Byletta let out a high-pitched giggle, and the count snorted and turned away.
Whenever he was losing a war of words, he soon resorted to sulking.
“Hmph. What unpleasant task have you thought up now?”
“Come, Father, I’ve done nothing of the sort. I was just thinking of how grateful I am that you brought me to a place as wonderful as this. Now I have a clear picture of the estate’s situation.”
“Unfortunately for you, I know that you’re being sarcastic when you call me ‘Father’ unnecessarily.”
“Oh, come now, Father. I’m not only being sarcastic. You really ought not think so badly of me.”
“I see,” murmured an impressed Arnald. “So I’ve misunderstood you, hmm…?”
What does that mean, exactly? Byletta wondered. But before she could ask, he began speaking about something entirely different.
“Look at the land over there and over there. Doesn’t the bedrock seem weaker in those areas? Here, it looks harder, so I don’t think we’ll be able to do anything with it. It would likely be best if we built our channel from there to here.”
As Arnald traced the ridgeline with his finger to show Byletta, he looked quite dignified. All that time he’d been standing there silently, he must have been looking at the terrain and musing over different options. He’d appeared completely uninterested, but his suggestion was spot-on.
“How do you know that?”
“The colors of the rocks vary. The striated areas and the rusty-brown areas are different types. When I was fighting in the east, we often had to dig through mountains, so I know firsthand.”
“Did you hear that, Father? Now you’ve just got to get us an expert to work with.”
“I’ve heard that you two have some kind of strange wager going on between you…but you’re actually perfect for each other.”
The only thing Byletta had told the count was that she was delaying her divorce by a month. Where had he heard about the wager? She’d never once witnessed a conversation between him and Arnald…but she had told Milena. Perhaps he’d heard it from her.
More importantly, what on earth did the count mean, they were perfect for each other?
“Oh, Father, you must be growing senile. As someone who’s deeply concerned about this estate’s future, I rather think it’s time you handed off a venture as large as this to a successor.”
Thoroughly scolded by his daughter-in-law, a red-faced Count Swangan began to make his way down the low hill.
It was early afternoon on the third day of the estate inspection, and Byletta had just requested Arnald come along.
Her husband considered it for a moment before nodding expressionlessly and climbing aboard the carriage with her. Byletta had already informed the driver of their destination, so now all they had to do was sit back and relax until they arrived.
“It’s refreshing to have my wife request my presence for once.”
“Please stop fooling around. I need you to take a serious look at something for me.”
“You do? I wonder what it could be…”
“You’ll see when we arrive. If we talk too much in here, one of us will end up biting their tongue.”
As the carriage rattled along the dirt roads, which were of poor quality as usual, Byletta maintained a complete and utter silence. The pair enjoyed a brief, silent respite before the carriage arrived at its destination. Upon stepping outside, Arnald blinked.
“Isn’t this the village we came to the other day?”
“It’s the first village we visited. Do you remember?”
“Of course I do. What are we doing here?”
Byletta had instructed the carriage to stop at the top of a small hill a short distance from the village. As expected, she had a good view of the entire settlement from there.
“There! Do you see it?”
Byletta held her arm out straight and pointed.
She was indicating the small bridge that Arnald had mentioned would be receiving repairs when they had last been there. A small number of men had indeed gathered to fix it, and a tall man with reddish-brown hair stood in the middle of the group. From his spot at the base of the old bridge, he appeared to be issuing orders to the muscular workers as they assembled the new one.
Even from a distance, the workers seemed to be getting things done rather quickly.
“I see. Well, that is strange.”
“It’s obvious at a glance, isn’t it?”
“Yes. When they said workers would be coming to fix the bridge, they gave me the impression that those men would be from nearby villages. But these workers look too strong for that, and their actions are far too coordinated. I haven’t heard of a single platoon sent home from the war that was from the Swangan lands.”
Arnald’s gaze was focused on the movements of the workers. He’d been able to guess exactly what Byletta wanted him to do without her even having to tell him. Her husband was smart.
Byletta nodded in satisfaction at Arnald’s reply.
“So I was right.”
“Now I’m even more curious about what scheme you have in mind.”
“I’m not intending to start a war here, I’ll have you know. I just want to see the estate protected.”
“Don’t worry. If I felt that you were stirring up a rebellion, I’d have commanded the army to seize you already. More importantly, what exactly are you planning?”
“As I told you before, I’ve laid some bait.”
Byletta flashed a smile at her husband, who let out a short, beleaguered sigh.
“Now I know why my father warned me not to underestimate that smile.”
“Oh, been speaking with your father, have you? I thought you hated him. He’s suspicious of every single thing I do, so perhaps it’s best not to take his words at face value.”
“I’ve never really hated him.”
Though the count often ridiculed Byletta by calling her wily and saying that she wasn’t to be trusted, she had never seen him converse with his son. She found herself truly surprised at what Arnald had just said. It appeared that her husband did indeed speak with his father sometimes, just perhaps only when they were alone.
But though his answer had clearly shocked his wife, Arnald’s face remained apathetic. Perhaps he didn’t much care about his father one way or the other.
“We’re going to get spotted if we keep loitering here, so let’s leave now.”