“It’ll be summer soon anyway. Monsters don’t appear during the summer.”
Dalia leaned back confidently.
“You only need to survive for three months at most. In exchange for Erenta, we’ll give you corn.”
Just like that, I learned something useful.
So the Harwin estate’s largest food stockpile is corn.
“Well, Dalia.”
I shrugged.
“Even in an isolation crisis, would you really trade away a fishing region like Erenta for nothing more than corn?”
Dalia grinned.
“It’s not even marang eel season. They don’t return until winter.”
She crossed her arms.
“So what are you planning to do? Survive for a month eating tiny river fish?”
She wasn't entirely wrong.
The Erenta River had one fatal weakness.
A plant called Jion Grass grew throughout its waters—a plant that most fish disliked.
As a result, only small fish normally swam there.
The exception was marang eel.
They laid their eggs among the jion grass, which was why the locals never cut it down.
Over the course of a year, preserving the grass generated far more profit.
Which meant that fishing alone could never sustain the territory.
“Brisa,” Dalia said mockingly, “are you planning to starve your people to death? You can't exactly survive by tearing apart your pretty dresses and eating them.”
I shrugged again.
“Well, your family took Jejel Street and the Baron Plains.”
I rested my chin on one hand.
“You also took most of the residents with them. We hardly have any people left.”
I smiled.
“What, maybe fifty fishing households around Erenta?”
Normally, peasants didn't care much when ownership of a territory changed.
As long as their taxes were paid, life went on.
The person collecting them was simply someone different.
And Father had never been the sort of lord who maintained close relationships with his people.
“Besides, your family waited until my father's funeral to seize everything.”
I tilted my head.
“Pretending to be worried about us now doesn't really make sense.”
Then I paused.
“Actually... knowing your family, maybe it does.”
“Listen. The past is the past, and now is now—”
“Dalia, you've never exactly been clever.”
I interrupted casually.
“So saying things that don't make sense isn't surprising.”
It took a moment for the words to register.
Silence fell.
Then Dalia's face reddened.
“You... what exactly is that supposed to mean?”
“It means your family is probably more desperate than mine.”
I deliberately paused before continuing.
“You suddenly gained a huge population.”
I smiled.
“Feeding all those extra people must be difficult.”
Then I tilted my head.
“Since we're both struggling, why exactly should I help you?”
There was a reason I hadn't simply thrown her out.
Something about this visit felt strange.
She came here immediately just to demand Erenta?
Something's off.
And sure enough—
The moment she sensed she was losing ground, Dalia immediately played her trump card.
“Our estate currently has a very important guest.”
She lifted her chin proudly.
“Baron Foreman is staying with us.”
That was unexpected.
“...You mean Baron Foreman from the west?”
“Exactly.”
Dalia smiled.
“He came to visit an acquaintance and got stranded because of the warp disruptions.”
She sounded delighted.
“At his age, he can't risk traveling through unstable warps. Apparently he's extremely troubled by the situation.”
That was information I hadn't known.
The western territories should have been overwhelmed dealing with their own Monster Wave.
And Baron Foreman wasn't just some retired noble.
He had once served as Grand Duke Nozen's eyes and ears.
A trusted intelligence operative.
Though he was retired now.
Then why is he here?
And more importantly—
Baron Foreman is Leopold Nozen's maternal grandfather.
In other words, he was family.
The Nozen family and the Foreman family differed enormously in status.
Foreman had technically been a vassal.
Yet Leopold's parents had married for love—something extraordinarily rare among nobles.
Both of them had died during the Monster Wave ten years ago.
Leopold had become an orphan at the age of four.
Leopold Nozen...
Without realizing it, I pictured a tall boy with jet-black hair and golden eyes.
At least I know the future.
I don't have to worry about whether he'll survive.
Leopold would return alive from this Monster Wave.
That much was certain.
At least that was a relief.
I remembered the bouquet that had arrived after my broken engagement and swallowed a sigh.
It had been anonymous.
But I knew who had sent it.
I had assumed our paths would never cross again.
Yet now his grandfather was in the central region.
What an annoying coincidence.
Meanwhile, Dalia continued proudly.
“This is our chance to become vassals of His Grace, the Grand Duke Nozen.”
She sounded almost breathless with excitement.
“If we demonstrate how wisely we overcome this crisis.”
Uncle... your ambitions are enormous.
Now I understood why Dalia had been sent.
Baron Harwin was far too busy flattering Baron Foreman himself.
“We're going to handle this crisis perfectly, Brisa.”
Dalia smiled smugly.
“Under the eyes of the future Grand Duke.”
She already sounded as if the Harwin family had officially joined House Nozen.
“It's an incredible opportunity.”
Her eyes sparkled.
“A truly incredible opportunity. Every example of our excellence could be reported directly to the Grand Ducal House.”
I blinked.
“Have you considered the possibility that every example of your incompetence could be reported instead?”
“There’s no chance of that.”
Dalia laughed.
“You know horse prices are skyrocketing because of the warp disruptions, right?”
Baron Harwin had earned his title through military service.
Unlike us, he already possessed a knight order.
And the barony he had been granted had traditionally raised horses.
“We're planning to sell horses and exchange them for dairy cattle.”
She smiled proudly.
“Then we'll have milk. Butter. Cheese.”
She glanced at me.
“You should really take notes.”
Then her smile widened.
“Oh, that's right.”
“You don't have any horses, do you?”
“Since you don't have any knights.”
Apparently she still didn't know Alphius now had a knight order.
I saw no reason to correct her.
“Either way,” she said, “our families aren't on the same level anymore.”
Her eyebrows rose arrogantly.
“So I'm giving you a chance.”
She spread her hands.
“You're struggling to survive, aren't you? Hand over Erenta. We'll pay generously.”
Then she smiled sweetly.
“We're family, after all. And neighbors.”
“Right.”
I nodded.
“Family. Neighbors.”
Then I replied calmly.
“When your family becomes desperate, hand over Jejel Street.”
Dalia's smile vanished.
“I'll pay generously.”
I added:
“Even if it originally belonged to us.”
“Originally belonged to us?”
Her voice turned cold.
The negotiations had already failed.
But the word originally seemed to offend her more than anything else.
She glared at me.
“Your father stole everything from my father.”
Her hands clenched.
“Simply because he was born first.”
“That's certainly one way to describe following Imperial inheritance law.”
“Shut up.”
Her voice sharpened.
“Arrogant people without any real ability always collapse eventually.”
She sneered.
“They fall like insects.”
“Really?”
I smiled.
“Then the fall of House Harwin should be quite entertaining.”
I set down my teacup.
“I'll make sure to watch.”
At last Dalia jumped to her feet.
“You're still so arrogant, Brisa.”
Her sky-blue eyes burned with anger.
“And you're still incredibly rude, Dalia.”
I remained seated.
“By the way.”
I gestured casually.
“When you lifted your teacup earlier, the tea sloshed around quite a bit.”
I smiled politely.
“You should practice more.”
Then I added:
“Especially before Baron Foreman.”
Dalia's breath caught.
The maids immediately began coughing into their sleeves to hide their laughter.
In their minds, being told you can't even hold a teacup properly was the greatest insult imaginable.
Silence descended.
Then Dalia spoke through clenched teeth.
“If I'd had a mother who was a princess, I'd hold a teacup better too.”
She glared at me.
“So stop acting superior.”
Then she lifted her chin.
“Baron Foreman chose to stay at the Harwin estate, not the Sayers estate.”
“The 'For' in Foreman should be drawn out longer.”
I answered casually.
“Western proper nouns are pronounced closer to the ancient language.”
“Stop showing off!”
Dalia snapped.
“I would've known that too if I'd attended the Capital Academy!”
“Ah.”
At last.
Everything made sense.
Good heavens.
The maids had actually been right.
For once.
“I see.”
I nodded slowly.
“You were jealous of me, Dalia.”
The room froze.
Dalia stared at me.
Then she abruptly turned around and stormed out of the reception room.
No doubt she was heading straight back to her parents to throw a tantrum.
I sighed deeply.
Exhausted.
Why would anyone be jealous of something so ridiculous?
Holding a teacup without spilling.
What was so special about that?
I didn't need a princess mother.
I didn't need the Capital Academy.
What I needed...
Was simply parents I could return to and say:
"Something happened today."
Adults who would recognize danger and figure out why the warps had stopped working.
Adults who could protect me.
Why did everyone act as though I had been born with everything?
Why did they blame me for having more than them?
When they themselves had always possessed the one thing I had wanted most from the very beginning.