Maria couldn't help but burst into laughter. Teasing him, she replied, "Well then, dear Duke, would you be so kind as to help me choose a more suitable piece of land?"
"Of course, I'd be more than happy to," Simon responded.
They turned their horses around, and the two—one on a black horse and the other on a white—trotted back along the path they had come. Maria's horse was a beautiful mare, and it was clear that this mare had caught the attention of the nearby black stallion. Throughout the ride, the black horse, which was slightly taller, kept trying to get closer to the white mare, causing their riders to frequently end up riding quite close to each other.
Maria didn't seem to mind, but Simon was secretly pleased, even going so far as to discreetly praise his horse for its behavior. To the farmers working in the fields along the roadside, this scene was undoubted proof of the close relationship between their lord and the noble lady.
Before long, rumors began to spread throughout the estate that their Duke and the foreign noble lady had fallen in love and might soon marry, making her the new mistress of Andalus. Initially, this gossip circulated among the serfs, but it soon reached the ears of the estate managers and eventually spread to the castle. By the time it reached Eleanor, the timid girl who rarely interacted with the outside world, everyone except the two people involved seemed to know about it.
As a result, Eleanor, who had always been shy, became even more attached to Maria and was eager to receive her guidance. But all of this was yet to come; for now, Maria and Simon were still selecting a plot of land within the estate.
Maria eventually chose a piece of land located on the outskirts of the estate's pasture, near the back gate of Andalus' central castle, less than a ten-minute horseback ride away. What satisfied Maria the most was that there was a clean, unpolluted river flowing nearby, originating from the forest and forming the upper reaches of the castle's moat. Since this area was far from the serfs' living quarters, the air around the land was fresh, free from any unpleasant odors, meeting Maria's standards for a living environment.
Although the river had never flooded due to heavy rain, Maria wisely chose a spot a little further away from the river as her homestead. This particular area was a barren piece of land, which the system had verified to have an underground water source, making it an ideal location for digging a well for household water supply in the future.
After choosing the land, Simon personally helped Maria mark the boundaries, as they hadn't brought anyone else along. Then they rode back to the castle. Upon returning, Maria went to her room and retrieved six gold bars—she had the system convert her gold into bars, each engraved with her family name, both as a mark and as a (faux) coat of arms.
The six bars weighed a hefty 3,000 grams. Maria placed them in a box she had previously used to pretend she was fleeing with her jewelry and carried it to Simon's study.
When Simon saw her carrying the box, he assumed it was filled with jewelry or something similar. He was taken aback when she opened it to reveal the dazzling gold bars, nearly blinding him with their shine.
"Where do these come from?" he asked, surprised.
Maria carefully observed his expression, noting only surprise and no hint of greed. Her guard dropped slightly, and her smile became more genuine.
"My family, when they crossed the sea, not only converted our wealth into valuable goods but also secretly exchanged much of it for gold. My father, fearing discovery and the attention of thieves, hid this gold with me. When I fled, I couldn't take it all, so I left most of it hidden and brought only these few bars with me."
Since she had decided to settle here, she needed a plausible explanation for the wealth she would eventually accumulate. However, Maria wisely chose not to reveal just how much money she had. Wealth can tempt even the most virtuous, and although Simon seemed like a good man, she had no intention of testing his limits.
Simon now knew that Maria had hidden some of her wealth, but he never thought that the system would provide her with nearly 200 kg of gold to compensate her. Such a large amount of wealth was enough for her to buy a hereditary baron or even dukedom like a nobleman - if she was a man.
So at this time he just praised: "What a smart move." And he admired this smart and wise girl even more.
His duchess should be a woman full of wisdom like this.
Simon handed Maria a contract he had prepared in advance. Maria took the parchment, opened it, and carefully read through it. The contract clearly outlined the quantity, location, and price of the land, and Simon had already signed it, waiting for her confirmation.
On the table were also the documents needed to transfer ownership of the land. Since Simon was the largest lord in Andalus, his signature alone was enough to finalize the process immediately.
Maria reviewed the contract several times and discussed it with the system to ensure there were no issues. Satisfied, she signed her name in both English and Spanish.
With the contract signed, Maria pushed the gold bars she had brought over to Simon. However, her signature caught his attention. He reached out, wanting to touch the characters but hesitated, afraid that the ink might still be wet and smudged.
With the contract signed, the rest was up to Simon. In front of her, he completed the signing of the necessary documents, and the deed to the land now officially bore her name.
When Maria received the deed, she felt an unexpected sense of relief, as if she were no longer a foreign soul wandering in a strange land, but someone who had truly settled and would integrate into this place.
"As for the position of governess, I may need a few more days before I can fulfill that role," Maria said.
Carefully putting away the land deed, Maria spoke to Simon.
Simon nodded in understanding. "No problem, take care of your matters first, and feel free to ask if you need anything."
With the recent land purchase and the upcoming construction of her new home, Maria would be busy for some time. He had no intention of pressuring her to start her governess duties immediately.
Maria thanked him, nodding. "If I need anything, I'll speak with Pedro."
After spending some time here, she learned that people in this region tended to speak directly. Simon, though he wanted to tell her she could always come to him directly, knew his upcoming schedule wouldn't allow it. Reluctantly, he swallowed his words.
Simon had managed to find some rare free time to return to the central castle of Andalus. Otherwise, he would have still been patrolling his lands, inspecting various locations, and leading knights in clearing out wild beasts from the forests.
Maria was initially unaware that Simon had specifically returned to help her with the land issue. It wasn't until after dinner, when she overheard Pedro the steward instructing someone to prepare supplies for Simon's journey the next day, that she realized it.