Reborn as a Mind-Reading Empress
Chapter 155: A Visit to the Count

Chapter 155: A Visit to the Count

Resolving the problems in Safiro took several days longer than in Prudencia. It was so much faster than Arabella formerly thought though.

Still, her preparation time for the division of work between her assistants was lessened due to it so she was behind her schedule. She would have to work at night as well to sort out the work for her assistants.

However, it was all worth it since both Prudencia and Safiro were finally out of dire straits. As long as they were managed properly, the two territories would recover over time.

Arabella had been busy in Safiro the whole week but she still had a lot to do.

The day after the execution in Arno, Arabella visited Cordelia with Ferdinand to thank the Count for taking in people from Safiro and for helping out with cooked meals.

It was also a chance to tour around the Countdom since Arabella didn’t get to look around the last time she visited with Raymond.

Ivan was also there waiting for them. After his work was done in Arno, Ivan was teleported to Cordelia to reunite with his family as a reward for his hard work.

After all, Duke Arno even borrowed him for a few days to ensure that all the goods sent to Safiro were of satisfactory quality to Arabella or to the Imperial Palace’s standard.

Since he was already punished by Ferdinand, Duke Arno didn’t want to get punished by Arabella as well.

Thus, the Duke was trying to curry Arabella’s favor by treating Ivan well and trying to show that he was very much willing to help Safiro recover.

Duke Arno didn’t know Ivan just began working for her recently so he didn’t know much about Arabella yet.

Ivan was witty though and didn’t mention he was new so the Duke and his people would keep giving him the best treatment.

Ivan gave recommendations based on what he saw in the Imperial Palace, from what he observed as he lived in Riva, and from his knowledge and experience as a farmer’s son from Cordelia.

All the goods arriving in Safiro from Arno Dukedom ended up being of the best quality even after it was transported. They gave special care to the packaging and transporting of the goods so they wouldn’t be damaged.

Ivan’s background and experience from Cordelia was helpful.

Once the food supplies from the Imperial Palace runs out, while Safiro was in the process of recovery and was still beginning to farm again, Cordelia would supply them with fresh produce. With a fee, of course, but was negotiated at a lower price.

Safiro had some budget due to Dempsey’s assets and the earnings from the magic ores. There was also the budget that Ferdinand had allocated for them. Thus, they could afford to purchase food and other necessities from the nearby territories.

Fruits would not be a problem since Esmeralda had made the trees in Mt. Esme bear fruit. And since Mt. Esme had become a lush forest again, animals from neighboring areas that migrated during the forest fire years ago would probably return in a few months. They wouldn’t have problems with meat supply either.

Safiro’s main concerns were grains and vegetables once the supplies from the Imperial Palace run out. Cordelia and Arno were willing to give for free since Safiro literally had nothing at the moment but it cannot continue for long.

They would have to begin buying them. Thankfully, Cordelia and Arno had volunteered to trade with them at a lower price.

But of course, since the Safirans were still wary of Arno due to Count Dempsey’s actions, they chose to purchase from Cordelia for most of their needs. After all, Cordelia took in and protected Safirans.

Roaming around Cordelia, Arabella fell in love with the peace and harmony it had. The people were getting along well and working with happy expressions on their faces. They seemed to be the type to share their happiness with others. No wonder they helped the Safirans.

Arabella smiled at the sight of children playing and freely running about. This was how a territory should be.

It was a very refreshing sight especially after seeing Prudencia and Safiro.

Arabella was glad and relieved since she could now think that other territories in Valeria could be as nice as Cordelia too, not riddled with suffering the way Prudencia and Safiro were.

"It’s so relaxing here," Arabella commented after a tour around Cordelia guided by Ivan and the Count.

"We are deeply honored, Your Majesty," Count Cordelia and Ivan both responded politely.

The air in Cordelia was fresh and sweet due to the lush greenery. The fields were filled with crops that were still to be harvested as well.

The streets were not crowded either since the people were busy with their farms. The market and shops were apparently only packed with people on market days when people gather to restock which were on weekends.

Riva on the other hand was always filled with people no matter the day since the difference in population when compared to Cordelia, was too great.

Cordelia was once an independent territory near Valeria. It had a population of just several thousand and the Cordelia Household, the family with the widest land, ruled it.

Due to necessity, Emil Cordelia, the lord of Cordelia became a Count in Valeria with Cordelia as his Countdom.

Cordelia had a small population but had wide lands good for agriculture. It also had rich water sources such as streams, rivers, and springs. Thus, the territory could provide for its own food supply and even sell its produce to nearby territories.

However, when the nearby territories grew stronger and threatened their safety, Emil knew that they could not win a war when their knights were much less compared to the others.

Thus, since Valeria kept widening its borders, Emil knew that someday, Cordelia would be swallowed up by the Empire too.

Emil decided to make it sooner by voluntarily joining the Empire. In exchange for tribute which would come from a percentage of the taxes, Cordelia became under Valeria’s protection.

In Valeria, conquered territories held less power compared to those who voluntarily joined the Empire.

After all, there was a difference between an ally and a defeated foe who was subdued by strength to be part of the Empire.

Thus, in terms of importance, Cordelia actually held more sway compared to Arno or Prudencia even though it was much smaller.

One of the reasons Ferdinand conquered Arno was because it was one of the territories that once wanted to get Cordelia for themselves due to its prowess in agriculture.

Ferdinand also conquered the other territories that showed interest in Cordelia and made them part of the Empire.

This made Emil hated by the leaders of his neighbors but they knew Emil had no choice because he was surrounded by enemies, he could not defeat on his own. He thus asked a greater power for help by voluntarily joining the Empire.

Arabella was rather impressed since Emil’s decision was wise. He made use of the Empire to protect his people from getting robbed of their lands.

With no threats from the nearby territories to bother them, Cordelia was then able to keep focusing on their agriculture and became an important source of grains and other produce for Valeria’s territories that had lesser harvests.

Cordelia was a good example for Safiro to follow. With Esmeralda healed, the fertile lands of Safiro would be back soon too. The Safirans should maximize it and focus on their agriculture as well.

"Are you tired?" Ferdinand’s voice brought Arabella back to the present.

"Ah, no. Alwin teleported us everywhere anyway so I didn’t really walk much. I was just lost in thought," Arabella smiled to reassure her husband. He still looked worried though. He wanted to carry her but she refused.

Count Cordelia then offered tea in his garden for some break.

"What are you doing? You sit down too. You are not a knight, are you?" Arabella smiled at Ivan.

"But I’m Your Majesty’s assistant," Ivan didn’t want to sit with them.

"It’s fine. You should get used to this. We would be working together in my office anyway," Arabella encouraged.

Ivan nervously glanced at Ferdinand and Arabella realized one more reason.

It was her husband. He nodded in approval though when she glanced at him so Ivan had no choice but to sit with them. He ended up becoming the topic though as Count Cordelia reminisced.

Arabella learned that Count Cordelia offered to adopt Ivan as one of his sons when he was young due to how promising he was.

The Count wanted Ivan to be able to get proper education and etiquette since he was so bright and a fast learner. He was also different from the commoners in their Countdom who preferred to remain in their territory.

Ivan was different even as a child, he wanted to leave Cordelia to widen his horizons. He kept hungering for more knowledge and new experiences.

After Ivan read all the books in the library in their territory, Count Cordelia gave him the privilege to read his personal collections in the mansion.

He offered to adopt Ivan to be able to take the Civil Service Exam as a noble since they also knew that there was still a bias. Coming from a noble house would at least help Ivan be free of the prejudice that the commoners were an uneducated lot.

Ivan refused to be adopted though.