READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 9
Chapter: 9
In the noble society, the lack of roots was always somewhat regrettable.
Being nouveau riche aside, even though we were nobles, we didn’t get treated as one, so of course, it was only natural to feel aggrieved.
Just like right now.
“Haha… I didn’t expect you to come all the way to our mansion…”
“What in the…”
Rosalyn and I peered out, watching a figure in disbelief. The situation was absurd enough to warrant such a response.
Logically, if a noble were to visit another noble, they’d send a letter and give some time to prepare, right? But here we were, no notice at all.
Suddenly occupying our guest room table was the lord of Nieshista.
To be precise, it was Ella Nieshista’s father.
Baron Nieshista.
… Why on earth did he come here without a single letter?
“…Mother, I’ll go first. He’s probably here about what happened at the last tea party.”
“Are you sure? Even so…”
“I think he’s here for business. It should be fine; just tell the servants to get back to work… and just bring Rize here.”
“…Alright. If anything happens, be sure to call for me.”
And with that, Rosalyn left… Now it was time for a one-on-one.
… I’m already itching to run away. No matter how many times I’ve talked about business, dealing with a Baron is… tough.
Even if my family is a baron family, we’re still nouveau riche. We were ultimately treated like second-class.
“… I didn’t expect you to just drop by. It would have been nice if you had at least sent a message before coming.”
“Sit.”
“……..”
That was a clear command.
No matter how young I looked… it felt a bit off-putting. After all, I had been the one coming up with all the discussions regarding the Nieshista domain.
Anyone would think… he believed himself to be at the level of a duke or count.
“Yes. So, what brings you here? To just drop by without any prior notice.”
But I remained calm.
I responded with a faint smile. No need to frown over matters involving money.
After all, this was something Nieshista required. For me, it was merely an investment. There was no immediate profit to be had, just a simple transfer of funds.
“Ah, are you here regarding what I mentioned to Lady Nieshista last time?”
“Where’s the Baron?”
“You should refer to him as ‘Baron.’ Of course, he’s not here at the mansion right now, so it’s not a big issue.”
“This isn’t a conversation for a child.”
“Hmm…”
He didn’t seem to believe that the words given to his daughter came from me.
Well… it’s not like an 8-year-old would be the one to bring up such topics. I get it. But still, I didn’t like his attitude.
I certainly considered William a bad guy, but I still saw Leonhardt as a legitimate identity.
“When your father isn’t around, you can discuss business with me. He’s fallen ill again.”
“Huh.”
“What? Isn’t Nieshista’s vast farmland now feeling a bit too tight?”
“………”
“And I’m at a loss as to why you’re acting this way, Baron. Even though our Leonhardt family is a nouveau riche clan with a lack of foundation and real authority… you should at least maintain basic decorum.”
“Just a bunch of foxes…”
“Those foxes can solve problems in your domain. The northern duke has been increasingly buying wheat from Nieshista. Some of the eastern coastal domains are beginning to acquire more crops from Nieshista… and isn’t it true that the folks in your lands are starving these days?”
I felt rotten.
To be precise, it wasn’t that I was angry at the Baron, but his approach towards me was incredibly off-putting.
Given the current situation where the people in the domain are crying from hunger, why was he showing such an unpleasant attitude?
“So, it’s crucial that we buy land that doesn’t belong to your territory, Baron. Why are you acting like you’ve forgotten this?”
“………”
“And I was the one who conveyed this matter to your side and the one who even thought it up. I’m handling everything except the final decisions. Honestly, it wouldn’t even be a loss for us not to make this deal with your family.”
There was no immediate benefit. Building rapport with the Baron would mean practically giving away our resources for free. Dealing with other families would be much more profitable.
I laid it all out. Each time I spoke, the Baron’s eyebrows knit closer together, but I didn’t let it bother me.
Well, who told him to poke around? He initiated the whole thing himself.
“Are we finally going to have a proper conversation now?”
“…Yeah.”
“Haha…”
I didn’t like the way he was puffing out his chest at being a Baron, but now, it seemed slightly better.
Of course, I kept those thoughts to myself.
No matter how much I was displeased, he was still a Baron. One who even had some interactions with dukes and marquesses.
Of course, it wasn’t extremely close or anything, just more recognized than the foxes.
Anyway… that was the start of our business discussion.
I asked Rize to bring the Nieshista domain maps. I roughly colored in the farmland. Of course… with crayons.
It seemed a bit shabby, but there was nothing else available in my room. I couldn’t use a brush…
Anyway!
“I’ve calculated that to meet the current demand… we need to convert this area into farmland, based on the current planting of wheat and barley.”
“Aren’t these commercial lands? Those belong to the Adventurer’s Guild.”
“That’s not a problem. The Adventurer’s Guild has wanted to relocate their buildings more towards the center of the square for some time. If we offer them money, they’ll be all for it.”
I buy the land, and the Adventurer’s Guild sells it back to buy new land. But what about the owner of that square?
“…Hmm.”
“From Nieshista’s perspective, there’s no loss. Plus, we’re the ones footing the costs for converting the land into farmland, right?”
“Yeah. That’s true.”
“I don’t see any reason for you to forfeit this, Baron. The terms are quite favorable.”
“…….”
He didn’t refute my points. He probably thought of it that way too.
Of course, this wasn’t a huge expense for us either. Just a piece of land in the Baron’s territory owned by the Adventurer’s Guild. Simple stuff for the nouveau riche.
In fact, they had more money than I had expected for a nouveau riche, after all.
“So what’s in it for us, Leonhardt?”
“That’s obvious. Collaboration with the Nieshista family is beneficial, and it also presents a good image to other families that Nieshista interacts with.”
Essentially, I wanted people to think we were decent just by doing some good deeds. I only wanted them to see a difference from those foxes.
William didn’t speak poorly of my current plan either. He wanted it too.
If William had known more about the Nieshista barony, I’m sure he would have started discussions just like me.
It was merely a matter of information. I had known about the lack of farmland in Nieshista, the increasing demand, and the list of families in contact earlier than him.
Hmm… I suppose I should treat Rize to something nice next time. She greatly influenced me in obtaining this information.
“Next time, I’ll come by again. I’ll send a letter beforehand.”
“Yes. It was a good time, Baron Nieshista.”
“Yeah. Lady Leonhardt. It was… quite different than I expected. I’ll be back again.”
With that, we wrapped up our talk. Of course, it wasn’t completely over; it was merely the end of our initial negotiations. I’d need to discuss further next time.
Thus, Baron Nieshista left our mansion’s guest room.
I watched him leave through the guest room window. It felt like… things turned out well, giving me a sense of satisfaction, and it was somewhat amusing to see the old man who initially seemed so irritated now act all placid.
“Hehe…”
It was truly amusing to see someone who underestimated me back then, now submissive and timid.
“This is so much fun…”
Was it the thrill of business? Or negotiations?
I felt a slight rush of that strange exhilaration, enough to be unconsciously lifting the corners of my mouth.
“Camelia, did everything go well?”
“Yes! It went brilliantly.”
“Thank goodness… I was so surprised when they showed up out of the blue. Well done.”
“It wasn’t that difficult…”
Rosalyn was petting my head, praising me.
Of course, I didn’t dislike it, so I quietly accepted that gentle hand. There was joy in my recent success, but… this felt even better.
Was it because it was Rosalyn’s hand…?
“But still, I just wanted to praise you. Honestly, I was really worried. When you said you were fine going alone… I felt bad for not being able to soothe my worries.”
“No, it’s fine. I’ve had a few discussions about this sort of business, you know?”
Besides the fact that Rosalyn was from a count family, this was still business talk. I knew it couldn’t have been easy for her.
I didn’t have any negative thoughts about Rosalyn. I just accepted it as it was.
“Plus, you called Rize over and reassured the servants. I appreciate it.”
“You really are… mature.”
“Mature……..”
Though it was obvious, Rosalyn’s compliment inexplicably lifted my spirits.
Just being called mature, being patted on the head is all.
“I think Camelia is a really great kid. Mature… and commendable… seeing you handle these discussions all on your own.”
“I still have lots I can’t do.”
“That’s true. So… I hope you can lean on the adults sometimes. Even though… it’s only been a short time since we met, when things like today happen, I can… I don’t know if I’ll do well, but.”
“……..”
“I’ll truly strive for your sake, Camelia. Okay?”
“Uh… Yes. I’ll try my best.”
I thought it must have been because of the Baron’s visit that I felt I had to manage things alone.
While I had put thought into it, perhaps Rosalyn felt a bit guilty for me.
Of course, I didn’t feel bad towards Rosalyn, on the contrary, I sensed her concern for me, and her words about leaning on her somehow resonated well, lingering in my mind.
Hearing Rosalyn’s slightly melancholic voice as she stroked my head was… a first for me, adding to the feeling.