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.

“Widely, you say?”

Lord Alfred stared at me without changing his expression, his eyes fixed on mine.

“Yes, that’s right. I would like to handle raw materials through our Chapman Company and have many people buy them,” I said.

“…”

Lord Alfred’s eyes narrowed slightly. Even though he was just looking at me, the pressure was so intense that I wanted to flee.

But!

“Therefore…”

I paused and locked eyes with Lord Alfred.

I won’t lose!

“After the reorganization of the Scarletford district is complete, I plan to start working on improving the roads,” I said.

At that moment, Lord Alfred’s eyebrow twitched slightly.

“The roads?”

“Yes. Right now, the Scarletford road ends here, correct? But what if people could travel between Bitterley and the capital through the Scarletford road?”

“…”

Lord Alfred’s expression seemed to become slightly more stern, and the pressure increased…

Ugh…

I couldn’t help but shift my gaze toward Lord Edward. Seeing this, Lord Edward spoke.

“Connecting Scarletford to the capital, you say? That’s quite difficult, isn’t it?”

Phew. Thank goodness. Lord Edward is much easier to talk to.

“Oh my, didn’t you think it was impossible to have a road from Bitterley to Scarletford?” I teased.

“…Yes, that’s true,” he replied.

“In that case, there’s no reason why it can’t be done with other towns, is there? And furthermore…”

“And furthermore?”

“If we build a road and divide the forest of monsters, we can reduce the threat of monsters. Wouldn’t that benefit not only Scarletford but the entire kingdom?”

I smiled and shifted my gaze back to Lord Alfred. But Lord Alfred, without changing his expression or pressure, kept looking straight at me.

Then, suddenly, his expression softened.

“You are absolutely right. I had heard you were mature, but I did not expect this much. Please allow us to assist with this plan. For us, too, it would be a great relief to have a trade route that bypasses the Marquisate of Southberry, the estate of your family.”

The pressure from before was gone, and Lord Alfred’s expression turned gentle.

“Oh my, is it alright to say that in front of me?” I asked, testing his resolve.

“Yes, there’s no problem. I don’t think you would side with a father who abused you and tried to kill you by casting you out,” he replied.

“Oh? And how did you know that?” I asked, surprised.

“Hahaha. Didn’t you share quite a bit with Lady Muriel? By going out of your way to tell her those things, you must have wanted that story to spread in noble society, no?”

Ah… I hadn’t thought about that at all. But, considering I talked about being neglected when I first met Muriel, of course, it would spread in an entertaining way.

“What’s the situation now?” I asked, a little nervously.

“Would you like to know?”

“Yes.”

“Right now in the capital, there are rumors that the Marquis of Southberry is possessed by demons and has assaulted his own young daughter,” he revealed.

“Huh?”

“Moreover, to cover up his crimes, he threw you into the Forest of Monsters. Now that he knows you’re alive, he’s mobilizing the knights to assassinate you,” he added.

That… has turned into a wild rumor.

“They also say that you, Lady Olivia, have gathered an army of ten thousand and are preparing to attack Southberry in retaliation.”

“That’s… absolutely impossible,” I replied, baffled.

“Of course, it’s just a rumor,” Lord Alfred said with a smile.

There’s no way I could gather an army of ten thousand people without anyone noticing… Oh! Could they have exaggerated the story about the skeleton army?

“Setting that aside, where do you plan to extend the Scarletford road?”

“I haven’t decided yet,” I replied honestly.

“In that case, how about the Viscounty of Riserchester?” he suggested.

The Viscounty of Riserchester… If I remember correctly, it borders the Forest of Monsters in the northwest of the kingdom.

I know this because the Viscounty of Riserchester appeared in *Magic Ikemen* (a game), as it was the hometown of one of the capture targets… Wait, what was his name again?

It’s been over nine years, so my memory is fuzzy. I think he was a handsome, green-haired knight of the wind, or something like that?

His episode involved fighting the Forest of Monsters, reclaiming the territory from the Goblin King. His father had built a pioneering village in the forest, but they went too deep, provoking the Goblin King, leading to a goblin invasion. The heroine and other capture targets teamed up to fight back.

But, honestly, I have no intention of fighting a Goblin King. It sounds like a hassle, and I’d rather they handle it on their own.

“Why do you suggest that place?” I asked.

“Viscount Riser Chester is passionate about fighting the Forest of Monsters. I thought you two might get along,” he explained.

“Oh, I see. But I’d prefer a closer location. Isn’t Riser Chester too far north? Extending the road too far will make it hard to maintain,” I pointed out.

“Ah, I see. That makes sense,” Lord Alfred said, withdrawing his proposal.

“By the way, Lady Olivia, have you already chosen a partner?”

“Huh? A partner?” I asked, confused.

“Oh, my apologies. Since tonight is the Thanksgiving Festival, I thought there might be some events related to that,” he clarified.

Events? Oh! Could he mean something like a ball?

“Scarletford is still a small pioneering village. We don’t have events like that. The villagers will probably just drink and dance,” I explained.

“Ah, I see. Thank you for clarifying,” he said, smiling.

“Of course,” I replied.

“One more thing, if I may be so bold?” he asked.

“What is it?”

“I noticed that the manor is filled with ‘Gobuskes’ (goblins). Are there no other noble-born servants besides your nanny?”

Ugh… Since I haven’t hired proper servants, it’s true that I’m at fault here.

Ouch, he hit a sore spot.

“Yes, that’s true,” I admitted.

“I see. But Lady Olivia, while ‘Gobuskes’ are fine, as a noble, it’s important to have proper servants and knights. At your age, you should have a tutor, and eventually, an escort knight. As your territory grows, you’ll also need a state manager. How about I help you find some?” he offered.

As a noble, Lord Alfred’s suggestion was perfectly reasonable. Marie had taught me about these things too.

However, accepting his offer would mean falling under the protection of Duke Bicester, and I would be indebted to him for the foreseeable future.

And, most importantly, there was no guarantee that Duke Bicester was a good person.

Given that I had both the skeletons and the gold mine, I wanted to keep my independence for as long as possible.

“No, thank you. Scarletford is still too small for me to indulge in such luxuries. Besides, I intend to take my time finding people I can personally trust,” I said firmly.

“Is that so? Very well, I won’t insist,” Lord Alfred replied with a nod.

“Thank you for your understanding,” I said politely.

“Not at all. Now then…”

And so, our negotiations continued on various topics.