In This Life, I Will Be The Lord - Chapter 176

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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 176

“Ah, Father!”

Biejie screamed out.

No, it was a scream.

He stared at Grandfather with wide eyes, as if unable to comprehend what he had just heard.

“St-stripping my rights, you say…”

Biejie’s body trembled like an aspen leaf.

“You cannot do this, Father. You cannot do this to me…”

Biejie, who had been muttering continuously, suddenly approached Grandfather.

“Even if you are my father, you cannot cast me aside like this!”

What shameless audacity.

Biejie was now getting angry at Grandfather.

Grandfather also seemed incredulous as one eyebrow rose upward.

“I am a Lombardi! You cannot deny my rights as one who inherited the noble bloodline of Lombardi!”

Biejie was like a child throwing a tantrum.

No, at least a child would be cute.

I could see that Grandfather’s patience was gradually reaching its limit.

He shook his head and spoke each word clearly and distinctly.

“You cannot deny that I have given you countless opportunities until now.”

“But…”

“Those who try to gain personal profit by using blood relatives are not needed in this clan.”

The marriage proposal between Astana and Larane seemed to have been the final line that Grandfather would not cross.

Certainly, Grandfather’s expression toward Biejie was different from before.

“Father…”

Fear spread across Biejie’s face.

But Grandfather looked coldly at such a Biejie and then turned around.

That’s when it happened.

Thud!

Biejie fell to his knees before Grandfather.

“I’m sorry! I have committed a mortal sin, Father! For-forgiveness…”

The servants who had been busily carrying luggage and the administrators who had come out due to the commotion were all startled.

This was the first time everyone had seen such behavior from Biejie, who was usually incomparably arrogant.

“Please forgive me!”

Biejie truly prostrated himself flat.

Like someone who desired Grandfather’s mercy more than anything else at that moment.

His voice seemed to carry deep earnestness.

But Grandfather, looking down at Biejie, only frowned slightly.

He seemed not to believe Biejie’s desperate words of apology at all.

“It’s too late, Biejie.”

Leaving those words, Grandfather went inside without looking back.

Sure enough.

As soon as Grandfather disappeared, Biejie spat out curses and got up from his position.

Then he glared at the direction of Grandfather’s study for a while, spat on the ground, and strode toward the direction of the annex.

What had he done well, anyway.

Like a ill-tempered child, his footsteps seemed to make loud thumping sounds.

“Of course. What apology.”

People like Biejie never change.

They repeat the same mistakes and eventually drive themselves to a cliff.

“The key will be how the Empress responds.”

Actually, how the Empress will respond is also obvious.

As I said just before.

People never change.

* * *

“Aaaah! Peres! That lowly Peres is interfering with my work! Aaah!”

Crash!

“I’ll kill him! That bastard, right now, kill him! Aaaaah!”

Smash!

Duiji Angenas trembled as he recalled the image of Empress Lavinia going mad with rage after the primogeniture law failed a month ago.

Until now, Lavinia had instilled much fear, but he swore there had never been a time as terrifying as that day.

The Empress, who had lost her target right before her eyes, could not control her anger.

Not content with smashing all the objects in the room, she later even harmed people.

“The tea has gotten too cold. Please bring it again.”

“Y-yes, Your Majesty the Empress…”

The reason why the maids serving by the Empress’s side had been largely replaced was also due to this.

The maids who had suffered large and small injuries all wanted to quit, and Duiji Angenas had to pay considerable compensation to silence them.

Moreover, finding new maids was also a big problem.

No one wanted to work by the Empress’s side.

Eventually, filling the positions only with those in need of money naturally lowered the quality of the maids, and the Empress became even more sensitive, saying she didn’t like them.

“Is there any interesting news in the Imperial Capital, Duiji?”

Though she was smiling like that now, the demon-like appearance from that day kept overlapping over Lavinia’s beautiful face, so Duiji averted his gaze.

“There’s nothing particularly interesting enough for Your Majesty, haha.”

An awkward laugh followed.

“Hmm, I see.”

Lavinia’s blue eyes stared at Duiji Angenas as if piercing through him.

Then, as if nothing had happened, she smiled brightly.

“I wonder what our Crown Prince is doing these days. He doesn’t show his face to this mother often, so you can’t imagine how hurt I am.”

Astana hadn’t even come near the Empress’ Quarters since a month ago.

“Rumors that Mother has gone mad are spreading throughout the palace! I am destined to inherit the throne, so what if I get hurt going near a crazy person? Uncle, please convey my regards instead!”

It was an excuse to avoid the bothersome task of stopping by the Empress’ Quarters to pay his respects.

Though it was heartlessly cruel words to say to his mother, Duiji Angenas was not surprised.

‘Astana is Lavinia’s child, after all. It’s natural that he resembles her.’

Having such a child was Lavinia’s karma, if it was karma.

“His Highness the Crown Prince is quite busy, isn’t he.”

Duiji hid his true feelings and spoke as if it couldn’t be helped.

And he thoughtlessly blurted out recent events to Astana.

“His Highness’s hunting skills improve day by day. Didn’t he achieve the remarkable result of 2nd place in the recent autumn hunting competition.”

The moment he spoke those words, Duiji thought ‘Oh no.’

Sure enough, Empress Lavinia narrowed her eyes and asked.

“2nd place? Then who was 1st place?”

“Th-that is…”

“Go ahead and tell me, Duiji.”

Duiji Angenas bit his tongue.

Why did he have to bring this up!

But he couldn’t continue to remain silent under the Empress’s sharp gaze.

In the end, I squeezed my eyes shut and opened my mouth.

“The, the Second Prince.”

Crack.

A chilling sound of teeth grinding against each other rang out.

With just those words “Second Prince,” Lavinia became a completely different person.

Her gentle smile disappeared, and her eyes changed with rage.

Click.

“Your Majesty the Empress, I’ve brought the hot water as you requested.”

At the worst possible timing, a young maid returned, carefully carrying a teapot.

“Oh no.”

Duiji Angenas clicked his tongue.

What terrible luck.

Of all times to come in.

To the Empress who was looking for somewhere to vent her rising anger, the naive maid was perfect prey.

The Empress picked up the tea set teapot from the tray and hurled it at the maid’s feet.

Crash-!

“Kyaah!”

The maid screamed as hot water covered her feet and ankles.

“Your, Your Majesty the Empress…”

“Are you trying to harm me right now?”

“Wh-what do you mean by that… I was just following orders…”

“You think I don’t know your true intentions in bringing me such boiling hot water to drink!”

“Sob! I, I really didn’t mean anything like that…”

The maid, trembling with pain and fear, looked at Duiji with pleading eyes, but all that came back was tongue-clicking sounds and averted gaze.

The maid’s face turned even paler as she prostrated herself flat.

“Pl-please spare me, Your Majesty the Empress!”

Though her voice was pitiful, the Empress didn’t even blink.

“Head maid, take this girl away!”

Finally, the Empress’s trusted head maid came in with burly servants and had the young maid dragged away, only then did the Empress’s complexion improve slightly.

Lavinia brushed off the hem of her dress where some tea had splashed and said,

“This simply won’t do. Duiji, fill that maid’s position with someone from Angenas.”

“…Pardon?”

“Though they’re called nobles, they’re from families no different from commoners, so they act like this because they lack proper education. Someone from Angenas would be worth keeping by my side.”

Currently, the only females of suitable age to work as maids at Angenas were Duiji’s daughters.

Duiji quickly racked his brain to avoid answering while maintaining his smiling face.

He was trying to think of something to change the subject.

Then a letter he had brought in his pocket suddenly came to mind.

“Ce-Ceral asked me to deliver this letter to Your Majesty the Empress.”

It was a letter sent to the Angenas estate instead, saying he couldn’t enter the Imperial Palace himself at the moment.

“Ceral?”

When Lavinia showed interest, Duiji quickly held out the envelope.

“Oh my…”

After reading through the contents that Ceral had carefully written, Lavinia murmured as if feeling sorry.

“So Ceral and Biejie Lombardi have found themselves in a difficult situation. It seems they’ve fallen out of favor with the Lombardi family head over the marriage proposal.”

But that was all.

Lavinia tossed Ceral’s letter aside as if disposing of annoying trash.

She didn’t say anything more about Lombardi either.

Though she appeared quietly lost in thought, it didn’t seem like she was worrying about Ceral.

“…Sister?”

Duiji Angenas asked cautiously, finding it strange.

“Shouldn’t we help Ceral?”

Lavinia blinked her large, beautiful eyes a few times before answering.

“Why should I help Ceral?”

“Well, that’s…”

Ceral had been loyal to Empress Lavinia all this time.

She had sent her son Belesack to serve as Astana’s companion, and took care of all the dirty work needed for the Empress’s social gatherings.

That wasn’t all.

As Lavinia’s cousin, she had moved Biejie to benefit Angenas as instructed.

Thanks to this, Lombardi’s various businesses large and small, including real estate and mines, had helped Lavinia.

But now that Ceral was in trouble, the Empress seemed to have forgotten all of that.

“Duiji.”

Lavinia said with a bright smile.

“She’s already been stripped of all her positions and banished to the annex. Ceral can no longer do anything for me.”

Goosebumps rose on Duiji’s arms.

Even at this moment, Lavinia’s only concern was ‘what Ceral could do for her.’

“Anyway, now that Ceral’s husband has been pushed out, I need to find out who the Lombardi family head has in mind as successor as soon as possible. It’s probably Gallahan, isn’t it?”

Empress Lavinia muttered with eyes full of obsession.

Ceral’s letter was rolling around on the floor, blown by the wind.

* * *

“Young Lady, letters have arrived.”

Loril handed me a bundle of letters and said.

I buried my face deeper into the book I was reading and answered.

“Ugh, how annoying. They’re probably all party invitations anyway.”

“I’d like to say no… but I think you’re right.”

“Put them on the desk, Loril. When I have time later, I’ll write replies declining all at once… wait.”

What did I just see?

I bolted upright from the sofa where I’d been half-lying and approached Loril.

“That…”

Among the numerous letter envelopes, there was one that particularly caught my eye.

“Loril… What exactly did you bring…”

“I’m sorry, Young Lady! What did I bring!”

When I frowned, Loril immediately apologized.

“Sigh…”

After sighing, I made small pincers with my thumb and index finger and picked up the edge of one envelope from the bundle.

It was a familiar purple letter envelope.

“It’s from the Empress.”

A deep, vivid purple.

It was definitely an invitation from Empress Lavinia.

I held onto a last hope that it might have been meant for the annex and mistakenly delivered to me, but on the back of the envelope was clearly written in ornate handwriting.

‘Pirenthia Lombardi.’

“How truly annoying.”

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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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