Chapter 84 – Back to Work

“Whew…”

Tiana straightened her bowed head and put the documents down. Having been in the same position for a long time, she took a breather while stretching her sore shoulders.

“I’ve figured out the information on the budget and the servants to some extent.”

The budget details drawn up so far were simpler and less than expected, considering the details were written by the grand duchy. There hadn’t been a duchess, and Lucius was not a person who spent his money in vain, so it had to be this simple. Unexpectedly it was the servants’ data that took the most time. It took a long time to look through only the information on the main servants because the amount of data was enormous; as much as three times the number at the duke’s mansion. Tiana decided to learn the information of senior servants first and take the rest slowly.

“So, these were their tasks for the time being.”

There were lists of a few large vaults that Warren had given her and of the remaining internal budget. Aside from the fact that a minimum of it went to where it was really needed, most of the budget was surplus. Since there had been no duchess, there had been no place to use the measured internal budget, so all but the renovation cost of the mansion and the pay to the servants remained, and Warren had kept them well stored.

Tiana asked him why he hadn’t returned the money to Lucius, but Warren said that he wouldn’t take it because it was already part of the budget.

“I suggested that he save it for a rainy day. He refused, and now I think I know why.”

She remembered Warren’s bright expression from when he had said that. So, Lucius was thinking about this day in advance; the day she’d be managing the budget.

“But there is still so much.”

Usually, the size of the budget was determined by the head of the family, and the larger the size, the more indicative it was of the affection for the duchess. Of course, family circumstances were all different, so giving less did not mean that the couple had less affection, but the authority of the duchess was usually determined by the size of the internal budget.

Tiana was grateful to Lucius for setting such a large amount so that she didn’t have to think of it as a headache, but the problem was just that; it was a large amount.

“He has all of this land from battles, it seems like a lot of taxes…”

Large and small conflicts on the empire’s borders were almost always settled by Lucius, and each time some land was absorbed by the grand duchy. Such land alone was more than a third the size of the empire, so just the taxes coming from there would be enormous. He didn’t charge too much taxes, but with just the right amount of taxes…

“…the nearby kingdoms just might survive.”

Tiana hadn’t expected to be buried in money here. In the past, things that she had dreamed of had come true, but beyond happiness, she was at a loss for how to solve this problem with such an excessive amount.

“First, I’ll deduct my social activities expenses. The garden is well-maintained already, so there’s nothing to fix there, right?”

She didn’t have to lay a hand on it because the skillful gardeners were managing it just fine. That meant she didn’t have to deduct an extra budget.

How in the world was she supposed to use such a huge budget?

Though she pondered on it for quite a while, she couldn’t think of a good way. Eventually she gave up on making a decision right now. Warren came in as soon as she took a breather and was about to stand up.

“Lady Tiana, Prince Lennox is here to see you.”

“Lennox?”

“Yes. He is waiting in the living room. Should I bring him here?”

“No. I will go meet him.”

At the news of his surprise visit, Tiana hurriedly left her office and went to the living room. As it would be her first time seeing him since the wedding, she was glad to see him again.

“Lenno!”

“Tiana.”

Lennox, sitting down on the sofa, stood straight up as his sister’s voice filled the room. Tiana ran to see him after a long time and held his hand with a big smile.

“Sorry for my sudden visit. I hope I haven’t disturbed you.”

“No, not at all. I was just about to take a break anyway. Did something happen? Shouldn’t you be at the Ministry at this hour?”

Lennox, who was taking time off from his studies, spent his time at the Ministry of Magic while staying in the capital. It wasn’t break time yet, so him being here like this was rather odd.

“I heard about what happened to you, so I wanted to come and see you right away. Normally, Father stops me whenever I want to see you, but today he let me. Sorry for not contacting you ahead of time.”

“It’s okay. Thank you for coming. You must have been worried too, why would Father do that? He came to visit me the day after I got back.”

“Of all times, I was taking a test that day. Which is why he didn’t even tell me and came by himself, telling me to visit you later on.”

“He did?”

After she and Lucius had returned to the mansion, Edwin had sent an urgent message to the liaison early the next morning, and shortly afterward, he had visited. She had wondered why he’d come alone, and he’d seemed very worried considering his urgent visit.

How dare he come alone without his son…

Maybe he didn’t want to show himself disheveled in front of Lennox. He would have definitely been embarrassed. Edwin had been worried, but Lennox was cute when he grumbled. As Tiana couldn’t continue to stand while talking, she sat him down and sat down across from him.

“Tiana, are you alright? You look like you’re fine though, but tell me the truth, are you really okay?”

“I’m certainly fine, I really am. Of course, I was a bit shocked during the accident, but I felt relieved after we gave the children a proper burial. I will never forget them, but it is now time for me to do something important, something for the kids who survived. So that kind of thing never happens to them again.”

Lennox, who sat there taking in every single one of her words, spoke at the end. “Then how about discussing it with Lord Lucius?”

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