In This Life, I Will Be The Lord - Chapter 35
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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 35
The kitchen of the Lombardy Estate had been noisy since dawn.
Today was the day when the direct family members of Lombardy would gather together for lunch.
Even Father, who had been so busy he seemed to have no time to breathe, stayed home today instead of going to work.
He couldn’t possibly be late for this family meal that hadn’t happened in a very long time.
Regardless of the reality, it was Grandfather’s order, who considered showing a ‘family-like’ appearance among family members as important as Lombardy’s business prosperity.
Thanks to that, we father and daughter, who had skipped breakfast and woken up late to have a simple snack to settle our stomachs, got dressed up with the help of the servants.
From what I heard, other family members seemed to hire separate people to help with their grooming, but we didn’t feel the need to go that far.
Getting help occasionally on important days like this was sufficient.
“Our Tia is getting prettier by the day!”
Father smiled brightly at me in the mirror as he spoke.
I didn’t bother with modest words.
Even I could see that I was pretty.
“Dad, you look so handsome too!”
This wasn’t empty flattery either.
Father, dressed up for once, was handsome enough to make even my eyes widen.
The father and daughter who resembled each other looked even better together like this.
It would probably look even better to other people’s eyes.
I could tell just by watching the maids who helped us dress up, unable to take their eyes off Father and me with flushed faces.
With looks better than anyone else in Lombardy just by grooming ourselves like this occasionally, was there really a need to hire separate servants?
My shoulders felt proud.
“Come on, let’s go, Tia.”
I took the large hand he extended toward me affectionately and walked.
Father’s hand was large and warm.
The weather was also perfectly sunny, and the gorgeous interior of the Lombardy Estate seemed to melt softly in the bright sunlight.
Everything felt perfect.
Until we arrived at Eleanor Hall, the banquet hall, and opened the door.
“You have arrived.”
The butler who had been waiting in front of the door greeted us politely.
However, my gaze went to the other Lombardy people who had already arrived and were sitting behind him.
Seeing that the head seat was empty, it seemed Grandfather hadn’t arrived yet.
Ugh. I don’t want to go in.
I coaxed and soothed my legs that instinctively wanted to step back, and walked toward the table as Father led me.
As we got closer little by little, I could see their familiar faces.
No, to be precise, they were faces that all looked about twenty years younger than the appearance in my memories.
The gorgeous clothes they wore and their beautiful appearances made them all look like angels at first glance, but I knew their insides were either completely empty or dyed pitch black.
Perhaps sensing my gaze, Biejie, who was sitting in the highest seat, looked at me.
Honestly, being of Lombardi blood and Father’s brother, his appearance wasn’t bad.
But I really hated the greed that filled those sharp eyes to the brim.
Ugh.
Feeling nauseous, I quickly turned my eyes away.
“Now, Tia will stay here with the other cousins.”
The table was divided into adults’ and children’s tables.
For me, it was fortunate.
Looking at Biejie or his wife Ceral, who were still staring this way, I didn’t think I could possibly have an appetite.
“Tia!”
“Come sit next to us!”
The twins who had arrived first welcomed me noisily as usual.
“Yes, you two take good care of Tia.”
“Don’t worry!”
They answered spiritedly.
At that sight, Father seemed reassured and smiled warmly.
“I’ll see you in a bit, Tia.”
After greeting me and kissing my head, Father soon moved away to the other table.
In the seats where everyone sat in pairs, only Father looked a little lonely by himself.
I sighed softly and turned around to sit down.
“Tia will sit next to me!”
“No! Next to me!”
The twins were bickering over me.
Father, who’s taking care of whom?
Giliou and Meylon, who were always close and got along well, often fought when it came to matters concerning me.
“Now, you two. Don’t fight.”
I tried to soothe them, but the twins who were already worked up didn’t seem to hear my voice.
“It’s my turn this time!”
“There’s no such thing!”
Their voices grew louder.
Just when I was about to squeeze between the two fuming people, worried that we’d really draw attention,
“Giliou, Meylon.”
Someone entering the banquet hall called the twins’ names in a stern voice.
It was Bestian Shultz, the two’s father.
The smile didn’t disappear from his face as he approached with large strides, but somehow the atmosphere felt cold.
“What are you doing making such a commotion.”
And Bestian’s gaze, who had come closer, reached me.
“It’s you again.”
Huh?
Bestian’s attitude was strange.
His attitude was completely different from when he was with Aunt Shannet.
He glanced at me as if looking at a troublemaker, then even pushed my shoulder with an imperceptible motion.
Though it was a light gesture, my body was pushed back a step by the adult’s strength.
Bestian, who had pushed me away from the twins’ side, spoke to his sons.
“Didn’t Father tell you that you must maintain proper etiquette at today’s family gathering?”
“Yes.”
“We’re sorry…”
The twins, dejected after being scolded, hung their heads low.
“Good, I trust you.”
Bestian said that last and walked toward the other table.
“Haha, sorry! I’m late!”
It was such a cheerful voice that I couldn’t even imagine it was the same person who had looked down at me coldly just moments ago.
Yes, that was the Bestian Shultz I knew.
I was so dumbfounded I wondered if I had been dreaming, and sat down next to the twins who had quietly returned to their seats.
Of course, the two had returned to their usual mischievous faces as if they had never been dejected.
I asked them carefully.
“Um, you know. Did I do something wrong?”
The twins tilted their heads at my question.
“Just now, Lord Bestian seemed… a little angry at me.”
Only then did the two nod with understanding “Ah.”
Then they glanced around at their surroundings before answering me.
“Tia didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Father originally dislikes cousins.”
“You… dislike your cousins?”
I couldn’t easily understand what he meant.
“Mm-hmm. Father said he disliked the Lombardi family.”
Giliou hesitated before speaking.
“How can you say that!”
Meylon was startled and scolded Giliou.
“But Tia is okay.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“I won’t tell anyone. Don’t worry.”
I spoke to reassure the two of them.
Meylon seemed relieved and more at ease with my promise.
Then he whispered in a small voice as if making an excuse.
“Father doesn’t like us playing with Tia either.”
“…Really? Does Aunt Shannet know about this too?”
As expected, the twins shook their heads simultaneously.
“Father said it was a secret among the Schultz family men only.”
The Schultz family men.
It wasn’t fitting words for the twins who clearly used the Lombardi name, or for Bestian who, though he hadn’t changed his surname, naturally introduced himself as ‘Bestian Lombardi’ at official occasions.
I turned my head to glance at the table where the adults were sitting together.
Laughter was flowing as Bestian must have made some joke.
But there was definitely no lie in the hands that had pushed me away or in the twins’ words.
However, there was no sign of pretense in Shannet’s smile as she held Bestian’s hand and laughed together.
The Shannet I knew would rather choose to part ways cleanly than put on such an act.
Just like in my previous life.
But one thing was certain: Bestian Schultz might not be the carefree son-in-law I had thought him to be.
That’s when it happened.
A sneering voice came from across the large table.
“Hey, Half-Baked.”
Ah, it’s been a while since I heard this.
When I turned my gaze, I saw Belesack sneering at me.
He seemed to have been lying low after getting beaten up.
But today his face was full of that annoying smugness.
Where the needle goes, the thread follows.
Astaliou, who was clinging to Belesack’s side as usual today, also looked equally arrogant.
“Hey, can’t you hear me calling you?”
When I didn’t respond, Belesack growled in an even more menacing voice.
But why should a person respond when a dog barks?
I focused on tearing my dinner roll as if I couldn’t hear such noise.
“That bitch really…”
Belesack became even more heated and looked around.
Then he plucked a grape from the green grapes in front of him and threw it at me.
Thud.
The green grape that hit my face and fell rolled around on the white tablecloth.
You haven’t been beaten enough yet.
I had no intention of enduring it.
I was going to pay him back in kind.
So I gripped three freshly plucked grapes from the bunch that had been thrown at me in one hand.
But before I could throw them, something flew toward Belesack’s face.
Splat!
A buttered piece of bread stuck to Belesack’s face and slowly slid down.
“Puha!”
I laughed as I looked toward where the bread had come from.
It was Meylon, still holding the butter knife in one hand.
“What the hell are you doing… ugh!”
Belesack peeled the bread off his face and was about to explode in anger when another piece of bread flew and stuck to the other side of his face.
Of course, it was undoubtedly Giliou’s handiwork.
“What, what! Why are you two doing this!”
Belesack shouted indignantly while wiping his greasy face with a napkin.
“You threw fruit at Tia first, didn’t you?”
“So we thought you wanted to play by throwing food around?”
The twins spoke while sneering mischievously.
Belesack gritted his teeth and hissed.
“Playing with that lowly thing has changed you both! This is exactly why you should only be friends with people of your own class!”
But the twins barely listened, picking at their ears with their fingers.
Belesack fumed for a while longer, then suddenly smirked and said.
“You two better stay on my good side.”
What is he talking about?
I could have dismissed it as just another one of Belesack’s usual nonsense, but it seemed like there was something to it.
His triumphant attitude made it even more so.
Belesack looked at me and the twins as he spoke.
“I’ve gotten Grandfather’s permission to visit the Imperial Palace once a month from now on. At the Empress’s special request, no less.”
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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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