In This Life, I Will Be The Lord - Chapter 66

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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 66

“There’s a cure?”

“Yes, there is.”

I answered while thinking of Estira, who would be coming to Lombardy by carriage right now.

I can’t prevent Father’s onset, but I can prevent his death.

I tried hard to calm my mind, which was as turbulent as muddy water.

Even though I already knew and had foreseen it, watching Father fall ill with that disease again was difficult for me too.

But this time is different.

It’s different from the past when I had to helplessly watch Father suffer.

I kept telling myself that and comforting myself, but it seems the stress is quite considerable.

“You don’t look well, Tia.”

Peres said, taking a step closer.

“…I told you I’m fine.”

I took a step back.

Peres looked down at the space I had retreated from and frowned.

“Hmm.”

He seemed to think for a moment in that state, then rummaged through his pocket and took something out.

“Chocolate cookie?”

It was a thick cookie with large chocolate chunks embedded in it.

“When things are tough… it helps. This is all I know.”

“Ah… Yeah, thanks.”

I accepted it for now.

It was indeed quite heavy.

As I just held the cookie quietly, Peres stared at me intently.

Does he want me to eat it?

I slowly brought the cookie to my mouth.

I could see anticipation forming on Peres’ face.

When I put a little in my mouth and bit down, a crunching sound came along with sweet flavor filling my mouth.

“It’s delicious.”

It wasn’t something I said for Peres’ sake, but it was genuinely delicious.

“…Really?”

“Yeah. It’s delicious.”

“That’s a relief.”

Peres smiled so deeply that dimples formed on his cheeks.

Wait, could it be.

“Peres, did you make this?”

“…Yeah.”

He’s good at cooking too!

Looks, studies, swordsmanship, and now even cooking!

I felt slightly resentful toward heaven for concentrating all sorts of talents in one person.

“Later, I’ll make lots for you.”

Peres said, his face slightly reddening as if embarrassed.

“Later? Well, sure.”

I answered without thinking deeply about it.

It was a delicious cookie, after all.

At my words, Peres’ smile became even deeper.

For a moment, I forgot about the cookie in my hand and stared blankly at that face.

It’s a handsome face even when expressionless, but when he smiles shyly like that, his beauty becomes even more powerful.

Moreover, as he grew older and fully entered the ranks of beautiful boys, he had upgraded.

He was more intense and more captivating than the roses in full bloom where we were standing.

That tremendous appearance certainly played a significant role in how he appeared out of nowhere after living forgotten and instantly seized control of the Empire.

“Tia?”

As I stared half-entranced, Peres tilted his head and called my name.

“Ugh!”

That fine black hair swaying with that small movement is also a work of art!

With a proud heart anticipating Peres’ brilliant future, I patted his head.

“Just keep growing like this, Peres. Your beauty is national treasure level.”

“Me?”

“Of course! Even when training, you absolutely must never injure your face! Your pretty face is everyone’s public property—no, that’s not right. Anyway, you should cherish it!”

“Is that so…”

Peres touched his face once and spoke as if he wasn’t sure.

Ah, a beautiful boy who doesn’t even know he’s handsome.

“You’re prettier than me, Tia.”

“…Are you teasing me now?”

“No, I’m serious.”

Unavoidably, Peres’ hand touched my cheek.

The distance between us narrowed in an instant.

Eyes redder than roses met mine right in front of me.

What, what is this.

I froze in place.

And in a low voice as if sharing a secret, he said.

“Pretty.”

“Th, that…”

I was too flustered to speak.

While I was at a loss for words, stammering like an idiot.

Rustle.

A round topiary tree a little distance away shook slightly.

I thought it might be one of the small animals living in the garden.

“Who’s there.”

Swoosh—.

Peres drew his sword long and cut down the topiary tree in one stroke.

Thud.

The cut topiary tree rolled to the side, and what appeared behind it were three small heads crouched down.

“Wh, what are you doing!”

It was Belesack who turned pale at the sight of the severed tree and shouted angrily.

“Ugh…”

And those too frightened to even scream were Astaliou and his seven-year-old younger brother Creny.

“Y, you could have cut us too by mistake!”

“Then why were you listening to other people’s conversations like little mice?”

I asked coldly.

“M, mice?”

Belesack got angry and stood up abruptly from where he was crouching.

Like Peres, he had grown considerably taller now that he was thirteen, but the malice plastered all over his face had grown along with him.

“You, you Half-Baked, how dare you…!”

“Shut up, Belesack.”

I immediately stopped him from starting his tiresome repertoire again.

“I’m not in the mood to listen to you rant about ‘Half-Baked’ again right now. Just leave while I’m asking nicely.”

With my fuse already shortened by Father’s situation, if someone like Belesack keeps hovering around, even I don’t know how I might explode.

This was purely advice for Belesack’s well-being.

But somehow he took that the wrong way, as Belesack gritted his teeth and flared his nostrils.

“You little runt!”

“That’s different from what I’m thinking.”

I clicked my tongue in disapproval.

Then I asked Astaliou.

“Why on earth do you follow around a kid like that?”

Astaliou’s eyes widened as he glanced nervously at Belesack.

“Even dragging your little brother along.”

Astaliou’s younger brother, Creny, was particularly small for a seven-year-old compared to his peers.

Later on, he would study diligently and cause me the least trouble among my cousins, making him the one I had the least bad feelings toward.

Having inherited the blood of his maternal family, the Gineporc House, his red hair and face full of freckles made him look even younger.

“Belesack is a rotten rope, so stop following him and find a different one.”

I gave him sincere advice.

I didn’t expect Astaliou to take my counsel to heart.

But later, if he remembered this moment, he would beat the ground in regret, thinking ‘I should have listened back then!’

“This won’t work. Let’s go, Peres.”

I was sick of looking at these idiots’ faces, so I said that and tried to leave the garden.

“Hey, Half-breed! I guess you’re feeling cocky because the Second Prince or whatever came to see you!”

I stopped in my tracks and turned back to look at Belesack.

He really was Astana’s soul twin.

It was ridiculous how he swaggered around with a sword at his waist just because he’d learned a little swordsmanship.

Normally I might have just ignored it and moved on, but today I felt the strings of reason quickly growing taut.

I held up four fingers – my index, middle, ring, and pinky.

“First, I told you not to call me Half-breed. Second, the Second Prince ‘or whatever’? Just how stupid are you planning to get? And third, do you think I’d feel cocky having to deal with someone like you? It’s as annoying as swatting flies, if anything.”

Then I folded my fingers one by one as I made each point.

In the end, only my middle finger remained.

“What, what did you say?”

Belesack struggled for a while trying to understand my words, failed, and turned bright red.

Then he changed targets.

“Hah, look at these two half-breeds sticking together!”

“What did you just say.”

I heard something snap in my head.

“Half-breeds sticking together?”

It wasn’t enough for him to mock me as a half-breed, now he was lumping in Peres who was just standing there quietly?

I instinctively picked up the first thing I saw.

“Who are you to insult him?”

It was a rock.

I don’t know why such a thing was lying around on a well-maintained lawn, but the grip felt perfect in my hand.

“You, you’re crazy?!”

Fear crept across Belesack’s face when he saw the stone in my hand.

Shing-.

In the end, Belesack drew his sword while backing away.

But I didn’t even blink.

“What makes you so great that you go around calling people half-breeds and whatnot! If you’re calling half-breeds inferior, then what does that make you – crumbs?”

“What did you say?”

“You’re just Belesack!”

“Hey, Astaliou! You draw yours too!”

Feeling like he was at a disadvantage alone, Belesack shouted to Astaliou beside him.

“Uh, okay…”

Astaliou reluctantly drew his sword, and seeing this, Creny also put his hand on the wooden sword at his side.

“Stop.”

I pointed my finger at Creny as I spoke.

“You stay put. Unless you want to get hurt.”

“…Sob.”

My appearance holding a rock in one hand and glaring must have been quite frightening, as Creny finally burst into tears.

Tense atmosphere flowed between me, Belesack, and Astaliou.

They were on guard, watching only the rock in my hand, afraid it might come flying at them.

“How simple.”

I curled up one corner of my mouth and sneered at the idiots.

Then I said.

“Cut them all down, Peres.”

At that moment, it felt like wind blew from behind me as Peres charged forward.

Blue aura flashed briefly.

Thunk, thunk.

Just like what happened to Astana, both swords were instantly cut and fell beside the garden trees.

Along with a small metallic clinking sound.

Peres, who had cleanly sheathed his sword as if nothing had happened, looked at them with his usual indifferent eyes.

“So, so the rumors were true…”

“Aura…”

Belesack and Astaliou literally looked like their souls had left their bodies.

“To think such guys are my cousins…”

The Lombardi name was wasted on them.

I looked at their pathetic state for a moment, then grabbed Peres’s hand and pulled him along.

“Let’s go, Peres. If we stay with them any longer, their stupidity might be contagious.”

“…Yeah.”

Peres, now much taller than me, was docilely led along like a large puppy.

Unaware that his face was turning red as he looked at our joined hands.

Unaware of how the three remaining people were staring at us with blank faces as we walked away.

“So cool…”

Only Creny’s dreamy little voice reached my ears.

* * *

A strange carriage entered the Lombardi Estate.

As if having traveled a long distance, both the horses and coachman looked very tired.

The carriage headed straight for the annex, not the main gate of the Lombardi Main House.

It seemed to have a predetermined destination.

Quietly, the carriage door opened in front of the estate’s annex.

It was a woman with gentle features and calm, impressive eyes.

“Phew…”

The woman, who seemed equally tired as she sighed, carefully took down from the carriage a bag she had been treasuring throughout the journey.

Just then, the annex door opened.

A girl came out, followed by a strangely similar-looking man and woman.

Click clack, click clack.

The girl approached with the sound of expensive leather shoe heels clicking, and smiled brightly when she saw the woman.

“You must have had a hard journey getting here, Estira.”

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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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