In This Life, I Will Be The Lord - Chapter 217

—————
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 217

The same day, a little earlier.

Empress Lavinia stood in front of the Emperor’s chambers.

Though the bedroom door was firmly closed, Lavinia’s face was bright.

Before long, a black-haired head maid came out and bowed respectfully.

“Please come in, Your Majesty the Empress. His Majesty has granted permission.”

Lavinia’s red lips quietly curved upward.

Until recently, she had been turned away at the door.

But today, permission to enter had been granted.

“Yes. Thank you, Head Maid Otuwa.”

Receiving the Empress’s greeting, the head maid bowed her head even lower without making eye contact.

At that sight, Empress Lavinia’s mood improved even more.

“Your Majesty.”

Entering the bedroom, the Empress called to Yobanes in an affectionate voice.

“You’ve come.”

Yobanes, who seemed to have just woken up and was still in his nightclothes being attended to by maids, answered indifferently.

As payment for continuously drinking for some time, his under-eyes were dark and his face was haggard.

“I was worried when I heard Your Majesty was unwell. I’m relieved you seem to be feeling better.”

Yobanes’s claim of “not feeling well” was merely an excuse because he didn’t want to see the Empress’s face.

Though she couldn’t be unaware of this.

The Empress spoke familiarly to Yobanes as if she had been genuinely worried.

“Why have you come, Empress?”

Yobanes, fed up with such behavior from Lavinia, asked in a voice tinged with irritation.

“If you’ve come to ask about Astana’s matter…”

“I’ve come about Second Prince Peres’s matter, Your Majesty.”

Yobanes glanced at Lavinia briefly, then bent toward the washbasin a maid had brought without any particular response.

Watching this, Lavinia was certain.

The Emperor already knew about Peres and Pirenthia Lombardi, about that child’s matter.

But since he seemed intent on pretending ignorance, she had to play along.

“Haven’t you heard yet? This morning, the head of Lombardy appointed Pirenthia, that child engaged to the Second Prince, as the next official heir, Your Majesty.”

“…Such a thing happened.”

Yobanes spoke in a low voice and splashed water on his face.

Lavinia’s guess was correct.

The Emperor had just heard about Rulak’s decision upon waking.

At first, he was dumbfounded.

He was also angry, thinking these people had deceived him.

However, upon careful consideration, it wasn’t such a bad thing for Yobanes himself.

Lombardy and the Imperial Court had an inseparable symbiotic relationship.

That meant the absolute power that the Emperor should rightfully enjoy alone had to be shared.

Yobanes found this unbearably detestable.

But no emperor had ever escaped these shackles that weren’t quite shackles.

Not even that fearsome Previous Emperor, nor Yobanes himself.

He had tried to break free from Lombardy’s grasp, but had only suffered greater retaliation.

“Are you alright, Your Majesty?”

Lavinia approached with a worried voice, trying to gauge Yobanes’s reaction.

“…”

The Emperor hid his face, pretending to wipe the moisture with a towel to conceal his expression.

Because the face behind the towel was smiling.

‘Rulak, that old man is giving me quite a nice gift in his twilight years.’

A young female head of Lombardy with no political experience.

She would be much easier to handle than Rulak Lombardi.

“I’m fine.”

Though Yobanes answered thus, Empress Lavinia shook her head.

“Your complexion doesn’t look good, Your Majesty.”

That couldn’t be.

Right now, Yobanes was barely restraining himself from bursting into hearty laughter.

This was an excellent opportunity to break Lombardy’s spirit.

However, to do so, he still needed Angenas.

If Angenas disappeared immediately, who knew how much time it would take to create a focal point for noble forces to oppose Lombardy.

“You must be very angry about the Second Prince’s matter.”

Yobanes looked at the Empress through the mirror as she continued speaking thus.

He was still having nightmares every night because of Astana’s appearance when he had charged with a sword.

But if he could humble Lombardy’s pride, he might overlook even Astana’s actions just once.

Conveniently, there were rumors circulating that Astana hadn’t been in his right mind at the time and had been framed by someone.

‘That doesn’t mean I can just release him.’

It was treason, no less.

Someone had to pay the price for that crime.

“Sigh. My heart hasn’t been at peace lately either, Your Majesty.”

Then Lavinia spoke as if sighing.

“The Crown Prince was badly injured, wasn’t he? But the Second Prince won’t even let me, his mother, see his face…”

As if reading Yobanes’s mind, the Empress brought up Astana’s story with tears in her voice.

“Poor Crown Prince was surely framed, Your Majesty.”

“It’s still just uncertain suspicion.”

“But what if it’s true, Your Majesty?”

Empress Lavinia took out a handkerchief and wiped her tears.

“How many days has the Crown Prince been confined? And he even lost his right hand.”

The Empress’s voice was earnest, as if her concern was truly and solely for Astana.

“Of course, he committed an unforgivable sin against Your Majesty, but hasn’t he paid the price for his crimes by now?”

“Empress.”

Yobanes finally turned to look at Lavinia and called to her.

“All of that only applies if there’s a separate real culprit, doesn’t it?”

However, these weren’t words reproaching the Empress.

Rather, there was something in that subtle tone that made the listener pay attention.

“I too feel great pity as a father watching Astana suffer, but finding the culprit remains unchanged.”

“The culprit…”

The Empress looked deeply into Yobanes’s eyes and asked as if confirming.

“If the real culprit is revealed, will Astana be released from confinement?”

“There would be no reason he couldn’t be released.”

“I see.”

Empress Lavinia nodded.

And took a few steps back.

“I’ll wait outside for Your Majesty to finish preparing. Won’t you have breakfast with me after such a long time?”

“…Let’s do that.”

As soon as Yobanes finished speaking, the Empress left the bedroom.

Though he wondered where she was going in such a hurry, the Emperor didn’t ask.

He merely smiled subtly.

“The first emperor to tame Lombardy.”

It was a very pleasing achievement.

* * *

“Belesack Lombardi’s safety….”

Peres muttered quietly while looking at me.

“How about we move to a different location to continue our conversation, Lombardi Regent.”

“Let’s do that.”

I nodded at Peres’ suggestion.

“This way.”

Peres led me into the knight’s building.

The place we arrived at was a small office that appeared to be temporarily used by Peres.

“Here we are.”

I entered first.

Then I heard Peres speaking from behind.

“Don’t even think about coming in.”

“But Your Highness….”

“Stay far away from the door.”

“Still….”

“That’s an order.”

“…Yes, Your Highness.”

Eventually the guards yielded to Peres and stepped back, and the door closed.

Only the two of us remained in the room.

Peres, who had come closer, was just looking at me with slightly smiling eyes.

Why is he acting like this.

In the somewhat awkward atmosphere that was flowing for some reason, I spoke first.

“Second Prince, I came here on official business, but the reason the guards can’t be present….”

“Did you sleep well last night?”

Once we were left alone, Peres’ tone became casual.

“What, that’s so random all of a sudden.”

I frowned slightly and answered reflexively.

“Of course I slept well….”

Wait.

“Last night… you came to my room… huh?”

“Yeah.”

“Then… that was….”

It wasn’t a dream?!

I hesitated and stepped back.

But Peres stepped forward by exactly that much.

“You were sleeping so peacefully that I didn’t say goodbye when I left. I thought I might wake you.”

“I, I thought it was a dream!”

“For me, it was definitely a dreamlike time. When you told me you liked me, Tia….”

“Peres!”

I looked toward the door and shouted urgently, but Peres just laughed as if he was enjoying himself.

This puppy-like guy! That wasn’t a dream!

I could feel my face turning red.

No, stay calm. Be calm!

I took a small deep breath and then spoke.

“I didn’t come here today to talk about personal matters. Hand over Belesack Lombardi.”

I just wanted to quickly finish my business and escape this situation.

I had prepared plenty of things to say if Peres refused.

“Please take him, Regent.”

But Peres answered with a calm face.

“I had him prepared in advance. I just came from watching him pack his things.”

“…It seems you knew I would come today.”

“Since you became the Lombardi Regent, I thought you would try to take responsibility for everyone in the Lombardi family.”

“You know me well.”

At my words, Peres smiled faintly and answered.

“Thank you for the compliment.”

Being handsome is everything.

I glanced at Peres briefly and said.

“Then I’ll take him right away without wasting time. Where is Belesack Lombardi?”

“Upstairs.”

It seemed to be the room Peres had come from earlier.

“Lead the way.”

I said that and tried to open the door.

“Before that.”

Before Peres’ gentle touch closed the door again.

“Your string has come undone, Regent.”

Peres said quietly and reached out his hand to me.

“Ah….”

As he said, the string of my shawl had come slightly undone.

And through the gap of the crooked, slipping shawl, the red ruby necklace was revealed.

“This is….”

At that moment, my eyes met with Peres’.

Thump.

My heart skipped a beat.

It was because Peres was smiling.

The feeling of him fiddling with the ruby tickled below my collarbone.

“Following last night and now today. If you keep giving me gifts like this, what am I supposed to do.”

His red eyes looked at me as if they would burn me.

“Lombardi Regent.”

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