In This Life, I Will Be The Lord - Chapter 10

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

This Life, I Will Become the Clan Head Episode 10

“What? Why are you here?”

Belesack jumped up from where he was lying and shouted.

His voice was certainly loud.

He seemed quite surprised, but I had no intention of bothering to answer him.

“…Pirenthia?”

A voice so small that I would have missed it if the room hadn’t been quiet reached my ears.

It was Larane, who was peeking her head out from near Belesack and looking at me.

“Ah…”

I was flustered and unconsciously hesitated for a moment.

It had been so long since I’d seen Larane.

Larane was such a delicate and fragile flower that it was hard to believe she came from the same womb as that Belesack.

She was the one who married a much older man through the Empress’s arrangement as soon as she came of age.

People called it a successful marriage arrangement.

Although that nobleman was old, he was a hero who had fought bravely in war and would soon inherit his father’s title, so ordinary Larane, who had nothing but Lombardi bloodline, had struck it lucky.

No one knew.

How quickly a single flower would wither when dropped alone in her distant husband’s territory, far from Lombardy which was right next to the Emperor’s direct domain.

Later I learned that the husband wasn’t the type of person who was attached enough to his family to care for his young wife, and using that as an excuse, the servants of that house ignored and ostracized Larane.

When Larane asked her family for help, Biejie had already started various businesses with his son-in-law.

The only answer that came back from the parents she had trusted was just ‘you need to do better.’

That’s how Larane wasted away, and before long, she returned to dust.

At such a terribly young age.

The Larane remaining in my memory was the image of her crying that she didn’t want to leave Lombardy, and eventually the image of her lying as if asleep in a coffin, having returned with white lilies clutched in both hands.

“Are you going to attend classes now too?”

Though she was four years older than me, holding a large doll tightly in her arms, she was the typical young lady of a noble family who had grown up seeing only beautiful things.

“Yes, I came to start taking classes from today.”

I nodded and answered Larane’s question.

Belesack seemed annoyed that I had ignored his question while answering Larane, and he huffed angrily.

“Liar!”

He strode over acting like he was going to do something to me right away, but in the end all he did was bark from a distance.

“Liar! Someone like you is going to attend classes?”

This confirmed it.

Belesack still hadn’t been hit enough.

I’d need to give him a few more beatings before that mouth, which had only learned nasty things from adults, would become more refined.

“What do you mean, someone like me?”

I asked provocatively on purpose.

“Someone like you! Low-born…”

“Should I tell Grandfather?”

As soon as the word ‘Grandfather’ came out, Belesack shut his mouth with a snap.

“Last time Grandfather scolded you never to call me low-born again, didn’t he? Are you breaking that now?”

I had heard it from Father.

That Grandfather had called Belesack aside and given him a sharp scolding.

“Belesack.”

I deliberately approached Belesack with a bright smile on my face.

“There are so many books here. Right?”

“Ugh…”

Belesack seemed terrified looking at the books scattered everywhere.

That’s right, all of those become weapons once they’re in my hands, you little puppy.

I delivered the finishing blow to the flustered Belesack.

“Should I go tell Grandfather right now?”

“Y-you…”

The guy who had been backing away hesitantly while frowning finally turned around abruptly and returned to where he had been lying with stomping steps.

Oh, of course he didn’t forget to kick an innocent nearby doll in his frustration.

Yeah, that personality isn’t going anywhere.

Still, I was relieved that I had successfully fended off the puppy that had been about to charge at me, and I let out a small sigh when I felt an intense gaze that made my cheek sting.

It was Giliou and Meylon sitting side by side by the window.

Those two were eleven years old this year, sons of Aunt Shannet, the eldest among Father’s siblings.

“Huh?”

Why are they looking at me like that?

I was confused.

Actually, among my cousins, these two were the ones I had the least information about.

Being identical twins who looked exactly alike and pretty, they were always absorbed in their own world and had a personality that showed no interest in their surroundings, which played a major role.

If the other cousins except Larane ignored me, these kids were thoroughly indifferent.

The kind of indifference where they would walk right past me without any change in expression even while watching me being bullied and crying.

Moreover, after Shannet divorced and the two left with their father to the Shuls Family, there was no contact at all.

Even more so after they no longer used the Lombardy surname and became Giliou Shuls and Meylon Shuls.

They seemed to make quite a name for themselves in high society with their handsome looks and early knighthood, but to me who was busy working, it was a story from another world.

“Pirenthia.”

The two spoke simultaneously as if they had coordinated beforehand.

“I heard you hit Belesack?”

“And that you won?”

But something seemed a bit strange.

Giliou and Meylon, who always had blank expressions, seemed to have some life in their faces.

Moreover, the two were smiling, even if faintly.

What’s with these guys, they’re scary.

I decided to make a strategic retreat and sat on a large sofa near the window, across from Belesack.

Since most users of this room were children, I liked that it was a low chair that didn’t require climbing.

Then, Giliou tapped the windowsill and said to me.

“Come sit here.”

“What?”

“Come sit with us.”

Meylon picked up the conversation.

The sunlight streaming in from outside made their golden hair shine even brighter.

I looked at them for a moment and then said.

“If you want to sit with me, you two come over here.”

I could see both of their golden eyes widen simultaneously.

“Don’t tell me to come and go.”

I said that and turned my head away sharply again.

I didn’t remember them being mean to me, but I felt bad because it seemed like they were already trying to order me around with just a word.

Lombardy children have strong pride.

So Giliou and Meylon would soon get angry like Belesack…

Thud.

The sofa I was sitting on shook slightly.

“Wh-what?”

Before I knew it, the two had come over and sat down as I had said.

On both sides of me, no less.

“You said to come here if we wanted to sit with Pirenthia?”

“So we came, Tia.”

“Yeah, right. Let’s call you Tia.”

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

They exchanged banter-like words among themselves, then laughed and seemed pleased.

I don’t understand these kids’ mental world.

I shrugged my shoulders.

Since they wanted to sit together, I couldn’t tell them to sit somewhere else.

It was when I had half given up.

The door opened and Cleribane entered.

“Everyone’s here. Then let’s begin class.”

Huh? Just like that?

I looked around in confusion.

But everyone except me showed no signs of being flustered.

But there are no books or teaching materials?

That’s when I noticed paper and writing instruments placed in one corner of the room.

Does that mean we should take them if we need them?

But the other cousins were just looking at Cleribane empty-handed.

Let me observe the situation for now.

I hugged the cushion and looked at Cleribane standing in front of the chalkboard.

“From today, we will learn about commerce, which is one of the Lombardy Family’s important businesses.”

Ooh, commerce. How interesting.

And so the full-fledged class began.

And I was flustered.

“…Commerce is…”

Behind Cleribane’s quiet voice, there was a sound layered like background music.

“Snore… Puhuh. Mmph…”

It was the snoring sound of Belesack sprawled on the sofa.

Though it wasn’t that loud, there’s no way Cleribane couldn’t have heard it.

I glanced in that direction, thinking he might wake him up, but he continued the lesson as if he hadn’t noticed.

At that moment, I felt slightly creeped out.

A teacher who scolds and forces teaching is rather a kind teacher.

Cleribane had no intention of forcibly dragging along someone who wasn’t focused on the lesson from the start.

He didn’t wake him and just let him sleep.

But it would surely go straight into the report after class.

I felt Meylon, who was sitting next to me, lose interest in the lesson and pick up a book that was beside him.

Then, I saw Cleribane briefly glance in that direction.

He’s watching everything after all.

I quickly corrected my posture.

And I began showing with my whole body that ‘I’m listening earnestly!’

Opening my eyes wide, occasionally nodding my head.

At first it was acting, but later I found myself listening to the lesson with intense concentration without realizing it.

Though it might be a somewhat boring lecture for little kids, it was an interesting class where I could feel that Cleribane had deep knowledge of commerce.

“Well then, that’s all for today’s lesson.”

I had concentrated so much that I forgot time was passing, and before I knew it, it was over.

I was feeling slightly disappointed when Belesack, who had been fast asleep, suddenly opened his eyes wide and wiped his drool as he got up.

He sure has ghost-like hearing when it comes to the end of class.

“Today there’s special homework.”

“Homework?”

Larane, who was just gathering her doll to get up, asked back in surprise.

Apparently homework wasn’t a common occurrence, as not only Belesack but also the twins looked surprised.

“The deadline is until the next class. The homework is…”

Cleribane, who had been smiling mysteriously, brought something out from behind the chalkboard.

Thud.

When he set it down on the floor, it made quite a heavy sound that shook the ground.

“A log?”

What Cleribane had brought out was a thick log with the top and bottom cut clean off.

It must have originally been quite a large tree, as its circumference was about an adult’s embrace and when stood upright, its height reached Cleribane’s knees – truly a log in every sense of the word.

“This is a Bibo tree that grows quickly, is sturdy, and relatively light for its strength, so it’s widely used for various purposes across the continent.”

“What are we supposed to do with that?”

Belesack asked bluntly.

But it wasn’t just Belesack who was surprised by Cleribane’s unexpected action.

Larane and the twins were also staring blankly at the log placed in front of them.

My expression probably wasn’t much different either.

Cleribane looked us all over, then smiled mysteriously and spoke in a very cheerful tone.

“You all need to sell this by the next class.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————