Chapter 11: Looking for good fief.

After getting dressed up he started his journey towards dining room. It took quiet a while to get dressed up in these ancient cloths. Due to this it took time before he arrived at dining hall.

While he was going to dining hall, Lucas checked out the surrounding, although it was clean and tidy, it couldn't hide the poorness of and oldness of this manor. Looking at this Lucas sighed and also thought how Lucy was able to clean this place daily and with her being the only one servant in the manor.

One had to say although this manor was old and decaying, but it was large and to clean it would take at least 4 to 5 servants to clean this place. But being only servant here she still did all the work in the manor, one must say that she must be very busy and tired doing them.

Thinking about that Lucas sympathized with her even more.

After coming to Dining hall, Lucas saw everything set for breakfast. They both had breakfast and they didn't speak much. As he was eating his face was continuously twitching due how unpalatable was the food. There was only bread, soup, roasted meat with only little bit of salt, and there were no spices.

Although it was unpalatable, Lucas finished it and after eating he returned to his study room, while Lucy started cleaning the dishes and kitchen and after done with cleaning, she too came at Lucas's study room.

There Lucy saw Lucas busy with seeing old map left behind by Princess Sofia about the surrounding lands and kingdoms around the Evergreen Kingdom.

Seeing him seriously checking out the map, she thought to herself.

"What is going with His Highness?"

"Today he feels totally different from before."

"Even while eating, now this. It really is strange." While thinking all this she came beside him and asked her doubt.

"What are you searching for your Highness?"

"If you tell me, I may help you find it."

Lucas knew it Lucy as she would accompany him after breakfast, and since there are only two members in the whole manor, it was easy to guess.

Without turning around, he replied in calm and slow and steady voice while still checking out the map.

"As you know in a week my age coming ceremony will come and then father would give me fief and noble rank"

"So, I was checking our kingdom's surrounding lands to check whether there is a good place to develop."

"So where do you think I should choose fief?"

Receiving his reply Lucy was really shocked. What to say, previous Lucas was never interested in geography or development of his fief or in noble rank.

There were times when she tried to make learn all the skills required for development of the fief or to learn how to select good place for development of fief. With all this being her shocked didn't really surprise Lucas, because he could guess it.

Even though shocked, Lucy still replied to Lucas's question.

"Your highness, all the good places are been chosen by other princes or they are been held by nobles and higher officials."

"There are only places that are in constant war or the places that are totally barren are left out."

"So…"

"Your highness if you really want to choose a better place then I suggest you to choose the town near the port town on the southern side of the kingdom."

"Although…." Lucy stopped for a moment to see Lucas's face and show the town in map and then she continued.

"Although it is little bit barren and few times attacked by pirates, it has few iron mines which can help us produces weapons"

Lucas listened to whatever Lucy was saying without an intent to stop her. After listening to her he started thinking while again seeing at the map.