In This Life, I Will Be The Lord - Chapter 241

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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 241

So he had a prior engagement.

And that person was Ramona.

That was my first thought.

Right after the meeting ended, he left in such a hurry without even saying goodbye.

He was rushing to meet Ramona.

That was my second thought.

A surge of emotion.

It was ridiculous, but I found myself harboring resentment toward Peres without realizing it.

And seeing him walking side by side with Ramona made my heart ache.

“Looking at them like that, they make quite a well-matched pair.”

Someone said.

I could have turned my head to see who it was, but for some reason, I couldn’t take my eyes off Peres and Ramona.

“I heard that Brown Maiden and the Second Prince have been quite close since their Academy days?”

“That’s right. So at the Academy, rumors openly circulated that the two were in a romantic relationship…”

Chairman Killian was proudly sharing some rumor he’d picked up somewhere when he suddenly stopped talking.

It was because Duke Widua, who was among the younger ones, had tapped the oblivious Chairman Killian’s hand.

“Hmm? What’s the matter?”

However, Chairman Killian was even more oblivious than expected.

“Ah, the Lombardi Regent isn’t someone who would be bothered by such matters.”

Such matters?

“Though no official annulment has been announced, it must have already been settled between the parties involved. Isn’t that right, Lombardi Regent?”

Chairman Killian was correct.

Peres and I had not officially broken our engagement.

Not yet.

Of course, it was something that had been predetermined when I became the Lombardi Regent.

“…That’s correct.”

I answered in as calm a voice as possible.

“You see!”

Chairman Killian sent me a look full of trust.

“Our Lombardi Regent is not someone who would be swayed by personal emotions!”

Even though Chairman Killian continued to say the right things, each and every word began to grate on my ears.

He was crossing the line.

With me, bearing the title of Lombardi Regent, right before his eyes, he was casually mentioning my affairs as if they were some kind of appetizing delicacy.

“As expected of Lombardi…”

“Enough.”

I cut off Chairman Killian’s words in a low voice.

When I turned my gaze away from Peres to look at the Chairman, I saw his quite flustered face.

I was no longer smiling.

I looked at Chairman Killian with an expressionless face.

This should be enough for him to understand my meaning.

I put on an appropriately polite smile again and said.

“Should we really be spending our time like this here? Let’s hurry to the restaurant. And His Highness the Prince as well…”

I checked on Ramona and Peres, who were still walking in step and having some conversation, and said.

“Wouldn’t it be embarrassing if they knew we were watching them like this?”

“Ah, ahaha…”

At my words, the nobles laughed awkwardly and nodded their heads.

“You make a good point.”

“That’s certainly true. Let’s hurry and get out of their way!”

The nobles and I turned in a direction that moved us slightly away from where Peres and Ramona were approaching.

Even as we resumed walking, my chest continued to ache as if there was a hole in the middle of it, but I deliberately ignored that bitter feeling.

Because I had to get used to it.

I had chosen Lombardi.

Peres would become Emperor, and an Emperor needs an Empress.

So someday, someone would fill the seat beside Peres.

Someone other than me.

And if it were Ramona, it would really be a good choice.

Brown was a loyal family that no one could raise objections to, and with their spectacular return, they could provide good support for Peres, whose political foundation was currently weak.

The fact that Ramona herself was an exceptionally outstanding person would also play a part.

Because she was strong and had an upright character.

And anyone could see that she liked Peres very much.

‘I have to get used to it.’

I reminded myself once again.

Then, I recalled the words Peres had whispered to me in the Knight Order’s office.

“To press lips against the Regent like this, to touch skin like this – it must be me and no one else. No one else.”

I could still feel Peres’s body heat as he held me tightly, as if he would never let me go.

“Whew.”

I let out a small sigh while pretending to fix my hair.

If I didn’t do that, it felt like the mess of emotions inside me would show on my face.

Fortunately, when a cold breeze blew, it seemed to have an effect as I felt my unpleasantly boiling heart settle down considerably.

See, I can do this.

Suddenly, I felt an inexplicable surge of confidence.

From now on, whenever things get difficult like this, I’ll just take a deep breath and get through it.

Because I can’t live my whole life without seeing Peres.

Before our path and Peres’s completely diverged, I looked in that direction one last time as if to confirm.

Much more bearable.

Yes, if I keep this up, I’ll be fine someday.

Time will solve everything…

I stopped.

My steps halted without me realizing it.

I froze while looking at Peres’s face.

Are you smiling right now?

* * *

Peres tried to soothe his regretful feelings as he left the meeting room where the state council had been held.

‘It had been so long since I’d seen her.’

He deeply regretted not being able to make proper eye contact with Tia and greet her properly at the end.

“I’ll move alone for the next schedule.”

Peres said to the aides who had been following him everywhere lately.

“It was the schedule to meet your Academy classmates, wasn’t it? Understood. Then we’ll come to escort you in an hour.”

It was a meeting with the Academy Trio and Ramona to receive reports on things that had happened beyond Peres’s sight during this time.

However, the aide, thinking it was simply a private meeting with friends, readily withdrew.

“Do that.”

Peres continued walking while looking straight ahead.

On the surface, he appeared to have an expressionless face, radiating a coldness chillier than the winter weather.

But in reality, his mind was filled only with thoughts of Tia.

‘His face seemed a bit thinner.’

Taking over all the Emperor’s duties and ensuring that no one felt Yobanes’ absence was all part of Peres’ plan.

In a very short time, Peres had to make the Empire unable to function without him.

“Phew.”

Peres let out an uncharacteristic sigh.

The work that continued from morning to night was tiring, but bearable.

Fortunately, Yobanes hadn’t been such an outstanding emperor, so filling his void was relatively easy.

What truly tormented Peres was Tia.

To be precise, he missed her so much that he couldn’t even sleep.

If he could follow his heart, he would have ridden his horse at dawn and leaped over the walls of the Lombardi estate.

But he couldn’t do that anymore after receiving a stern warning not to.

These days, the only time he could breathe during his daily routine was when reading the documents Tia sent regarding the settlement of Angenas assets.

The content was purely business-related – what was disposed of, how much it cost, and so on.

But Peres felt as if he could hear Tia’s voice in every single line, keeping the documents by his side all day while working.

“Your Highness.”

Lost in thoughts of Tia and unaware of someone approaching, Peres heard a fairly familiar voice.

“Lord Ramona Brown.”

It was Ramona, who happened to be getting out of a carriage.

“The meeting place is over there, Your Highness.”

Ramona pointed in a slightly different direction from where Peres had been heading, speaking in a calm voice.

“Ah.”

He had been so lost in thoughts of Tia that he didn’t even know where he was going.

“Shall we go together?”

The perceptive Ramona said this and led Peres toward the meeting place first.

Even while walking together, there wasn’t much conversation between the two.

They only briefly discussed sword training.

Then, Ramona carefully brought up a topic.

“I’ll be officially joining the Imperial Knights next week.”

“I see, congratulations. You’ve achieved your goal.”

“Thank you.”

Ramona smiled and bowed her head slightly, then added:

“But that’s not my dream.”

“Your goal has changed, I suppose?”

Ever since her Academy days, Ramona’s dream had been to restore her status and become an Imperial Guard like her Brown family ancestors.

“Yes, after seeing Lady Pirenthia, I decided to follow in her footsteps.”

Ramona said with a shy smile.

“I’ll probably inherit the position of head of the Brown family sometime next year.”

“…That’s unexpected.”

He hadn’t known Ramona had such ambitions.

She had always said she’d be happy just clearing her family’s disgrace and being able to wield a sword for life.

“Seeing Lady Pirenthia confidently inherit the position of family head gave me courage. My father has no other children besides me, and I believe no one is more qualified to become the next head of the Brown family than I am.”

Ramona spoke confidently.

That demeanor somehow resembled Tia, so Peres nodded.

“That’s good.”

“I think many more people like me will emerge in the future. You’ve set a precedent that women can inherit their families if they have the ability.”

Ramona’s eyes sparkled as she spoke.

“Lady Pirenthia is truly remarkable. Wise, beautiful, and full of vigor.”

It wasn’t flattery – Ramona was genuinely smitten with Tia.

“I’ve been moved countless times by how kind she always is to the weak.”

“Tia has been like that since she was young.”

Peres nodded repeatedly as he spoke.

“Ah, I thought so.”

“That’s one of the reasons why talented people are always around Tia. Do you know Alfeo Zan?”

“You mean the famous sculptor?”

“Yes, Tia spotted his talent when she was very young and recommended him to the head of Lombardi. Before that, he was learning carpentry work in the Lombardi family.”

Peres felt proud.

He could tell stories about Tia that Ramona didn’t know yet.

His shoulders even lifted with pride at the fact that he knew more about Tia.

“That’s the kind of person Tia is. Generous to the weak, and strict with cowardly strong ones…”

As he said this, Peres recalled the moment he first met Tia.

The image of little Tia appearing suddenly in the forest like a fairy was still vivid in his eyes.

How brilliantly she had sparkled.

Peres had even thought he might be addicted and seeing hallucinations.

“Stop it. What on earth are you doing? Why are you eating that grass?”

When that clear voice had rung out.

Remembering that moment, Peres still felt his heart racing.

Thanks to that memory, his usually rigid expression softened and a smile naturally appeared.

“Lady Pirenthia?”

Just then, Ramona spotted Tia standing ahead and tilted her head curiously.

She was standing with some of the Empire’s most powerful nobles.

“Tia.”

Peres unconsciously called her name and approached happily.

But.

“…Tia?”

Something was strange.

Her face looking at him was one Peres had never seen before.

Coldly hardened, as if not even a needle could penetrate it.

Thud.

Peres’ heart sank.

The heart that had been pleasantly racing just moments ago now churned with anxiety.

“Let’s meet again at the restaurant.”

Tia said this to the surrounding nobles and then turned around and began walking away.

Without giving Peres another glance.

“Ah, yes. Let’s do that.”

Chairman Killian said, looking a bit bewildered.

Before Peres could do anything about it, Tia was already striding away toward her carriage.

Watching her retreating figure, Peres felt a terror he had never experienced even when being chased by assassins.

It felt as if his body was being cut in half by an invisible sword.

“Damn it.”

Peres muttered a curse under his breath and ran after Tia.

Something had gone terribly wrong.

A cold sweat trickled down his back.

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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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