Betrothed to My Sister's Ex

A four-day journey by carriage from the royal capital where Granado Castle stands brought us to the Chadelan Territory, which, in a word, was countryside.

“Wow, amazing. It’s all wheat fields as far as the horizon!”

Leaning out of the carriage, I shouted.

Indeed, as far as the eye could see, the land was golden wheat. It was just before the summer harvest, the peak of the season.

It was a magnificent sight.

“So, this is lady Marie’s hometown…”

“If you talk too much, you might bite your tongue. It’s not like the paved roads of the royal capital,” Mio warned.

Sure enough, the road cutting through the village was nothing but a gravel path, unpaved and uneven, with some parts washed out by rain and even large stones scattered about—a rough road.

This was supposedly the main road of the territory… but looking down, there were no carriage wheel tracks.

“Do they not use carriages much in the Chadelan Territory?”

I asked aloud like talking to myself, and Mio pointed to the window behind us. When I turned, the pungent smell of livestock hit my nose.

A herd of cattle. They looked so free that I momentarily thought they were wild, but no—they were fenced in and grazing freely on vast pastures.

“The main industry in Chadelan Territory is wheat, followed by potatoes, beans, various other vegetables, and livestock. Ninety percent of the livestock are cows. Male calves are raised for meat, and milk is drawn from the females. Their hides, bones, and horns are also sold.”

“What about females that don’t produce milk?”

“They are used as draft animals — pulling carts or doing heavy work.”

I watched, fascinated, as a villager pulled reins tied to a cow heavily laden with feed.

How peaceful.

My hometown, Luhab, used donkeys that way too. In the royal capital, carriages are indispensable, but in the countryside, carriages are a luxury. Horses require a lot of care and money, and there’s no need to rush anywhere. Usually, people rent carriages from a rental stable for occasional trips.

Chadelan Territory must be similar.

From inside the jolting carriage, I idly watched the herd of cows.

“…This is a bit surprising. It’s countryside, but it’s vast and fertile land. Lady Marie said Chadelan Territory was poor, so I imagined something smaller, barren, like a ghost village.”

“It is good land. That’s exactly why the lord fell into ruin.”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“The taxes from the country to the lords are based on farmland area, not harvest yield.”

“Hm? So, if the land is fertile, then the harvest should be…”

While we talked, I suddenly understood what Mio meant.

As the carriage moved on, the amount of wasteland increased. The cows seemed more like wandering than grazing, eating wild grass instead of feed.

I spotted a carcass in the herd and my eyes widened in shock.

Where was the owner of this dairy land? Looking around, there were no houses or even barns in sight.

“They abandoned farming. With no buyers, they didn’t know what to do with the land and migrated.”

“Eh? So those cows are completely wild? On vacant land!?”

“Most likely. In recent years, many families have left for the royal capital like that, leading to abandoned farms. Villages have become depopulated.”

Hearing this, I, who abandoned my hometown and moved to the royal capital, could only nod in understanding.

“…But for so many households to leave all at once… Even if young people move to the city, don’t the elderly and firstborn sons usually stay behind?”

“If you sink into poverty and can’t make a living, it can’t be helped. When the territory’s funds dry up, land maintenance stops. See over there? The waterwheel is broken. Without that, you can’t mill wheat.”

“…Is that kind of thing the baron’s responsibility?”

“That’s exactly the lord’s job. It’s a vicious cycle.”

The carriage rattled terribly. On roads like this, even pulling a cart would be a challenge, requiring the strength of a grown man. On paved roads, even children can sell crops by walking.