In This Life, I Will Be The Lord - Chapter 6

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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 6

“Tia, what would you like as a birthday present?”

Father asked me as I watched the servants clearing away the breakfast dishes. Through my very careful exploration last night, I was able to discover that I was still seven years old with about a month left until my eighth birthday.

“I want a teddy bear! I want a really big teddy bear!”

I shouted loudly, choosing a gift that a seven-year-old child would want.

“But you hate dolls, don’t you?”

“Ah…”

I was screwed. Ever since I was young, I had disliked dolls, whether they resembled people or animals.

They looked like they would come alive and move at night.

And here I was, suddenly saying I wanted a really big teddy bear. Cold sweat ran down my back as Father looked at me with a slightly puzzled expression.

“Now, now that I think about it. I don’t really like dolls after all.”

“Then what shall I buy you?”

“Hmm…”

Nothing particular came to mind. What I wanted enough to receive as a gift would be a villa in some quiet place, or an estate that could provide me with income for life?

But I couldn’t ask for something like that. I suppose I should ask for an appropriate book or something.

Then Father clapped his hands as if he had a good idea.

“That’s it! How about a horse, Tia?”

“A horse?”

“If we bring home a foal that’s about a year old and you raise it with love from now on, by the time you become an adult, it will have grown into a magnificent horse.”

“A horse…”

I blinked without being able to give any answer for a moment.

Horses are expensive.

They were such important assets that you could measure the wealth of an owner or organization by how many horses they possessed.

Not only was the price of a single horse significant, but more importantly, there were the maintenance costs. Unless you personally fed them and cleaned up their waste, you had to hire someone to do that work for you, and you needed a proper stable. Not to mention the vast land needed for horses to run freely.

Even typical noble families would buy horses for their children, but that was a gift more suitable for their eighteenth birthday when they came of age.

“When I was your age, I received my first horse as a birthday present too.”

But this was the Lombardi Family.

Such general economic standards didn’t apply here. He’s usually so modest and gentle that I sometimes forget, but Father is indeed a member of the Lombardy Family. I stared intently at Father with that thought.

“Hm? Why are you looking at me like that, Tia?”

“It’s nothing. But Dad, if we do that, that foal would be too pitiful.”

Since I didn’t particularly want to learn horseback riding, I came up with an excuse to refuse.

“Pitiful?”

“It’s only one year old, but it would have to be separated from its mother horse. That would make it so sad.”

“Tia…”

Oh no.

The moment I spoke those words, I realized I had made a mistake. Father’s eyes instantly became moist as he looked at me.

“You don’t want to separate it from its mother…”

I had momentarily forgotten. The fact that my mother had passed away right after giving birth to me. Father clearly misunderstood that I was identifying myself with that foal.

“Ah, Dad. I mean, that’s…!”

I tried to fix the situation belatedly, but it was too late. Father, who had been looking at me pitifully with tears in his eyes, pulled me into a tight embrace and said:

“This father was short-sighted. Let’s bring the mother horse along too.”

“I’m fine… what?”

What did I just hear?

“You’re right that it would be too cruel to separate a foal that’s only one year old from its mother. So if we purchase the mother horse as well, the two of them can live happily together without being separated.”

It made sense, but while foals are expensive, broodmares capable of giving birth are even more expensive. But Father, being the son of the Lombardy patriarch, wouldn’t be considering such things.

I nodded my head in a half-resigned state.

“How can our Tia have such a kind heart.”

Father stroked my head as if I were the most precious thing in the world, then hugged me tightly once more.

Fine. I’ll just learn horseback riding, whatever.

As I was purring like a satisfied cat, Father said to me:

“Instead of going to the library today, shall we read books in the drawing room?”

Unlike my other cousins who had nannies and spent most of their day with them, I didn’t have a nanny. Small tasks like bathing and changing clothes were handled with the help of maids, but Father took care of my overall daily life instead. In short, from the moment I opened my eyes and got up until I went back to sleep, I was stuck to Father like glue.

It was partly because Father and I were close as a small family of just two, but the reason such a simple routine was realistically possible was because Father was unemployed.

“I should write a book today while I’m at it.”

Father was knowledgeable and had broad interests in various fields from arts to economics, but he didn’t use them in practice. He was the type whose knowledge just remained knowledge.

Then occasionally, when something truly interested him, he would organize what he knew and turn it into a book like that. Of course, there was no profit from it. The completed books would just be placed on the bookshelf in Father’s study.

Nevertheless, my father had the financial means to simultaneously buy a mother horse and baby horse for his seven-year-old daughter’s birthday.

The Lombardi Family really is the best.

After confirming that Father had already become absorbed in his work, scribbling something, I sat down a little distance away with my book spread open. Of course, the reading was just for show and my purpose was something else.

‘Let me organize my thoughts once.’

I was going to carefully go through what I needed to do going forward. Ideally, it would be best to organize while writing on paper, but there was a risk of someone reading it.

Being stuck with Father all day is really bothersome at times like this.

I pretended to read while turning pages and picked out what I needed to do first.

‘I need to capture Grandfather’s heart.’

Before Grandfather passed away, he lamented that if only he had known of my abilities a few years earlier… but I’m certain that wouldn’t have changed the family’s future.

Even if he had known a few years earlier, it would have already been too late.

The succession structure had already solidified around the eldest son Biejie, and with his son Belesack already grown, what would have changed if an illegitimate granddaughter who wasn’t even acknowledged by the third son had shown her talents?

There were three mountains I had to overcome to compete with them. I was the daughter of the powerless third son, a half-blood, and a girl.

So from now on, I need to appeal to Grandfather about my talents as a clan head. I had to solidify my position and gain Grandfather’s absolute support.

‘But just because it’s family business doesn’t mean I need to rely only on internal power.’

I must not be picky about means and methods.

That’s why I thought of the Second Prince. Someone from outside the family who could solidify my position within the family. The person who could lend me strength even after I became clan head was precisely the Second Prince. Of course, I also planned to help him greatly until he became Crown Prince.

No future emperor would reject Lombardy, having built trust from childhood and provided great help in becoming Crown Prince. We could become good friends.

‘Ah, come to think of it, was it around this time?’

I looked out the window where a light drizzle had begun to fall.

The death of Second Prince Peres’s mother happened on some day during this year’s rainy season. Despite giving birth to the emperor’s son, I heard she died without receiving proper treatment due to the Empress’s pressure.

Peres, who harbored resentment over this, returned the favor in kind after becoming Crown Prince when the Empress fell ill. He ordered that no physicians be allowed to enter the Empress’ Quarters.

He was already the Crown Prince who had seized power in place of the dying emperor, and Crown Prince Astana, who should have been his mother’s shield, had been banished to the frontier, so there was no one to stop him.

How much he must have gritted his teeth to go from a forgotten prince in the back rooms to Crown Prince. It was something that couldn’t be done without harboring resentment. Peres, having lost his mother, was probably spending each day alone around now.

I wanted to go comfort him and get acquainted, but I couldn’t leave. It was a rule Grandfather had made. Lombardy children couldn’t freely leave the manor before their eleventh birthday.

However, limited access was possible with the clan head’s permission, and this was to prevent crimes targeting young Lombardy descendants.

‘So just be patient a little longer.’

I wasn’t planning to sit idle regarding the Second Prince until I turned eleven. But now was the time to focus on internal family matters. Creating opportunities to go to the Imperial Palace would come after that.

Having organized my thoughts, I turned another page of my book and tried to recall my memories.

‘What happened to Lombardy around this time?’

When you handle a family’s affairs for several years, you inevitably learn that family’s history. In my case, I had studied even more diligently because I wanted to.

The year I turned eight.

I’m sure something quite significant happened to Lombardy.

That’s when it happened.

As I was wracking my brain in frustration, I heard a low knock and a strangely familiar voice.

“Lord Gallahan, are you in?”

When did I hear this voice before?

“Who is it?”

Father tilted his head and opened the drawing room door.

And I was shocked by the face visible beyond the open door.

The legendary businessman who had managed Lombardy’s trading company, then after Grandfather passed away, left the family like me and created Pellet Trading Company, developing it into one of Lambru Empire’s top 5 trading companies in just 2 years!

Cleribane Pellet was stepping into our drawing room.

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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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