Chapter 7: Walking is for people who don't have servants
I silently complained to my family, who seemed to sense when I was busiest to come and bother me. Tired of all this, I decided to ignore it, so I got up from the chair, the maids removed the cushion that gave me extra height to be sitting behind the desk, and I asked Therrion to take my place. For my part, I stayed standing to one side.
When one of the maids opened the door, a man in his late 40s entered. Her clothes were elegant and tailored, while he had long blonde hair that he tied into a ponytail that hung down his back. Because of his neat appearance, it was easy to guess that he hadn't touched a gardener's scissors for years, since more than a "gardener," he was more of an "Exterior Designer." But, being longer, we called him a gardener for short. Whatever his name is, behind him were two young men carrying boxes full of plans and so on.
(Gardener) Good morning Master Therrion. I greatly appreciate your giving me a little of your time.
The master gardener bowed, and his assistants joined in. For his part, Therrion, who had taken my place, nodded and gestured to continue speaking.
(Therrion) I've been informed that you required a hearing.
(Gardener) yes, it is to inform you that the work is about to be finished. In another week it will be ready, so you can inspect that it meets your expectations.
(Leonora) did you follow everything according to my drawing?
I asked, trying to pretend to as ignorant as I could while interrupting the adult conversation. Hearing me speak, the gardener finally notices my presence and smiles at me.
(Gardener) oh, Miss Leonora, I hadn't seen you.
At that, the man reaches out and taps me twice on the head while still smiling.
(Gardener) It was the same as the drawing, little one. I have to admit that it was a challenge. When Mr.Therrion hired me to design a garden according to the pictures of a girl, I was expecting the worst. However, I was shocked by the precision and detail of the design. You have a future in this small field. I have met people with a couple of decades in this business who do not have half the creativity you showed me.
The gardener kept tapping my head lightly as I smiled at his "compliments," yet inside, I was about to explode. I hate being treated like a girl, even though I technically am. Behind us, Therrion cleared his throat loudly, to which the gardener turned his attention back to him.
(Gardener) oh, excuse me. Be that as it may, if you allow me, I will make a couple of clarifications.
Then he snapped his fingers, and his assistants placed several plans on the table, and he began to comment on them. He talked about how difficult or exciting a particular part was for him or how I adapt a specific piece of my drawings that did not translate well into reality. For my part, I pretended to listen for a while, but as a child, I lost interest quite quickly since I don't need to "prove" that he has done an excellent job. I have hired him in many past lives, and it has always served me well. After about 20 minutes, he finished explaining, repeated his promise that he would do the work in a week, and he and his assistants started putting all their equipment away again. Hearing that, I walked to the window and took a little look at the trailer.
One week, I repeated to myself, I can start moving now.
In the end, the man said goodbye and left the room, and having been alone again, Therrion quickly got up and returned to his place as guardian of the door. Seeing him act like this made me smile. It would be impossible for the vast majority of visitors to think that a little girl is the highest authority in the duchy, not to mention that it's not such a good idea that many people know about my "capabilities." That's why we interpret this farce. He impersonates the duke's right hand while he is busy with other matters and receives my guests simultaneously as he repeats my orders. For now, this works quite well. Therrion has good manners and is an excellent interpreter of my wishes. He knows what I want even if he does not understand the nature of half of the things I do.
And speaking of the devil, at that moment, someone knocked on the door, and without waiting for an answer or approval to enter, she pushed through.
Irma is a woman whose humanity I've always doubted. Her black hair is always tied tightly behind her head and slightly hidden under her maid's cap. I can count with my fingers the occasions when I have seen her disheveled, her blue eyes are cold, denoting seriousness and dedication, Irma is not someone who reflects emotions, and her gaze, as well as her attitude, are stoic, I must also say that I don't remember seeing her smile, her voice is cold and monotonous, sometimes it reminds me of the voice of a robot or a virtual assistant. Be that as it may, Irma is beautiful. Her appearance is that of a woman closer to 30 than to her 40, with a dignified bearing and the beauty of a woman in the prime of her maturity. However, Irma's actual age is a complete mystery. No matter how soon I find her or how long she spends by my side, Irma's appearance does not change. She doesn't seem to age a day from the way she looks now.
Having entered the room, she completely ignored Therrion's existence and stood in front of me and bowed.
(Irma) Miss Croiss, it's time for the monthly inspection of the mansion. Please join me.
Before I even have time to answer, she turns around, and both she and Therrion prepare to leave the room. Seeing them go, I quickly ring a bell. Hearing the sound, a maid named Helga proceeds to carry me and starts walking behind them.
Both Irma and Therrion walk with a firm and determined step that would be impossible for me to continue with my 5-year-old body unless I run. While Therrion has no problem walking at my pace, Irma, who values efficiency above all else, always ends up complaining and charging me herself.
(Irma) this time, miss, there are three problems that I want to know your opinion on to act.
Before long, we reached the first place, the central kitchen. We stopped in front of the pantry, and Irma turned around and looked me in the face.
(Irma) we're here, miss, can you see the problem?
I ask Helga to get me down, and I start looking around me.
(Leonora) hmm, it looks like someone is stealing from the pantry.
It was impossible to see this with the naked eye, but it was the kind of problems Irma used to report, and if there were no other apparent problems, I tried to guess.
(Irma) the thief has already been identified. I ask to know what to do with him.
(Leonora) who is the thief?
At my question, Irma looks at me slightly puzzled, almost as if she's surprised that I'm cannot instantly deduce the exact identity of the thief, just by looking at the pantry for a couple of seconds.
(Leonora) I mean, which of my brothers is responsible.
Again, I was guessing, but from multiple lives, I've come to understand that if it's a pantry robbery, she only asks for my opinion if the thief is family. Being satisfied with my answer and understanding that perhaps having deduced so much in such a short time was little more than impossible, she limited herself to answer.
(Irma) your older brother, miss. Well, not him exactly. It was a maid that he seems to have a relationship with. You have told me to be "tolerant" of your family members. That is why I want to know how to proceed in this situation.
(Leonora) hmm, first, change the lock and talk to the staff about trust and that they should not try to rob the mansion, it seems that they forget such an important point. Second, I want you to speak privately with the maid in question, give her an ultimatum, research her family situation, how she came to the mansion, and who recommended her for this job. Let her know if she is willing to throw all that out the window for a relationship that probably won't get anywhere and finally get her back to work under strict surveillance. And thirdly, as far as my brother is concerned, limiting himself to making a list of the things he stole, and give it to me, I'll subtract it from his allowance for next month.
(Irma) understood miss.
She repeats my instructions to another maid, and behind her, the rest of the kitchen staff were as pale as a ghost. Irma's scolding is legendary, and I'm sure after one, no one would dare to try to steal again. When she finished speaking, she turned and left the room, so we followed her. But when we were about to leave, I seemed to hear a loose comment about why my brother's punishment was so mild.
Meh, you must understand how nepotism works.
Following Irma, this time we went up to the third floor to one of the rooms that the human waste used to take his lovers, but before she opened the door, revealing who knows what situation, Therrion steps forward and stops her.
(Therrion) Madame Irma, I don't think we should show this to miss Leonora.
Therrion had lightly touched Irma's shoulder, and for the first time in our journey, Irma was forced to accept Therrion's existence, so she stared at him, and if looks could kill, he would have died right in the spot.
(Irma) the lady is my contractor, and she asked me to inform her of all the damages that she saw in the mansion.
Irma's cold gaze was terrifying, and because I was still in Helga's arms, she did her best to keep her legs from giving way, and she'll end up on the ground. Therrion, for her part, like an old donor used to the fierce gaze of the deadliest beasts, replied in complete calm.
(Therrion) but Madame Irma, the lady is still very young, and I don't think it's appropriate for her age that she should see what's behind that door.
Irma was about to reply, but I decided to intervene to avoid a fight between the two.
(Leonora) Hey, what's going on? Can someone explain to me? What's behind that door?
I asked, trying to appear as ignorant as possible, to which Therrion and Helga were silent, only Irma kept the same attitude.
(Irma) is very simple, Miss Croiss, this is the room that your father uses to...
At that, Helga covers my ears and Therrion rushes to silence Irma.
(Therrion) Madame Irma, I will personally take care of this matter. Please continue.
Irma looked at me sideways, and I nodded slightly. At that, she sighed, proceeded to continue walking.
The route was a little longer, and I was surprised when we left the mansion and crossed the courtyard. Mentally I began to consider possible problems that could lead Irma to take me so far, and when we reached the limits of the mansion, I fulfilled one of my chances.
Passing the wall that covers the limits of the mansion, away from the main entrance, but in a place where sooner or later it would be discovered, someone had placed a nidstang.
A nidstang is a stake where you drive the head of a horse. It's a curse and an insult of a simple meaning, "I curse you and your entire clan."
Helga tries to cover my eyes, and Therrion tries to hide it, but she pulled her hands away and ordered them to move out.
(Leonora) who is responsible?
(Irma) I haven't confirmed her identity.
(Leonora) if you don't know the person in charge, why are you showing this to me?
(Irma) I should inform the lady.
(Leonora) if it's not to punish the person responsible, don't waste my time, Irma.
(Irma) I apologize for my mistake, miss.
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After so many laps, it was finally lunchtime, so I told Helga to take me to the dining room. I said goodbye momentarily to Irma, who went back to work, and to Therrion, who returned to my office to receive potential guests.
Upon arrival, I sit in the place of honor at the table, and although I ordered that it be prepared for all members of my family, they rarely present themselves, so I almost always eat alone. Being alone in front of a vast empty table, a feeling of sadness invaded me. There is a slight memory deeply ingrained in my mind, the memory of sharing the table with other people or even eating in a place full of noise. For some reason that I cannot remember, eating for me is an act that cannot be carried out in silence, much less in solitude.
As I started to eat, I heard a familiar voice behind me.
(Liz) Good afternoon, sister Leonora.
It was Liz, who looked like she had separated from big sister.
(Leonora) Good afternoon Liz, do you want to join me for lunch?
(Liz) it will be my pleasure.
Liz sat in the chair next to me and hiding my half-smile, we started eating.
We talked about casual topics, from the weather to the taste of food, but strangely, she started talking to me about people I didn't know.
(Liz) you know Leonora, lately, Brittney has been planning her newest, most revolutionary plan for revenge.
(Leonora) who?
I asked, pretty lost.
(Liz) big sister.
(Leonora) oh yeah, and what is she planning this time?
(Liz) She says that she'll put tacks on your chair.
(Leonora) ok, and how's it different from her last plan?
(Liz) She will also throw paint to ruin your dress.
(Leonora) a true genius of evil.
At the end of lunch, I say goodbye to Liz and ask Helga to take me back to my room.
After eating, I always got sleepy. There wasn't much to do with my physical limitations.
The maids proceeded to change me. When they finished, I lay down on my bed, turned around for a while while the nidstang was still in my mind.
Lately, the general opinion of the dukes in front of their people had improved a lot. Having the lowest taxes in the entire Karris kingdom helped a lot.
But that did not prevent the dukes from being hated in the past. There must still be people who will have lost everything due to the excessive taxes of that time for the duchy. All this made me wonder if the nidstang was dedicated to them or me. In any case, I can't stay still.
After tossing and turning for a while, I finally succumbed to the sweet arms of sleep.
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I was in front of a woman who looked at me with disdain. I hurried to deposit in front of her the coins I earned with my hard work.
She counted them one by one and then handed me a small handful of herbs.
I left the store in a hurry trying to escape the gaze of the townspeople.
I arrived in front of a dilapidated house. I rushed to get water from a nearby well and entered the house.
When I arrive, I cut and chop the herbs and prepare a strange tea that I insisted on calling medicine.
Pull aside a dirty cloth that I insist on calling a curtain, and enter the only room in the house.
In it, there was only one bed with a man lying on it.
(?) Dad, wake up. I brought your medicine.
The man woke up and tried to get up, to which I made him lie down again.
He only raised his head slightly, and I made him drink in small sips.
(?) Miss Leonora...
(?) Thank you very much, little one. I already feel much better. Maybe tomorrow I can get out of bed.
"(?) Miss Leonora..."
I looked at the man from top to bottom, and despite seeing his terrible state, I decided to believe his lie.
"(?) Miss Leonora..."
(?) So when you recover, can we go to the lake together?
"(?) Miss Leonora..."
The man tenderly stroked my head.
(?) of course, it is a promise.
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I woke up in my room, next to me, a maid called me to wake up.
(Maid) I'm sorry, miss, you said that we only let you sleep for a maximum of two hours.
(Leonora) don't worry, call the others to change me.
She turned around and left the room. Being alone, I took the opportunity to wipe the tears from my eyes.
It seems that the dreams have started again.
I Dressed again and asked Helga to take me to my office. On the way, I saw big, practically dragged by two house guards. When I asked later, I found out that she tried to enter the office and put tacks on my chair.
I quickly removed her from my mind and entered. Inside, both Therrion and Milccery, the dukedom's treasurer, were waiting for me.
Milccery was a slightly bald man who wore thick glasses, and he always seemed to be nervous about something, so he had a mania of randomly looking around as if he was being chased.
I sat down in my chair, and Milccery deposited the papers he carried with him on the desk.
We spent the rest of the afternoon reviewing the finances of the duchy. Modesty aside, I'm proud to say that it was all profit.
The duchy was experiencing the most significant economic boom in its history, which allowed me to lower taxes to historic levels, thereby increasing the general satisfaction of the population.
(Milccery) I am still impressed by your brilliant ideas, Lady Leonora.
(Therrion) Miss Leonora is the greatest genius in history.
Genius... I hate that word. I'm not a genius. I'm just the biggest loser of all time.
Therrion and Milccery continued to praise every decision I made and how well it's was doing. I ended up ignoring them and concentrating on the report from the beet sugar factory I had built.
We finished going through the reports, and I requested a simple dinner in my room, this was a long day, and I was in no mood to go to the dining room.
Again I can't help but think about the nidstang. The master gardener said that it would be over in another week, so I must start moving now.
I've been thinking about one last plan for a while, and I finally think I understand why it failed, so I need to make a couple of inquiries before trying again.
I wrapped myself up and remembered that it would be the harvest festival soon, and it might be a good idea to see the protagonist.
I looked out the window at the night sky. I wanted to remember when was the last time I behaved like a girl during my childhood.
I sighed and got comfortable under the covers. Maybe in my next life, I took things quieter, anyway I have all the time in the world.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone