The Abandoned Duchess Seems to Want a Peaceful Life - Chapter 38

Chapter 38: Character and Term Guide

CHARACTER GUIDE

――― The Lord's Manor ―――

・Melfina von Oldrand

Born Melfina von Crawford.

The protagonist. The eldest daughter of the House of Marquis Crawford, which holds a large territory in the south of the kingdom.

Because of trouble at her birth and an appearance that resembled neither parent, she grew up estranged within her family, and the moment she reached marriageable age she was married off in a political match to the House of Oldrand in the north.

A reincarnator, she remembers that the world she now lives in is that of the trivia-based otome game "Maria of the Kingdom of Hearts," which she played in her previous life, and that she is the villainess of the Alexis route.

Hardworking and proud, and deeply affectionate, but because she is unused to being loved she has little awareness that people like her.

Golden hair and green eyes. The pale skin and refined features of a noblewoman.

Magic attribute: wind.

16 years old (at her first appearance).

・Marie

Melfina's handmaiden, who later becomes her secretary.

A beautiful girl with long, cool eyes.

She has the traits of northerners, faithful to her work and calm, but since becoming Melfina's secretary her expression has softened somewhat.

Alexis's half-sister, the illegitimate child of the former duke.

Pale blonde hair that looks silver in some light, and pale blue eyes.

16 years old.

Magic attribute: ice.

・Cedric von Carlisle

The third son of the House of Count Carlisle, Counts Palatine who head the knight orders.

One of the capture targets in "Maria of the Kingdom of Hearts."

In the game he was captain of the Royal Knights, but now he belongs to the knight order of the House of Oldrand.

Serious, stiff, and prone to brooding.

Earth-colored hair and brown eyes. 20 years old.

Magic attribute: earth.

Stubborn and slow to change, but with a deep generosity.

The former porter trio

・Rad, late twenties

The eldest; he often goes shopping in the ducal capital and the royal capital, so he is frequently away.

・Cliff, early twenties

A jack-of-all-trades, master of none. At the lord's manor he looks after the horses and manages the house, and assists Marie when she goes out to the village.

・Ed, 12 years old

In his early days of employment he did cleaning, odd jobs and message-running, but he seems to have a "talent" for cooking, and lately he has also taken on the cook's duties at the lord's manor.

――― The Ducal House ―――

・Alexis von Oldrand

Melfina's political-marriage partner and one of the capture targets in "Maria of the Kingdom of Hearts."

Extremely cold, strict with himself and others, a difficult personality who keeps people at a distance.

A face as finely formed as an ice sculpture, and, as a northern lord, great magical power and fighting strength.

The blue-gray hair and light blue eyes common among northern nobles.

25 years old, having inherited the ducal title five years ago.

Magic attribute: ice.

Calm and cold, but with a fragile side.

・August von Carlisle

A retainer of the House of Oldrand who holds a knight's rank.

Frivolous in his attitude as a knight, but also capable as a spy; Alexis's confidant, childhood friend and bodyguard knight.

・Rufus

Butler of the House of Oldrand. He takes over the running of the household when Alexis goes on campaign.

He dreams of a mistress of the house coming to the House of Oldrand.

――― Enkar Village ―――

・Lutz

Village chief of Enkar Village.

A hunched old man who, because of past experiences, is afraid of nobles.

68 years old.

・Fritz

Lutz's son. In his forties.

The de facto coordinator of Enkar Village.

――― The Serf Settlement (later Melto Village) ―――

・Nid

Leader of the serf settlement.

Currently the village chief of Melto Village.

・Eli

Born into a merchant family. She married into a wealthy farming family, but her husband lost the land through gambling and they became tenant farmers, and when he could not stop gambling they fell to serfdom.

She began working in the Enkar region and remarried Nid.

Since she can read, write and do simple arithmetic, she now commutes to work as a maid at the lord's manor.

・Rod

Nid and Eli's son.

He adores Melfina.

He shows signs of having a "talent" in calculation.

・Lena

Rod's little sister. Still very young, she speaks with a lisp.

――― The Craftsmen ―――

・Ricardo

A master carpenter.

・Eddie

Ricardo's apprentice.

・Lewis

A potter who moved to Enkar Village.

・Roy & Carl

Blacksmiths who moved to Enkar Village.

――― The Church and the Temple ―――

・The Temple

Upholds the doctrine of goddess worship and excels at "healing magic" for treating injuries.

It also provides care for childbirth, so, whether in cities or the countryside, many children are born at the temple.

It maintains temples in large towns and monasteries in rural areas, supporting the development of techniques rooted in daily life, such as brewing, confectionery, dairy products and the compiling of books.

Not a few monasteries, backed by nobles and influential merchants, enjoy lavish budgets and comfortable lives.

Sometimes children of nobles who want to live a life of study enter of their own accord, and sometimes it takes in the sons and daughters of nobles who have committed crimes but cannot be formally tried.

・The Church

Upholds the doctrine of male-god worship and excels at "restorative magic" for treating illness.

It presides over ceremonies of birth, marriage and death, and a formal marriage is established by swearing before God in the presence of a church priest.

Because it demands large donations every time it holds an observance, its reputation is poorer than the temple's.

It supports culture such as architecture and art, and cathedrals, ceiling paintings, sculptures and other works of art are mostly owned by the church.

PLACES AND TERMS

The Enkar region

A frontier area at the northernmost tip of the Oldrand territory in the north of the Francesca Kingdom, practically an island in the middle of the land.

Further north spreads a great forest called the Forest of Moltre, and beyond it lies the neighboring Luxen Kingdom, so it also serves as a border.

Because monsters appear, it is hard to build a highway, so the people of the frontier villages cut their way through bit by bit.

Enkar Village

A village made by the first pioneer party. Population a little over 200.

The lord's manor where Melfina lives is here too.

The former serf settlement (Melto Village)

A village newly established when the serfs who had lived there were raised to freemen. It lies closer to the forest and the newly cleared fields than Enkar Village does.

The Oldrand ducal capital, Soarasonne

The largest fortress city in the north, a great metropolis where northern culture and art gather. Because its development spread outward in radial lines and the city is shaped like an ice crystal, it has earned the nickname Great Flower of the North.

Other towns and villages

Between Soarasonne and Enkar Village there are several towns and villages, and goods not worth traveling all the way to the ducal capital for are often procured there.