MLHRGD 50

#50. Rest (5)

Winter ended, and spring arrived.

It was time for the army, which had been resting well in the territory, to return to the border.

Before the departure ceremony, Sasha went with Pavel to meet the Grand Duke privately.

It would be nearly a year before Dmitri returned to the territory, so if they didn’t speak now, there would be no chance for a proper conversation.

“Please, come back safely.”

She wasn’t sure if telling a soldier heading to war to be careful was appropriate, but that was truly what Sasha felt.

She prayed that he would not be injured, and that he would return safely.

Until Pavel grew up, he needed the strong roof of a father to shield him from the rain.

‘Even if not just for that… I’ve grown quite attached to him.’

She recalled Dmitri being secretly delighted by her gift, and how he had been unable to shake off the overly affectionate Eika.

As time went on, the more hidden sides of him she discovered, the more familiarity she felt—and now, she found herself sincerely wishing for his safety.

And then—

“Would it be all right if I wrote letters?”

Dmitri froze at the unexpected words.

Seeing his obvious surprise, Sasha quickly added an explanation.

“I’d like to report about the estate, and sometimes I’ll need your approval on important matters.”

“…When I entrusted you with acting as family head, I gave you full authority. You don’t need to ask for my permission each time.”

“Then, I’ll write about how Pavel is doing instead.”

“……”

He didn’t refuse that. It seemed he wanted to hear about Pavel.

“……”

From beside her, Sasha felt Pavel’s sharp gaze.

Clearly, he wasn’t happy about Sasha deciding to share his daily life with the Grand Duke without asking him first.

Sasha gave him an apologetic smile before turning back to Dmitri.

“And if you have time… could you write back?”

“……”

Dmitri’s expression soured, so Sasha quickly added a reason.

“I’ll worry whether you’ve been injured, if you’re healthy, or how you’re doing. Both I and Pavel will want to know.”

“…Very well.”

Satisfied that she had said everything she wanted, Sasha nodded contentedly and fell silent—for Pavel’s sake.

Pavel had been warned beforehand, but when the time came, the words stuck in his throat.

Still, he couldn’t just stay quiet.

Sasha’s expectant eyes burned into him, and across from him, his father’s silent gaze weighed heavily on him.

Finally, Pavel hesitated and spoke.

“…Please return safely.”

It was a plain, blunt farewell.

But he hadn’t avoided his father, and his words carried genuine hope for his safe return—so it wasn’t bad at all.

“Then we’ll take our leave. Thank you for sparing the time, even though you’re busy.”

“…Thank you.”

Sasha smiled, satisfied, and left the office with Pavel.

Even after the children left, and though the departure ceremony was about to begin, Dmitri sat blankly on the sofa.

Though he knew he had much to do, he couldn’t move, overwhelmed by strange emotions boiling in his chest.

Even when Igor rushed in to escort him to the ceremony, Dmitri remained unlike his usual self.

All the way until he mounted his horse and rode through the outer gates.

Then suddenly, he looked back.

Not once since his wife’s death had he ever looked back.

But this time, the things he was leaving behind weighed so heavily on his mind that he couldn’t help it.

Waaah!

From atop the walls, the people were still waving farewell.

Even though he had already ridden far enough that their faces were indistinguishable, Sasha’s radiant smile and Pavel’s sullen expression appeared before his eyes as clearly as if they stood right in front of him.

It felt strange.

Imagining the two of them being together so warmly made his chest ache, and his fingertips tingle.

Blood surged through his body, carrying the emotions from his heart’s throbbing to every corner of him.

Dmitri belatedly realized what it was: a familial affection he had long forgotten.

Behind him, Igor tilted his head back to hide the sting in his eyes as he quietly observed the Grand Duke.

The sky was bright and clear.

Spring has finally come.

Just as the piled snow melted with the warmer days, the Grand Duke’s frozen heart seemed to thaw, if only a little.

Time passed quickly.

It had already been a year since Sasha became acting family head.

“Madam, the time you mentioned has come.”

Sasha, immersed in her work, lifted her head.

“Already?”

She put down the document she was reading and stretched her arms wide.

“Ow, ow.”

Her whole body was stiff. Sitting for so long had left no part of her unaffected.

‘Well, there’s no helping it. I work late into the night every day.’

Sasha tapped her shoulders, sighing.

A steaming teacup was placed on her desk. The fragrant aroma that tickled her nose came from one of her favorite teas.

When she wrapped her hands around the cup, the warmth spread pleasantly into her palms.

After taking a sip, Sasha smiled brightly.

“Thank you.”

The maid, Nina, replied,

“It’s my duty.”

Though she said it was only natural, Nina couldn’t hide her excitement.

Just a small word of praise from Sasha made her look as if she had gained the world.

Nina was the maid who had once fought with a colleague over Sasha.

Sasha had taken notice of her back then and given her work. Finding her diligent and clever, Sasha had kept her close ever since.

‘It was a good choice. Thanks to her, I get to drink such delicious tea.’

As she drank, Sasha’s eyes wandered back to the documents.

Even though she wanted to take a break, her mind refused to rest, and so she kept working.

By the time her cup was empty, she had finished reading the report about the problems she had been working so hard to solve.

Ivan and Yelena had gone out for the final checks, and since the report was in her hands now, they must have already returned.

Sasha asked as she set down the papers.

“Where are Ivan and Yelena?”

“They just returned.”

“Good. Both safe, I hope?”

“Yes, Madam. They looked well. I believe things went smoothly.”

“That’s a relief.”

A faint smile spread across Sasha’s face.

A moment later—

Knock knock. Before she could answer, the door burst open.

“Madam!”

“Allyona.”

Sasha rose to greet Yelena, who was striding toward her.

“The matter has been resolved! You no longer need to worry about the mine.”

“That’s wonderful. Thank you, Allyona.”

Sasha’s smile brightened.

Following behind, Ivan delivered more good news.

“We’ve also dealt with the troublesome waterway issue.”

“You’ve worked so hard, Ivan.”

“No, Madam. It was only what I ought to do.”

Despite his words, Ivan’s pride was unmistakable.

Sasha beamed.

The past year had been one endless string of headaches.

She had carefully cleaned up the mess Count Tula had caused and tracked down problem after problem hidden in the Volkov territory.

With little rest, she had pushed forward relentlessly, wearing down both body and mind.

But the news Ivan and Yelena brought today rekindled her weary spirit.

The issues she had poured her heart into were finally resolved.

Still, it wasn’t time to rest easy.

“Now there’s only one left.”

The most troublesome problem remained.

Food.

Of course, every lord had to concern themselves with it—but for the Volkov territory, it was especially critical.

With its cool climate year-round, there were more bad harvest years than good.

While the warm south could reap three harvests a year, Volkov only had a short growing season that allowed for just one.

And only certain crops could be grown at all.

Thus, much of Volkov’s food came through trade with other regions.

“But we can’t keep relying on that.”

If they couldn’t be self-sufficient, they would be in grave danger in the event of war or other crises.

To prepare, Sasha had spent the past year repairing irrigation channels and spreading new fertilization techniques.

Thanks to that, yields had increased significantly—so much so that other territories were nosing around to learn their methods.

But Sasha wasn’t satisfied.

‘It’s still too unstable.’

Especially in a year like this one, when harsh natural trials loomed.

「No water~」
「Yes~ drought~ nothing to drink~」

The spirits flitted around Sasha’s head, chattering cheerfully.

But their words made her expression harden.

Born of nature, spirits were sensitive to changes in weather.

They not only knew whether it would rain in a few hours but also if a storm would come months later.

For weeks now, they had been singing the same refrain:

「The plants will all die~」
「Nothing to eat~ hungry~ so hungry!」

Which meant, months from now—

A massive drought was coming. A catastrophic famine.

‘If the spirits say so, I can’t take it lightly.’

In this world, where neither science nor magic was advanced, nature’s whims held enormous sway.

Sasha relied on spirits like a living weather bureau to avoid danger and seize opportunity.

And if they were making such a fuss, then the drought would be devastating beyond imagination.

When the great famine came, commoners without stockpiles would starve. Territories without reserves or strong foundations might collapse entirely.

And for Volkov, which depended heavily on imported food, it was a disaster waiting to happen.

“I have to prepare countermeasures.”

But all the progress she had made over the past year wouldn’t be enough to withstand this.

Even with irrigation, if the rivers dried up, and even with fertilizer, the crops would wither before ripening.

In short—

“We need a completely new, revolutionary solution.”

Closing her eyes, Sasha stepped into her Memory Palace.

Now then… which of my past lives could help with this?