The Brain of a Duke Princess

The Young Madam Goes to Town

Now, finally arrived, the promised day with grandfather.

Today, I made preparations for a quick breakfast and immediately made arrangements. Since I was going to be walking around the city today, as I thought, it was inappropriate to wear what I normally wear, so I decided to wear something a little simpler. … Even though I said that, I dressed the ones I wore recently put more emphasis on function, and therefore I felt like I didn't want to change anything.

As I headed for the entrance to wait for grandfather, for some reason, Tanya was there wearing a disguise.

"Tanya .. I think I told you that there's no need, what's with your appearance?"

“I'll go with you too. ”

“But, Tanya. I really don't want to take a lot of people with me while walking around. ”

“No problem, whether it's two or three people. ”

No, even though it might happen, but …

"Madamary young. Please appreciate yourself more. Gazelle-sama's strength is indeed reliable. However, in the event of an emergency .. it would be difficult for him to fight while guarding the young mistress. So, at least, please take me. ”

"But…"

"It's okay, Iris. ”

"Grandfather…"

“Tanya worries about you too. It is also the duty of the master to consider the feelings of those below him. ”

… Of course, in the unlikely event of anything happening to me during an emergency, it would really be troublesome. Especially when conglomerates and fiefs finally develop little by little after much effort. I can't be too selfish.

"I understand . Then, grandpa. Ask. Let's go. And also, you two, please call me Alice while we're in town. ”

After we left the house through the back gate, we slowly walked down the street. Un, the weather is pleasant and feels comfortable. The spring weather in our region is not too hot or too cold, just pleasant.

The closer we get to the city center, the more people we see. There are light brown buildings that form a line, giving a different feeling than Japan. While walking excitedly on the main street, I saw the shops here and there. Now that I think about it, this is the meaning of window shopping …

“Waa, this is so cute. Aunties. This flower, what kind of flower is this? ”

Something suddenly caught my attention, and I stopped in front of the store. It was a beautiful flower with purple petals.

"This flower is called the Ajata (bugleweed). It's a flower that's blooming right now. It is a relatively easy to maintain flower. ”

"Heh ~ ... How much is this?"

“If you want one that has bloomed, it's 1,000 Bells. If you want the seeds, 500 Bells for one bag. ”

"Then, please give me a bag of seeds. ”

"You understand. Thank you . ”

After I paid the money, I received the bag. As I thought, it was fun to shop for yourself.

"About that, what are you going to do with them?"

“I was thinking of raising them near the study room window. Don't you think that the room feels a bit gloomy? ”

"Hahaha .. As I thought, it is good for a woman to pay attention to detail. ”

After walking for a while, we felt a little hungry, so we walked a little away from the main road and entered a restaurant. When we entered the store, I had a hunch that the store was quite popular considering the place was almost full.

“Welcome to the store. Please sit in an empty chair. ”

We sat on a chair made of wood and looked at the menu on the wall. There are food variations.

"Then, I'll pick a set with grilled meat. ”

"Umm, I'll take the set with soup and bread. ”

“Please, I want the same thing. ”

When the waiter left our table, I looked around the shop again. People go in and out endlessly, and the atmosphere is lively and pleasant.

"Yes, thank you for waiting for ~ This is the soup you ordered earlier. Young ladies, I've never seen your face before. ”

Someone different from the previous waiter sent our food.

“We are coming from the Royal City. We were really busy from moving, so we haven't had time to come to town until now. ”

“Do you ~ come from the Kingdom City. ”

"How is the city?"

"Hmm? True, it is a kindness that will not lose to Royal City ~ Especially recently, with the changes that are happening, our lives are getting better little by little. ”

“I'm very happy. ”

I became very happy when I heard the impression of uncle. Because it tells me that the things I do are not in vain. Because sometimes, I'm afraid to think about it. … If what I did was right or not. Of course, it's not as if there's a right or wrong answer .. No, it's because there's no right or wrong answer I want to know. Be told clearly that “it's true. ”

I put those thoughts aside and ate delicious food. As I thought, it's good to be like this once in a while ~... It's hard to stay the same every day. It's not that I don't understand Grandpa's feelings.

After eating a delicious meal, we left the store and continued walking. I wonder if it's time for us to go home? While I was thinking that, I saw a small child crouching down, while the others looked around uneasily.

"What's wrong? Do you feel unwell? "

Even though the clothes they were wearing were clean, they looked worn out. And their whole bodies are skinny.

“... I became a lost child. ”

The girl who looked around anxiously said while her tears threatened to spill from her eyes.

"Geez, that must be really hard for you. Are you separated from your Mom and Dad? "

"No . I live with my teacher and others. ”

Since I do not know where the missing children live, it will be difficult to help .. Now, I am confused.

"Young mi–. These children, could it be that they live in institutions? ”

Previously ... Tanya, you almost wanted to call me 'young lady' right? … Or rather, besides, these children are more important.

Previously ... Tanya, you almost wanted to call me 'young lady' right? … Or rather, besides, these children are more important.

"What do you mean by 'institution?'"

“This is a facility somewhere in the city center that takes care of children who have lost their parents. ”

"Geez, what an amazing thing to do. For now, let's take these kids there. ”

Grandpa held up the little girl sitting on the ground, while the girl I spoke to, Tanya held her hand.

At first, my impression of the place was pleasant as we passed through a neat row of buildings, but as time went on, the place gradually became a little dirty.

Although I wondered if this was the right place, the eyes of the children started to sparkle. When a building that looked like a church came to be seen, the children started running towards it.

In front of the building, there was a woman looking around anxiously for the children. When he saw the children, his eyes momentarily turned wide in shock ..it seemed like he was going to cry.

"Very…! I'm really worried about the two of you .. Where you go ... ”

"We're so sorry, Mina-sensei. When we went exploring, we got lost before we knew it. ”

"Oh my goodness .. Anyway, I'm glad you guys got back safely …"

The woman whom the children called 'Mina-sensei' hugged them tightly. … It was good that I called them at that time.

"… Oh my goodness, these people …?"

When the woman finally noticed us, she looked at us in wonder. While I was wondering what I should say .. the children were the ones who responded to me.

"Those who brought us here ~"

“No, it's okay. ”

"Although I can't express my gratitude enough, maybe tea …"

Even though we refused offers to drink tea, we decided to interrupt when the children asked us to play with them.

Although the inside is a bit old-fashioned like the exterior, and repairs seem to need to be here and there, cleaning is done beautifully.

“Really, thank you very much for today. ”

"No .. Or rather, I'm really sorry. Ah, even though it was a bit late, I was called Alice. ”

"I'm called Mina. … Alice-san, where did you find those children? "

“On the side of the main road. As for their actual location, it was in the Azura Conglomerate neighborhood. ”

"Ahh, as I thought …"

"What do you mean by 'as I think' …?"

"Nobody really, although I am really ashamed to say this, I don't know where the children heard it from, but they heard about the 'chocolate' produced by the Azura Conglomerate. They keep saying that they want to try it at least once. ”

"Oh my goodness .. So they go there …"

"Oh my goodness .. So they go there …"

“That's because they're full of passion. So when I took my eyes off them, they immediately fled somewhere. ”

"By the way, why is Mina-san here taking care of all the children?"

“... To be honest, I am also one of the people who grew up here. My adoptive parents were a Sister of the Darryl religion and ran this church. And then he picked me up, an orphan, and raised me here. After Sister passed away, I decided to stay here to replace her. ”

"…I saw . Forgive me for asking this but, what do you do to earn money? Umm. .. with a lot of people supporting, it definitely takes a little bit of money … "

“Previously, we used the contributions made to the church. However, when Sister died, her contribution greatly decreased .. ”

Un.. Well, the current situation is not directly connected to the Darryl region. At this time, rather than saying people do not want to contribute to the church, it is more likely that people are unwilling to donate to children. Therefore, it seems like Mina-san can't go out to look for a job …

Or rather, I must say that this matter is something I have to address. When I get back home, let's talk to Sebastian right away.

"…okay…"

“I'm so sorry for talking about such gloomy things. Please take your time and relax here. I'll make preparations for dinner. ”

No no No! We can't owe you any further than this! I thought of rejecting her offer, but Mina-san left that place very quickly.

… Maybe I should say that I was really careless because I was busy playing with the kids.

When I looked around, grandfather was playing with the kids, and it seemed like the kids loved it a lot. … Grandpa, you won't give them training, right?

And then, I saw Tanya teaching a girl how to braid hair. Unn, Tanya is suddenly good at handling children.

… By the way, when I was in trouble, the children started to gather around me one by one. There are men and women around. I wonder what I should do. Although I like kids because they are really funny, but because I don't play with them much, I don't really understand them.

Therefore, I decided to tell a fairy tale to the children. This is a fairy tale that everyone in Japan has heard. As the children's eyes gradually became brighter and brighter, as time went on, I saw them more and more. Although I have never acted before, I did my best and performed.

…jeez? Before I knew it, almost all the children had gathered. When I started first, there were only three children, but now, it has risen to eight children. The other two children were with Grandpa and Tanya. Or rather, grandfather, where did that wooden sword come from …?

I push that thought aside now and keep telling the story to the kids. … Somehow, the child holding the wooden sword looked very happy. Because it might be of some use to the child in the future, so let's give that excuse and pretend I didn't see anything.

Now that I think about it, does this world not have picture books? Otherwise, let's immediately have Azura Conglomerate handle it. It will be good for the education of children, and it will also contribute a number of advantages.

While I was thinking that, I suddenly heard an angry and loud voice coming from outside.

“I know you're there! Quickly go here !! ”

… A-what is it?

In a deep and rough voice, the man repeated his words over and over again. Naturally, the children were scared and curled up by themselves. Finally, with the sound of a collision, a rock was thrown.

“…. Everybody is! Are you all right?"

Mina-san, who heard the voice, rushed to where we were panicking.

"To be exact, what's going on here?"

Tanya asked. Even though she was expressionless as usual, I felt she was a little angry.

"… Actually, although I'm ashamed to say this, but we are required to expel …"

"Why is that?"

"… Actually, although I'm ashamed to say this, but we are required to expel …"

"Why is that?"

"Suster is gone and Darryl's religion has washed their hands from this place, so his successor will not come. Therefore, the man seemed to have bought this land. However, if we leave this place, we have nowhere else to go … "

And because of that, it became a dispute. Unn .. Although I do not praise the man outside, he does have a justifiable claim. And because the place is relatively close to the main road, the location is quite good …

For now, as the angry voice seemed to get louder, I went out.

As I was walking out, I heard Tanya say, "Please stop," but I can't do it either. If Tanya went there, it would be worth it because she would probably be overwhelmed, and if it was grandfather, that person would be bullied.

"Huh? Who are…"

The two grim-faced men seemed to be suspicious because of my arrival.

“I am the one who came to this place to worship. … Apparently, mass has not been done for a long time now. However, this place is still a Darryl religious church. To throw a stone at this place, I cannot say that I am amazed. ”

"Huh? This is a place that our employer has bought. ”

“If that's the case, then this place no longer belongs to the Darryl religion. ”

"Religion . Nevertheless, there are still brats living in this place, so we are here to chase them away. ”

"Is it so . … However, to throw a stone into the church, as a believer, it was a savage act where I could not forgive. Thus, to prove that your claim is valid, please pass the deed to the land provided by the government office. And then the right action will be taken. To use violence against the weak, it was an outrageous act. ”

"Shut up!"

“If you keep making a fuss, the guards will be called. ”

"… First of all, it's children who are guilty because they don't want to go out. ”

Another man appeared from behind the two men. The man who had just appeared was definitely the employer they were talking about because those people seemed to be obeying this man. And since the man was wearing a dress that was a little too elegant for this place .. He was their employer, that's what I understand.

“I'll agree with that fact. However, it is still not feasible to use violence. If you do have a legitimate claim, tell the government office. ”

"Hmphs. I will let it pass first if the people who live inside illegally pay the rent. Besides, why would I make it difficult for the government when all it needs is for people to move. ”

When he said that, I agreed. Well ... However, there was nothing that could be done if someone suddenly told them to leave this place. Even worse, what is a rental fee.

"… Or rather, are you saying that you are a substitute for the rental fee?"

"…Huh?"

No, no, what did he say? He did not ask if "I will pay the rent" but, "I will be the payment for the rental fee?" In other words, he intended to sell me?

“Please allow me to refuse. … Or rather, what are you talking about. With that negotiation. ”

“I will probably receive a good price for you. No, it will be in vain to sell you immediately .. ”

"That's why, I said I refused. ”

"Ha. You're going to protect those kids, isn't that a good thing? The rent of a bad boy will be cleaned, and you will be able to wear beautiful clothes and eat delicious food. And I will receive income. Alright guys. I'll take this guy. ”