In This Life, I Will Be The Lord - Chapter 65

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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 65

“Hmm? Gallahan? What brings you here?”

Rulak paused the meeting and returned to his study.

It was because of a message that the Second Prince, who was supposed to meet after lunch, had urgently come to visit.

However, it wasn’t just Pirenthia and the Second Prince waiting for Rulak in the study.

Gallahan, leaning on crutches, was also there.

“His Highness the Second Prince said he had something to give to Father, so I came urgently.”

“To me?”

Rulak looked at Peres.

As his guardian in name, he had occasionally visited Poirak Palace to check on his living conditions for appearances’ sake.

But Rulak still couldn’t get used to those eyes of Peres.

Today was the same – when their gazes met with the Second Prince, he hid the uncomfortable twisting feeling in his stomach.

“His Majesty told me to deliver this.”

Peres held out a golden envelope with brief words.

“…It probably wasn’t originally in this condition.”

“I apologize.”

Peres bowed deeply to Rulak.

“Hmm.”

Rulak looked at Peres with displeasure, then took out the letter torn in two pieces and read it.

Before long, a low voice flowed from Rulak.

“Yobanes…”

The atmosphere suggested he might rush to the Imperial Palace with the letter fragments at any moment.

Flames of anger sparked in Rulak’s eyes.

While Biejie and Belesack had begged for their escort positions themselves, this was clearly a situation where Emperor Yobanes was using his own son to make advances on Pirenthia.

“Grandfather?”

Rulak looked at his granddaughter, whose eyes were wide with surprise.

Seeing that innocent and lovely face made his anger surge even more.

“How dare he covet my granddaughter?”

Same-gender escorts could be called friendships, but opposite-gender ones were different.

The Imperial family had often reserved marriage prospects in this manner since ancient times.

It was a way to claim someone before reaching the age for formal engagement proposals.

There was no way Yobanes wouldn’t know this.

Of course, it wasn’t a formal engagement, and Pirenthia’s future wouldn’t be decided by something so trivial.

She was Rulak Lombardi’s granddaughter, after all.

But feeling displeased was a separate matter.

“Don’t worry, Gallahan. I’ll handle this myself.”

He planned to visit the Imperial Palace tomorrow and throw these torn letter pieces right in the Emperor’s face.

“I will accept it.”

“…What?”

Rulak asked in surprise at Gallahan’s words.

“I will accept His Majesty the Emperor’s proposal. Let Tia become His Highness the Second Prince’s escort.”

It was an uncharacteristic decision for Gallahan.

Rulak shook his head and tried to explain.

“But Gallahan.”

“I also know how far something like an escort arrangement can lead, Father.”

“Then why…”

But Rulak closed his mouth midway.

“He came by. The physician you called came by late yesterday.”

At Gallahan’s seemingly calm words, Rulak felt his heart collapse.

It meant that physician had also diagnosed Tlenbroo disease.

Heaven was indeed trying to take his son away early.

Rulak, who had been silent in sorrow, suddenly looked at Pirenthia.

His granddaughter had her head bowed low.

The clever child probably already knew that her father’s leg wasn’t simply broken.

The son who couldn’t bring himself to tell his daughter he had a fatal disease, and the granddaughter who pretended not to know her father’s condition.

Rulak felt his heart breaking.

Gallahan continued in a calm voice.

“I once thought that when a storm comes, you just need to lower your body and wait for the storm to pass, Father. But now I know that’s not a way to survive.”

Rulak understood what Gallahan was saying and nodded gloomily.

Even Rulak couldn’t intervene in what would happen after his death.

“So I tried to stand firm against that storm and protect Tia… But if I can’t do that, I want to give Tia something that can be her strength, whatever it may be, Father.”

Seeing his son preparing for the afterlife while leaving behind a young daughter, Rulak gritted his teeth.

He clenched his fists until they were crushed to avoid cursing at heaven immediately.

And he spoke in a voice that sounded very tired.

“Yes, I understand. If that’s your will, then do so.”

“Yes, Father. And… it’s just an escort arrangement, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it’s just an escort arrangement. Nothing more, nothing less.”

Rulak spoke to Gallahan as if making a promise.

“Tia, normally Dad would ask for your opinion, but this matter…”

“I know, Dad. Do as you wish.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Gallahan’s large hand stroked his daughter’s soft brown hair.

Rulak swallowed a sigh inwardly at the sight and looked at Peres.

“Second Prince.”

“…Yes.”

“You know that the Second Prince and Crown Prince are very different, don’t you?”

Peres nodded.

“The Crown Prince has a reliable maternal family. Moreover, his mother is the Empress.”

Unless they committed crimes tantamount to treason, the Empress and Astana were safe.

But Peres was different.

Although the head of Lombardy served as his guardian, that was only due to a deal with the Emperor.

With the slightest mistake, Peres’s position as Second Prince would be endlessly shaken.

Of course, Rulak wasn’t worried about Peres.

He was concerned that Pirenthia, his granddaughter, might be negatively affected in some way because of him.

“I think you understand what I mean.”

“I understand.”

Rulak still found Peres disagreeable, but if Gallahan wanted it, he had no intention of opposing the escort arrangement.

However, he had one question.

“But why did you tear the letter?”

“…I realized that becoming my escort would be troublesome for Pirenthia.”

“You tore His Majesty’s letter for that reason alone?”

“That reason alone is sufficient.”

Rulak remained silent for a moment, then spoke as if throwing out the words.

“That one thing is to my liking.”

Then he gave Peres one last look and turned away.

“I stepped away from a meeting, so I must return. Since the Second Prince has come to my house, rest well before you leave. I’ll send a separate reply to the letter. And Gallahan.”

“Yes, Father.”

“Go back and rest, quickly.”

“…Yes.”

Rulak, who had left the study again, headed toward the Grand Meeting Hall where people were waiting.

Then he suddenly stopped walking and called to Butler Yohan, who was following behind him.

“Search for and bring a renowned physician from the Imperial Capital. Don’t tell anyone, and be careful about it.”

Rulak had not yet given up on Gallahan.

Even if it was indeed Tlenbroo disease, he intended to create a cure for that illness by any means necessary.

“Money exists to be used at times like this.”

Rulak steeled his weakening heart and returned to the meeting room.

* * *

Biejie was walking frantically through the corridor.

Normally, he would have contacted Doctor Omari to make a house call to his quarters, but he couldn’t wait any longer.

Just moments ago, he had seen Gallahan heading to the Head Family’s Office with the Second Prince and was now rushing there at full speed.

Since it was a place he didn’t usually visit, he got lost briefly, but was able to quickly find the doctor’s research lab.

Bang.

The door opened with a loud noise and a startled Doctor Omari came running out in one stride.

“How did you come all the way here! If you had sent someone, I would have gone…”

“Gallahan, what illness does he have?”

“Yes, y-yes…? What do you mean by that?”

“Don’t think about lying to me. I know that Gallahan didn’t really break his leg.”

Biejie’s words were half bluff.

He already knew that there had been some commotion at the back of the Founding Day Banquet.

However, the content of the commotion he heard through others was only about the two princes drawing swords against each other, and there was no reason for Gallahan to have broken his leg.

Yet Gallahan had returned to the manor much earlier than scheduled, unable to walk, and had been recuperating for several days since then.

Though rumors had spread that his leg was broken, Biejie harbored suspicions.

“Th-that is…”

Doctor Omari, as expected, couldn’t answer immediately and was restless.

Biejie whispered in a friendly tone to coax the doctor.

“Look here, Doctor Omari. I already know everything when I came, don’t I? I’m asking as an older brother who wants to help his younger brother.”

The doctor hesitated for a moment but soon fell for it.

“…Even if you know the name of the disease, there won’t be much you can do to help.”

“What… do you mean? What illness has Gallahan contracted?”

“T-Tlenbroo disease…”

All of Biejie’s movements stopped at once.

“Tlen… broo, isn’t that a fatal disease?”

His voice trembled finely.

Doctor Omari closed his eyes tightly as if returning to the day he had informed the Head Family and Gallahan himself of the diagnosis.

No matter how poor his relationship with Biejie was, he would be greatly distressed to learn his younger brother had contracted a fatal illness.

The doctor understood it that way.

However.

“Haha! …Puhahahaha!”

Biejie began to burst into laughter.

After laughing for quite a while, bending at the waist, Biejie shouted with a broad smile on his face.

“Heaven is giving me an opportunity!”

His face looked as if a ten-year-old indigestion had been relieved.

Pure joy was evident in every laugh.

There was not a trace of someone who would soon lose his brother to a terrible disease.

“Thank you, Gallahan! Thank you!”

Biejie laughed heartily for a long time, unaware that Doctor Omari was looking at him with a pale face.

* * *

After leaving Grandfather’s study and parting with Father, Peres and I headed toward the garden by the annex.

Loril had returned home to help Father.

Reaching a place where a fountain flowed quietly, I turned to look at Peres.

“Why are you acting like that?”

“…Me?”

“Yes, you. Why are you so gloomy and quiet, and watching my mood?”

Peres was being careful even with his footsteps, like someone walking on thin ice.

And I found that bothersome.

“It seems like you’re thinking about something, Tia. And… there’s also the matter with your father.”

Peres was being considerate of me.

For a moment, I felt ridiculous for getting irritated.

A kid who’s only thirteen years old was looking out for my feelings, and I was getting angry.

I sighed softly and said.

“Don’t worry about my dad. Of course, he did contract a somewhat bad illness, but he won’t die.”

“Do you happen to know the name of the disease?”

Peres asked carefully.

“Tlenbroo.”

“Ah…”

Peres tried to maintain as calm a face as possible, but failed.

First of all, looking at me with worry with that puppy-like face was already a failure.

But I put both hands on my hips and said.

“The person who created the cure for Tlenbroo disease is coming right now. With the cure.”

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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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