1. A Life on the Estate Starting from Zero
As punishment for degrading Killian's love to lust, I had to suffer at his hands for days on end.
During the day, if I said anything, he would give me a sullen look, saying, "We're in a relationship because of our physical intimacy." At night, he would ask me......
'Why do I need physical confirmation that Killian's love isn't lust? It doesn't make any sense!'
Even as I climaxed in the arms of Killian, who thrust himself into me, I was still thinking about it.
"Because I can't show you in any other way. Even when I tried to buy you gifts, you refused them all......"
To my half-joking question, Killian replied with another grunt.
Killian was desperate to get me something, but I really didn't need anything more.
Choi Soo-na, who had been living in a dilapidated one-room apartment and keeping track of every penny, is now the owner of a huge castle.
"You already bought me some things in the capital."
The ruby necklace I'd given to the mercenaries was still around my neck, thanks to Killian's reclaiming of it, and my jewelry box was filled with jewelry of my own taste.
My closet was also filled with practical and pretty dresses, and I had no shortage of accessories, cosmetics, and shoes.
"No, I mean, those were necessary things, of course. Well...... music boxes, glass figurines, fine scented candles...... don't you like that kind of thing?"
"How are you going to use that kind of thing?"
"Ha......"
Killian seemed to think I liked the 'pretty trash' that Lizé coveted, but I'd rather spend the money on improving the roads on the estate than on such things.
'But first, we'll have to take care of the castle.'
I'm not talking about the castle's furnishings and equipment, which were already in abundance.
The problem I was facing was a hierarchy of the workers.
Having been without a master for so many years, they had strong personalities, and in a bad way, arrogance.
They treated Killian with respect while treating me like an outsider for about a month.
Perhaps a rumor had been spread about me.
'Rumors from the capital take a long time to spread in the countryside, so I suppose they still think I'm a wicked woman.'
I don't need to hear the rumors about me to know that.
They must think that the innocent Killian had no choice but to marry a lascivious wench by the machinations of the Riegelhoffs, and that good-hearted Killian killed all the Riegelhoffs but couldn't kill his wife, so he brought her here.
"Anyway, there is something wrong with their attitude. There'll be hell to pay if Killian finds out."
"Probably......" Anna replied with a sigh. "The workers here are good-natured and diligent, but they also seem to have a lot of pride and stubbornness."
"They do seem that way. They say hello to me, but their expressions are not pleasant."
As I walked down the hall, wondering what to do about this, two maids walked by from the opposite direction.
They avoided eye contact and just walked by, bowing their heads in a nonchalant manner.
The sight of them made Anna feel even more grim than I did.
"I'll give them a good scolding."
"No. If you do, you will become an outcast among the maids, so leave it at that for now."
"But ma'am."
"A person's heart is not something you can force."
I was stumped, too, but I didn't want to force a hierarchy by whipping or punishing the workers.
Luckily, Killian gave me a way out.
"We have a problem."
"What is it?"
"The artisan we commissioned for the tapestry...... has died of old age."
I was a bit worried from the beginning.
I wondered if he'd be able to weave a tapestry of the size we requested, but it turns out......
"But don't worry. I'll find someone else to do it in no time."
Killian seemed worried that I would be disappointed, but I really didn't think much of it.
Honestly, I wasn't even sure why I should pay that much money for a tapestry to hang on the castle wall......
'Wait a minute. But why do we have to pay that much money to an artisan in the capital? There are plenty of people who need money in our territory!'
A light bulb seemed to flicker on in my head.
"It's for the best."
"You mean the artisan died?"
"No. That's a shame, but I've been thinking about it and wondering if we really need to entrust the tapestry to an artisan in the capital."
Killian shook his head. "But the workshops in the countryside aren't as good. They use local married women as laborers to weave the tapestries."
"Exactly, Killian!"
"What are you trying to say......?"
I said with a smile, "A large tapestry costs five million sennas to make, and if we leave that to the tapestry makers of our estate, I'm sure they can make one large and one medium, right?"
"They could probably make more than that, but......"
"Very well, then we'll put the local artisans in charge of the tapestry weaving, and use the women of our estate for the labor!"
"But the quality won't be very good."
"It's just something to hang on the wall, and if it provides an income for the women of our estate, then that's more meaningful, isn't it?"
Killian was silent for a moment.
I wondered if my attitude was a little too pompous for a man who had been born and raised in the capital, but Killian eventually spoke up.
"Thank you, Edith."
"What? For what?"
"For thinking of the residents of our territory when you buy luxuries."
Killian took my hand and kissed the back of it. "I consider myself lucky to have a wife as kind and wise as you."
Wow, I'm getting goosebumps......
I thought the term "kind and wise" had disappeared since Shin Saimdang [1].
[1] Mother of Joseon Dynasty scholar Lee Yulgok, who was revered as a model of a wise mother and a kind wife.
"Killian. You seem to often forget, but just as you are the lord of this estate, I am the lord's wife, and it is natural for me to think of our people."
Killian smiled. "Well, you seem to have more ambition for the development of the estate than I do."
"Of course! One day I'll make it the best estate in the Empire, so everyone will want to come and live in Ryzen."
After that conversation, I met with the tapestry artisans in the estate to discuss the creation of a tapestry, and we agreed to begin production once the fall harvest was over.
But the work was unexpectedly well received.
"The maids in the castle have been asking about you lately."
"Huh? Suddenly?"
"I think it's because of the tapestry thing."
"Why?"
According to Anna, there's always a shortage of work in Ryzen.
Especially when the harvest is over and winter comes, they have to live off of what they have stored up, and since the winters are cold and long, there's nothing left when spring arrives.
"That's why they're grateful that the castle's luxuries aren't commissioned from artisans in the capital, but are made by the local women."
"Then I'm glad for them."
Even though I hadn't done anything great, I felt proud that I had made a difference in people's lives.
At the same time, I began to think about the meaning of ruling people.
If I lived in the capital and received news from the estates, I wouldn't know any of these details.
I want to know how people survive the winter, what they need in the spring, what the customs are, and what help they really need.
So the next day, I started visiting places where people were doing their work.
"Ma- ma'am!"
"What are you doing here......"
When I showed up, the tanned men at work jumped to their feet in surprise. They were chopping and stoking firewood to heat the castle.
"Good work," I said, "I just wanted to check in on you."
"You don't have to come by yourself to this shabby place......"
"Do you have all the equipment you need to chop wood and chop firewood?"
"We- we use what we have."
"How much of what?"
I went downstairs, just in case, and sure enough, the axes, the saws, the pokers, and the ash buckets were all worn out.
"Tell me what you need."
At my words, the workers glanced at the butler behind me.
"You'll only get what you really need if you tell me when I'm here."
They exchanged glances, then spoke with difficulty.
"The axes are all worn out, but......"
"There's a certain limit to the sharpening of the blades......"
As expected, they weren't comfortable with their old axes either.
"Vincent. Did you hear that?"
"Yes, ma'am. But what they're using is still usable."
"It's usable, but not comfortable to work with. Let's make it more efficient, shall we? Clean it up and give it away to those in need in the village."
"Got it."
"And add a first aid kit and a pair of leather gloves. They'll need those since there's always a risk of getting hurt."
"Yes, ma'am."
I was thanked by the workers and made my way to the laundry room.
It was just as busy and just as bad as the firewood chopping place, and they were all so surprised by my arrival that their eyes popped out of their sockets.
"Ma- ma'am!"
I looked down at them as they bowed their heads, sure they thought they'd done something wrong, and then I glanced around the entire laundry room.
'This is...... where do I start to make it right?'
The dark room, the damp, musty smell of the air, the constantly wet, eczema-stricken hands doing laundry......
I can see why a laundry maid is the lowest ranking of maids.
"Vincent."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Let's change the laundry room."
"Sorry?"
"You're bound to get sick if you keep working here. We need to move the laundry room to a better-ventilated and sunnier place."
"There's no such place on the first floor of the castle."
"Well, if there isn't, make one."
Vincent's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open.
"We'd better build it right, so bring two of the best laundry maids and the architect to my room tomorrow."
"Yes, ma'am."
Vincent's voice trembled, but the laundry maids' faces brightened.
In that way, I toured everywhere: the kitchen, the bedrooms, the wine cellar and pantry, the workers' quarters.
Vincent has done a good job of getting the most out of the least, but I don't want the comfort that comes with compromising the comfort of others.
I want to live happily with everyone here.
'I never thought the day would come when I'd look back on my previous life and think it was a good thing I was at the bottom of the labor market.'
Killian, the lord of the estate, will lead Ryzen well, but he needs me, a humble citizen, to help him pull the reins.
Tomorrow's Ryzen will be a different place than today's Ryzen.