In This Life, I Will Be The Lord - Chapter 249
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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 249
“Something you have to do?”
“Ugh, you!”
Peres was startled by the feeling of speaking under my finger and quickly pulled his hand away.
He smiled mischievously and asked again.
“What do you mean by something you have to do?”
Strong determination shot out from Peres’s eyes like a laser, as if he would immediately run off and take care of whatever task I mentioned.
“It’s not something you can do. I have to do it.”
At my words, Peres looked down with a slightly dejected expression.
Still, he’s really handsome.
I gently stroked Peres’s cheek as I spoke.
“My fiancé doesn’t have particularly special bloodline. There’s a lot to prepare.”
“Tia, if it’s because of the nobles, you don’t need to worry too much. They can’t oppose the Emperor’s will.”
Peres said worriedly.
“I know. But my pride won’t allow me to just hide behind that as a shield.”
“Hmm.”
Peres pressed his lips together again.
I know that’s his habit when he’s troubled and can’t bring himself to say something.
I casually threw out a probing question.
“But you know, Peres. I was honestly surprised.”
“About what?”
“To get a will like that, you must have had quite a long power struggle with the Emperor. I didn’t know you were that interested in the throne.”
“Ah.”
Peres thought for a moment before answering.
“Nothing is more important to me than being with you, Tia. So if he had refused to write the will, I was planning to just leave the Imperial Palace.”
Right. That was closer to Peres’s personality that I usually knew.
“But.”
A gentle smile spread across Peres’s lips.
“Maybe you changed me, Tia.”
“Me?”
Peres explained to my bewildered self.
“Because you saved me. That one bottle of medicine you gave me that day changed everything.”
Peres’s fingertips gently brushed my forehead.
“Maybe by ascending to the throne, I could help people too, just like you helped me. That’s what I thought.”
Peres pulled my hand toward him and kissed my fingertips.
“That glass bottle with the medicine you gave me was more precious to me than anything else in the world.”
The voice that brushed against my fingertips, almost murmuring, was warm.
After kissing each of my finger joints like that, Peres looked directly at me and said.
“I have something I want to ask you too.”
“Wh-what is it?”
I found myself stuttering slightly without realizing it.
When Peres looked at me directly with such deep eyes, my heart inevitably skipped a beat.
“Why did you accept my proposal?”
“Ah, that’s actually…”
The forgotten sense of injustice came rushing back.
“I came to the Imperial Palace to propose to you too. I quickly accepted because you beat me to it.”
It’s unfair, so unfair.
I could have proposed coolly too!
Of course, I couldn’t have done it with a ring prepared like Peres, so it might have been a bit less stylish.
I thought while looking at the ring sparkling prettily on my fourth finger.
“Ah, of course your proposal was the best. Getting a will and all.”
I quietly looked up at Peres’s face.
Suddenly, really suddenly, I had this thought.
Ah, I’m going to grow old looking at this face from now on.
There was no fear.
Rather, I was only happy.
When I’m old and standing at the end of my life, I’ll be full of memories with Peres.
“I just realized something.”
I looked at Peres and smiled as I spoke.
“That I can only live once.”
“Tia.”
Peres hugged me tightly once more and gently rubbed his forehead against mine.
I didn’t push him away.
There was no need to.
Now that we’ve promised to marry, there was no need to hold back.
I hugged Peres tightly as well.
“I was afraid.”
Peres confessed quietly in my ear.
“Even though you said you loved me too, I was afraid you might refuse marriage until the end.”
“That couldn’t happen.”
I said firmly.
“I have no intention of making my child illegitimate.”
I grew up receiving Father’s infinite love.
And today I learned the truth about Mother.
She was someone who loved Father and me enough to exchange her own life.
So I didn’t have a big complex about being an illegitimate child born between an unrecognized couple.
But whether I wanted to pass that on to my child was a completely different dimension of question.
“I want my child to lack nothing.”
Unlike Mother, I can’t directly see the future appearance of my child, but if possible, I want to give them only good things.
But something was a bit strange.
“Peres?”
Usually he would answer “Hm?” and meet my eyes, but he just crouched down in place.
Like someone whose legs had given out.
“What’s wrong? Are you hurt somewhere?”
Did I get so excited that I failed to notice Peres was in pain?
Startled, I crouched down too and examined Peres’s face.
“Ch-child…”
Peres murmured softly.
Ah, I was careless.
I carefully asked Peres.
“Do you… not want children?”
Instead of answering, Peres stared at me intently.
The tension was clearly evident in my voice.
“I don’t have siblings, only cousins. I was thinking about three or so… Peres!”
In the end, Peres swayed greatly once more.
“If you’re hurt somewhere, let’s quickly go back and get the court physician…”
“It’s not that.”
Peres’s hand firmly grasped my arm.
“I’ve never thought about having my own family.”
“Your face… is quite red.”
Only now could I see that Peres’s face, deeply bowed, had turned red.
“Peres.”
I placed my hand over Peres’s hand that was holding mine as I spoke.
“Since we’ve promised to marry, you and I are family too. This is how we become family. You understand?”
“…Family.”
“As time passes, our family members will increase.”
Then, realizing something, I quickly added.
He might faint again.
“Of course, only if you want to. If you don’t like children, the throne and the Lombardi family can find a way somehow…”
“I want them.”
Peres said urgently.
“Children of you and me.”
He answered so hastily.
His shoulders rose and fell lightly with each breath he took.
But his red eyes were still trembling.
That was understandable.
In Peres’s life until now, the place for family had been empty for a very long time.
“And as you know.”
I gripped Peres’s hand even tighter.
“I’m someone who will do whatever it takes to protect my family.”
Father was like that, Grandfather was like that, Shannet was like that, the twins were like that, and Larane was like that.
Lombardi was the same way too.
“When we first met in this forest, I told you, ‘I’ll help you.’ I’ll promise again. I’ll protect you, Peres.”
I could feel Peres’s fingertips trembling finely beneath my palm.
At the same time, his eyes also furrowed slightly.
“That’s what I want to say.”
Peres said that and cupped my cheek.
As if he was holding the most precious thing in the world in his hands.
“I’ll protect you, Tia. No matter what happens.”
These were words any couple could say to each other.
But Peres’s promise wasn’t just empty words with a nice facade.
He would protect me as he swore.
No matter what happened.
I looked at him and smiled quietly.
Our gazes naturally intertwined.
Peres slowly approached.
Just the two of us, Peres and I, crouched together in the vast forest.
At this moment, nothing else in the world was more important.
Only we existed.
Peres, who had come right up to my lips, asked with languidly opened eyes.
“Is it not okay?”
Blocking his lips earlier seemed to have been quite a shock.
I smiled softly and moved closer myself as I said.
“Of course not.”
Whoooosh-
The bare winter forest made a cool sound like a refreshing spring breeze.
Just like the day we first met.
* * *
“Have you arrived, Master.”
Butler Johan greeted me in front of the head family’s office.
Normally he would have helped me with everything from when I woke up and prepared for work, but since today was my first official day at work, I had asked in advance to prepare quietly by myself.
“Good morning, Johan.”
I greeted him in return and carefully placed both hands on the closed office door handle.
Click.
As I applied force with both hands, the two doors slid open smoothly with a small sound.
Tap, tap.
Only the sound of my footsteps echoed in the quiet office.
With indescribable feelings, I looked around the interior of the office.
While my clan head inauguration celebration party was busily held outside for three days and nights, the office had also finished preparing to welcome its new owner.
Only the chair and sofa that Grandfather had used for a long time had been replaced with new items.
But just that alone had made the office atmosphere quite different from a few days ago.
“Whew.”
I calmed my chest that was boiling with motivation with a short sigh, then turned around and asked Johan.
“What’s the first schedule?”
“I’ve arranged a clan head meeting with the heads of the vassal families.”
That was appropriate.
Although they were clan heads I had known well since childhood, since I had newly become clan head, I should see their faces once before starting work.
“When does the meeting start?”
“The clan heads will start arriving shortly.”
“Alright, then let’s go now.”
“No one has arrived yet…”
“Since it’s the first meeting, this much is fine. For the first meeting at least, I should wait for them.”
From now on, when the busy clan head duties begin, they’ll always be the ones waiting.
I entered the meeting room next to the office with Johan and sat at the head seat of the empty table.
And not long after, the clan heads began arriving one by one.
Families with close relationships came into the meeting room together in groups of two or three.
“Oh, Master!”
“You were here first!”
“We’re sorry!”
They were startled and quickly apologized while bowing their heads.
“There’s no need to apologize. I waited because I wanted to. Everyone, please sit.”
I smiled comfortably and gestured, but the clan heads seemed quite embarrassed that I had arrived first.
Then, the meeting room door that had been closed opened again, revealing a very familiar figure.
I smiled brightly at that person and greeted them.
“Welcome, Pellet clan head.”
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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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