In This Life, I Will Be The Lord - Chapter 17

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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 17

I slightly turned my body to the side so that my pitifully crying face would be clearly visible.

“Pirenthia!”

“G-Grandfather….”

I could tell that Grandfather’s anger gauge shot up even higher when he saw me sobbing.

“M-Mother.”

At Meylon’s muttering, I looked behind Grandfather through the gaps between my fingers wiping away tears, and saw Shannet walking over with an equally furious expression.

Unlike Grandfather who had stopped in front of the Crown Prince and knights, Shannet kept walking.

And she stood before the Crown Prince’s escort knights and spoke coldly.

“Move aside.”

Those words alone were enough, but the imperial knights had no choice but to step back one by one and make way for Shannet to pass.

“Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?”

It was a calm tone, but her voice was trembling.

She must have been very worried knowing that the twins were with me.

I hung my head, feeling ashamed.

“Tia.”

Shannet called me.

And while wiping my tear-soaked cheeks, she said.

“Were you very frightened?”

“N-No. I’m fine.”

I spoke my true feelings without thinking, but Shannet seemed to think I was acting mature.

She patted my head a couple of times and then glared coldly at Astana.

“I heard in advance that the Crown Prince had come to my house, but I didn’t know he would be such a rude guest.”

Grandfather glanced at me sniffling once and then spoke.

“Has the Crown Prince not heard about the promise between the Lombardi Family and the Imperial Court?”

“I have heard of it.”

Whether Astana was overwhelmed by Grandfather’s presence, he couldn’t hold his nose as high as before.

But that didn’t mean he had completely read the atmosphere either.

“Does my father know about that ridiculous rule? That there’s land in this empire where imperial knights cannot enter – if he knew, he wouldn’t stand for it.”

The moment Astana said that, I saw deep irritation flash across Grandfather’s face.

You’re dead now, you disrespectful brat.

“It’s not a pact with Crown Prince’s father, Yobanes, but rather between the first emperor Romatili Durellia and Benox Lombardi, who was the Lombardi clan head at the time.”

“My father’s name….”

The Crown Prince seemed more shocked that Grandfather had spoken the Emperor’s name than about the long-standing promise between the Durellia and Lombardi families.

Originally, it’s forbidden to speak the Emperor’s name casually.

But Grandfather was fine.

Because he was the head of Lombardy.

The meaning of the long-standing pact was clear.

It wasn’t simply between lord and vassal.

A relationship of mutual non-aggression.

And an alliance that must be maintained for the empire’s survival.

That was the relationship between the Durellia Imperial House and Lombardy.

Throughout the empire’s long history, there were several emperors who struggled to escape Lombardy’s grasp, but none succeeded.

The same was true for Emperor Yobanes, Astana’s father.

Grandfather left the speechless Astana and scolded the wet nurse and knights beside him.

“Just because the young Crown Prince cannot distinguish right from wrong, should you all be swept along too!”

“We’re s-sorry.”

The wet nurse and knights bowed their heads.

Though they had no choice but to follow the extremely willful Crown Prince’s orders, they knew well what would happen if they touched Lombardy.

“I’ll overlook this incident, considering it a mistake made due to the Crown Prince’s youth.”

He meant he would treat it as something that happened between children and wouldn’t formally protest to the Emperor.

If Grandfather protested to the Emperor about breaking the pact, the Emperor would have no choice but to apologize.

It was great magnanimity to let it slide this time to save Emperor Yobanes’ face.

Our Grandfather is so cool!

I trembled with emotion at Grandfather’s truly Lombardy-like behavior.

Then there was a hand patting my shoulder.

“It’s alright. Don’t worry.”

Shannet seemed to think I was still scared.

But Astana still hadn’t given up his stubbornness.

The brat pointed his finger at me and glared.

“B-But this happened because that girl wouldn’t obey my command! She defied my order to pick up my hat and threw it even farther away!”

“Watch your words, Crown Prince.”

Grandfather’s eyes flashed again as he warned.

“It sounds like you’re saying my granddaughter should have picked up the Crown Prince’s hat like a servant.”

“That’s obvious…!”

The wet nurse urgently grabbed the Crown Prince’s shoulder.

It meant to stop.

The Crown Prince, who had been fuming for a moment unable to control his anger, finally slapped the wet nurse’s cheek.

And he turned around so forcefully that his clothes fluttered, then shouted loudly.

“Let’s go! I don’t want to stay in this kind of place any longer!”

That brat, to the very end, really.

The Crown Prince stomped away angrily, and finally peace returned.

“Miss, we’re sorry.”

“We didn’t know how they would react if we used force, so we couldn’t dare….”

The security guards who had followed behind the imperial escort knights apologized to me repeatedly.

“It’s fine. If you had intervened then, that brat- I mean, the Crown Prince probably would have drawn his sword.”

And then some, for sure.

While I was comforting the security guards, I saw two people running up the stairs where the Crown Prince had just gone down.

It was Biejie and Belesack, father and son, who had been waiting for the Crown Prince at the main gate, unaware of what had happened.

“Father! What happened! Why did His Highness the Crown Prince leave so angrily….”

“Pirenthia.”

Grandfather completely ignored Biejie and called me.

I’m going to get scolded.

I answered as politely as possible to look as pitiful as I could.

“Yes, Grandfather.”

“Well done.”

“…Pardon?”

“Lombardy must be Lombardy-like before anyone.”

Grandfather left only those words and returned toward his study.

I wondered if he really meant “well done,” but I felt good anyway.

And I liked Grandfather and this Lombardi Family even more.

As I stood there blankly watching Grandfather’s retreating figure, Shannet spoke to me.

“You must have been very frightened, so let’s go to your quarters.”

“I’m really fine though.”

I was truly fine, but apparently my young body wasn’t.

When I actually tried to walk, my legs suddenly gave out from the tension and I almost collapsed.

Seeing me like that, Shannet sighed softly and spoke to a security guard standing nearby.

“Could you carry Pirenthia to her quarters?”

“Ah, yes! Of course!”

I ended up being carried back to my room by the guard, and fell fast asleep on the way there.

* * *

Today had been another frantically busy day.

Gallahan wanted to see his daughter’s face as quickly as possible, so he came home taking the stairs two or three steps at a time.

“Tia, Daddy’s home! Hmm? Sister, what brings you here?”

At the very unusual sight of Shannet sitting in his drawing room, Gallahan stepped outside for a moment before coming back in.

He was checking to make sure he had come to the right house.

“Gallahan.”

“Yes, Sister.”

“Would you sit here for a moment?”

Gulp.

Gallahan swallowed so hard his Adam’s apple bobbed audibly.

Something about the atmosphere felt strange.

After confirming through the open door that his daughter was sleeping soundly in Tia’s room, Gallahan obediently sat on the sofa as Shannet had instructed.

“Tia fell asleep early today, haha.”

He tried to act nonchalant to ease the somehow awkward atmosphere, but it was no use against Shannet.

Shannet watched with an expressionless face as Gallahan rubbed the sweat that had formed on his palms against his knees, then spoke.

“Pirenthia will be tired today. She had quite a shock from something that happened during the day.”

“A-an incident? What happened to Tia?”

When the startled Gallahan asked loudly, Shannet brought a finger to her lips.

“Are you planning to wake your daughter?”

Gallahan immediately shut his mouth.

“This afternoon…”

Shannet explained what had happened during the day to Gallahan in a quiet voice.

Contrary to what she thought would make him jump up and down in anger, Gallahan only let out a deep sigh and remained silent.

“Gallahan, Pirenthia may be a smart child, but she’s still young. She’s at an age where she needs care.”

Shannet spoke sternly.

“Leaving the child alone like this every day. Do you have any awareness as a father?”

“…My thinking was shallow.”

Gallahan couldn’t lift his head.

“But you’re not thinking you should quit what you’re doing now and go back to staying by Pirenthia’s side, are you?”

“H-how did you…”

“Weak fool.”

As if she had expected this, Shannet shook her head.

“Do you think Father will live in good health forever, Gallahan?”

At her question, Gallahan’s shoulders flinched greatly.

Having been born into the powerful Lombardy clan, this was a concern he had always carried since childhood.

“Abandon the foolish thought that you can avoid the storm by keeping your head down and lying low.”

Biejie’s tremendous lust for power was something both siblings knew well.

And when the position of clan head became vacant, that greed would surely cause upheaval.

“Right now you don’t have the power to protect Pirenthia. If something were to happen to Father immediately, what do you think would happen to you and your daughter?”

Shannet was giving sincere advice to her youngest brother for the first time.

“Fortunately, you have a fairly good head on your shoulders. Plus, with your likeable appearance, dealing with people shouldn’t be too difficult. So use those things to build your strength, Gallahan.”

Having finished speaking, Shannet rose from her seat.

Lost in thought, Gallahan hurriedly stood up after her and bowed to her.

Shannet walked to the door with elegant steps that made no sound, then suddenly turned back and said,

“Starting tomorrow, when you need to be away from home, send Pirenthia to me. I don’t have as much work as you do.”

“Th-thank you, Sister.”

When Gallahan looked surprised, Shannet showed a rare faint smile and left the room.

Left alone, Gallahan carefully opened Tia’s door.

He gently touched the round forehead of his daughter who was sleeping soundly with soft breathing sounds, and spoke quietly.

“I’m sorry, Tia.”

He had thought he was loving the child with all his might, making up for her mother’s share too.

But a parent’s role couldn’t end there.

Gallahan stroked Tia’s forehead and made a firm resolution over and over again.

That no matter what happened, he would protect his daughter.

* * *

Astana, who had returned to the Imperial Palace, was summoned by the Empress as soon as he changed clothes.

The Empress greeted her son with a bright smile.

“Did you have a good trip, Crown Prince?”

Perhaps she hasn’t heard yet?

Astana couldn’t answer and hesitated.

After watching her son for a moment, the Empress still spoke with a smiling face.

“You didn’t listen to me. I told you so many times to be careful of your behavior when you went to Lombardy.”

“I-I’m sorry, Mother.”

The arrogant Astana became the most gentle and well-behaved son in the world whenever he stood before the Empress.

“Soon the Crown Prince will visit the Lombardy Estate again, carrying an apology gift that I will send.”

“But…! Ugh!”

The Empress painfully gripped the chin of the Crown Prince who was about to protest.

“Crown Prince.”

“Yes… M-Mother.”

“Today was very humiliating, wasn’t it?”

“…Pardon?”

The Empress gently caressed Astana’s face as if she had never gripped it painfully.

“Answer me, Crown Prince.”

“…Yes, it was humiliating.”

“In what way?”

“I am, I am the Crown Prince who will inherit this Empire. But, but they…”

“They acted as if they were the masters of this Empire, didn’t they?”

The Empress laughed as if making a joke.

“That’s what the Lombardy are like. People who have lost respect for the Imperial family, trusting only in their paltry money’s power.”

Clear hostility flashed in the Empress’s eyes.

“So never forget what happened today, Crown Prince.”

As expected, Mother understands my heart!

“And that child called Pirenthia will someday regret being so rude to our Crown Prince. This mother will make sure of it.”

Astana nodded his head eagerly.

“I will do it by any means necessary. So the Crown Prince just needs to listen to me.”

“Yes, Mother.”

The Empress embraced Astana.

From the outside, it was quite a beautiful sight of mother and son.

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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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