HGOS – Chapter 27

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“500,000 gold for the upfront payment and 500,000 gold for a successful expedition. I think a total of ten gold bars would be a fair deal, Viscount.”

What… what did she just say?

Zester couldn’t believe his ears. 500,000 silver had become 500,000 gold, ten times the amount, right before his eyes.

Of course, the Viscount looked just as shocked. His lips parted wordlessly in disbelief, but he quickly forced a scoff, trying to play it off.

“Baroness, you are still young so perhaps you’re not quite familiar with these matters…”

“Well, I suppose you could say I’ve been trained in noble protocol to the point of exhaustion. It might sound a bit forward, but until my youngest sibling was born, I was raised as the heir of the Ruberno Earldom. We had no eligible male heirs in the extended family, you see.”

Those who were even slightly informed already knew Cassia had been groomed to succeed the Ruberno family.

In the Empire, it wasn’t uncommon for women to become heads of noble houses. If there were no suitable heirs, the succession could pass to collateral male relatives, and if even that failed, the title went to a direct female descendant. Cassia had been in just that situation, until her parents, who thought they could no longer bear children, unexpectedly had a late child.

Cassia had grown up busy beyond measure, learning the role of a noble head from her father and the role of the lady of the castle from her mother. So the Viscount’s patronizing remark of ‘you’re too young to understand’ was laughable.

“Ruberno is a territory that’s seen many ups and downs. We once spent nearly half our territory’s funds maintaining our soldiers. Even so, we still needed reinforcements during major territorial wars. My father made it very clear: being frugal is important, but being stingy when fair compensation is due only tarnishes the family’s reputation and value.”

This was an expedition to subdue a barbarian stronghold, one where monsters roamed. The danger and effort were on par with a full-scale territory war.

In other words, the price was what you were willing to pay.

To call for reinforcements for such a mission and offer a mere one million silver in total? Even if they haggled for ten times more, no one in the area would willingly provide troops. If this deal fell through, it would be Viscount Viche left scrambling.

“I get the feeling that you might be unfamiliar with the current going rates, Viscount. Just as a word of advice, at the price you’ve offered, you won’t find any force willing to take on the barbarian stronghold. Please consider that as you decide whether to revise this contract. And don’t worry, if you choose to reject our terms, we won’t take it personally. We’ll simply enjoy a few days of rest in this lovely territory before heading home.”

Finishing her words, Cassia picked up her utensils. Her motion as she sliced into the lamb with her fork and knife was elegant and composed.

She’d seen right through the Viscount’s attempt to exploit them with a pitiful offer.

They weren’t about to be used so easily. Even if they were poor, they weren’t desperate for his money.

That was the message she was sending.

As the Viscount forced a smile, his jaw visibly trembled.

***

Though there were no swords or spears drawn, the dinner had felt like a battlefield. Afterward, Zester and Cassia were escorted to a guest room prepared by the Viscount. Zester, having followed Cassia’s instruction to remain silent, sat down quietly, but his expression was sour.

Cassia, watching him scratch his head and shuffle in, finally spoke.

“What? Is something bothering you?”

“…No.”

“Liar. It’s written all over your face.”

“What if the Viscount refuses your offer? We can’t just go home. We’ve already hired mercenaries, and I’ve heard the villagers near the barbarian lands are suffering.”

“He won’t refuse. It’s not an offer he can refuse. And even if he does…”

…I’ll just have to steel myself. Cassia bit back the words.

The suffering of innocent villagers would only continue. In her previous life, Zester had accepted a ridiculous deal and wiped the barbarians out on his own.

‘He knows his people are under attack, and he’s hesitating over a deal that should’ve had him nodding on the spot? Utterly despicable.’

Viscount Viche had asked for some time to consider. Ridiculous, but Cassia had casually agreed, as if it didn’t matter to her.

Now, she ground her teeth just thinking of his face.

How could someone weigh his people’s safety against personal profit? And eliminating the barbarians for a mere ten gold bars was a bargain.

“Let’s wait just a bit more. The Viscount can’t possibly be so shameless as to refuse. I mean, if even you went on expeditions for such ludicrous compensation, you must have an incredible reputation for benevolence.”

The sarcasm was obvious. Zester coughed awkwardly.

“…Why are you so sensitive about money, anyway?”

Cassia’s jaw dropped.

“I’m, I’m the sensitive one? Did none of what I said sink into that thick skull of yours?”

With her arms crossed and her body turned away, Cassia glared at him.

“I’m not the one being sensitive. You’re just incredibly dull. No one’s going to praise you for running around battlefields for scraps.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say the pay was that bad…”

“It was that bad. Very bad. It’s because you’re so clueless about money that I’m so frustrated. You should thank your lucky stars you have Paul. If you handled internal affairs, Greze would’ve gone bankrupt in under a year.”

It wasn’t a lie. Zester was painfully aware of how unqualified he was as a lord. Even Paul, or his razor-sharp seventeen-year-old wife, was better than him.

But what could he do? He’d never done any of this in his life. As a child, he worked like an ox. Then came the sword, the battlefield, and somehow, a noble title. That was it.

“Don’t get defeated, just listen. We have to get ten gold bars from the Viscount. That’s a considerable sum. Use it to start building a standing army. Pay them wages, let them settle in the territory. In the long run, it’s better than relying on mercenaries. Especially since you’re sent out so often.”

“…”

“I know ten gold bars won’t get you a large army right away. So start small. Pick a few reliable men and build an elite unit. Then slowly grow from there.”

Cassia stroked her chin, laying out her plans step by step. Zester, watching her blankly, finally interjected.

“Uh… dear wife?”

“Yes?”

“I’m not trying to argue, just… curious.”

“What about?”

“The day you arrived in Greze, no, the next day, you said you had no interest in internal affairs. That you had no talent for it, and that if you were in charge, the territory would be ruined…”

“Ah… right…”

“I thought you hated doing this sort of thing. But now you seem very capable… and honestly, quite invested.”

Cassia let out a long sigh.

‘He’s right. I said I wanted to enjoy life for the ten years I have left, but here I am again, handling everything stressful.’

Of course, the reason was Zester himself. He was so naïve, so hopelessly clueless that it was maddening.

Even before her regression, the frustration had been the same. Back then, Cassia had barely kept Greze afloat, stretching a meager budget to its limits. She didn’t know for sure, but after her death, she suspected Zester would’ve run the territory into the ground.

The thought made her shudder. She could already imagine Rael and Lucy, in a poverty-stricken land, unable to afford even scraps of bread, stripped of noble dignity.

“I can’t just sit back and watch. And I think… that’s your fault.”

“Haha…”

Cassia’s dry remark made Zester chuckle unexpectedly.

“…Did I say something funny?”

“No, no. It’s just that you…”

He trailed off, avoiding the real reason, and instead said.

“I think it’s a good thing I’m such an incompetent husband.”

“…What?”

“If I weren’t, would you have ever paid attention to me?”

What kind of absurd thing was that to say?

Cassia stared, dumbfounded. Zester, flustered, hurried to explain.

“I mean, you didn’t like me and you didn’t want to be close and you didn’t even want to talk. So I figured…”

Still so clumsy with words, Cassia thought as she watched him awkwardly trail off.

She didn’t entirely understand what he meant, but… she thought she might, just a little.

Zester held an unhealthy reverence for nobles. A former mercenary from common birth, treated like a tool and looked down upon his whole life. It was no wonder.

And he ruled a small, poor territory, constantly dismissed by others.

His constant comparisons of Ruberno and Greze, the way he trembled last night before asking if he could dare to touch…

Cassia finally began to understand him.

His exaggerated reverence for nobility, low self-esteem, timidity, natural stiffness, all of it made up the real Zester. Not the cold, distant man she’d imagined.

She wondered what had made him this way, though thinking of Viscount Viche’s outrageous treatment gave her a clue. Being constantly belittled and devalued had made him accept it as normal. And that made him easy to control.

“Haa…”

Cassia sighed, her irritation simmering. Zester, noticing her expression, fidgeted anxiously, he looked like a nervous puppy. It made her feel a bit sorry for him.

“Hm…honestly.”

“Y-Yes! I mean, uh, yeah…”

The way he straightened up so quickly was almost funny. She hadn’t expected this kind of personality.

‘Maybe it’s not that he changed… maybe I just never really knew him.’

He reminded her so much of Rael, small, sweet, like a little puppy. Cassia couldn’t help but chuckle, seeing glimpses of her son in his face.

“Does it still hurt, where I pinched you earlier?”

“Huh? Oh… that.”

“Sorry if it surprised you. But you looked like you were about to nod at that ridiculous offer.”

It had hurt when she’d pinched the inside of his thigh, but only for a moment. With such small, delicate fingers, how much pain could she really inflict?

Zester had been about to reassure her, tell her it didn’t hurt, and that she could pinch or smack him whenever she wanted. But then he noticed her scratching her cheek with a slightly guilty smile.

His playful side stirred.

“It actually hurt quite a bit. I didn’t expect your hands to be that sharp.”

“Oh my, really? I’m sorry.”

“Just saying sorry with words isn’t enough, is it?”

“Ah…”

Oh no, did it really hurt that much?

Cassia’s expression turned anxious as she looked at Zester’s suddenly serious face.

“Shouldn’t you, maybe, pat it to make it feel better at least once?”

Gently, Zester took her right wrist and patted his thigh, trying to maintain a grave expression.

It took a second for Cassia to realize what he meant. She blinked, confused.

“…What?”

Her wide, startled eyes, taking his joke seriously, how could a person be this adorable?