In This Life, I Will Be The Lord - Chapter 70

—————
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 Episode 70

Peres’s words about gathering ‘as many as possible’ books were true.

“Where on earth did you get all these books?”

“I brought some from the Imperial Library in the Central Palace, and these herbology texts are ones I originally had.”

Even while answering, his form of constantly flipping through pages looked very familiar.

A sudden thought came to mind, so I asked Peres.

“Peres, have you perhaps been investigating Tlenbroo’s medicine by yourself all this time?”

I saw it all.

Peres’s shoulders flinched greatly.

And the lack of any response was evidence, if anything.

Peres was the type who would rather say nothing than lie to me.

“Thank you.”

“….”

Peres’s ears turned bright red as he silently flipped through the book pages.

I smiled silently and picked up a book.

Right, just leaving everything to Estira while anxiously pacing around didn’t suit my personality.

It would feel more comfortable to do something to find the last piece of Tlenbroo’s cure.

While we spent time reading books in the library, Kaitlin and Kaileus took turns bringing us plenty of food and drinks.

“Ugh, my back.”

How many hours had passed?

Suddenly my back hurt as if it would break, so I raised my head.

It was already well into the afternoon.

Looking at Peres sitting across from me, he still hadn’t taken his eyes off the book pages.

Beside him, the books he had already skimmed through formed a small mountain.

I was looking out the window, not wanting to disturb Peres who was concentrating.

“Shall we go out for a bit?”

Before I knew it, Peres was looking at me.

“The garden is quite nice for a walk.”

Unlike Peres’s plain observation, Poirak Palace’s garden was very splendid.

As if knowing that the palace’s owner frequently visited the garden, various flowers and trees naturally harmonized around the walking paths.

“Oh, this flower… isn’t this the flower you sent me before?”

I asked, pointing to a red flower that looked somehow familiar.

“Yes, that’s right. A Bomnia flower.”

“The season is a bit different from when you sent me this flower, isn’t it?”

“It already bloomed and withered last spring. But for some reason, it seems to have bloomed once more this year.”

“Really? That’s interesting. Blooming twice in one year.”

I approached and smelled the sweet fragrance of that flower.

Pop.

Peres plucked a Bomnia flower and handed it to me.

I plucked a sweet petal and put it in my mouth as I asked.

“What comes out if you follow this path all the way?”

“The Central Palace Gardens.”

“I see….”

Moving my body even a little seemed to clear my head.

How far had we walked?

At the end of the path, I could see the gardens Peres had mentioned.

And just then, someone was walking through those gardens—someone I really didn’t want to encounter.

“Let’s go back.”

“Alright.”

Peres also seemed quite annoyed as he answered with a furrowed brow.

We immediately turned around and tried to retrace our steps.

“Hey, you two over there.”

Until that unlucky voice deliberately followed us.

“Sigh.”

I already had a bad feeling about this.

I turned around and greeted him while engraving the character for ‘patience’ in my mind.

“Hello, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

“Yes, I knew it was you after all.”

Astana approached with an unpleasant smile.

Peres was already glaring at Astana with cold eyes.

As if ready to draw his sword like last time if necessary.

Let’s just pass by quietly this time.

That’s what I resolved.

But that resolution was immediately shaken by Astana’s words.

“I heard that Gallahan Lombardi has contracted a fatal disease?”

“You crazy bastard.”

A curse burst out of my mouth without me realizing it.

Astana’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Did, did you just curse at me….”

Watching Astana opening and closing his mouth soundlessly like a goldfish, I tried to calm my mind again.

I got too excited because it was about Father.

But ominously, I saw something flash across Astana’s face.

It was a sneering smile, as if he had found a weakness to torment me with.

“Your father is dying, yet you’re fooling around in the Imperial Palace with that lowly bastard. Are you sure you’re his real daughter?”

“Stop it.”

Peres warned in a low voice from beside me.

But Astana shrugged his shoulders once and continued his sarcasm.

“If it were my father, I wouldn’t leave his bedside for even a moment. Well, there’s a reason why lowly things are called lowly.”

“Astana.”

“Your mother was a wanderer of unknown origin, so who knows.”

“Shut that mouth.”

Peres said while placing his hand on his sword hilt.

“You know what? Wanderers would sell their bodies to anyone just to find a place to sleep for one night….”

Slap!

With a loud sound, Astana’s face turned to the side.

Red handprints slowly rose on his cheek.

It was me who had slapped that cheek with all my strength.

“You, you hit me….”

Astana clutched his cheek with one hand and muttered.

I glared straight at that bastard.

Tears welled up in my eyes without me knowing, from anger that exceeded my limit.

“I, I’ll tell Mother, no, His Majesty the Emperor! You, you hit my cheek?!”

I knew his character was rock bottom, but.

What a piece of trash.

“Go ahead and tell him. I’ll also make sure to tell Grandfather about what happened today.”

I spoke to Astana, chewing out each word.

“Every single word.”

Only then, as if recalling what he had said, Astana’s stupid face contorted.

No matter how much of a prince he was, there was no way he could get away unscathed after spouting such filthy words about the Lombardi Family, especially about the clan head’s son who was currently bedridden and his deceased wife.

I’d like to kick him between the legs instead of just slapping his cheek, but I’m not the head of the Lombardi family yet, so I hold back.

I glared at him until the very end before turning around.

I roughly wiped away my tears with my sleeve.

The sweet taste from the Bomnia flower petals just moments ago had turned bitter.

* * *

Because of the incident where I slapped Astana, I was ordered to reflect for a month.

Of course, I wasn’t severely scolded.

Rather, I had some trouble stopping Grandfather from rushing over to kick Astana.

Actually, since I’m not free to leave the manor until after my eleventh birthday anyway, it’s practically like I’m not being punished at all.

I heard that Astana, who loves wandering around everywhere, is quite miserable with his two-month confinement.

I was sitting in my study, flipping through an herbal medicine book I had borrowed from Peres.

I don’t have any proper background knowledge in this field, so I don’t expect to make some amazing discovery that even Estira couldn’t by looking through these pages.

It was just that doing something to find a cure for Father made me feel more at ease.

Flip, flip.

I was resting my chin on one hand while turning the pages.

“Hm? Bomnia flowers? These can be used as herbs too.”

I stopped at the familiar flower illustration and read the description.

“‘Bomnia’ is a plant that grows wild only in the extreme southern part of the continent, and its flowers, leaves, and roots each have different medicinal properties…”

My fingertip, which had been mindlessly following the lines of text, stopped.

“However, Bomnia’s most powerful effect appears when the flowers, leaves, and roots are used together. The exact mechanism is unknown, but it stably maximizes the effects of other herbs used in combination…”

A plant that originally grows wild only in the south.

And Estira from my previous life, who had gone on vacation to her hometown.

It felt like the puzzle pieces were fitting together.

Just then, Estira burst through the study door.

She was sweating and panting, having apparently run all the way here.

“A, a reply came from Grandmother… Among the flowers that commonly bloom around the village…!”

“Bomnia?”

“H-how did you know?”

As I thought.

The final ingredient for the cure was Bomnia.

Seeing my smiling face, Estira made a tearful expression and said,

“B-but Bomnia is a wild herb that only grows in the south, and the blooming season has already passed…”

“No, I know where there are blooming Bomnia flowers.”

In the rear garden of Poirak Palace, bright red Bomnia flowers were definitely blooming.

I quickly ran to my desk and wrote a letter.

The recipient was Peres.

I’d like to rush to Poirak Palace myself to get the Bomnia plants, but I can’t enter the palace because I’m in my reflection period.

Damn you, Astana!

I scribbled down that Bomnia plants were needed for Father’s cure, and that we absolutely needed the flowers, leaves, and roots together.

My hands were trembling as I folded the letter.

The joy of finding the last puzzle piece was brief before anxiety overwhelmed me.

What if all the Bomnia flowers had withered in the past few days?

Peres had said it too.

That flowers that shouldn’t bloom at this time of year had bloomed.

Please, please.

I prayed desperately as I sent the letter.

* * *

When night came, it started to rain.

I stayed up all night, watching the torrential downpour outside.

“Damn it, damn it.”

The sound of rain hitting the window mixed with the sound of me biting my nails.

What if all the Bomnia flowers wither away in this rain?

It’s already been several days since I last saw them.

If even the remaining flowers all fall off.

I felt like my insides were burning up.

That’s when it happened.

“Is that a carriage right now?”

With my head pressed against the window, I doubted my own eyes.

A carriage was coming toward the annex, cutting through the torrential rain pouring down like spears.

Through the hazy curtain of rain, I glimpsed the imperial crest.

No way.

I was shocked and ran downstairs.

Bang, bang, bang.

Along with the heavy sound of knocking on the door, the annex butler was already approaching the door with a lamp.

Creak-.

The door that had been tightly shut all night opened with a long creaking sound.

There stood someone completely soaked by the rain.

“Peres?”

Spotting me, Peres took out something he had been carefully holding in his arms.

It was a large wooden box.

Click.

When he opened the lid, there was a small sound and the distinct smell of rain-soaked earth wafted up clearly.

Inside the box was a pile of red flowers covered in dirt, lying quietly with their roots exposed.

“I brought the Bomnia flowers.”

With his face pale white from the rain, Peres smiled brightly.

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