“What else could there be?”
When Anne turned her head to Daymond, he shrugged his shoulders telling her to continue speaking.
Anne looked at him and began to think about her experiences in the North. Then she remembered the topic of today’s gathering.
“How about sightseeing? The goal is to spread the word about the annual festival and establish it as a specialized product. Naturally, the display of the Abelsis flower will also spread by word of mouth.”
“Would people want to come here from other provinces to see the festival? To do that, we need items that will attract more attention.”
“First of all, let’s think about festivals in other places. They are all ordinary with no special features. But this festival held in the north is the only one in the empire. A place where everyone can run around and play together in a spacious area is definitely attractive. And it wouldn’t be a bad idea to settle with the theater company that came to perform last time in the north.”
“Oh! I hadn’t thought of it that far, but it’s a really good idea. People are idle outside of the busy farming season, so we can take advantage of this to increase jobs.”
Ashton’s eyes sparkled behind his glasses, and he quickly moved the pen he was holding. Once the flow of thoughts opened, other ideas began to appear in Anne’s head.
“Come to think of it, there is a hot spring too. I heard that there are hot springs in various northern regions, so we can open them up so that they can be used as tourist spots. This place is not as hot as the capital and has a cool breeze, so it could be popular as a summer resort for nobles… Oh. There are also special magic stones used in carriages. How about increasing the volume and releasing it to the merchants?”
Daymond looked at Anne with new eyes as she presented her ideas one after another. Seeing her sparkling as she struggled to get her body back together after giving birth to the child was lovely. It made him smile.
However, as Anne and Ashton’s discussion continued, he began to feel left out. He deliberately fiddled with the documents on the table, but she was so busy that she did not turn her head. As he placed his hand over her hand again and again, her pretty face turned toward him.
“Anne, now that I see it, you are very interested in business.”
“This is all for our Eariel. What have you been doing for over four hundred years? Did you just stay in your office every day warming your seat?”
Daymond felt like he had said something for no reason, but he had nothing else to say. He had been working on it for several months now, but it was true that he had been neglecting his work.
“It’s frustrating to stay in my room.”
“Says the person who stayed in that small room every day for such a long time.”
“…”
Daymond, who was about to make an excuse, pursed his lips.
Anne realized her mistake too late, but the words came out without her realizing it. Seeing his sullen expression made her feel uneasy. She sarcastically asked if he had only looked at the painting for over four hundred years, but it was hard to even imagine what those years must have been like for him.
Anne gently caressed the back of his hand, which was covering hers, and she opened her mouth in a softer tone.
“Now you no longer live alone, you have a family. Eariel may live forever in the future, so I want to help my child live comfortably.”
In addition, as she developed affection for the North, her desire to make it bigger so that everyone could live happily, only grew.
A family to take responsibility for. Despite the fact that the words were supposed to weigh heavily on his shoulders, Daymond actually felt better. After Eariel’s birth, he was very concerned about his own health and took care of it because it was the family that was born through love.
Wanting to ease her worries even a little, he held Anne’s hand tightly.
“There’s nothing to worry about. The imperial family also provides support every year.”
Come to think of it, the imperial family paid a certain amount of money to the Cromund family in return for hunting monsters. However, it was an amount established hundreds of years ago, it was still insufficient even considering price fluctuations.
“How about asking the imperial family to increase support as well? Wait. Have you ever had an audience with His Majesty?”
Daymond nodded his head slowly. Anne, who saw the gaze slightly diverging, looked suspiciously.
“When did you see the Emperor?”
“Not the current emperor, but the previous emperor…”
Anne shook her head.
“Let’s send a messenger.”
Daymond swallowed his words. In fact, the Emperor he saw had been at the time when he exterminated house Libelois. But he did not want to mention that.
Speaking of monsters, Anne remembered that Daymond would have to go on a mission this winter as well. He used to be immortal, but now that he was an ordinary human, she got worried again.
“Now you have to take care of yourself too, so don’t go out to subdue monsters.”
“…But, as the years go by, the number of monsters will increase.”
The words made Anne ponder. At that time, Eariel, who was held in Emily’s arms, smiled brightly and sucked on the baby bottle. The child, who had just turned six months old, was growing well, with a better physique and appetite than his peers. He did not fuss or cry easily, so he stayed quiet wherever they took him.
Anne smiled brightly at Eariel’s smile. She came to her senses when she saw Eariel, who was as cute and lovely as a little doll.
“Then let’s completely uproot them now. So that Eariel will never have to go later.”
When Anne, who was worried about him, immediately changed her stance because of Eariel, Daymond felt somewhat disappointed. But soon he saw Eariel with a smile, wriggling his hands, it made his lips soften. He nodded again, filled with fighting spirit.
“That is correct. This winter, we kill every single one of their cubs.”
Ashton, who saw the couple who disagreed a little while ago, once again united, shook his head.
Winter hadn’t even come, but he didn’t know why his side was already so cold.
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