our cottage is, isn’t it? We were there for days, but I didn’t hear any weeping sounds.”

The only strange thing we experienced there was the incredibly thick fog.

…And the appearance of Kaius that day.

Just as our gazes were about to fall on the baby, the butler and the administrative officer came to see us together.

“Your Highness. A petition has been submitted.”

“A petition?”

It was the first petition we had received since we arrived in the territory. A maid, sensing the situation, tried to take Kaius away, but the baby struggled and refused to be held, even though she was a familiar face.

“Baby…”

“Ah-boo! Phoo-buh.”

He ignored the apple she offered, which he usually loved. He had never acted like this since he got to know her face. I sent the flustered maid away.

“It’s alright. I’ll call you if I need you.”

In the end, Esadien held Kaius, and the three of us looked at the petition together. It began with an unexpected word.

“…Milk?”

Yes. The start of the problem was milk delivery. The milk deliveries had been getting later, and at some point, the milk started to arrive with a slightly changed taste in the afternoon. Finally, the deliveries stopped altogether.

It was a problem for households, but people who depended on milk for their livelihood were in an uproar. They went to the dairy farm, but the farm had its own problems. The boys who delivered the milk were quitting one by one.

The back of the document contained the accounts from the children who had been questioned by the administrative officer.

‘I felt it from the beginning, but the officials in this small territory are very competent.’

However, the children’s words were quite absurd.

[When you go down from the farm, there’s a place where you just get so sleepy. I was walking just a moment ago, but when I woke up, my dog and I were both asleep.]

[I tried not to go there, but when I came to my senses, I was sleeping there.]

[My brother who suddenly disappeared is also a victim.]

And the place where the children were drawn to and fell asleep was… a certain spot across the forest that surrounded Lake Nantier.

Hmm.

“Do you believe this?”

“Ah-buh-buh…”

“The children were also reluctant to speak, saying that adults wouldn’t believe them.”

I felt a little guilty at the administrative officer’s words, but adults need to verify things in their own way.

“Pah! Pah!”

“Shh, Kaius.”

Esadien, who had scolded the baby, bounced him in his arms and spoke. The gap between his actions and his serious expression was so great that I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.

“It’s difficult to believe everything at once. However, since a villager has disappeared, we must investigate thoroughly. I will give a separate order to the knight commander.”

“Understood.”

Following the administrative officer, the butler bowed.

“Your Highness, I beg you. The head chef is distraught because he can do so little without milk for his breads and dishes.”

So that’s why he came with him. I nodded.

“That must have been a problem. We also know, as we tasted that milk ourselves.”

In hindsight, the milk Esadien had brought was actually decent enough not to cause an upset stomach. My mouth just reflexively spat it out when I tasted something different.

I didn’t expect a minor inconvenience to turn into such a big deal.

“Pah-ung. Mwah-mah! Mah.”

“He’s being very vocal today.”

The butler smiled and offered advice.

“Perhaps it’s time for his nap?”

I thought it was different from a baby fussing because he was sleepy, but when I checked the time, it made sense. After the butler and administrative officer left, Esadien and I tried to put Kaius to sleep.

“Kaius. Time to sleep?”

“Here’s your favorite blanket too.”

But Kaius didn’t listen to us; he was staring at the documents with a serious expression, as if he could read the words.

“Yoo-oo… Mm-mah.”

Was he really doing this on purpose? He looked so sad that we held our breath as well. I should have known then that this was all part of his grand plan.

“Nyum!”

The moment we let our guard down, he grabbed the paper and stuffed it into his mouth.

“Ack! Don’t eat that!”

“Spit it out, Kaius. Spit it out!”

A startled Esadien quickly picked up the baby, and I tried to pry open his mouth, but he was stubborn.

“Mmmph.”

Even as I tried to gently pull it out, the now-soggy paper couldn’t hold on.

Riiiip!

“…”

With a sad sound, Esadien’s and my faces fell.

Ah, the petition is gone…

***

A few days later, a detailed report came in.

“The milk delivery boy who suddenly disappeared was actually a family who ran away at night due to debt.”

“We searched the place the children all mentioned, but we didn’t find any sleep-inducing or hallucinogenic plants in the area.”

Well, at least it wasn’t a kidnapping. Esadien and I looked at each other and nodded. It was a silent agreement to proceed with our previous plan.

First, Esadien spoke.

“I hear there are also rumors of ghosts in that area. While it could be just a rumor, with two strange things happening, further investigation is necessary. We can use this opportunity to completely put the villagers’ minds at ease.”

“Understood.”

Following the knight commander, the butler asked.

“What should we do about the milk supply?”

It was my turn to step up.

“Separate from the investigation, purchase all the dairy farms.”

“Pardon?”

Everyone’s eyes, except for Esadien’s and mine, widened. I leaned back comfortably in the plush chair and lifted my chin. If production and delivery are separated and causing problems, then we’ll do what the mafia does and have a direct supply chain.

“Even if the issue of the delivery boys falling asleep is resolved, summer is coming soon. The temperature has been rising since last year, so even if they leave at dawn, the milk might still spoil sometimes.”

As Gabbie’s confinement was lifted, the temperature across the empire, not just in Nantier, was slowly rising. But I didn’t mention that and continued.

“We will still employ the people who work at the dairy farms. We will also install a magic circle connecting the farms to the lord’s manor. The head chef will be happiest about this.”

“A magic circle, Your Highness? The budget for installing one at every farm is…”

The administrative officer’s face turned pale. It was understandable for him to be surprised, since he had been managing the territory’s finances with a fixed annual budget.

While his attitude was commendable, this time was an exception.

“I have the money.”

“Pardon?”

I smiled and spoke clearly and with emphasis.

“I said I have that much money. Who do you think I am?”

The one and only Princess Consort of Preseria, the precious youngest daughter of the Karnian family, a wealthy landowner with prime properties. That’s me! Minuelle Karnian.

‘When we got married, I realized Esadien’s assets were no joke either.’

Honestly, when we started our life as lords, I thought about building a new castle, but I decided a castle was unnecessary for a small territory. It would be a miracle if it didn’t cause a sense of alienation.

Maybe they thought we were just some minor royals because we were using the former residence, which was a compact and clean building that I liked.

“I have connections in the magical community, so we can install them as soon as the farms are acquired.”

Then, I cleared my throat and put on a golden expression. My father used to say that when you do something good, you should boast about it 100% so the people will feel like they’ve received 30%. You have to hold on tight when you have their trust because it can crumble in an instant with just one natural disaster.

“The prince and I have come to realize how important milk is to the villagers, even in the short time we’ve been here.”

The milk from the Nantier farms was known for being exceptionally delicious. That’s why the people here made a variety of dishes with milk. Their love for milk was so special that the head chef lamented and they even filed a petition when the supply became difficult.

“So, even if we take ownership of the farms, we won’t be making a big profit from selling the milk. This decision is for the benefit of the villagers.”

Esadien continued.

“The children who used to deliver the milk will also be in a difficult situation with their income cut off. We will hire anyone who wants a job at the manor.”

“Hiring, Your Highness?”

“We can’t have an administrative officer selling milk, can we?”

The administrative officer seemed to be calculating the cost, but when I showed him a smile that said, ‘I was born rich,’ he seemed to be convinced.

***

“Our Kaius, are you sleeping?”

After everyone had left, Esadien and I carefully looked into the baby’s cradle. We had put Kaius in the cradle to prevent him from crawling around and chewing on chair legs, but he didn’t make a sound, unlike before.

But contrary to our expectations, Kaius was wide awake.

“Kaius?”

“…”

The baby, who usually gave us a flurry of unintelligible gibberish when we called his name, just looked up at us with his lips pressed together.

His eyes were too deep for a baby, and his face was contorted as if he was doing something he didn’t want to. He didn’t seem like the Kaius we knew.

Just as I was about to pick him up in surprise, something happened.

Whoosh.

The smell of crushed grass spread, and my body felt heavy and my legs gave out.

“Huh…?”

“Minuelle, be…careful.”

Esadien quickly supported me, but he was also struggling to keep his eyelids from closing.

“This is strange. I’m so… sleepy.”

“Me too…”

The statements of the milk delivery boys flashed through my mind. The stories of them falling asleep for no reason. I tried to use my magical power to clear my head, but as soon as I gathered the power inside me, it was sucked out of me as if something had been waiting for it.

The fireplace exploded at that very moment.