Blackening the Affectionate Male Lead (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 77

After hearing the whole story, Whitney let out a hollow laugh. The territory was so parched that many of the lands had emptied as villagers migrated elsewhere.

‘My head hurts.’

There was no way to tell how the funds had been spent. Most likely, they had resorted to loan sharks or acquired money through illicit means. That even the one decent estate had fallen into such ruin meant they were fortunate just to have held on this long.

‘When I go back, I’ll be overwhelmed with repaying debts.’

First, he had to track down everyone connected to the ducal house and sort out all creditor relationships. The borrowed money would return in two days, so he could purchase the necessary supplies for the territory.

“Are you the steward?”

“Yes, I am Lionel, steward of Dietos Keep.”

“In two days, the payment will arrive. Build a retaining barrier connecting the village at the foot of the mountain behind us. Pack the current soil—which doesn’t absorb water—into sacks and stack them up. Gather the people remaining in the territory to work together on this. Tell them not to worry—I’ll pay them wages.”

“Understood. With so many hungry people, there will be little resistance.”

“I’ll send mercenaries to assist; it’ll make the work easier. The rainy season will soon arrive—if we don’t act now, we may lose the chance altogether. We must prevent that, shouldn’t we?”

His plan was to use the non-absorbent soil as a temporary embankment, then once the payment arrived, layer absorbent soil over the territory’s fields. It would take considerable time for the land to stabilize, but even that alone would suffice for growing crops.

Though the region received heavy rain, sunlight was plentiful on clear days.

“For now, I’d like you to use this money to buy what the territory needs.”

“This amount is more than enough!”

Steward Lionel’s face brightened. His eyes widened at the sight of three gold ingots. Whitney assured him things would normalize soon and promised to appoint and send another steward to the territory. As soon as the rain stopped, he intended to assess the severity of the situation.

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