Chapter 43: To Manor Lingerburg!

I had something on my mind, so I visited Father’s office. It was something I want to confirm directly with him.

On the day of my social debut, both Father and Alexandra reacted like they were meeting for the first time. I heard that the County of Lingerburg is the most prestigious vassal of the Margraviate of Carruthers, and has the highest status among the noble families. My father didn’t even deny it. How could he never have seen the daughter of his chief vassal?

Well, I have hardly met my father’s vassals or subordinates. That’s why it’s not very convincing, but if you think about it normally, shouldn’t it be reasonable to say that they’ve been to each other’s homes and met their families, at least?

On that note, my father’s vassal nobles and generals often come to this house as well. I’ve never met them because they don’t enter the areas I can walk around in the mansion. However, it seems that my brother often meets such people as does Father.

On the other hand, I have also heard stories about Father going to someone else’s house. Of course, there will be occasions when my father will visit another party. Wouldn’t you like to meet with or say hello to someone else’s family on an occasion like that?

It would be troublesome if the other person’s family came out and started small talk when there was an urgent and important conversation that needed to be held, but if it’s just an occasional face-to-face greeting, it seems to be normal. Even so, what is the probability that he has never seen the daughter of Count Lingerburg, who should have been his number one vassal?

I don’t meet anyone, as if my existence is hidden from others… no, that’s probably not it… maybe I’m a child who hasn’t been advertised much to the public? But the King and Victoria seemed to know me even before I met them, so it’s not like that… I think I was thinking a little too much.

Anyway, I went out of my way to visit Father’s office today to confirm this matter with him.

“Father, I heard that the County of Lingerburg is the most prestigious family among the vassals of House Carruthers, but was that the first time you met his daughter, Lady Alexandra?” I asked.

“… That’s right,” Father said. “House Lingerburg has undeniably served House Carruthers for a long time and has a high status among the vassals. However, 2 generations ago, the family fell into ruin after the then Head, the current Count Lingerburg’s grandfather, failed in a business venture, so they’re not our most important vassal at the moment. Hence, I rarely ever meet Count Lingerburg in person.”

What-What in the hell~!?

Apparently, the current Head of the House is Alexandra’s father. Alexandra’s great-grandfather fell into a huge debt after his business failed, and the House has managed to pay it back over the years.

“Is that so……?” I asked.

“What’s the matter with House Lingerburg?” Father asked.

He must have been wondering since I asked about them out of the blue. I honestly told him it was about Alexandra.

“I see,” Father said. “The daughter of House Lingerburg… I’m not going to say anything about your friendship with her, Flora, but if she said that House Lingerburg was the number 1 vassal of House Carruthers, that would be false. I won’t deny they were, in the past.”

“I understand,” I said. “Thank you very much for your time.”

I was urged to leave the room as soon as the talk was over, so I said my farewells and did. Apparently, Alexandra is also having a lot of trouble. It’s not the time for me to worry about other people, and I can’t help them, but when I hear that the House of someone I’ve become friends with is in trouble, I feel depressed.

Maybe… the people who were Alexandra’s entourage on the day she made her debut were joining her at first because of Alexandra’s villainous face and attitude and her carrying the name of Count Lingerburg, but after they returned home, they must have heard about the current condition of House Lingerburg and turned their backs to Alexandra. Otherwise, it would be a little strange for her to go out of her way to visit Floto von Caan, a knight, at this important time in her life.

What is it? What’s going on…? My chest feels uneasy. I spent a while in a gloomy mood without knowing why I was.

Today is another day of forest reclamation. I’m also curious about Alexandra and House Lingerburg, but I can’t spend time on that alone.

First, the ancient concrete was successful. I don’t know how strong or durable it will be in the future. The durability of modern concrete is said to be 50 to 100 years. In contrast, the reality is that ancient concrete has lasted for hundreds or even thousands of years.

Of course, the 50 or 100 years of modern concrete is probably due to a sufficient margin of safety to ensure that it can be used safely without collapsing. Although ancient concrete remains to this day, it is crumbling and weathering here and there. If it’s still good, modern concrete may remain for hundreds of years yet.

So durability can’t be confirmed until it’s actually been that many years. The only thing I can tell is that the model I made as a trial is a workmanship that seems to withstand practical use.

The concrete powder is soaked in water. Then, a formwork is made in the excavated section and the ancient concrete is poured into it. Once the concrete has hardened to some extent, bricks are laid over it to create a path for water to actually flow over. Of course, water will seep into the bricks to some extent, and there will be gaps in the joints for expansion. But it’s better than pouring water straight onto the concrete.

However, this would be very costly and time-consuming. Is there any way to reduce costs and save time? For example, how about making something like a U-shaped form at a factory in town and just digging a hole and installing it here? That seems like it would save a lot of time.

The only problem would be the weight. U-shaped forms are made as light as possible, and they are not so big, and in modern times, they are heavy machinery or transport machinery. Compared to that, if you make a mold out of bricks and bring it in, it might be too heavy and difficult to transport. There is also the possibility of it breaking on its own while being carried by its own weight. I discuss this with the staff.

If you just store it in a size that can be carried without collapsing and make it at the factory and bring it in and install it, it will help shorten the construction period. We don’t need to make the entire U-shape. If you bring it in planes, wouldn’t it be better just to line up the brick faces brought in in the four cardinal directions? I want to think of a good way to consult with the craftsmen somehow.

Then I want to add an entrance to the water reservoir point from above and a function like a water gate that can stop the flow. Simply put, make it a manhole so that maintenance and human intervention can be performed when it is clogged. Also, I would like to be able to stop the water at the sluice gate so that the water does not flow during maintenance work, and to prevent the water from blowing up toward the water well when the river rises when it rains.

In addition to the sedimentation of sewage in the septic tank, we must consider a system that filters gravel and sand out of drinking water. Again, I’m not an expert, so I’ll have to make some prototypes and do some trial and error. The sewage system is still in the future, so it would be better to make a prototype from now on.

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There’s just too much to do, too much to think about, too much to make. And it’s hard because it’s all about money. The farm has expanded to include sugar beet, rapeseed oil, and sesame oil. The ranch, poultry farm, and livestock have increased in size, but it’s probably better to consider the possibility that this alone won’t be enough to make money.

The royal capital’s ranch seems to be starting to get off the ground, but it’s not yet profitable. Income may gradually increase from now on, but it will take some time just to recover the initial cost, so I can’t rely on it yet.

I’m so busy my head’s spinning! We have no money! What is this?! Wasn’t I the cute only daughter of a high-ranking noble family, a Margrave? Why am I still struggling so soon at the tender age of 10?

But… it’s okay… yes, after coming to this world, I was finally able to do a proper “tee-hee, haha” with other girls. The conversation with Alexandra was very pleasant. We’re still a little distant from each other, but for the first time since I came to this world, I was able to talk to a friend like that. I think it’s good that I was born in this world.

“Miss Flora, no, Sir Floto, a letter for you arrived,” Isabella said.

Oh? Maybe it’s Alexandra? Well, Alexandra is the only person who sends me letters addressing me as Floto. If it’s a letter from the royal family, it should have gone to Manor Carruthers, not Isabella’s family home, so there’s no reason for Isabelle to have delivered it to me like this.

“Was it from Alexandra?” I asked, receiving it with pleasure.

Isabella’s face clouded over. “No… it’s not…” she said, unusually at a loss for words.

I examine the letter and confirm the sender’s name: “Nikolaus von Lingerburg…”

I only know the name. It was Alexandra’s father, the current head of the County of Lingerburg, and who I heard about from Father the other day. Why does this letter come from her father, Nikolaus, and not from Alexandra herself? I’m not even an acquaintance of Nikolaus’s.

I can’t understand even if I’m worried about it, so I read the letter immediately. Alexandra’s verbosity is a result of her father’s upbringing, it seems.

“I don’t know who you are or what you’re thinking when you try to get close to my daughter. Come meet me face to face at once, without my daughter around.”

That’s what he meant. He didn’t write it so clearly, but the text of this letter contains such nuances between the lines.

Well, as a father, I would be worried if I heard that my daughter was getting close to someone from a far lower status like a knight. Besides, judging from the mood of the coachman then, he must not have been happy to let Alexandra go into such a forest.

Though it was a letter from Alexandra, my excitement suddenly cooled down as if you’d dumped cold water on it. However, if it was her father, it would be a natural concern, so I couldn’t help but go to meet him. If I plan to keep meeting Alexandra in the future, I can’t afford to give her parents a bad impression of me.

Just like when I replied to Alexandra’s letter, I wrote a reply to Nikolaus with redundant sentences that seemed to be like a noble’s speech. He’ll probably get back to me again, so I’ll have to exchange letters with him once or twice before visiting Manor Lingerburg.

I don’t really feel like exchanging troublesome letters or meeting parents who probably don’t like me, but I have no choice but to endure and get over it for the sake of my friendship with Alexandra.

After receiving that letter from Nikolaus, we exchanged letters for a while, and now today is the day I plan to visit the Lingerburg mansion. Apparently, Alexandra isn’t there right now. I’m reminded of Nikolaus’s writing that I should come on that sort of day specifically.

Today, I purposely had Kruck Trading Firm prepare a carriage just for this occasion. It’s a set of a simple carriage without a crest and a coachman. I always ask Kruck for a carriage or something. It may be good because the other side is also a for-profit business, but I wonder if it’s time for me to prepare my own carriage and coachman in earnest. Just because I bought a carriage doesn’t mean it’s over.

It’s not taxed every year as a car would be, but the maintenance cost is an order of magnitude above that. The carriage itself also needs constant maintenance, and the wheels and axles can break, so they have to be replaced. In terms of durability, it is so fragile and prone to damage that it cannot be compared to a car, so even parts replacement and maintenance alone are no joke.

More expensive than that is the money for the horses that pull the carriage. Horses are living creatures, so taking care of them is difficult and the cost of feeding them is high. There’s nothing wrong with renting only the horses and owning a carriage, but in that case, it’s the same as it is now.

As for the coachman… well, in the worst case, if I leave it to Helmut, I already have someone who can drive a carriage, so it would be fine to hire a new coachman after I have some time to spare. Even so, if you think about it altogether, it will cost a huge amount of money, and it is not something that the current Knight of Caan can afford to buy.

Today I am officially called to meet Count Lingerburg, so I am also dressed as a knight. I can’t go in my usual casual clothes and dresses.

I’d like to hold the meeting in a good atmosphere, but judging from the feeling in the letter, it wouldn’t be a very good conversation. I somehow managed to rouse myself from a depressed mood and came to Manor Lingerburg.

The buildings and premises are large even in the aristocratic town, but the structures are old. After all, I wonder if they don’t have much money after their ancestor failed in business, as my father said. The building is well taken care of and well maintained, but there is no way to hide the fact that it is aging.

We go through the gate and proceed by carriage to the front of the entrance. There aren’t many other mansions like this, so there’s no doubt that it’s a large home. It’s a bad comparison, but Helmut’s family home, Manor Royce, was built so close to the street that you could say it opens directly out into it. That the entire carriage could fit on the path to the entrance is splendid in itself.

When I got off the carriage at the entrance, the coachman from the other day was waiting. But the moment he saw me, he was startled. Because I’m dressed as a man today, for a moment he may not have thought I was the same person as before.

The coachman guides me into the house. It’s well maintained and clean, but you can’t hide its age. Furnishing tastes and fashions are also old, so the furnishings here must be handed down from their ancestors. If you’re following the trend and buying new things one after another, there should be more trendy things on display.

I was guided to a certain room by walking through a large mansion with a sense of history about it. The coachman knocks and calls out to the owner of the room. Apparently, Alexandra’s father, Nikolaus von Lingerburg, is just ahead.

I mentally braced myself and went into the room while paying attention to etiquette.

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