Chapter 1.7

Due to being overly excited, he rashly accepted it, which was the root of the problem. While silence filled the carriage on the way to their destination, Miguel’s cold reason belatedly returned.

‘Oh no….’

The ones who had inconvenienced the manager and called for an additional carriage were heading to Matilda, the former village chief of Grand Town. The four village chiefs were administrators of the same territory, nd had frequent and close exchanges until 7 years ago. Especially Matilda, a warm-hearted woman, whom Lisael often followed since she was young. Although contact had almost ceased after they were all dismissed by Earl Dante 7 years ago, Lisael couldn’t help but seek Matilda when she came this far.

‘Yes, Lisa is a child with a lot of affection. I understand. But….’

Miguel was starting to understand, just a little, why she tried to act independently without consulting him.

“Lisael… it’s been a long time. Congratulations on your marriage. I sent a congratulatory bouquet, but please forgive me for not being able to attend in person.”

“Chief Matilda, I’m glad to see you’re doing well. I wanted to visit and greet you personally, so I came by.”

“Chief? I’m just a village woman enjoying a sabbatical after being kicked out long ago, thanks to someone.”

Having received prior notice and come out to greet them, Matilda’s glaring eyes were not directed at her daughter-like Lisael, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time, but solely at Miguel. Unable to withstand that intense gaze, Miguel turned his head to avoid the flames behind Lisael.

‘I knew this would happen….’

Miguel and Lisael, who were now a couple with one mind, wouldn’t have dreamed that they thought the same thing simultaneously. They knew this would happen. It was only natural that the village chiefs of the four villages resented and hated the Dante family to death. Although the Dante family, with its wealth, had many business rivals, the village chiefs were undoubtedly the ones who harbored the deepest grudges. 

Momentarily excited by the reunion, Lisael was anxious, fearing they might receive a cold reception from Matilda, who showed a sour expression rather than hospitality. That’s why she had planned to go quietly without informing Miguel, but seeing him insist on following after hearing the destination, he seemed to regret it a bit as well.

“…I can’t leave distinguished guests standing outside. Come in.”

After a few reluctant coughs, Matilda begrudgingly invited them into the house. Miguel regretted the calculation he had made, thinking that being turned away and returning to the villa with Lisael wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Soon, as the three sat facing each other over evening tea, an uncomfortable atmosphere enveloped them along with the steam from the tea. Lisael tried her best to lighten the mood by mentioning that Matilda’s house remained unchanged, but it was insufficient against Matilda’s long-standing grievances.

‘Ha… this is uncomfortable enough to turn my stomach. How long does she plan to keep glaring?’

Naturally, Miguel had never met the dismissed village chiefs even once since then. He had anticipated that they, like the Cherlin family, would harbor considerable resentment towards him and his family, but he hadn’t expected it to be so blatantly expressed. It was a moment to reevaluate the former village chief of Cherlin, who had been dignified despite being a neighbor. However, he found it somewhat unfair that Grand Town harbored such animosity towards him.

While other villages had lost public sentiment entirely due to mass unemployment when factories were established, Grand Town, a resort, was an exception. Since no one wanted to ruin a resort, factories couldn’t be established there. 

Grand Town, which generated revenue through tourism, was free from Earl Dante’s mechanized ambitions, and the impact of unemployment on its residents was minimal, so why was there such animosity?

“Looking around the village, it seems the economy is generally active, and tourists continue to visit. If my father saw such a bustling village, he would be very pleased.”

Miguel, who had gradually distanced himself from the social circle, decided to employ noble-style indirect speech after a long time. Unfortunately, Lisael’s innocent recollection of old memories, chattering beside him, was of no help.

“Oh my, it seems you don’t know since you’ve stayed away for so long. More than 10 years ago, Grand Town was brightly lit even at night, and festivals never ceased. It was nicknamed the village where the sun never sets, but that’s all in the past now.”

Matilda raised her tone and retorted as if she had been waiting for this. Although the visit from the Young Earl couple was not welcome, she thought it was a good opportunity. She couldn’t meet the damn Earl Dante, so she intended to vent her anger on his son.

“…Still, I know it’s in a much better state than other villages. And the measure of a territory’s prosperity isn’t the village’s vitality. It’s judged by the total taxes collected by the lord.”

Though Matilda had drawn the sword of revenge, Miguel’s single remark caused the atmosphere in the reception room to sink as if a waterfall had poured down. Needless to say, Matilda was speechless, and even Lisael, beside him, was shocked by Miguel’s cold and decisive words.

They had completely overlooked it. In the years without meaningful conversations, he had perfectly acquired the nobles’ typically annoying and arrogant manner of speaking. No, Miguel had always been annoying since he was young, but as he aged, his annoying nature was further enhanced by a sense of dignity, making him appear even more arrogant.

He didn’t even seem to realize what was wrong, sipping tea leisurely between the two women who were aghast. Judging by his slight frown, the tea from Grand Town didn’t suit the noble Young Earl’s taste.

“Oh my, I must have misspoken in my ignorance. But how can you say it’s better than other villages! Surely the Young Earl, the heir to the lord, must know. Right after factories were established in other villages, the Earl imposed an absurd tourist tax on visitors to Grand Town!”

However, the opponent was Matilda, who had been the village chief for half her life, tenaciously cultivating the South’s largest resort alone. She was probably the only woman who could say everything she wanted to in front of the Young Earl of the Dante family, except for Lisael.

‘Ah, that.’

Unfortunately, to Miguel, who had not yet embraced the mindset of an heir, that unfamiliar tax category was akin to someone else’s business. Taxing tourists based on the number of days they stayed was quite amusing.

“Madam, the tourist tax….”

The creator of the tourist tax was the money-hungry Earl Dante, and though the amount was excessive, ironically, the justification was reasonable. At that time, Grand Town was overwhelmed by tourists, and pollution of tourist sites was beyond manageable, with maintenance costs far exceeding the village’s operating budget.

Just as he was about to suppress the lady’s anger with this reasonable justification, Miguel noticed Lisael, whom he had forgotten amidst the heated debate. She must have come expecting a joyful reunion with someone dear to her, and though it couldn’t be entirely blamed on Miguel, at least he had been adding fuel to the fire, so he realized his mistake.

“I’m on a honeymoon with my wife, and I don’t wish to continue discussing tiring politics here. I also agree that the tourist tax in Grand Town is somewhat excessive, so when I return to Cherlin, I will certainly discuss this matter with the lord.”

Matilda, who was preparing to attack again, was subdued as Miguel took a step back. Lisael, who had been watching in resignation, also glanced at Miguel with surprise, which he didn’t notice.

However, contrary to Miguel’s wishes, while Matilda’s hostility subsided, the enthusiasm for policy discussion that had once emerged did not cool down. As Miguel officially opened the door to suggest to the Earl, Matilda leaned forward and poured out her grievances about policies she had been dissatisfied with until now, like a flood.

‘I didn’t want to go this far….’

Finally, as Miguel hesitated, wondering if he should suppress Matilda’s incessant talk with authority and take Lisael away, a new figure interrupted Matilda and entered.

“Mother, do we have guests?”

“Crisen!”

As a slender man with a gentle impression entered the reception room, Matilda, who had been frowning all along, suddenly melted into a warm smile and approached the man for a warm embrace.

“…Lisael?”

After the intense reunion between mother and son, Crisen, who seemed drained, looked at the guests’ faces and then brightened up.

“Crisen!”

Recognizing each other, Crisen and Lisael exchanged a friendly handshake, while the remaining two watched the scene with displeasure.