Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 176: The Report of the Duke’s Daughter
“The royal property that Rest-sama inherited… regarding the estate of the Third Prince Rodel, has been sorted out.”
This was the task that Rest had entrusted to Celestine.
When the third prince, Rodel Iwood received the poisoned chalice, Rest inherited his estate according to the prince’s will.
The estate of Rodel included the inheritance of the former queen dowager, who once held power over the kingdom.
The national treasures and items owned by the royal family were confiscated, but the rest—such as gold, goods, and land deeds—became Rest’s property.
(I had asked Lady Celestine to organize that inheritance…)
Having been a commoner until recently, Rest had no knowledge of the value of artworks or books let alone gold.
Thus he initially asked his father-in-law, Marquis Albert Rosemary to handle it. But Albert suggested that it would be better to rely on Duke Crocus.
(It was because Duke Crocus as relatives would be more knowledgeable about royal properties… I felt bad asking Lady Celestine, but she kindly accepted it…)
He had also told her that she could keep a portion of the estate as a handling fee.
In fact, there was so much money that he was almost desperate to push some onto her.
“I’ll provide you with a detailed inventory later. Since there were items you didn’t want to deal with. I will include a report on their sale as well.”
“Sorry for causing you so much trouble, Wasn’t it quite difficult?”
“No, not at all… The actual work was done by my family’s butler and our trusted appraisers. I didn’t really do much myself.”
However, Celestine’s voice slightly lowered as she continued.
“Still, there were a few things that caught my attention. I thought it would be best to inform you directly.”
“Things that caught your attention…?”
“Yes…”
Celestine glanced at Yuri.
Yuri was munching on white bread and tilted her head at the paused conversation.
“Oh… it’s fine. I don’t mind.”
In this group, Yuri was an unrelated person. The silence likely indicated uncertainty about whether it was okay to let Yuri hear this aside from Viola and Primula who were engaged.
“Okay… then.”
With Rest’s permission, Celestine opened her spoke again.
“First, about several magic books. Among the inheritance, there were some rare magic books.”
“Magic books… that sounds intriguing.”
“Yes, there were valuable items that any aspiring magician would covet. Of course, the forbidden books were confiscated by the royal family but…”
“There were still valuable books besides those weren’t there…!?”
Primula’s eyes widened with excitement. Her love for research and reading was different from her sister’s.
“Then could you have those magic books sent to Marquis Rosemary’s residence? He’s also the head of the court magicians so it would be perfect right?”
That way, Primula could read them anytime she wanted. Rest was interested as well, making it a fitting arrangement.
“Understood. I’ll arrange that.”
“As for historical documents, I’ll donate them to a specialized institution. It would be wasted if I kept them. As for art pieces that are difficult to handle monetarily, donations will be fine.”
“Understood. I’ll make the arrangements… I’m sure the director of the Royal Museum will be pleased.”
“No matter how valuable an item is, it’s pointless if it’s in the hands of someone who doesn’t appreciate its worth.”
Rest gave a wry smile and shrugged.
There are many wealthy people in the world who buy up art and antiques only to lock them away in their vaults.
It would be much more effective use than keeping it in Rest’s hands, who doesn’t understand its value.
“And one more thing… there was something strange in the inheritance. A deed to some remote land.”
“A deed? Like a royal estate?”
“No, it’s something different. It seems to be a villa personally owned by Prince Rodel… or rather Her Majesty the Dowager Queen.”
From Celestine’s puzzled expression it seemed she didn’t know why the Dowager Queen owned such land.
“What kind of land is it?”
“It’s a coastal area on the western side of the kingdom. It’s neither a summer resort nor a tourist spot and there’s no notable specialty product. After investigating, we found that Her Majesty the Dowager Queen hid her identity and stayed there to recuperate in her later years.”
“……”
The Dowager Queen, who had been engrossed in power struggles, might have sought a peaceful life in her final days. It seemed like a matter best left alone but somehow, Rest couldn’t shake the curiosity.
“Is there anything else you know about this land?”
“There’s just a small fishing village facing the Western Sea. Its distinctive feature, if any is a rare custom of eating raw fish.”
“Raw fish… like sashimi?”
In this country, there was no culture of eating raw fish. Without soy sauce or miso, Rest felt a little dissatisfied.
“Come to think of it… in that fishing village. Her Majesty the Dowager Queen used a false name and was known to the locals as ‘Sanada Shouko.'”
“……!”
Hearing that name, Rest’s eyes widened in surprise. The name Celestine uttered was a familiar-sounding Japanese-like name to Rest.