Chapter 79: Calculation of Lodging
The next morning.
As Diana was watering the field, Katarina came from the mountain cabin.
“Good morning. Did you sleep well last night?”
Diana asked, and Katarina smiled.
“Yes. My husband let me have the bed,” Katarina replied with a smile.
Diana nodded. It seemed that if a man was taught to value women, he would generally give up his bed. A single bed would reveal the relationship between two people――
“What about breakfast?”
“Well, I was thinking of milking the cows, getting some eggs, and making pancakes.”
“Oh, that sounds nice.”
“And the air in the mountains is amazing!”
The view below, covered in a slight mist. The morning dew on the flowers at their feet is abundant.
“Recently, the urban areas have been industrialized, and the air is bad, isn’t it? When I breathe this air, it makes me think that evacuation isn’t a bad idea, every day. I don’t want to go back to the city anymore. Ah, I want to move the entire Dreves mansion here.”
Katarina said this sincerely, showing a radiant smile.
“If we’re making pancakes, how about some strawberry jam?”
“Oh, is that okay?”
“It’s three silver coins for a jar.”
“Thank you. I’ll buy it from you.”
Katarina received the jam at the doorstep of Diana’s house and went back to the mountain cabin.
Diana headed towards the cowshed, carrying freshly laid eggs in a basket, lost in thought.
Normal hotels are probably not desired by anyone.
(A rural lifestyle is something that everyone needs.)
Yes, something like that mountain cabin――
“That’s right. Even if it’s called an inn, it shouldn’t need such a big building.”
Muttering to herself, Leon arrived at the cowshed.
“Oh, what’s up, Diana? Another divine revelation?”
“Leon, I want to talk to you because I’ve been thinking about a lot of things.”
“Hmm. Should we go back to the house for now?”
The two of them in their work clothes returned to the newly built house.
Diana drew a borderland map on a white paper.
“This is the slope of the back mountain. Our house is here, and the mountain cabin is here.”
“Yeah, I see.”
“This is… a meadow mixed with stones.”
“Is it the place where the village chief wanted to build a hotel?”
“But if a big inn is built here, it will block the usual path and be a nuisance.”
“Well, that’s true.”
“That’s why I thought about it. The inn should be the size of that mountain cabin.”
“I see.”
“A cabin is easy to manage, and the sun shines evenly on every cabin. Instead of providing meals, we can set up a kitchen inside and have everyone cook for themselves. And in front of each cabin, we can prepare their own vegetable gardens.”
“So, instead of providing rooms to guests, we provide a corner of the borderland to each of them.”
“That’s right. Looking at the previous nobles, those who can do it, can do it. If they want to, everyone can do any household chores.”
“Hmm, I wonder if it will work.”
“That’s why I thought of this. I heard that there are several nobles who are willing to run a hotel here. So, I thought, why not let each of them build a cabin and run it?”
“Hey, hey, will that really work?”
Leon immediately showed a skeptical expression.
“If we let each of them build, there might be inns that won’t work.”
“Yes, that’s true. But that’s why we should distribute the owners. If a big inn fails, the loss will be significant. But if the scale is small, we can start over.”
“Well, I guess that’s one way to look at it.”
“Fortunately, we have this mountain cabin.”
“Are you going to participate with that rundown place?”
“Well, for now, it’s very popular, you know?”
“Once the effect of the jinx wears off, it will quickly lose popularity.”
“But we don’t have to invest anything.”
“Oh, I see… Diana, you really are a born businessperson.”
Leon leaned back on the chair.
“Well, as an idea, it’s not bad. From the village chief’s perspective, as long as we can solve the shortage of inns.”
“That’s right, isn’t it?”
“The problem is how many nobles will agree to that idea.”
Diana looked puzzled.
“Things have trends and fads. The idyllic life will eventually become tiresome. Once the war is over, inns will become unnecessary.”
“That’s why we should distribute the owners and let them manage it. We won’t lose anything. We’ll just make money from the land rent.”
“…You say scary things with a smile, Diana-ojousama.”
“If that’s the case, let’s go talk to Roberto right away. As the village chief, he might have a unique perspective.”
Diana said with a radiant smile. Leon looked puzzled for a moment but couldn’t help but laugh.
“Diana is unbeatable… She has a mysterious persuasiveness.”
As Diana chuckled, they heard a rapid knocking on the door.
“Who is it?”
“I made too many pancakes. If you’d like, would you all like to eat them together?”
On the other side of the door, Katarina stood with a stack of pancake-filled plates, smiling.
“Oh, absolutely!”
They gathered around the round table that had been left outside since yesterday, and Diana and Leon enjoyed the pancakes between Duke Dreves and his wife.
They brewed tea, and an elegant breakfast began in the morning mist.
Carl looked around, seeming tired.
“Hmm… mornings are nice here.”
Leon looked up.
“Mornings?”
“Yes. Nobles don’t get to experience mornings like this very often. They always have predetermined tasks to finish in the morning, and someone else takes care of the preparations.”
“That’s true.”
“It would be nice to have a vacation home in a place like this.”
Diana’s eyes sparkled.
“A vacation home?”
“Yeah. It would be too much to live here every day, but sometimes you just want to stay for two or three days. That kind of place.”
“Duke-sama, what if there were many cabins here, and you could stay whenever you wanted?”
“That sounds good. But I’d like to have the freedom to arrange the rooms. If there were double beds, it would be a bit more comfortable. Honestly, I’d prefer someone else to cook the meals, at least for dinner.”
“Hmm… so, it’s tiring to do both farming and housework from morning till night.”
“That’s right. Just experiencing farming, I honestly want someone else to cook the meals.”
Diana pondered. Even though they all lived in the mountains, they had different needs. From those who wanted to do intensive farming to those who didn’t. There were a wide range of gradual needs in between.
“…In that case, that mountain cabin is for the hardcore.”
“Diana, what exactly do you mean by that?”
“…Right. There should be accommodations with various concepts.”
“Hey, Leon. What’s wrong with your wife?”
“Sigh, please don’t worry about her. Sometimes, she has moments like this when something is descending.”
Diana muttered something under her breath and suddenly looked up.
“That’s it! Once the war is over, we can sell that cabin as a vacation home!”
“Hey, what’s wrong with your wife…”
“I told you not to worry about it… Carl-sama…”
The morning mist in front of them gradually cleared away.
Diana’s eyes overflowed with sparkling light.
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