Exiled Young Girl’s Territory Development Record: The Result of the Villainous Young Lady Who Was Exiled Before the Scenario Began and Did Whatever She Wanted for the People.

After the greetings were exchanged, Lord Keith withdrew, and two men emerged from the carriage in the middle of the group. One was Lord Edward, and the other was a young blonde man, around twenty years old. He had a handsome face, tanned skin, and an air of sharpness, making him quite a striking figure, to put it bluntly.

The two men mounted the horses prepared for them and rode through the line of people until they reached me.

“Baroness.”

“Lord Edward, it’s been a while.”

“It has indeed. I would have liked to visit sooner, but…”

“No need to worry. Things have been a bit unstable for a while.”

Lord Edward and I exchanged pleasantries with smiles.

“By the way, Lord Edward, who is this gentleman?”

“Yes, this is Alfred Godwin, the eldest son of the Duke of Bicester and the future Duke himself. His current title is Knight.”

“Oh my! So, you are the one who will become the next Duke of Bicester. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Olivia Ainsley, the Baroness governing Scarletford.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Baroness. My name is Alfred Godwin.”

“It feels too grand to be called ‘Baroness’ by someone who will become a Duke. Please, call me by my name.”

“I appreciate your kindness. Then, if I may, Lady Olivia.”

“Yes.”

“However, Lady Olivia, while I may be the future Duke, right now I am merely a Knight. Please feel free to address me by my name as well.”

“Understood, Lord Alfred.”

With a smile, I extended my right hand. Lord Alfred, still smiling, took my hand and made a gesture as if to kiss the back of it.

And with that, the tiresome formalities were over.

Let me explain briefly: Lord Alfred is currently just a Knight, meaning he ranks lower than I do as a Baroness. However, it’s already been publicly announced that Lord Alfred is the heir to the Duke of Bicester, so his rank will undoubtedly rise in the future. That means a Duke, who ranks highest, calling a Baroness, who ranks lowest, “Baroness” could become a scandal.

Thus, by allowing him to call me by my name, something only close friends are permitted to do, we maintain the relationship of Knight and Lady, avoiding any scandal.

Wait, you don’t understand why that would be a scandal?

Don’t worry, I don’t get it either.

Anyway, I walked alongside Lord Alfred through the village’s fields, heading toward the central square. There, led by Marie, the village women were waiting in maid outfits.

“We’ve arrived. This is Scarletford’s central square, and over there is the stage for tomorrow’s Thanksgiving festival.”

I pointed to the makeshift stage, which was almost fully set up.

“I see. So, Scarletford builds a stage every year.”

“Yes. There’s plenty of wood around here. You must have seen quite a lot on the way here, right?”

Lord Alfred gave a somewhat complicated smile.

“And that over there is my house. As you can see, it’s not a very large one.”

“Yes, I was informed beforehand. Only two guards besides your family, correct?”

“Yes.”

By the way, the visiting delegation this time consists of about 300 people: around 10 diplomats, over a hundred knights and their attendants, about 10 merchants, and the rest are servants.

Some of them will stay in vacant houses, while the rest will camp in areas cleared for redevelopment.

“Allow me to show you around.”

With that, I began guiding Lord Alfred and the others to my home.

Afterward, Lord Alfred introduced me to his incredibly beautiful wife. I also got to meet Lord Edward’s wife, Gloria, and was delighted to reunite with Muriel.

Soon after, the main event of the day, a meeting with both of them, began. For balance, I had Marie accompany me.

“Thank you for inviting us today, Lady Olivia.”

“I’m pleased to have you both here as well, Lord Alfred, Lord Edward.”

With a friendly atmosphere, the meeting began. But then Lord Alfred’s expression suddenly changed from the amicable smile earlier to a serious one.

Wow… such intensity. It’s like he’s assessing me or something.

“Now, let’s get straight to the point. Lady Olivia, how is the exploration of the gold mine going?”

…So, they found out.

I had thought it was strange that the future Duke of Bicester would suddenly visit this remote village near the cursed forest without any prior connection, just before the festival.

At first, I thought they were here to secure a direct descendant as a way to counter Marquis Southberry, but they’ve come to claim the rights to the gold mine.

But that gold is for Scarletford. I won’t hand it over easily.

“Oh? Whatever do you mean?”

I kept smiling, hiding my inner thoughts.

“Haha, but Lady Olivia, Earl Lazlo and Duke Bicester are already aware of the situation. Even the royal palace has caught wind of it to some extent, so it’s only a matter of time. If things continue like this, it’s possible Marquis Southberry might also intervene.”

Intervene? Oh, so that’s why they tried to take me back to that prison they call my family home.

“…Why?”

“It’s simple. By looking at the supplies Chapman & Co. has acquired, it’s clear what’s happening in Scarletford. The increased purchases of saltpeter and alum, and the sudden bulk buying of lead – these can only mean one thing: you’re extracting gold and silver using the cupellation process.”

“…”

“That’s why we weren’t surprised to see such impressive town walls and a moat, even though it was our first time visiting this pioneer village in the cursed forest. We knew you were buying quicklime in large quantities and had a tireless labor force called ‘Gobsuke’ at your disposal.”

So, they figured everything out. I guess there’s no point in playing dumb anymore. I had planned to wait a little longer, but…

“Yes, that’s correct. To put it simply, things are going smoothly. There are no problems at all.”

“Oh? And by that you mean?”

“As I said, everything is going smoothly. There isn’t a single issue.”

“….”

Lord Alfred stared intently into my eyes.

But I won’t back down. I am the lord of Scarletford.

I met Lord Alfred’s gaze and firmly declared,

“I intend to sell Scarletford’s gold far and wide.”