The difference between the duke and the count

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Ms. Anne thought I could do more with my ability… But Weed Cultivation was just something given to me out of nowhere. And Leo was with me because she liked me.
I didn’t want to use that to accomplish something great. And I didn’t care about the Ms. Anne’s house at all.
As she had been at the mansion for a while now, I did want things to go well for her. It wasn’t like I wanted her to go down the path of total ruin… But that all depended on her.

While we seemed like the same age, as she was now, she left everything to others, and didn’t really think of achieving anything on her own.
If was capable of actually talking about doing things for her house, then she would have looked more appealing, perhaps.
The herb fields in Range village weren’t about doing anything grand, but a way for me to pay back to the duke. I just wanted to do something that was useful.

I also thought that I would be able to relax there.
There were few people, and I would be able to forget about my past life and job.
I thought of such things and petted Leo, who then barked happily.
Leo seemed to want to stay with me. And here, I would be able to give her all of the attention that I wasn’t able to before.

“Ms. Anne… You have stayed in the mansion for some time now. Have you really not had a change of heart?”
“…It isn’t that I haven’t changed at all. I like little Liza and Sherry… I see how proud the servants are to be working there. Though, I was surprised by their friendliness.”

I had thought the same thing.
My idea of the relationship between nobles and their servants had been quite different. Like they had to obey no matter what and could never go against their masters.
However, I had seen Sebastian and the others correct Mr. Ekenhart and Ms. Claire plenty of times.

In any case, the servants would rarely overstep their bounds, and Ms. Claire would not ask them to do anything they couldn’t do.
They were like one big family in some ways.

“I had heard previously that they do not care as much when it comes to position… But I didn’t realize it was to that degree.”
“Indeed. But it’s precisely because of that, that they are able to consider the welfare of their people and govern in a manner that ensures everyone can live with peace of mind. It all comes down to trust, you know. And because of that trust, I believe the duke’s ventures are thriving. Merely looking down from above would make it challenging to earn people’s trust, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Yes… I have to agree, after seeing the people and the town. The count, my father…takes the loyalty of his people for granted. And so he assumed that any business ventures would turn in a profit… In spite of his many failures.”

It was true that such businesses were founded on trust.
Well, I had little experience, so I was no authority, but…as a consumer then, I would not buy anything expensive from a place that I didn’t trust.

Of course, it wasn’t just that. And there were times when you couldn’t rely on emotions. I understood that.
As the count didn’t think about such things…he probably thought that as long as he was selling a product, people would buy it regardless of price and quality.
He was someone who didn’t learn from mistakes. Perhaps he didn’t notice, or pretended to not notice.
Back at the company I used to work at, even if a customer complained about something, there were people who would not listen to them.

…And since just people had a lot of influence, it was no wonder that it became a black company…
I suppose the count was like that too?
Well, that was different, and not related.

“I think what is important for you, Ms. Anne, is not to bring someone over who can raise your house, but to start changing it. And to do that, you need to change yourself. Change the way you govern so that you can earn the trust of the people again. …Well, that is just my opinion.”
“…I see… Change myself and the house…”
“It doesn’t need to happen all at once… Everyone will be shocked if you change so suddenly. But little by little. By treating others better, they will start to trust you more.

Next Chapter

My Beloved Dog is the Strongest in Another World