In This Life, I Will Be The Lord - Chapter 14

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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 14

Several days had passed since the ‘Project to Build a Solid Foundation for Father’ was successfully completed.

Although Koroi grass grows well anytime except winter, the current period right after the rainy season ended was when the stems were strongest, so Father suddenly became incredibly busy.

Since he left early in the morning and returned late at night, I found myself with much more time alone.

Father worried about me greatly, saying he couldn’t stay with me, but I actually felt quite relieved to have freedom of movement.

On days like today, I could do what I needed to do without having to give Father difficult explanations.

I was waiting for Alfeo on the quiet staircase of the Main Building where people rarely passed by.

“Alfeo! Over here!”

Alfeo, who had been looking around at the sound of my voice, spotted me and came running over.

“Miss!”

Alfeo approached with a happy smile, carrying something wrapped in cloth in his hands.

“This is it!”

The wooden statue I had commissioned from Alfeo was quite a bit larger than I had expected.

It was nearly the same size as the log that had been given as the initial material.

That meant the carving had progressed smoothly without wasting much of it.

I hadn’t seen the finished piece yet, but I could already feel laughter trying to bubble up.

“May I take a look?”

“Of, of course!”

At my words, Alfeo carefully set the sculpture down in an appropriate spot and gently removed the cloth.

Using what he had at home, the rough cloth as coarse as Koroi fabric slipped away smoothly, revealing the wooden statue.

“Wow…”

For a moment, I couldn’t take my eyes off the sculpture.

The material was just bibo wood.

That most common of woods had been reborn as a work of art in Alfeo’s hands.

I really made the right choice entrusting this to this future genius artist!

As I stared intently at the wooden statue without saying anything, Alfeo grew restless.

“Perhaps, you don’t like it?”

“Huh? No! How could I not like it! The sculpture is so beautiful that I forgot to speak for a moment. Thank you, Alfeo!”

When I firmly grasped Alfeo’s right hand with both of mine as I spoke, a full smile finally bloomed across his freckled face.

“Thank you for giving me this opportunity, Miss. I really wanted to tell you that.”

“You’re thanking me? I should be the one grateful?”

If Alfeo hadn’t taken on the sculpture, I wouldn’t have been able to give Grandfather such a gift.

But Alfeo shook his head at my words.

“Getting quality logs like this is difficult for me. Just being able to carve with good materials was such a precious experience.”

Alfeo’s calloused hands stroked the sculpture.

Perhaps recalling the enjoyable work process, a gentle smile spread across his lips.

“And you believed in me.”

Alfeo’s gaze met mine.

“You know whose likeness this sculpture is, don’t you?”

At my question, Alfeo flinched slightly as if caught with a secret, but obediently nodded.

“My father saw me carving this in my room. At first, I got in big trouble. He asked how I dared make a sculpture when I knew who this person was.”

Ah, Alfeo’s father would have known Grandmother.

“He did understand once he learned that you, Miss, had asked me to make the wooden statue.”

Alfeo carefully wrapped the sculpture again with the cloth he had removed.

His touch was like handling a treasure.

“That’s right. This sculpture is of my late Grandmother. And I’m going to give this wooden statue that Alfeo made as a gift to Grandfather.”

Alfeo’s fingertips trembled as he was just tying the ends of the cloth.

“I knew it…”

Alfeo nodded a couple of times and spoke to me once more.

“Thank you, Miss. For believing that I could do it.”

And I could see that Alfeo’s eyes had changed from before.

His eyes were shining with determination, like someone who had found a firm goal.

“I’ve been helping Father with carpentry work from time to time, but now I’m at the age where I really need to start working as a profession. I’ve been worrying about it a lot lately.”

Alfeo scratched the back of his head and smiled sheepishly.

“Both Father and Mother have been telling me to put down hobbies like sculpting and start learning work in earnest…”

“So you’ve made a decision?”

I asked carefully.

Originally, Alfeo would live as a carpenter for over ten years before finally gaining recognition as a sculptor.

What if my commissioning this sculpture made him say, ‘I’ve tried sculpting enough now, so I should focus on making a living’?

I suddenly felt scared.

But my worry disappeared with Alfeo’s refreshing smile.

“I enjoy sculpting. I’ll have to become a carpenter following in Father’s footsteps for now, but on rest days like this time, I’ll continue sculpting. So that someday I can truly become a sculptor.”

Ah, this must have been his mindset for over fifteen years.

It really wouldn’t have been easy.

To do the physically demanding work of carpentry while still picking up the carving knife on holidays without rest.

It would have been impossible without truly loving sculpture.

For such a long time, silently waiting for the day when his works would shine.

This tall young man before me, between boy and man, would bloom magnificently at the end of that arduous time.

He would even receive the surname ‘Zan’ meaning beauty from the Emperor, finally becoming Alfeo Zan.

“You know, Alfeo.”

“Yes, Miss.”

“You don’t want to only sculpt on holidays, right?”

“…Pardon?”

“Every day would be possible too, right?”

Because you probably won’t have the luxury of learning carpentry work.

I smiled at Alfeo, who had a big question mark above his head because he couldn’t understand my words, as if it was nothing.

* * *

Every day around sunset.

Grandfather would take a walk alone in the Garden.

And the place where he spent the longest time during that walk was the small Evergreen Forest.

I wondered why he cherished that place so much when there was nothing particularly special about it except that it began long ago when the first Emperor gifted a few evergreen trees.

During the last few years of Grandfather’s life that I spent right beside him, I learned the reason.

It was because of Grandmother.

Grandmother, who disliked the forlorn falling leaves, always enjoyed taking walks with Grandfather through the path that passed through this Evergreen Forest.

And now Grandfather, left alone, was repeating that routine by himself.

Until the very day before he passed away, Grandfather walked among the evergreen trees.

I waited in front of the Study, timing it for when Grandfather would return from finishing his walk.

Before long, I could see Grandfather’s figure in the distance.

“Grandfather!”

I deliberately called out to Grandfather in a loud voice and ran toward him.

“Oh my, I told this child not to run.”

“Hehe. I have something to give you, Grandfather, so I was waiting!”

“You have something to give me?”

I took Grandfather’s hand and pulled him toward the inside of the Study.

Grandfather seemed surprised, but perhaps wanting to go along with my pace, he opened the Study door as I led him.

“What on earth could it be that you’re acting like this…”

Grandfather stopped mid-sentence and stood still.

The sculpture, polished without a speck of dust, was placed on the desk that was most visible when opening the study door.

It was something I had asked Alfeo to make.

“Natalia?”

Grandfather called out Grandmother’s name in a daze.

Though it was a bust made of uncolored wood, it happened to catch the deep sunset glow that painted the sky, making it look as if it truly held warmth.

“It’s my gift to you, Grandfather!”

“Pirenthia, you prepared that sculpture?”

Grandfather looked at me once, then hurriedly approached the wooden statue.

“This is really… It looks exactly like Natalia when she was young.”

Grandfather’s words were not an exaggeration.

Alfeo’s sculpting skills were already tremendous, perfectly recreating the painting Father had drawn.

“Dad drew a picture of Grandmother for me. So I took that and asked my friend to make it into a sculpture!”

“A painting that Gallahan drew…”

Grandfather carefully reached out his hand and stroked the carved area around Grandmother’s eyes.

His touch seemed like it might tremble at any moment, but the cold sensation that met his fingertips brought a bitter smile to Grandfather’s lips.

However, that was only momentary, and the face that turned back to me was no different from usual.

“But this is my gift?”

“Yes! Do you like it?”

“I do like it, but…”

Grandfather smiled a bit mischievously.

“A gift is supposed to be something without compensation, isn’t it?”

So he knows about Cleribane’s assignment.

Well, I expected as much.

Given Cleribane’s personality, he would have reported the progress of lessons immediately without delay.

Thanks to thinking about it in advance, I fortunately didn’t panic and said:

“Did that sculpture make you happy, Grandfather?”

“Happy, happiness. I have many happy memories with Natalia from that time, so this old man will become happy every time I see that sculpture.”

“Then it’s fine! When Grandfather is happy, I’m happy too!”

It’s absolutely not a lie.

After becoming ill, Grandfather couldn’t see well and was very upset that he couldn’t properly look at Grandmother’s portrait.

That was why I had Grandmother’s appearance carved into sculpture.

Even later when he can’t see due to old age, Grandfather will still be able to trace Grandmother’s features with his fingertips.

“I can just do better on Teacher Cleribane’s assignment later!”

This is also true.

Even if not this time, I can stand out in Cleribane’s classes anytime.

Besides, if I could score points directly from Grandfather, that would come first.

The purpose of successor classes is the starting point of evaluation to select the next clan head.

“Pirenthia.”

Grandfather stared at me intently as if trying to read my mind.

But I’m not someone who would crumble from just that much.

I looked back at Grandfather with an even more innocent face.

“Still, I can’t just accept such a wonderful gift for nothing. If there’s something you want, tell me, Pirenthia.”

“Something I want? Hmm.”

There we go.

Given Grandfather’s personality, he’s not someone who would accept even his young granddaughter’s gift without any compensation.

But asking for money for the assignment right here would be a novice’s choice.

Besides the payment for selling the sculpture, there’s one more thing I want.

“Well then, Grandfather.”

I pretended to think for a moment before speaking.

“There’s a friend who made that sculpture for me. His name is Alfeo. But…”

Every word I said about Alfeo made the corners of Grandfather’s mouth twitch.

And finally.

“Hahaha! To think such talent was living within this Lombardi Wall!”

Grandfather, who burst into loud laughter, looked truly pleased.

As expected, that severe talent-collecting obsession is the same now as it was then.

I stood leisurely, enjoying Grandfather’s laughter like music.

Because the better Grandfather’s mood, the larger the amount of money he would give me.

I’m the dutiful granddaughter who made Grandmother’s sculpture and gave it to Grandfather, and the twice-dutiful granddaughter who delivered into Grandfather’s hands a genius who carved such a perfect wooden statue without proper education.

There’s no way Grandfather would send such a dutiful me away empty-handed.

And they say you should never refuse money that adults give you.

* * *

The class day when we could learn the results of our assignment had come.

Having arrived at the classroom early, I observed the faces of the children entering through the door one by one.

The twins entered with their usual sullen expressions until they saw me and ran over, while Belesack looked somehow very nervous.

What was unexpected was Larane.

Her face was full of expectant flush as she carried a small pouch containing coins.

“Hello, Larane.”

“It’s Pirenthia. The brooch on your clothes today is pretty.”

Larane said, pointing to the green brooch on my clothes.

“Yes, I like it too. Thank you.”

While we were greeting each other like that, Cleribane entered and class began.

“Now, shall we take a look at the results of your assignment?”

Belesack didn’t perform the assignment as he had said.

He really keeps his word consistent in such useless ways.

And the twins, as expected, said they made that log directly into firewood and sold it to the servants.

They were people who really needed firewood, and they declared several times that they absolutely didn’t force the sale.

And Larane.

“You made it into charcoal and sold it to the manor forge?”

“Yes, so I had to give some money to the servants who helped with the work. So this much is left.”

The pouch Larane held out contained 15 coppers.

Considering that one Bibo log originally costs about 20 coppers, it was a business that didn’t even break even, but it was surprising that Larane, who was timid in everything, moved this actively.

Cleribane seemed to feel the same way, nodding his head and not sparing praise for Larane.

“Lastly, Lady Pirenthia.”

“Yes, Teacher.”

“How much did you earn by selling the log?”

I shrugged my shoulders once.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t perform the assignment?”

At Cleribane’s words, I could see Belesack, who had been crumpled in the corner of the sofa, suddenly straighten up.

“No. I worked hard, Teacher.”

“Then where is the money?”

“It’s right here.”

“Yes? Where…”

I pointed to the brooch on my chest as if showing off to Cleribane and said:

“I made a sculpture from the log and gave it to Grandfather, and received this brooch instead. It’s an emerald!”

And a really big and expensive one at that!

Even Cleribane’s face went blank this time.

I enjoyed the winner’s leisure for a moment, leaning back against the chair.

Of course, I wasn’t the only one who got something good.

Grandfather gave Alfeo, who made the sculpture, 10 silver as payment for his efforts, and at the same time gave him a clan scholarship and the opportunity to study under a famous sculptor.

I was enjoying the classroom scenery where everyone was staring at me blankly while I suppressed the urge to smugly smile and cross my legs, when I noticed Belesack flaring his nostrils and snorting.

I deliberately raised one corner of my mouth slightly so that only Belesack could see.

You said that I, being Half-Baked, was lowlier than my cousins.

You mocked me, saying I couldn’t even learn properly, couldn’t live nobly, and would have to work with my hands like a commoner.

You ridiculed me, saying I would eventually live and die like My Mother, who was lowborn.

So keep feeling it from now on—what it’s like to be pushed aside by that Half-Baked.

What it feels like to have the things you thought were yours taken away one by one.

Because this is only the beginning.

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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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