In This Life, I Will Be The Lord - Chapter 115

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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This Life, I Will Become the Clan Head Episode 115

The butler began to recount everything he had seen and heard throughout the day without omission.

It had been a week since Biejie took on the role of acting clan head.

Rulak received daily reports from Yohan about Biejie’s work.

Every few days, Biejie would also come to report to Rulak, but Yohan set aside personal feelings and spoke thoroughly from a third party’s perspective.

Unsurprisingly, the two people’s reports differed greatly.

“…As expected.”

Rulak smiled bitterly.

When he had entrusted Biejie with the acting clan head position, there had been a glimmer of hope.

The kind where he might realize his responsibility as clan head and show a different side of himself.

“How did Biejie seem to be feeling?”

“…He appeared to be in very good spirits.”

“Hmm…”

That meant he wasn’t even aware of the mistakes he was making.

“If only Biejie could see his own shortcomings.”

He had hoped Biejie would learn how much grave responsibility came with the position of Lombardi clan head.

So he had wished for him to let go of that ambition.

“Was even that my own greed…”

Rulak couldn’t hide his worries and let out a long sigh.

“I should abandon these lingering attachments now.”

“Lord…”

Yohan called out to Rulak with concern.

“Ah, I’m fine. Don’t worry. I just feel sorry toward the clan heads.”

Rulak said with a bitter smile.

“Then you should recover your health quickly and get back on your feet, shouldn’t you?”

Yohan said with a gentle smile, trying to comfort him.

“Yes. Thank you, thank you.”

Though worries about the next clan head still lingered like a lump in his chest, Rulak tried his best to smile.

“Fortunately, since it was discovered early, they said I’ll be fine if I take medicine consistently and rest.”

“Ah, what a relief!”

“Honestly, I didn’t have much expectation due to her young age, but Dr. Estira…”

Knock knock.

“Grandfather!”

Suddenly, a cheerful voice knocked on the door.

“Tia?”

Recognizing who it was just from the voice, Rulak unconsciously tried to get up from bed and walk over.

Yohan’s face was also full of smiles as he stopped Rulak and opened the door himself instead.

“Grandfather, I’m here!”

“Oh, yes, Tia came… Hmm?”

Rulak was casually welcoming his granddaughter when he opened his eyes wide in surprise.

Standing in front of the open door wasn’t just Tia.

Larane was there, with Creny beside her, and the twins standing protectively behind them.

Children who seemed both unlike and alike each other filled the doorway with bright faces.

To the surprised Rulak, Tia said with a bright smile.

“Today I didn’t come alone, but we all came together, Grandfather!”

“…Yes. Come in quickly.”

A beaming smile gradually spread across Grandfather’s face.

It was the kind of smile that welled up from within, impossible to hide.

“I’ll prepare drinks and snacks for you.”

The butler said this and quickly began gathering bread and juice that had been placed to one side.

Amid only the clinking sounds, I gently pushed Creny’s back and said.

“What are you doing, Creny. You should give Grandfather your get-well gift.”

“You brought a gift?”

Grandfather asked, looking at Creny.

“Th, that is… Mmm.”

Creny’s face turned bright red as he held out a small bouquet he had been hiding behind his back to Grandfather.

“Please get well quickly, Grandfather!”

“Hehe…”

Grandfather knew well how timid and shy Creny’s personality was.

So he also knew how courageous it was for him to give a gift he had prepared to the grandfather he usually feared.

“Yes, thank you, Creny.”

Grandfather patted Creny’s shoulder as he received the bouquet.

“You have very good taste in choosing flowers.”

Along with such praise.

“I, I picked them all day long from the estate grounds today!”

“Yes, they’re very pretty.”

“I, I got praised.”

Creny’s smiling face was full of joy.

It seemed he usually got teased a lot by his older brother Astaliou for liking books and pretty things like flowers.

But receiving praise from Grandfather that the bouquet was pretty made him so happy his ears turned red.

“Grandfather, I have this…”

Larane shyly smiled and handed over a book.

“When I was sometimes sick, I felt like nothing was as comforting as books…”

Grandfather looked at the book for a moment, seeming not to have expected Larane to give a gift too, then smiled just as contentedly.

“Thank you, Larane. I had just finished reading all the books I had set aside, so this is perfect timing. I’ll read it today.”

A pretty blush bloomed on Larane’s face too.

“The refreshments are ready. Then I’ll go down to the dining hall now, Lord.”

“Yes, thank you for your hard work.”

After Yohan left the bedroom, the children all crowded around the table set with simple cake and sweet cookies.

That’s when it happened.

Meylon, who had taken the first bite of a cookie, nudged Giliou’s side, then put two of the same cookies on a small plate and gave it to him.

Then Giliou took it, walked over, placed it in Grandfather’s hands, and returned.

“It’s delicious, Grandfather. Please eat.”

It was the twins’ own way of caring for Grandfather, even if they couldn’t say many affectionate words.

Grandfather looked back and forth between the cookies placed on the plate and the children sitting around, then called me.

“Tia.”

“Yes, Grandfather.”

“Coming to visit me with all your cousins together was your idea, wasn’t it?”

How did he know that.

I smiled and shrugged my shoulders once.

“…Thank you, Tia.”

Grandfather said with a smile that seemed happy yet somehow bitter.

“I’m glad you’re all getting along so well, so glad…”

Since I roughly understood the meaning of those words, I just laughed “hehe.”

Grandfather watched the cousins sharing delicious food together and quietly patted my head.

* * *

[…Tia’s shoulder is getting better by the day, so don’t worry too much. Isn’t Estira the one who cured your serious illness too? If you return without properly handling your work because you went to the southern region for important business due to her condition, Tia will be very upset. So please stop saying you’ll return to Lombardy immediately…]

After spending a busy morning at the mining company, Shannet returned to the manor and was writing a letter to send to Gallahan.

Knock knock.

“Lady Shannet, are you there?”

It was then that an unfamiliar voice knocked on the door.

“Who is it?”

Tilting her head and putting down her quill pen, Shannet went to open the front door herself.

“Good day, Lady Shannet. It’s been a long time. I’m Grodic Brey.”

A man with a somewhat stern face quickly removed his hat and greeted her politely.

“Yes, it has been a long time, Lord Brey. Please come in.”

Shannet opened the door wider and guided Grodic to the drawing room.

“Then, excuse me.”

“Shall I serve you tea? What kind of beverage would you prefer?”

“Ah, anything is fine.”

Grodic, who was about to sit on the drawing room sofa, awkwardly lifted himself back up upon hearing Shannet’s voice from inside and quickly answered.

“To think you would serve tea personally….”

A moment later, seeing Shannet coming out with tea, Grodic spoke awkwardly.

“I like doing small tasks that I can handle myself. I’m quite particular about it.”

Shannet’s face looked very peaceful as she said this.

Everyone knew how thoroughly Bestian Shultz had deceived Shannet.

However, looking at Shannet, Grodic thought she actually looked better than before.

“The bank work must be busy. What brings you here today, Lord Grodic?”

“Ah, well, the thing is….”

After hesitating for a moment, Grodic took out what he had brought and placed them side by side on the table.

“Are these Lombardi Bank checks?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“But why are you bringing checks…. Are you perhaps trying to….”

Shannet’s voice turned slightly cold.

Lombardy’s direct descendants often faced such situations.

Someone would bring cash or jewels and offer them as bribes to curry favor.

Thinking this situation might appear that way, Grodic jumped up in alarm.

“No! That’s not it! How could I….”

Taking out a handkerchief to wipe the cold sweat flowing from his forehead without realizing it, Grodic explained.

“One of these two checks here is fake.”

“Fake, you say?”

“Someone put tremendous effort into creating a forged check.”

“Such a thing….”

Shannet frowned.

It was so perfectly done that she wouldn’t have noticed at all until Grodic told her.

She reached out to touch both checks.

Even the texture felt by her fingertips was identical.

“How many such checks have been discovered so far?”

“Five in total as of today.”

“Five checks. As you know, Lord Brey, this is a serious matter.”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying!”

Grodic, finally meeting a Lombardy member who understood the seriousness of this matter, shouted loudly without realizing it in his joy.

“Ahem, I too recognize the gravity of the situation and am trying to find solutions with the bank employees, but it’s not easy.”

“That would certainly be the case.”

Such identical forged checks.

Shannet looked at the checks with a stern face and asked.

“Have you informed Biejie about this matter?”

“I just finished speaking with him for the second time and am on my way out.”

“But it seems there were no results.”

“…That’s why I came to see you, Lady Shannet.”

Excluding Rulak, only Shannet could control the stubborn Biejie.

“Given the nature of this matter, I thought about reporting it to the clan head, but I couldn’t bring myself to do so….”

Shannet could understand Grodic’s feelings.

Lombardy’s vassals were very loyal people.

Shannet was well aware that they felt great guilt about the fact that the elderly clan head had collapsed due to deteriorating health.

“For now, let me think about it together with you.”

“Phew.”

At Shannet’s words, a deep sigh escaped from Grodic.

It wasn’t a sigh mixed with dissatisfaction.

Rather, it was close to relief.

Shannet’s simple words of “let’s think about it together” couldn’t have been more comforting.

Moreover, Shannet didn’t stop there.

“For now, until we find a way to distinguish the fakes, we’ll need to stop issuing existing checks and create new ones with a different design….”

“But that’s the clan head’s authority….”

“What did Biejie say about this problem?”

“…He said to come back when about ten fake checks are discovered….”

“Sigh….”

Shannet also let out a sigh in the end.

It was frustrating, but in any case, Biejie was currently the acting clan head.

“I’ll speak to Biejie myself. So until then, Lord Brey, please research methods to distinguish forged checks.”

“Yes, understood.”

Having gained Shannet’s support, Grodic finally brought his teacup to his lips with a much brighter expression.

However, Shannet’s dark eyes remained fixed on the two checks placed side by side on the table.

* * *

Pellet Trading Company office.

After a long time, Cleribane, Violet, Beit, and I had all gathered in one place.

“Did you get it, Beit?”

Feeling somewhat anxious, I asked Beit, who was just taking his seat.

Beit, who had come to the trading company today disguised as a cake delivery person, nodded as he set down the box.

“Here it is.”

The large cake box was casually placed on the floor, and two long pieces of paper were placed side by side on the empty table.

They were deposit checks with Lombardy’s seal proudly stamped on them.

“One is a check issued by Lombardi Bank, and the other is a forgery. Would you like to try guessing which one is fake?”

That wouldn’t be too difficult a task.

After all, I know the method to distinguish them.

But for other people, it would probably be nearly impossible.

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