In This Life, I Will Be The Lord - Chapter 291

—————
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

Side Story Episode 33

“Pregnant…?”

Someone’s muttered words echoed through the now quiet dining hall.

Hmm.

I thought everyone would be surprised, but the atmosphere turned more serious than I expected.

As expected of our family members.

Looking to the side, Peres was sitting there with an unusually tense expression on his face.

He was the one who suggested we tell the family first.

The young emperor who skillfully led hundreds of nobles according to his will during council meetings had now become speechless.

“Yes, it’s been about 8 weeks.”

I deliberately nodded with a light tone.

Clang.

The sound of heavy cutlery falling onto a plate rang out.

It was the sound made by Grandfather, who had jumped up from his seat so abruptly that his chair nearly tipped backward.

After passing the head position to me and enjoying his retirement in peace, Grandfather’s eyes blazed with a fierce fire for the first time in a long while.

“You rascal!”

Grandfather pointed at Peres with a trembling finger and shouted.

“You’re not even married yet! You, you!”

The fact that Peres was nominally the Emperor of the Empire seemed to have been completely erased from Grandfather’s mind.

Even if he’s a grandson-in-law, isn’t that kind of address a bit much for an emperor?

Shouldn’t I stop this?

I had that thought for a moment, but surprisingly, Peres just sat there quietly.

No, he was just sitting with his eyes downcast, looking like he would accept any punishment sweetly.

“…That is what happened, Grandfather.”

“What? That’s what happened?”

But Peres’s attitude seemed to only fuel Grandfather’s anger.

“I knew it from the beginning! I knew it when that guy was lurking around Tia! This wolf-like bastard!”

This is going to be trouble.

I quietly moved the wine glass in front of Grandfather toward me.

I was worried he might splash wine on Peres’s face in his rage.

Sure enough.

Grandfather’s eyes quickly scanned the table.

There was still a half-full water glass in front of him, but apparently that wouldn’t satisfy him.

What caught Grandfather’s eye then was the puppy Ralf, who was playing alone behind the table.

Though not yet fully grown, he was a breed specialized in hunting and guarding.

Ralf, who had been lying comfortably but was startled by the sudden shouting, stood up, and Grandfather pointed at Peres and commanded him.

“Bite him!”

But regardless of bloodline, there was no way such a naturally timid gentle soul could do that.

Ralf looked back and forth between Grandfather and Peres with round eyes, then made a whimpering sound and hid behind Grandfather’s legs instead.

“Oh my.”

Finally, Grandfather held his forehead and sat down with a thud.

However, his anger was still there as he glared at Peres, about to shout something else.

“You rascal…!”

“Father, please stop.”

It was Shannet’s calm voice.

“You’ll frighten the child.”

“Ah, the child?”

With an ‘oops’ expression, Grandfather’s momentum instantly deflated.

Then he carefully asked me, who was observing the situation with one hand supporting my chin.

“Were you very frightened, Tia?”

“I’m fine, Grandfather.”

Honestly, I wasn’t surprised.

I had somewhat expected Grandfather’s intense reaction.

Watching such a grandfather, Shannet shook her head once and said.

“Not just Tia, but you should also think about Father’s great-grandchild in Tia’s belly.”

“Huh? Ah, that’s right…”

Even as he answered, Grandfather still seemed dazed.

Though he had reacted like lightning to the word ‘pregnancy,’ it seemed he hadn’t quite grasped the fact that his great-grandchild was growing inside me.

“Heh, hehe. A great-grandchild…”

A smile gradually spread across Grandfather’s face.

“Yes, our Tia… Hehe.”

Good.

We’ve gotten past one hurdle.

“Double joy has come to Lombardy. Congratulations, Tia.”

Shannet, the last voice of reason in Lombardy, smiled and offered congratulations to Peres and me.

“Your Majesty must be very happy too.”

“Thank you, Shannet. I still… don’t quite feel it’s real yet.”

“That’s natural. There are no visible changes yet from the outside. Please help Tia a lot from beside her, Your Majesty.”

“Yes, I will do so.”

Beyond where this warm conversation was taking place, the twins still seemed unable to recover from the shock.

“Pregnant…”

“…A nephew?”

Hmm.

This side will need a bit more time.

Actually, there was somewhere else I had been constantly worried about.

I pretended to lightly rinse my mouth with water while gauging Father’s mood, who hadn’t said a word yet.

Fortunately, he didn’t seem to be thinking of throwing cutlery at Peres, sitting calmly with his hands folded.

Would he be angry?

He’s not the type to shout like Grandfather, so would he glare at Peres?

But my expectations were completely wrong.

Father slowly lifted his eyes from the table and looked at me.

He wore a smile that made the viewer feel at ease.

“Congratulations, Tia.”

It wasn’t a forced smile.

It was pure joy, enough to create small wrinkles around his eyes.

“Th-thank you, Father.”

“I’m a little worried that you won’t have time to enjoy your honeymoon. But still, our daughter will handle it well and strongly as she always has.”

Father trusted me.

Then it was actually me who snapped to attention.

I straightened my previously relaxed posture and answered.

“Yes, I will. Don’t worry.”

That’s our father indeed.

Someone with some weak points, but stronger than anyone in important moments.

I should become that kind of protector for my child too.

As if he had seen through all my thoughts, Father smiled gently again.

“Yes, yes. I’ve finished eating, so I should get up first.”

“Oh, already?”

“I’ll see you tomorrow morning, Tia.”

“Yes. Sleep well, Father.”

Is this how it ends?

My chest felt lighter, as if I had finished a great assignment.

See, everything ended well.

I was planning to whisper that to Peres.

Along with the light sound of a chair being pulled, Father’s low voice was heard.

“Your Majesty, please have a separate conversation with me for a moment.”

Ah, it was only over for me.

* * *

Peres followed Gallahan into the dimly lit drawing room.

Unlike Gallahan’s usual gentle and affectionate personality, it was a strict space with absolutely no unnecessary objects.

“Would you like a drink?”

Gallahan asked, picking up the bottle of liquor placed on the table.

The liquor that shimmered amber in the faint light was a strong drink that Peres occasionally consumed as well.

So he drinks this kind of liquor when alone.

Since Gallahan always sought sweet and light wine during shared meals, Peres nodded slightly in surprise.

Glug.

Without any words exchanged, the liquor filled the crystal glass.

Peres obediently received and drank the liquor Gallahan offered.

Whether the burning sensation in his throat was due to the strong liquor or tension was impossible to know.

“First, congratulations, Your Majesty.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you, Duke Gallahan.”

However, the suffocating feeling that seemed to constrict his throat did not disappear.

If it were just to offer congratulations, there would have been no reason to call him aside like this.

Sure enough.

Gallahan, who had swallowed all the liquor at once, rolled the empty glass in his hand and calmly opened his mouth.

“I sincerely hope the child is not a daughter.”

“Pardon…?”

This time, Peres’s mind truly went blank.

Hoping it’s not a daughter.

It was an uncharacteristic statement from Gallahan, who cherished his daughter more than anything else in this world.

“What do you mean by that, Duke Gallahan?”

“Isn’t that right? Think about it.”

Gallahan set his glass down on the table.

“A daughter who looks exactly like Tia becomes friends with some little brat—no, a boy—before she even turns ten, and that boy keeps hovering around her, then as soon as the daughter comes of age, he makes a secret engagement without even asking the father’s permission.”

Gulp.

The sound of Peres swallowing dry saliva spread particularly loudly.

“After all the hardships, just when she’s finally established herself and ready to soar, if he gets her pregnant before they even hold a wedding ceremony… Such a disaster shouldn’t happen, should it?”

“Du-Duke Gallahan.”

“Isn’t that right, Your Majesty?”

Peres had nothing to say.

“I’m sorry.”

He could only bow his head heavily and apologize.

Gallahan looked at such Peres with contemplative eyes.

However, the heavy silence did not last long.

Glug.

Gallahan filled his own glass again, then poured more liquor into Peres’s glass that wasn’t completely empty yet.

“Your Majesty.”

“Yes, Duke Gallahan.”

“Tia was born after a terrible difficult labor.”

Peres’s red eyes, which had been wandering somewhere on the table, turned toward Gallahan.

The eyes looking down at the amber liquor were tracing memories of a more distant place.

“My wife, Shan, gave birth after labor pains that lasted over two full days. And I could do nothing.”

A hollow smile appeared on Gallahan’s lips.

“My wife was screaming in pain and risking her life to give birth, and there, as her husband, I was a useless existence who could do nothing but hold her hand.”

A short sigh connected between his words.

“And Shan couldn’t overcome the aftereffects of childbirth and passed away before Tia’s first birthday.”

“Ah…”

Peres’s face turned pale.

He had placed himself and Tia in Gallahan and Shan’s positions.

If Tia were writhing in pain and there was nothing I could do for her.

And if she were no longer in this world.

“It would be a terrible thing.”

Even at Gallahan’s rather calm words, Peres had no response.

He could only cover his mouth by gripping his chin with his large hand.

That was the best he could do.

“I trust my daughter.”

After emptying his glass once more, Gallahan said.

“I trust that my daughter, who has never once caused me worry since birth, my daughter who has always boldly pioneered her path ahead, will do well this time too. And she must.”

Gallahan’s voice was particularly stern as he concluded his words.

Peres realized that those words were directed not at Tia, but at himself.

“Yes. I understand, Duke Gallahan.”

The eyes of the two men, who would be second to none in this world when it came to their feelings toward Tia, finally met each other.

At the end of their wordless exchange, Gallahan finally relaxed his rigidly hardened face.

“Can you now understand a little of my heart, which cannot simply rejoice even at good news, Your Majesty?”

“I’m ashamed.”

“You don’t need to feel sorry toward me. I know well Your Majesty’s feelings toward Tia. Besides.”

Gallahan suddenly chuckled.

“If it’s a child resembling Tia and Your Majesty, you’ll have quite a hard time ahead, won’t you?”

“Hmm.”

Peres eventually downed the liquor he was holding in one gulp.

Gallahan’s words were right.

His desire for the child to be born resembling Tia was as great as a mountain, but the child would also have about half of his blood flowing through them.

So inevitably, or if the child bore no resemblance to Tia and looked exactly like him alone.

Peres’s face gradually hardened.

At the end of his contemplation, he suddenly realized a tremendously, incredibly important fact.

Peres set down his glass.

“I want to become a good father.”

And he willingly bowed his head and requested.

“Please teach me, Father.”

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