Chapter 53: The Northern Duke's Heir's Concern

By the time the birthday party was over, I was completely exhausted. It is a difficult task for me to continue making social formalities—avoiding making commitments to the aggressive noble girls, yet being careful not to hurt their feelings. It’s amazing how Brother and Lord Lucas maintain their composure despite doing the same thing.

As I was standing there looking like a fish out of water, Brother patted me on the shoulder.

“You must be tired, Will. Was it emotionally draining?”

“Yes, Brother.”

“It can’t be helped that girls approach you; Will has lost weight and become good-looking, and you are a promising figure who is in the Royal Family‘s good graces.”

“Do you think so?”

“Those girls are also trying hard because their parents told them to, so we shouldn’t show dislike.”

“I understand that. That’s why I tried to be careful not to hurt their feelings.”

Nobles are troublesome.

“But the children from the West are straightforward, so they are easier to deal with. The children from Winchester are hard to handle.”

“I will stay in the West forever!”

“Ahaha.”

As I was talking to Brother, Lord Lucas approached.

“Are you not fond of parties, William-kun?”

“Yes, I am not fond of them.”

“Hehe, you are frank.”

Lord Lucas gave a wry smile, then adopted a serious expression.

“Eddie-senpai, may I have a word with William-kun after this?”

“Ah, that’s right. Will, do you have time after this?”

Eh, me?

“I do have time.”

“Then could you listen to what Luke has to say? Luke came to our house for that very reason.”

You didn’t come to deepen your friendship with Brother?

Together with Lord Luke and Brother, I entered Brother‘s room for the first time in a while. The room was well-organized, just like my serious Brother.

“William-kun, I apologize for taking up your time.”

“Not at all. Thank you for attending my birthday party today.”

Maintaining a good relationship with the heir of the Northern Duke House is significant—more than just a little—for the Fairchild House.

“Then I will get straight to the point. The drought-resistant Wheat you developed is highly anticipated throughout the Kingdom.”

“I hope the expectations aren’t too high.”

“No, you already have a proven track record of a bumper harvest in the Fairchild Margraviate and the neighboring Cardiff Earldom. I am sure the results will appear in other regions as well. Except for the North.”

Except for the North?

“In the North, the cold has become severe in addition to the drought over the past few years. Is your new Wheat also resistant to the cold? I would be delighted if it is.”

I see. I had heard that the winters in the Northern Duke Territory are harsh, but it seems to have become even colder.

“No. The Wheat I developed is resistant to drought, but it does not have cold-resistant properties.”

“Is that so? Then this year’s harvest might be difficult as well.”

Lord Lucas‘s handsome face clouded over. However, I anticipated this situation.

“I have also developed a food item resistant to the cold.”

“Eh, is that true?”

“Yes, it is a Tuber called Pomte. It is resistant to both drought and cold, and it grows even in barren land.”

There are also Sweet Potatoes as Famine Relief Crops, but Sweet Potatoes do not grow well in cold places. That’s why I developed Pomte, which resembles a Potato.

“Oh, that is wonderful!”

“Another good thing is that it can be harvested in about 100 days.”

Brother and I guided Lord Lucas, who immediately wanted to see the Pomte, to the Workshop. It was Brother‘s first time seeing the new Workshop too.

“Oh, what an interesting-looking building.”

“The buildings Will creates are always novel.”

Both of them were surprised by the layered Shell-like form.

I guided the Duke‘s heir and Brother to the Reception Room. The staff at the Reception prepared Black Tea. They handled the heir of a Great Noble calmly. As expected of staff sourced from the Levant Trading Company.

“The staff response is excellent, even though the Workshop was just completed.”

The Duke‘s heir complimented us.

I showed them the Pomte I had stored.

“This is Pomte.”

“This?”

Lord Lucas looked skeptical.

“No, I don’t doubt your words, William-kun, but does this earthy-looking root have nutrition?”

I see. Since they are not used to eating it, the appearance feels strange to them.

“It has nutrition. I will serve you a dish using Pomte.”

Although Oliver was absent, the staff brought over from the Alex Trading Company skillfully prepared boiled Potatoes with Butter.

“Please help yourselves.”

“U-um.”

Lord Lucas and Brother put the Potatoes into their mouths with a look of determination.

“Oh, it’s delicious despite its poor appearance,”

Thank you for your candid opinion, Brother.

“Yes, this looks like it will be quite filling. I can see that it has nutrition.”

Lord Lucas seemed to understand.

Since Pomte was planted in March, it can be harvested around June. After consulting Father, it was decided that we would share the Seed Tubers with the Northern Sheffield Duke House. However, the people in their territory might hesitate to eat it since it is unfamiliar. I hope we can figure out something.