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Chapter 6
I curled my lips in confidence.
“There’s a lot Lord Rodgo will need to do from now on. Animals have a sharp sense of smell. He’ll need to identify plants that are toxic to the children… and also plant ones they like.”
From what Emma told me, Rodgo was second only to the imperial gardener in skill. He was said to be highly knowledgeable about plants.
Because the Stadion Duchy was considered second only to the imperial family, we had the “honor” of being able to hire someone like him.
You don’t just let talent like that slip away. You just fill their pockets a little more.
“So I’d like the estate gardens to remain under Rodgo’s care as well.”
I also pulled out a new employment contract.
Did he really think one round of compensation would be enough to sway me?
“It’s exactly 1.5 times his current salary.”
Rodgo’s eyes wavered.
Inside his head, the money and his beloved gardens were probably fighting a fierce battle.
“I promise the animals will never enter the rose greenhouse in the rear garden.”
“Huff!”
That last line clearly struck him.
The rose was the symbol of House Stadion. The glass greenhouse contained only the most precious varieties, all of them meticulously cared for by Rodgo.
So mentioning the greenhouse was intentional. Something like: “Can you really abandon those children?”
Rodgo took a deep breath and nodded.
“I look forward to continuing to serve you, Your Grace.”
“Yes, likewise.”
Smiling brightly, I took the newly signed contract.
The Duchy of Stadion would change a great deal from now on. Some would likely quit out of dissatisfaction.
It was fine to remove those without skill, but not the highly skilled ones.
Money is meant to be earned ruthlessly and spent like a noble. There’s no reason to be stingy with top talent.
And this was just the first step.
“Phew…”
I blew on the ink on the contract to dry it, then handed it to Emma.
“Put it safely in the vault.”
“Yes, Your Grace!”
It was a refreshingly good day.
A while later
Gardener Rodgo fought with the laborers—and won.
He allowed them a grace period so the roses they had been uprooting could be relocated to the greenhouse along with the estate servants.
It seemed Rodgo had finally found his place.
Good, good. That’s perfect.
The next complaint came from the head maid. The sudden increase in manpower had pushed the quarterly budget over its limit.
She let out a long sigh.
“Your Grace, this is… frankly unacceptable.”
“Lady Berita.”
I had expected her to come. After Rodgo’s visit, Emma had been moving around the estate like a meerkat, reporting every detail.
Food expenses had increased, and with more staff, complaints from kitchen maids and laundry workers had also risen.
But I couldn’t personally handle every complaint. I was the master of this house. If servants had grievances, it wasn’t something they could simply bring directly to me—that would be unthinkable.
It was the same as in a company. Employee complaints were handled by team leaders, not the CEO.
Emma said Lady Berita’s wrinkles had probably increased by at least ten.
She was a veteran who had served the Stadion household for thirty years. So she must have believed she could resolve this on her own again.
But there are limits.
“I’ve always believed it was my duty to follow and support Your Grace’s decisions. And I have done so.”
“I know your efforts.”
“But now…”
“I was aware of the situation in the estate. However, I thought it wasn’t my place to interfere in matters that belonged to Lady Berita.”
“Your words are correct. However, this has now gone beyond what I can handle.”
“I understand. That’s why I’ve prepared something for you.”
This time, there were multiple envelopes.
Lady Berita’s eyes widened.
“These are for the kitchen maids. And these are for the laundry staff… Please use them as needed to resolve this situation.”
“Your Grace, that’s not what I meant to ask—!”
“I know. Next quarter’s budget will increase. Until then, could you manage with this? You are an indispensable talent to Stadion.”
Emma had told me that Lady Berita was more sensitive to sincerity than money. She truly loved the Stadion estate.
So a few emotional words would be enough…
“Could you continue working for me—no, for Stadion? For the sake of my parents as well?”
“Your Grace… I had no idea you thought so highly of me. I always thought you looked down on me, calling me an old woman.”
What an awful brat. Agasha, do you even respect your elders?
“That was… I was young. I must have been going through a phase.”
At that level, it wasn’t a phase—it was a full-blown disaster.
I’ve been reborn, Lady Berita. Will you accept me like this?
I looked at her sincerely. Perhaps it worked.
Fortunately, Lady Berita accepted my apology.
“It’s understandable…! If that’s truly how Your Grace felt, then I am satisfied.”
She seemed to swallow something unspoken. Likely thoughts about Agasha’s parents, who had shown little interest in her.
Tears welled in her eyes. After offering more comforting words, she stood.
“I will continue my best, Your Grace!”
“Oh—yes, thank you.”
I awkwardly raised my hand and waved.
“Well done.”
Emma whispered, giving me a double thumbs-up.
Heh. One hurdle down at a time.
Lady Berita used the money appropriately, and the staff complaints decreased.
A win-win situation.
Sometime later
After many twists and turns, my dream finally came true.
Beside the renovated main gate stood a new plaque:
<Stadion Animal Protection Center>
The reason abandoned animals filled this world was the “Vanished God.”
God Maelis—the supreme deity of this world and protector of sacred beasts.
In the beginning, when Maelis created the world, all animals possessed divine abilities and could speak human language. They were not animals, but divine beasts.
Humans could control them only if they bore the divine mark of Maelis somewhere on their body. And once it appeared, it could never be erased, passing down through generations.
Those with the mark became nobles, and people prayed desperately to be born with it.
Please, Lord Maelis. Grant our family the mark.
Even those without marks cherished divine beasts as treasures and kept them close.
But everything changed overnight.
After Maelis disappeared, the divine beasts lost their speech and powers. About a hundred years later, even those who once held hope grew tired—and began abandoning them.
Even in the novel, this problem is never resolved. Even after the heroine awakens as a saint, the god does not return. Instead, the story mentions abandoned beasts dying or attacking humans.
They had lost their wild instincts after living with humans—so perhaps it couldn’t be helped.
So I built a shelter for abandoned divine beasts.
I decided to use my overflowing wealth for something good—something I never could have done in my past life.
I intended to live like this forever.
Quietly.
Alone.
With my babies.
Without the protagonists.
Final goal achieved!
That was the dream: living a simple life far away from the main characters.
“Fufufu… Emma, what do you think?”
“It’s wonderful, Your Grace! Mary and Ttori seem to love it too!”
A third of the garden had been cleared and replaced with grass. A playground for animals who loved running—especially a gift for Mary, who had always stayed by my side.
Fortunately, Mary and Ttori were now freely running around.
“Bark bark!”
They sounded happy just from their voices.
“Alright, now we just need to bring in more babies.”
So this is goodbye to the protagonists?
While they were busy saving the empire and humanity, I would take care of abandoned divine beasts who had lost their powers.
That was fine. We each had our roles.
The plot of “Don’t Obsess Over the Saint Lucia” was basically a war against monsters: the crown prince and the saint falling in love while saving the empire.
So while the protagonists saved the Brulse Empire and humanity, I would save the abandoned divine beasts.
We just do our own jobs. Perfect, isn’t it?
I thought my plan had succeeded to some extent.
If I didn’t approach them, I would never get entangled with the male lead.
It had to stay that way.
