71. The Kikunoi Family’s Domestic Troubles: Return Edition!
So then—how is Kikunoi doing financially overall?
Well… I have no idea.
Why? Simple: I don’t have the authority to check. And since there’s no steward or magistrate in place, everything is managed solely by my father.
Without the authority of a count, I can’t do a thing. Worst-case scenario? He could be falsifying the numbers, and I’d have no way to know, let alone stop him.
Still, I can’t just sit back and let him pocket the money unchecked. Not that I’m saying he is, but the sense of being constantly watched can be a powerful deterrent.
So what to do?
“Romanov-sensei, could you inform my mother that Kikunoi’s economy is showing signs of recovery?”
“...I’ll tell her to take a closer look at the financial reports from Kikunoi. I’m sure she’ll eagerly take on the role of monitoring your father. I could even introduce a skilled financial auditor through my connections, if you’d like.”
“Thank you. I know it’ll probably accelerate their marital discord, but I suppose there’s no helping it.”
“As someone with a duty to ensure the terms of the contract they signed are upheld, I’ll do what I must.”
Ah yes—the contract.
Previously, regarding Regulus’s upbringing, we drew up a legal agreement under Romanov-sensei’s authority. Four people hold it: my father, my mother, Romanov-sensei, and Rottenmeier-san, who serves as my representative. They also have a copy of my will.
Romanov-sensei had it legally validated under his name and has taken responsibility for it. Now that’s the kind of adult behavior my parents should learn from.
Honestly, I wish I could have oversight over personnel and land management. But ideally, I’d also like to somehow dump all the responsibility on my parents while keeping the power for myself. (Ahem—cough cough.)
In principle, anyone who inherits a noble title should manage their lands properly in exchange for their wealth and prestige.
It's ludicrous to simply hoard the benefits and neglect the responsibilities.
Wealth should be reinvested, the economy kept circulating, and the land enriched. While I’m not interested in raising an army, at the very least, I’d want proper security forces in place. That, in turn, supports the economy, which feeds back into the land. That’s what being a lord—or a noble—is supposed to mean.
Isn’t that what noblesse oblige is for?
I’m not saying nobles should serve the people completely selflessly. I mean, I want to make money too—like staging musicals or putting on The Violet Garden. I just want to spread education and enjoyment.
But to have none of that sense of duty? Seriously?
If they weren’t even taught what land management entails, then maybe they were never taught why it’s important either.
Maybe I’m being too harsh on my parents, but if that’s really the case… that’s terrifying.
“What do they even teach at junior noble schools?”
“Basic reading, writing, arithmetic… the use of magic… building social networks… dancing and etiquette… court customs and a little bit of land management, I suppose.”
“Wait, so they do cover land management?”
“Only superficially. Most children understand the importance of land stewardship before entering school. School is more about networking with others who share that understanding.”
Huh?
So proper knowledge of managing territory is considered basic education—something to be learned before even starting school?
If that is true, then what is the purpose of attending school at all? Wouldn’t private tutors be enough? So the school must serve a different purpose.
What could it be?
They purposely send all the nobility’s children to one centralized academy. There must be a reason for that.
Romanov-sensei watches me thoughtfully as I ponder, feeling as though something is stuck in my throat.
Sending noble children to one place… Gathering them like that... That’s not just for education, is it? It’s an arrangement imposed by someone with power beyond the nobles themselves.
Wait a minute…
This reminds me of something.
During the Tokugawa Shogunate, didn’t they make all the daimyo build mansions in Edo and live there with their wives and heirs as hostages?
“...Could the junior noble school system be a kind of… hostage situation?”
“I wouldn’t deny it. Officially, it’s meant to foster bonds and friendships among the nobility. It’s also a place to find potential marriage partners or allies who align with your house’s goals and interests.”
“So that’s what ‘society’ means here…”
“Exactly. Most noble children already understand their family’s affairs before enrolling. Once there, they’re intensely focused on building relationships that benefit their house. In that context, your mother’s case is highly unusual—being an only daughter who married a lower-ranking noble without a title.”
Right!
As an only daughter, she would’ve been expected to inherit the estate and either manage it herself or marry someone from a powerful house to expand their influence.
Instead, she used her authority to marry a poor noble. That’s like throwing away her own worth as a noble.
That’s not the behavior of a properly educated noble lady.
On the flip side, my father doesn’t seem to have received the education one would expect of a man marrying into a count’s family either.
Maybe he didn’t get along with his father-in-law. Or maybe the previous count had already died when they married.
Or… could it be that the Kikunoi house has long neglected land management altogether?
That thought sends chills down my spine.
“I wonder if there’s any way to turn this around…”
“You showed up just in time to stop things from getting worse. If Kikunoi had declined any further, it would’ve been buried in debt and fallen into the hands of some merchant consortium. Rottenmeier-san once saw the estate’s ledgers and said, ‘We’ll just barely make it to the grandchild’s generation.’”
“Wait, Rottenmeier-san saw the ledgers!?”
“More than that—until the old matriarch passed away, she was her right-hand woman in running the estate.”
“Rottenmeier-san, you’re amazing! How could anyone waste such talent on babysitting duties!? That’s criminally inefficient!”
“Apparently, it was the matriarch’s specific request. She said, ‘My daughter is too far gone—locked into her father’s way of thinking. But maybe there’s still hope for my grandchild.’”
Oh wow. She embraced that hope, only to encounter a child prone to tantrums. She must’ve had it so rough… I’m really sorry, Rottenmeier-san.
Wait, let me clarify—did she say that she was "locked into her father’s way of thinking"?
“Was my grandfather always the head of the family? Or did my grandmother come from a noble family herself…?”
“Your grandfather was from the Kikunoi line. Your grandmother was a talented woman whom your great-grandfather personally selected for marriage. Their relationship, however, was reportedly quite bitter.”
Seriously, Kikunoi, what is wrong with you!?
Still, if my grandmother's skill in land management led to her selection, it implies a strong passion between her and my great-grandfather. When did things go awry?
Maybe when my grandmother gave up on her own daughter—who then was indoctrinated by my grandfather’s values.
“So that’s why we don’t have portraits of my grandparents in the house…”
“Not just them—there aren’t any of your great-grandparents either. What do you think that implies?”
“What does it imply…?”
So it wasn’t just that the grandparents and great-grandparents were at odds. There’s more to it.
I rub my chin, thinking.
My grandparents were estranged—same as my parents. But if my mother was so deeply shaped by my grandfather, that must mean she spent a lot of time with him. Maybe she was even favored by him.
If the household staff fulfilled her daily needs, it's likely that my grandmother abandoned her education and handed on the responsibility. A smart and capable noblewoman wouldn’t allow her daughter to be warped by her husband’s values. She’d intervene. The fact that she didn’t… speaks volumes.
Regardless of the circumstances, my mother is a respected noblewoman.
So who did educate her?
My grandmother married in for her talent. My great-grandparents reportedly had a bad relationship.
And in those soap operas I vaguely remember from my past life, the nastiest drama was always between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law…
I suddenly realize something.
“Could it be… that my mother was raised by my great-grandmother instead of her own mother?”
“Indeed. Your great-grandmother took your mother from your grandmother and raised her herself.”
“...Kikunoi, what the hell are you doing with your lineage?”
This household drama is truly extraordinary. Mother-in-law vs. daughter-in-law feuds shouldn’t affect estate management this much. It’s terrifying.
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