第20話 蜜月
その夜、セルジュとアンジェリクは初めて「そういうこと」になった。
ブリアン夫人の言葉を借りれば「夫婦として結ばれた」のだ。
恥ずかしくて、きっと真っ赤になっていたと思う。
初めてのキスは夫人から聞いていたよりもずっとロマンチックで、その先のあれこれは少しだけ怖くて、だけどセルジュが優しくしてくれたから、安心して任せることができた。
「したい......。もう一度、いい? アンジェリク......」
ぎゅっと抱きしめられて、耳元で囁かれた。
ブリアン夫人イチオシのすけすけナイトドレスが大活躍する日々が来てしまうなんて。
毎晩、胸がドキドキしすぎて死にそうだった......。
「セルジュ......」
「アンジェリク......」
蜜月とはよく言ったもので、それから一ヶ月くらいは、セルジュもアンジェリクもお花畑の中にいるような顔で、一日中へらへらと笑って過ごした。
やせた土地にサツマイモを植え付け、麦を刈った後の畑で蕎麦を育て、夏の間に短期間で収穫できる葉物野菜をたくさん育てた。
アンジェリクとセルジュは、毎日のように例の可愛い馬車に乗って、各地に苗や種を配って歩いた。
土の性質ごとに選んだ作物は順調に育ち、次々収穫期を迎えて領民たちの食卓を潤した。
アンジェリク自身が馬車を操る練習もした。
手紙も書いた。ヴィニョアに行くたびに馬車便で送ってもらった。
王都からの便りもたくさん受け取った。学園の友人たちからも、何通もの手紙が届いた。
その内容にはさまざまなものが含まれていたが、それら全てをアンジェリクは自分の胸のうちにしまっておいた。
すぐには収穫に結びつかない果樹を、少しずつだけれど、計画的に植えはじめた。
家畜の扱いを心得ている者には、牛や鶏や豚を支給した。不公平にならないように、利益が出るようになったら同じ家畜をセルジュに返す約束をして。
絞った牛乳は世話をした農家の収入になる。人々は少しずつ豊かになっていった。
瞬く間に夏が過ぎていった。
冬の間の食料として、蕎麦やサツマイモやジャガイモ、南瓜などが各家庭の食糧庫に積み上げられた。
セルジュは税率を六分に引き上げたが、誰も文句は言わなかった。
十月。
各地で行われる秋祭りにセルジュと一緒に出向くと、誰もが笑顔で迎えてくれた。
「お館様と奥方様のおかげだ」
どこの祭りに行っても、領民たちはそう言って感謝してくれた。
セルジュは「みんなが一生懸命働いてくれたからだよ」と言い、アンジェリクも「よく頑張ってくれたわ」と領民たちを労った。
二人で一緒に「みんな、本当にありがとう」と礼を言った。
夫や父親を出稼ぎに取られない冬を領民たちに迎えさせる。それが第一の目標だった。
ドレスを売った残りのお金と、集めた税を使って開墾団の人材を募った。
リーダーを選び、仕事を任せられるようになると、セルジュとアンジェリクは視察の回数を減らしていった。
アンジェリクがブールに嫁いで四か月が過ぎていた。
セルジュとの生活はすでに始まっている。
いまさら式を挙げる必要があるだろうかと考え、すぐにこれはいけない癖だと思い直す。
ただ、今はまだ、そこまでは手が回りそうになく、やはり何も返事はできないのだった。
Ch 20
Serge and Angelique "did it" for the first time that night.
In Mrs. Berean's words, they are now "united as husband and wife."
Angelique blushed with embarrassment when she thought about it.
'The first kiss was much more romantic than Ms. Berean had told me, and I was a little afraid of what would happen next, but Serge was so nice to me that I felt comfortable leaving it up to him. I was happy that I had done it right, and my heart was full of joy. thinking about it now. I could never do something like that with Ernest. But with Serge, I'm happy.'
"I would like to... Can we do it again? Angelique..."
He wrapped his arms around her and whispered in her ear. In bed before dawn, Angelique almost melted.
She never imagined the day would come when she would have to wear the slinky nightgown Mrs. Berean had recommended.
Her heart pounded so hard every night that she thought she would die.
"Serge..."
"Angelique..."
Serge and Angelique spent the next month or so as if they were in a flower garden, giggling and laughing all day. Meanwhile, the days passed quickly. The evening meetings turned into love sessions, but the rest of the time they both worked hard.
They planted sweet potatoes on their barren land, made buckwheat noodles after the wheat was harvested, and grew a variety of leafy vegetables that could be harvested quickly in the summer months.
Angelique and Serge drove their beautiful carriage around the estate every day, distributing seedlings and seeds in different parts of the estate.
The plants, selected for their soil characteristics, grew well and were harvested in the harvest season to enrich the tables of the people.
And Angelique learned to drive a horse-drawn cart by herself. Now she can drive alone to the surrounding villages.
She also wrote letters that were sent by horse-drawn carriage every time she went to Vignoa.
She also received many letters from the royal capital and from her friends at the Academy.
The contents varied, but Angelique kept them all to herself.
Gradually, but methodically, she began to plant fruit trees that would not yield an immediate harvest.
Those who knew how to handle livestock were given cows, chickens, and pigs, with the promise that they would return the same livestock to Serge once it was profitable. If the mother cow gave birth to a second calf, a cow was to be returned, and this was to be done slowly. And the milk would be the income of the farmer who took care of them.
Little by little, the citizens became prosperous.
Summer came and went in no time. Farmers sowed wheat after harvesting vegetables and buckwheat to prepare for winter.
During the winter, each household's food depot was stocked with buckwheat noodles, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and watermelons.
So Serge raised the tax rate to 6%, but no one objected.
October
When she and Serge went to the autumn festivals in different towns, everyone smiled.
"Thank you, Lord and Lady."
People thanked them everywhere they went to festivals.
"That's because you all worked so hard," Serge said, and Angelique agreed, "You did your best."
Everyone is saying thank you to one another.
There was still a lot to do, such as building roads and bridges, but the first goal had been achieved. She wanted to give her people a winter in which their husbands and fathers would not become migrant workers.
With the money left over from selling the clothes and the taxes collected, she recruited people to join the cultivation team.
Serge and Angelique reduced the number of inspections once they had chosen a leader and could trust him to do the work.
Four months had passed since Angelique had married in Bourg. In the meantime, her family had made several inquiries about the wedding, but nothing definitive had been written down.
Life with Serge had just begun.
She wondered if it was necessary to have a wedding ceremony now, and she quickly realized that her bad habit was kicking in once again.
But she still couldn't bring herself to do it, and she couldn't answer any questions about the wedding.
I’m Going to Marry a Poor Count in the Middle of Nowhere and I’m Going to Work Hard to Reform My Territory
【ノベル3巻発売＆コミカライズ２巻まで発売中】辺境の貧乏伯爵に嫁ぐことになったので領地改革に励みます
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/im-going-to-marry-a-poor-count-in-the-middle-of-nowhere-and-im-going-to-work-hard-to-reform-my-territory/
Comedy Drama Fantasy Romance Shoujo
Adapted to Manga Arranged Marriage Broken Engagement Domestic Affairs Doting Love Interests Doting Older Siblings Dragon Riders Dragons Early Romance European Ambience Female Protagonist Management Nobles Pregnancy Royalty Time Skip Tomboyish Female Lead
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n5996gy/
花波薫歩