The Executed Saint Reincarnates as a Princess and is Loved by Her Older Brothers - Episode 26

“Lord Rochelle, you’re amazing.”

Angela was so engrossed in reading the materials that she forgot to breathe.

There are not many descriptions about the nameless duke sealed in the outskirts of the kingdom.

However, I couldn’t help but be impressed by the concise yet straightforward portrayal of Duke Rochelle.

The second prince, who was entrusted with the vacant Duchy of Rochelle, reportedly could not bear to see the barren wasteland and the exhausted subjects, so he significantly reduced the taxes that had been imposed until then.

Furthermore, he personally led his private soldiers to drive out the band of marauders who were ravaging the surrounding area. He wiped out the entire organization in one fell swoop, leading to its complete destruction.

Thanks to being finally freed from heavy taxes and no longer having to fear the raids of bandits, the vassals seem to have been able to focus earnestly on reclaiming the land.

Tax cuts… wonderful, but how are they going to make up for that? Did the second prince really have that much personal wealth?

The details of the alternative funding sources chosen by Duke Rochelle have not been disclosed.

However, far from collapsing, the finances within the territory have been improving year by year. It doesn’t seem to be a pathetic story of blindly lowering taxes, only for the burden to end up falling on the residents.

The Duke of Rochelle’s achievements are not limited to that. Apparently, soon after taking office, he encouraged the planting of potatoes instead of wheat.

Angela squinted involuntarily.

“Potatoes, how nostalgic. We used to eat them a lot when we were at the orphanage.”

It is said that the name “potato” comes from its resemblance to the shape of a bell that is hung around a horse’s neck.

It is considered a lowly ingredient, generally unpopular, and especially not looked upon favorably by the nobility.

However, among the common people, especially those in the cold northern regions, it was sometimes eaten as a substitute for bread.

The orphanage where Juliet grew up often lacked wheat for baking bread, and instead, they endured hunger with potatoes.

One of the reasons why potatoes were despised is that they were believed to be poisonous for a long time…

In fact, potatoes that have turned green due to excessive exposure to sunlight contain toxins.

It is likely that it came to be widely believed to be poisonous because someone who happened to eat it got food poisoning.

Come to think of it, the boy Riru we met at the temple also said he thought potatoes were poisonous.

“Jill, really? Can you eat potatoes?”

“It’s okay, Lil. The only parts that are poisonous are the buds and the fruit that has turned green.”

Potatoes that have turned green should be avoided, but if they have only sprouted, they can be eaten after removing the sprouts.

Juliet explained this to Lil and demonstrated by peeling the skin and removing the bud herself with a knife.

“See? This is fine. It’s a very excellent ingredient that can even grow in cold regions like the one I lived in.”

When the peeled potato was placed in Lil’s hand, Lil stared at the palm of her hand in astonishment.

I vividly remember his expression back then as if it were yesterday.

Putting aside those small memories with Riru.

The potatoes, which were recommended by Duke Rochelle and widely cultivated with the provision of seed potatoes, seem to have firmly taken root even in the cold climate.

Potatoes can be harvested even in years when wheat crops fail, and in some fields, they can be grown twice a year. They also have a long shelf life, making them suitable for storage in preparation for winter.

It seems that the lord himself promoted it, and now it is widely circulated as a staple food within the territory.

It seems that last winter, there were finally no deaths from starvation, and the voices supporting Duke Rochelle are growing louder among the vassals.

It’s not the skill of a child at all. After all, Duke Rochelle is not a juvenile but already an adult. It’s a royal family that Juliet didn’t know about.

Nevertheless, Angela sighed with a hint of sorrow.

“I can’t believe the Kingdom of Coral has come to this…”

Although only the Duchy of Rochelle is holding out, the stagnation is clearly noticeable throughout the entire Kingdom of Coral.

Production and employment are visibly declining, bankruptcies and unemployment are increasing one after another, and the economy is significantly deteriorating. Tracing the root cause, it seems that the frequent natural disasters are to blame.

When Juliet was a saint, she had never experienced such a major natural disaster.

Even so, ever since Juliet’s death, disasters have been occurring one after another as if a dam had burst, and the Kingdom of Coral is gradually declining.

“I wonder if there’s already a new saint? There must be. It’s been five years since then.”

It is said that the successive saints manifested their healing powers around the age of three, were recognized as saints, and welcomed into the temple.

So, there is probably already a new saint by the side of the current king, Nathan.

“Even if she’s called a saint, she’s still just a five-year-old girl. It’s only natural that she can’t do anything.”

The character and birthplace of the current saint are not recorded anywhere. It is probably because the saint is a secret of the Kingdom of Coral.

The details about the saint are basically kept secret and not disclosed outside. They are concealed to prevent them from leaking abroad.

“Even though we have welcomed a new saint, the people are still worried about the state of the country…”

The Kingdom of Koryu is the country that killed Juliet. Even Angela is not without resentment or fear.

However, I know that most of the kingdom’s people are innocent.

Even the people who threw stones on the day Juliet was executed didn’t know of her innocence.

Even though it is the place where she met an untimely death, the Kingdom of Coral is Juliet’s homeland. It is the country where she was born and raised.

Those people were suffering and struggling in poverty; there was no way I couldn’t feel heartbroken.