Chapter 111: The Lady’s Lunch

He unrolled the parchment. Showed them the plan.

"This is the marshland," he said. "This is the river. This is where the water flows."

He pointed.

"We dig here. Here. And here." His finger traced the lines. "Primary trench. Secondary trenches. Drainage channels. The water flows away from the fields. Into these pools."

He pointed to the eastern and western edges.

"These pools store the water. In spring, they fill. In summer, we use them to irrigate the crops. The land stays dry. The crops grow. The village eats."

He looked at them.

"It’s simple. It’s hard work. But it’s simple."

Commander Gaius stared at the parchment.

"This would take us day

"Yes."

"And then what? The water returns next spring."

"No." Emeric pointed to the northern edge. "Because we also dig a primary trench here. It redirects the floodwater before it reaches the fields. The water goes around. Not through."

Gaius was silent.

Lieutenant Ashe spoke.

"And the dam?"

Emeric paused.

"The dam is for later. When we have funds. When we have more men. For now, we do what we can."

Ashe nodded.

The commander said nothing but he didn’t argue.

The next morning.

Two hundred knights. Shovels. Pickaxes. Buckets. They moved into the marshland like a slow, reluctant tide.

Emeric worked beside them.

He didn’t have to. He was the baron. He could have watched. Directed. But he didn’t.

He took a shovel. Found a spot. And dug.

Lieutenant Ashe joined him.

Commander Gaius watched from a distance. His expression, unreadable.

Perhaps he was trying to decide if this was really worth it.

A few hours had passed.

Emeric kept digging.

Lieutenant Ashe approached. Stopped beside him.

"You don’t have to do this."

"I know."

"Then why are you?"

Emeric didn’t stop digging. "Because they need to see that I will."

Ashe studied him. Then he picked up a shovel. Started digging beside him.

The sun was high in the sky and the work was underway.

Emeric stood in the trench, ankle-deep in mud. His tunic was soaked with sweat. His hands were blistered. His back ached.

He didn’t stop.

The knights worked around him. Shovels. Pickaxes. Buckets. The trench was deeper now. The water flowed faster. The land was draining.

Commander Gaius and a few others worked at the far end. His armor was muddy and he bet that pissed him off even more when he would look at it. He didn’t look at Emeric and even from this distance everyone could tell he was in a mood.

Lieutenant Ashe worked beside Emeric. The younger man was quiet. Focused. He had stopped questioning. He just worked.

Emeric looked up to see a small procession was making its way down the hill. Servants. Bess. Nella. Marta. And at the front—Isolde. Her chair was being pushed by Pip. Behind her, a cart. Laden with baskets.

Emeric climbed out of the trench. Wiped his hands on his trousers.

Isolde stopped at the edge of the work site. Smiled.

"I brought lunch."

The servants spread out.

Bess and Nella carried baskets to the knights. Marta followed with a ladle and a pot of stew. Pip pushed the cart with bread and cheese and water.

The knights stopped. Stared. They weren’t used to this. Nobles didn’t feed their men. Nobles didn’t bring lunch to the work site. Nobles didn’t care.

But Isolde did.

"Eat," she said. "All of you. You’ve earned it."

The knights hesitated.

Then one of them—a young man with a dirty face and tired eyes—stepped forward. Took a bowl. Nodded.

"Thank you, my lady."

Others followed. They took bowls. Bread. Cheese. Water. They sat on the edge of the marshland.

Isolde watched as food was being distributed while Emeric sat beside her.

She handed him a bowl. He took it.

"You didn’t have to do this."

"I know."

"You’re the lady of the Estate. You could have sent the servants."

"I know."

He looked at her.

She smiled. "But I wanted to."

He ate. The stew was good. Warm. Filling.

"You’re good at this," he said.

"At what?"

"Being a lady. Taking care of people."

She looked at him. Her eyes were soft.

"I’m learning."

Lieutenant Ashe approached.

He bowed to Isolde. "My lady. Thank you. For the food. For the kindness."

She inclined her head. "You’re welcome, Lieutenant."

He hesitated.

"The men... they’re not used to this. Nobles don’t usually..."

"I know."

"They’re grateful. Even if they don’t say it."

She smiled. "Then they should eat. There’s more than enough."

Ashe nodded. Turned. Walked back to his men.

Commander Gaius stayed apart.

He ate but he didn’t join the others. He didn’t thank Isolde. He just ate. Then he went back to digging.

Isolde watched him.

"Your commander doesn’t like us."

"He doesn’t like me," Emeric said. "You, he might tolerate."

She laughed.

The knights finished eating.

They returned to work. Their movements were lighter. Their faces less grim. They dug with more energy. More purpose.

Emeric noticed.

He stood up from beside Isolde.

"Going back to work?" She asked.

"Yes. We’re making good progress and I don’t want to waste the morale we just gained, thanks to you."

She smiled, mimicking a curtsy from her chair.

"You’re welcome."

---

The system pulsed.

---

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

[TARGET ACTION — LADY OF THE ESTATE: PROVIDING FOR WORKERS]

[EFFECT: KNIGHT MORALE INCREASED]

[EFFECT: LOCAL REPUTATION INCREASED]

[DEVOTION LOGGED: BUILDING A HOME TOGETHER]

[DP AWARDED: +5]

---

By evening, the primary trench was half-dug.

Water flowed through it. Away from the marshland. Toward the river. The land was still wet. Still muddy. But it was draining.

Emeric stood at the edge. Covered in mud. Exhausted. But satisfied.

Isolde was back to check up on him.

"You did this."

"We did this."

She reached for his hand. He took it.

"This will be farmland," he said. "Next spring. Wheat. Barley. Vegetables. The villagers will have work. The Estate will have tax."

She looked at him.

"You see all that?"

"I see what could be."

She squeezed his hand.

---

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

[PROJECT INITIATED — MARSHLAND RECLAMATION]

[PROGRESS: 15%]

[ESTIMATED COMPLETION: 5-7 DAYS]

[SKILL EXP GAINED — TERRAIN SENSE]

[RANK: E → D]