Luido's Pride

He'd hoped, just a little, that her modesty might convince her to go home.

She was lively, fun to be around, and easy on the eyes, but her complicated status meant any incident would give him a stomachache.

Once she declared she was staying, she wasn't going home easily.

In hindsight, he should have brought one more person for the escort.

His concerns were laughed away without a second thought, leaving him no excuse to press further, and so Princess Yupe would be staying the night.

"In that case, I'll be on my way."

The wagon driver led the horse and wagon off.

He was probably heading to the warehouse the trading house used.

"So, what now?"

"Let's start by paying a visit to Luido's representative."

"Representative?"

"There's no lord here at the moment, so someone needs to serve as a point person. Azu and the rest of us can't be here full-time since we have other work, so I've left the day-to-day self-governance to a well-respected local."

"Self-governance by commoners, huh. Hmm."

She didn't seem opposed to the idea. Queen Tianis had already approved the arrangement.

Alexia had worried it might be seen as an infringement on noble prerogatives, but… perhaps that was overthinking it.

After all, if commoners could govern themselves, it raised the question of whether nobles were necessary at all.

And Luido was proving exactly that.

"What's the matter? Let's go already."

"Right."

Spurred along by Princess Yupe, they walked.

The representative's house was a short walk away.

By Luido standards, it was a fairly large home.

He knocked, and a servant opened the door.

"Oh, Yohane-san! Welcome to Luido."

"It's been a while. Sorry for not visiting sooner."

He shook hands with the representative.

The greeting was as warm and friendly as ever.

"Is this an inspection? I've been keeping the ledgers as instructed, and shipments are on schedule without delays."

"Actually, it's not an inspection today. I've come to discuss planting."

"Oh? Planting, you say. The potatoes you started are growing well. Are you looking to expand the acreage? We've got people coming from elsewhere to find work, so there's no shortage of hands."

"Ah, that's good to hear about the potatoes. I'll stop by to check on them later. But it's not potatoes this time. I've come to ask whether you could increase your rapeseed or olive production. Ideally on a large scale."

"Hmm…"

When it came to Luido's agriculture, the representative was the foremost authority.

"Olives won't work, I'm afraid. We do grow a small amount here, but scaling up isn't feasible."

"Why not?"

"First, olives need well-drained soil, and ours isn't particularly suited for that. The areas where we currently grow them have been specially prepared. On top of that, olive cultivation depletes the soil. Fertilizing or letting the land rest fallow for a while solves the problem, but… planting too much of it would spell disaster."

"I see."

"Huh. So it's not as simple as just planting it."

"Yohane-san, who is this young lady?"

"Well…"

"Sorry for barging in on the conversation. I'm Yupe. I was curious about Luido's farming and tagged along with Yohane-san."

"Well, well. Welcome, Yupe-san. It might bore a young lady like yourself, but we'll do our best to make you comfortable."

"Thank you."

He'd been wondering how to introduce her, but she went ahead and gave her name outright.

Without claiming royal blood.

The representative took her for an ordinary woman named Yupe.

The people of Luido rarely ventured beyond their town, so they probably wouldn't recognize Princess Yupe's face.

On top of that, she was playing the part of a well-mannered young lady, nothing like her usual self.

When the group heard this seemingly refined woman had come all the way out here because she was interested in agriculture, the atmosphere grew warmer.

If she was doing it on purpose… it certainly explained her reputation in diplomacy.

Princess Yupe in character was the picture of a perfect gentlewoman.

The servant brought out warm tea.

She'd taken the time to boil water over the hearth.

The welcome was heartfelt, not just lip service.

The tea was a faint brown with a pleasant, toasty aroma.

It had an herbal flavor when he sipped it.

Surprisingly relaxing.

"Oh, this is lovely. Is this rapeseed root, by any chance?"

"You certainly know your stuff, priestess. It's last year's rapeseed roots, dried, ground, and steeped. Around here, it's our home remedy."

Elza had apparently tasted it before and identified the tea immediately.

"They say if you catch a cold, one cup of this and you're right as rain. That's why we've been growing rapeseed in Luido since the old days."

"Medicine is expensive, after all. With dried roots, you can always have this on hand."

"Exactly. And when the famines came, we'd gnaw on the roots the crown didn't seize to stave off hunger… But I'm getting off track. Expanding rapeseed production is no problem at all. We can simply extend the current fields outward. Rapeseed is a plant with no waste. It doesn't command the highest price, but it's useful for everyday life, so a surplus is never unwelcome."

Olives were out, but rapeseed had gotten the green light.

The representative even promised to triple the current acreage.

"The truth is, we've wanted to expand for a long time. Rapeseed doesn't look like food, you see? So even during famines, when the crown requisitions other crops in an emergency, they leave the rapeseed alone. It becomes our emergency rations when times get desperate. But the old lord would never hear of it. He insisted we plant crops that turned a bigger profit. So when Yohane-san brought this proposal to us, I felt like the day had finally come."

As the representative talked, emotion welled up and tears began to fall.

The servant was much the same.

Rapeseed must have held a special place in Luido's heart.

The flower that had carried them through famine and kept them alive.

"What we need is the oil, so everything else is yours to use as you see fit. We'll purchase the oil at a fair market price."

"Understood. We'll have the planned output ready for shipment by next year. We should be able to increase the number of oil presses by then as well."

The negotiations had gone more smoothly than expected.

If Luido had said no, he would have had to approach another city he had no connections with and start from scratch.

He didn't want to spread the information that Queen Tianis wanted oil, either.

If speculators caught wind and started buying it up, it would defeat the entire purpose.

Ordinary people who used rapeseed oil every day for cooking and lamps would be the ones to suffer.

"If it's all right, I'd love to see the oil press equipment."

"Interested, are you? Of course, by all means. I'll show you the way. And once we're done, let's have a meal to welcome you properly. Would you take care of things?"

"Certainly."

The servant headed for the kitchen.

The representative stood and led them outside.

They followed.

"I'm surprised. You didn't reveal yourself as royalty."

"What good would royal authority do in a place like this? They might show deference, but it would only be a burden to them. When there's a reason to announce it, I do. But today I came as just Yupe. And as expected, they received me warmly."

"I could tell you were acting, but… you planned all of that?"

"It's easy once you perfectly envision the version of yourself the other person wants to see. You just know what will win them over. But it's exhausting, so I don't bother with people I'm close to. Between my looks and this talent, being popular is more trouble than it's worth."

He recalled how foreign diplomats had gone weak in the knees around Princess Yupe during negotiations.

At the time, he'd assumed it was her stunning beauty combined with a slightly provocative dress, but there was apparently more to it than that.

"I can just relax around you, and that's nice. You treat me with respect without me having to work for it."

"My position doesn't really give me a choice."

"Fufu. I look forward to more of the same."

What a formidable woman.

"By the way, what type of woman do you think Master likes?"

"Hmm… that's a secret."

"Aww."

Azu, who'd been trying to extract the answer, let out a disappointed groan.