Common Sense of a Duke's Daughter

CHAPTER 29:Young Mistress, Collapsed

With Dean assisting and shortening the time needed to work on fief management, I recently have time to spare to go to town. As I thought, I feel refreshed every time I go to town.

"Ah, Dean! I wonder if it's fine if we make the orphanage as our last stop?"

"If that is Alice-sama's wish."

By the way, when I headed to town, I invited Dean along. Because work ended early... I was thinking of ways to pay him back, it suddenly came to my mind.

In the beginning, Tanya strongly opposed the idea. While saying, "To actually suggest bringing someone whose character is unknown." But because of mother's recommendation and grandfather's presence, I managed to pull through.

By the way, although Dean is not used to children, he is quite good at handling them. Because of that, compared to me, he is more popular. ...When I think about it, I'm quite frustrated, but after seeing the happy faces of the children, I decided to hold it in.

"Onii-chan, onee-chan. Will you come here again?"

The child approached us and looked up at us with an upward glance. Ahh, so cute...!

"Of course. Right, Dean?"

"Yeah. Therefore, please be a good child and wait a little."

When dusk came, I, who enjoyed myself to the fullest, left the orphanage to return home. Un. I had a lot of fun today. Let's do our best again tomorrow.

Although I took a break from time to time when mother came to visit, but as always, there was no day offs. However, when Dean came, I have recently been taking days off and coming to town.

Or rather, when Dean is here, work unexpectedly finishes early, as a result, it was fine even if I take a day off. As I thought, days off really are important.

"...Alice-sama..."

"Because we're already inside the compound, it's all right if you don't call me Alice anymore."

With me retort, Dean laughed lightly.

"Pardon me. Young mistress, why do you work so hard to that extent?"

Because of the sudden and unexpected question, I stopped walking.

"You, yourself, aren't you working hard as well?"

"It is different for me. I am working because I need to do it to live. However, the young mistress is different. As a daughter of a Duke, a daughter of the Prime Minister... even if you don't work, won't you still be able to survive?"

Well, that is certainly true. Among the aristocrats, it is rare for a woman to work. To protect the house and manage the household is the wife's duty. Even in our fief, it was the butlers and the other employees who were arranged to manage our house and the fief.

"But I was granted the position of the fief Lord's proxy by father. And to work befitting of our position, isn't that what being an aristocrat is all about?"

"With all due respect... the image I had of aristocrats are people who do nothing but exploit taxes of the people of their fief, and continued to live that way. In addition, the young mistress could do what the fief Lord has done and leave it all to Sebastian-san."

"That method, it's not as though it has never crossed my mind. But as I thought, since I have been given the responsibility... even though I'm still inexperienced, I thought to give it my best. And it is also an opportunity. But now..."

I gently looked at my hand. ...A very, very small hand. It holds the life and future of the fief's people, but yet very undeserving to protect them, and so I laughed while looking at myself.