There was no use for Arlen's rich estate, which was conveniently close to the capital, but the sale value was good.
It was profitable to grow, producing a large amount of produce in one harvest and Arlen's property was also much closer to the north than the south.
If they traded a lot with the north, where they suffered from food shortages, their financial situation would increase.
“Master, it is Cedric, your knight.”
The viscount, who had no interest in knowing the names of those of lower status than himself, was unsure who Cedric was and pulled the bell rope instead of answering.
When he did, the office door opened slightly.
“I investigated what you asked,” Cedric said.
Then it occurred to the viscount that it was the knight he had ordered to investigate the northern market.
He nodded in acknowledgment and replied:
“You work fast.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“So what did you find out?”
Cedric looked at the ground and hesitated for a moment as if he was collecting his thoughts.
Raising his head to look at the Viscount, he finally said:
"First, I looked for places in the highlands that distribute goods to the north.
Some of them already had exclusive customers, which is a shame.
The most likely area to get business is the Acid region.
I plan to send someone there later today."
The viscount was pleased with his quick investigation and good work ethic, and listened intently as Cedric continued to pass on information:
“Other northern regions are very exclusive, so we will need more time to get in touch with them.”
Viscount Arlen smacked his lips when he heard the knight say “exclusive”.
In all honesty, the Arlen family had no way of making connections to the north until now, and he told the knight:
“I decided on my marriage.”
“With which region?”
“The north.”
Suddenly, the viscount's expression brightened as he remembered that Ilyin had gone north.
***
Milo had been visiting the north less and less lately.
It was getting very cold and it was a time when traffic to the north slowed down due to the unbearable conditions.
However, their destination was not the northern region, but Biflten.
“This is the first time I’m traveling like this in April,” Milo said as his mouth fell open as he yawned.
The heavy snowfalls that occurred in April in Biflten were difficult to endure even for those from the Winter region and the roads were almost unusable because of the thick ice and snow.
“Me too,” replied the employee.
Other than the cold, Milo had no complaints.
The Winter Region did not have enough people to take care of the sunny people and they could not feed the Duchess the harsh herbs of the Winter Region as she had not yet adapted to the cold climate of the region.
For some reason, Milo remembered their conversation at the palace.
“Let’s talk inside,” said the Duchess.
“I-I-I?” He stuttered
“Yes.”
“Do you intend to enter the Duchess’s room in front of the Delroses’ maids?” Someone else had asked.
The Duchess's innocent suggestion almost put Milo on the brink of death last time.
After this incident, Milo did his best to avoid going to the winter region and even with the food distribution this winter, he planned to send someone else because he was aware of how his master watched him, which made him feel uncomfortable in his skin.
“We loaded up our supply with herbs, so I shouldn't have to go over there for a while,” Milo said as he spread his body across his black leather chair.
“They contacted us again,” the employee informed him.
Milo jumped from his seat:
“What did they say?”
The employee responded with a calm expression:
"It's not a subpoena.
You can relax."
Milo wondered why he wasn't getting to the point and narrowed his eyes at the clerk.
He then lowered his shoulders and ran his hand through his hair as he asked:
“What is it then?”
“It is an order to investigate the duchess’s maternal family.”
“Maternal family?”
They had ordered him to investigate Viscount Arlen not long ago.
When he first looked into the viscount's past, there was nothing that stood out that was of particular importance.
However, when they delved deeper into the family's history, they discovered a sinister secret.
The workers at the estate were all replaced by new employees approximately twenty years ago and when he tried to investigate these workers, he discovered that they had all died or disappeared.
He couldn't help but find this extremely suspicious.
The events occurred around the time the Viscountess's madness began and that was probably why his master ordered him to continue his quest now.
It seemed like there was more to this story than met the eye and Milo's mind raced as he tried to find a connection between the two.
“Good,” he replied while thinking.
The viscount's family didn't have much to do with the north.
If he wanted to know about the family's internal affairs rather than just news from outside sources, contact with them would be essential, but that meant exposing himself to the family.
Until that moment, there was little risk of Milo being caught by the Viscount.
Because his investigation focused on personnel who had already left Arlen's property, he was under the radar.
However, inspecting the family increased the risk of being discovered and however weak Viscount Arlen's sources of information were, Milo needed a way to approach the family without triggering suspicion.
Suddenly there was another knock on the door:
“Mister Milo, someone is here to meet you for an important matter.”
The situation seemed familiar, and Milo tilted his head as he asked:
“Who?”
“He says he’s Arlen’s property and wants to suggest a deal.”
Milo thought he had a lot of visitors today and sighed heavily.
"Between." The person walking this time was not from Biflten, but a clerk from the sunny lands, who knew nothing about the winter region.
Milo looked at his visitor and realized at that moment that the job would be easier than he thought.
Roxi: that's what I call getting the job already done