Fortrion was a territory known for its decent crop production. While the climate wasn’t ideal for experimenting with various crops, it boasted a massive river that stretched across the land and flowed into the sea.
The river was generally peaceful, but there were instances of trouble in the past.
Edith, trying to recall from her memory, explained to Walter.
“Heavy rain occurs approximately every 15 years during the summer in the Fortrion Territory. It doesn’t just rain for a day or two, so there are well-prepared facilities for heavy rain, but I heard there was an issue about 30 years ago.”
“What kind of problem?”
“Well, there is an embankment downstream, but it seems they didn’t maintain it in time, causing significant damage.”
It happened when Edith wasn’t even born, but she heard the director of the Homan Clinic reminisce about it whenever it rained.
People were injured by the flood, and it caused chaos.
“I heard that in the end, even the seawater flooded the field, resulting in poor harvests not only that year but for several years afterward.”
Walter also knew that many people in Fortrion made a living through farming.
“If that much damage had been caused, I imagine the person responsible for repairing the river embankment would have wanted to disappear in the night.”
“So, they faced even more criticism. The responsibility for maintaining the river embankment in the territory falls under Fortrion’s jurisdiction.”
“The Fortrions seem to have many responsibilities passed down through generations.”
“At that time, they said the problem was that repairs were done hastily, and one of the estate’s administrators overlooked something during the procedure.”
“Does the Viscount also provide the money for the repairs?”
“The Viscounts save a portion of the taxes they collect from farmers every year and use it for flood prevention.”
The farmers who suffered from the damage at that time were likely to harbor strong resentment toward the Viscount, who collected taxes under the pretext of repairing the river embankment but caused a flood catastrophe due to administrative mistakes.
As his thoughts reached that point, Walter seemed to understand why Edith had decided that she could help Helen and him by taking advantage of the flood incident.
“Since it’s now known that the butler has been embezzling money for a long time, the farmers will be suspicious even if they say there’s enough money to repair the river embankment.”
“But if it’s Sophia and the butler… I wonder if they might not have touched that money either.”
In fact, whether Sophia and the head butler actually tampered with the river embankment’s maintenance fund or not wasn’t important. The crucial thing was to generate public opinion that the same kind of damage as 30 years ago might happen.
If so, farmers who still remember the past will have great anxiety because of the recent embezzlement incident.
『 There’s no better way to stop Sophia from taking over the whole estate.』
Sophia believed that since the Viscount had no relatives, she would assume the role of the estate’s owner, handling its administrative tasks.
However, if the estate’s residents did not trust her administration, and they found out about the existence of a Fortrion descendant, the situation would change dramatically.
“I guess I should send Helen a letter. It looks like M’lady has taught me a helpful solution.”
When Walter spoke, Edith’s face brightened for an instant.
“I’m glad you think it will help. I’ve been feeling sorry that I’ve only been your strength.”
Walter paused for a moment upon hearing her words.
Upon recollection, there were a few instances when he had urged Edith to offer something in return for his protection…
“I asked Benjamin to inspect the embankment’s condition, so we should receive a response soon. Benjamin has connections all over Fortrion, as it’s his hometown.”
That made Walter feel heartbroken to think that as a result of that urging, the Fourth Lady was even exchanging letters with a man outside the manor.
『…I can’t even take back what I’ve said.』
Walter made eye contact with Edith and spoke.
“But as soon as the embezzlement is revealed to the world, not many people will immediately connect it to the flood damage incident from 30 years ago.”
He wasn’t saying empty words just to appease her at the moment.
Edith was one of the most extraordinary people he had ever met while living in the cramped manor.
Instead of making empty promises of immediate action, it was impressive how meticulously she verified what she knew and used it at the crucial moment.
He wasn’t sure if that’s why he kept finding his gaze drawn to her.
“Thanks for pointing it out, Walter.”
Thinking she had received his approval, Edith’s cheeks flushed with happiness.
As Walter watched the delighted Edith absentmindedly, he couldn’t help but think that he might be making a big mistake, yet he couldn’t look away.
“Well then, it’s about time for you to rest, M’lady.”
Walter effortlessly hopped back over the windowsill and turned towards the outside. Instead of the chilly wind, he only caught a faint scent of roses wafting from Edith.
“Goodnight, Walter.”
Edith extended her hand out of the window towards him, giving it a gentle wave. Once again, Walter looked at her absentmindedly, but this time, impulsively, he lightly held her hand and pressed his lips to her soft palm.
Then he lightly bit her delicate flesh. He recalled the sensation of her palm against his lips.
“…!”
At that moment, Edith froze, taken aback by the strange sensation. She could feel the heat rushing to her face, possibly because he was gazing intently at her lips.
Seeing Edith looking at him with a puzzled expression while he nibbled gently at her soft skin, Walter couldn’t help but feel a strange satisfaction. It had been an impulsive act, but he found himself oddly pleased that she didn’t pull away.
At the same time, a new emotion began to stir deep within his gut.
He wanted to act on his impulses even further than this, but he calmed his breathing and kissed the spot where the bite marks were faint.
“If you keep staying here, I’ll understand it as an invitation to sleep together since you don’t want to go to the bedroom alone.”
Edith, startled by his sly remark, hurriedly withdrew her hand, took the lamp, and left the library.
“…”
Walter thought that Edith was just like a scared rabbit, running away out of fear that he would do something.
It was a strange night when a sudden burst of heat made him feel like summer had returned.
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Upon Edith’s request, Benjamin left Fortrion Manor and immediately hired a carriage to descend to the village’s river mouth.
He had heard that the most skilled maintenance technicians in Fortrion resided there.
『 I must also see the condition of the river embankment with my own eyes.』
Carpenters who had been repairing the river embankment for generations told a grim story to the man who identified himself as a journalist.
“If the cycle does not change, there will be a flood next year. So we should have started recruiting workers for embankment repairs this spring.”
Benjamin, having honed his skills during years of journalism, expressed his regret while asking.
“Oh… you seem to reside downstream of the river. Aren’t you concerned? Has Fortrion not said anything about the repairs?”
“We became anxious because they didn’t send any official letters or correspondence, so we decided to reach out first. We sent a letter in the name of the village chief, asking about the embankment maintenance.”
“You’ve been through a lot. Did you receive a reply?”
“No, we didn’t. We came back believing that we would get a reply soon, but instead of getting a reply…”
Benjamin frowned.
When he left Fortrion Manor, there was a lot of noise about the butler’s embezzlement, and it seemed like he also tampered with the budget that should have been used for other important things.
If that’s not the case, they were so focused on embezzlement that they did not consider repairing the embankment to be important.
“Can I see the river embankment in person?”
Benjamin inspected the condition of the embankment under the guidance of the carpenters.
The damage caused by several summer rains had worsened, and even someone unfamiliar with embankments could see that repairs were urgently needed.
If things continued like this, not only would crops be damaged, but the embankment would collapse, causing great casualties.
“Sir Journalist, please inform the people about this matter.”
“I will.”
Even if downstream residents hadn’t asked, Benjamin planned to widely publicize Viscount Fortrion’s failure to do his duty.
By doing so, he hoped to rescue Edith from Sophia’s schemes, who is acting as the Viscount’s representative.
He wrote an article detailing the problems of the current situation and the expected damage in the future and took it to the largest newspaper in Fortrion territory.
“Benjamin! I was just about to contact you. The Clinic Homan’s director told me that you had come to stay in Fortrion for a while.”
As Benjamin had grown up in Fortrion, he had some close friends who had pursued their dream of journalism alongside him. A few of them now worked for the newspaper, so requesting them to publish the article wasn’t too difficult.
“Although you write breaking news for the biggest newspaper, even if it’s an article you wrote, I appreciate it, but…”
Benjamin’s friend, Peter, hesitated for a moment. Since it was a local newspaper, they had to be careful not to upset Viscount Fortrion.
However, when Benjamin repeatedly convinced him that there would be serious damage if they did not report it in advance and raise awareness, Peter nodded his head.
“Alright. No matter how cautious we need to be, the newspaper must do what it has to.”
“Thank you, Peter. Also…”
Benjamin pulled up a chair and sat down, lowering his voice.
“I’d like to ask you if you know anything about Viscount Fortrion’s current situation.”
Peter grinned as his eyes lit up.
“You heard about Edith, huh?”
The question seemed to inquire if Benjamin still had a crush on that confident girl, so Benjamin scratched his head.
“I heard about Edith from my uncle, so I snuck into the Fortrion Thanksgiving banquet. She’s been kidnapped by a madman, so as a friend, I should help out.”
Peter was somewhat dumbfounded. Benjamin had infiltrated the manor for that woman, yet he was still pretending not to have genuine feelings for her.
While Peter thought it was somewhat a foolish unrequited love, on the other hand, he also wanted to support his friend’s long-standing love.
“To be honest, I’ve heard some things. I haven’t published them as an article yet because I’m still being cautious… but…”
Peter confirmed once again that there was no one around to eavesdrop before continuing.
“One of our employees heard this while interviewing a gambler who often hung out with the Viscount. I think it was about seven years ago? The Viscount kidnapped a member of a certain family in the capital.”
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