The Isolated Marchioness Just Wants to Make a Living [Novel] Chapter 73

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Chapter 73

“Yeah.” I nodded emphatically.

When it came to knowledge about livestock, I was just as confident as I was with crops.

“He doesn't seem to be a full adult yet, but he’s certainly not too young to expand the pack either, right? From what I can tell, attempting breeding should be entirely viable by now.”

“W-wait a second.”

“By the way, did you have him neutered?”

“No!”

“I knew it. You had breeding in mind all along.”

True to his status as a noble lord's son, Leopold’s face instantly flushed bright red.

“Wait. That topic is a bit…”

“You need to get used to it. It’s one of the most critical aspects of animal husbandry. It’s not like we’re discussing human affairs here; you’re overreacting.” I explained coolly. “Isn't this the kind of stuff you wanted to discuss with me anyway? I’m ‘El,’ remember?”

“No, I mean, well…”

“I don't know if his species goes through heat cycles, but during the week I spent with him, it certainly didn't seem like…”

“Stop!”

Leopold hurriedly raised a hand and slapped it over my mouth.

My eyes widened in sheer shock. It was the first time I had ever seen him make such a flustered expression or react like that.

And physical contact, of all things?

Leopold himself seemed startled by his own action and quickly pulled his hand back. Stepping backward with practiced elegance, he turned his flushed face away and stammered, “T-the puppy isn't what’s important right now.”

“You’re the one who said he was extremely important. Who was the one desperately searching high and low for ‘El,’ again?”

“Something far more important has come up.”

“Really? Like what?”

“Your showdown with Dalia Harwin.”

“Ah…”

I gave an indifferent shrug.

“Not really.”

Leopold fell silent for a moment before speaking. “Ah, well… I suppose since the title of Marquis Sayre won't be yours anyway, it doesn't matter much to you.”

“That’s not what I meant. I just meant I can easily win the contest itself without much trouble.”

According to the reports from the farmers, Dalia’s efforts were failing spectacularly. Because of that, the showdown wasn't particularly on my mind.

Except for one thing: I was intensely curious about how on earth Dalia had acquired that power in the first place. Just thinking about it left me baffled.

The original Dalia in the novel possessed no such ability.

Enlarging and controlling ants? Was that even remotely sensible?

There were plenty of inexplicable magical phenomena in this world.

An unsettling thought crept into my mind.

It was entirely possible. After all, Sebon was targeting me.

It would be trivial for them to recruit and manipulate Dalia, who naturally harbored hostility toward me.

This wasn't something that could simply end with me winning the contest and declaring, “That’s not the Sayre trait.”

Of course, a decisive victory in this showdown meant Devostan would most likely abandon Dalia.

The Duchess of Devostan certainly hadn't taken Dalia under her wing out of genuine affection.

To do that, I needed someone to consult.

At this point, there was only one person who fulfilled all four criteria.

“Hey, Leopold.”

“What is it?”

“I’m sorry, but… could you accommodate one more guest in the West?”

Regrettably, I was in no position to invite anyone to the Sayre Marquisate.

I couldn't exactly abandon the wheat contest and dash off to the Central Region, could I?

While I intended to send Alpheus back to the Marquisate, I planned to stay behind.

So there was no real need for me to go in person.

In other words, if I wanted to invite the person whose advice I sought, I had to bring them to the West.

“There’s someone I really need to meet.”

“You state the obvious,” Leopold said nonchalantly. “The only reason you cannot leave this place is because of the West’s circumstances. Even if you were to invite a thousand guests, the West would have no standing to complain.”

“It’s not because of the West’s circumstances, but because of the summer wheat showdown…”

“Remember why that summer wheat contest came to be in the first place. It began because you stepped in to resolve the issue at the Seldoche Plains, all to settle the false rumors floating around the West. And yet, the criminal who spread those false rumors hasn't even been caught.”

Well, that’s because the criminal operates outside your territory…

Swallowing the words that Leopold undoubtedly already suspected, I listened attentively to what he had to say.

“In more ways than one, the West owes you a great debt. So invite whoever you wish. As long as they are your guest, the West will welcome them with open arms. To whom should the invitation letter be sent?”

“Ah, someone you know, too.” I offered a quick, relieved reply. “Harrison.”

Leopold’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“…Harrison?” he echoed slowly. “Are you referring to… Harrison of the Naisar Duchy in the South?”

“Yeah, Harrison from the South. Our senior at the Academy.”

“The same Harrison who asked you to be his graduation ball partner during our first year?”

“That’s the one,” I added matter-of-factly. “The very Harrison Naisar to whom you gave silent, heavy pressure, basically telling him: ‘Even if she has a fiancé, don't mind me and enjoy yourselves.’”

The Naisar Duchy was one of the original Five Houses.

However, Harrison was nowhere near inheriting the title, having three older sisters above him.

In the midst of all that, Harrison was a hidden magical genius unknown to the Magic Tower, much like how I was a hidden agricultural genius.

“Until my fifteenth birthday, I have to keep my powers hidden,” Harrison used to say that all the time. “If I’m unlucky, I’ll get dragged off to the Magic Tower.”

Up until age fifteen, a child could be forcibly admitted to the Magic Tower at the Tower Master’s discretion.

An archmage raised under their tutelage represented an immense resource. It wasn't for nothing that I had avoided making eye contact with the Tower Master when we met.

Of course, if one wished, a student could leave halfway through after a year.

Still, Harrison despised even that possibility.

“It’s not that I hate magic,” he would say with a perfectly handsome, unbothered face. “But if a guy with my looks goes to a closed space like the Magic Tower, women will flock around just to watch me eat a single meal. Since it’s an enclosed place, I wouldn't even be able to go anywhere outside. Do you have any idea how inconvenient that would be?”

I had calmly agreed with him.

“Yeah. I heard the desks at the Magic Tower are pretty uncomfortable, too.”

At any rate, his concerns were entirely valid, given that virtually every girl at the Academy was smitten with him.

Objectively speaking, Leopold was the better-looking of the two. But Harrison possessed a strange, precarious aura.

A dangerous kind of beauty that seemed to bewitch people.

“So with that in mind, please be my graduation ball partner. For your information, my partner from last year got bullied for an entire month.”

“You actually hate me, don't you? What on earth did I ever do to you?”

“No, it’s because you have a fiancé. Unless they’re completely insane, nobody would ever think you’d lose your mind over me and break off your engagement with Leopold. In this entire Academy, you’re the only girl who would be safe attending as my partner.”

Harrison had spoken with complete sincerity.

“Besides, Brisa, no matter what I say, you always have that pouting look on your face. You never get that spellbound look in your eyes.”

“That’s because I have zero interest in you.”

“And that exact point makes you the perfect partner for me. I’ve genuinely never met a girl like you. Is your fiancé really that great? Has he completely stolen your heart already?”

“Speaking of which, did it ever occur to you that I might go as a partner with my fiancé, Leopold?”

“Nope. My guess is he’ll probably go with Sylvia.”

My heart ached slightly when I heard those words.

Leopold and Harrison had been roommates.

Clearly, Harrison had heard something from Leopold. Yet, unable to let go of my lingering hopes, I had asked Leopold about going together, only to be met with bitter disappointment.

Regardless, it was true that Harrison and I ran into each other frequently at the library and got along comfortably, as he practically lived there himself.

While Harrison felt comfortable around me, I couldn't quite bring myself to call him a 'friend.'

We spoke often, but it was usually Harrison chattering away non-stop. He had an impossibly friendly and bright personality, after all.

“Why… Harrison, all of a sudden?”

Leopold asked, his face hardening noticeably.

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