In This Life, I Will Be The Lord - Chapter 81

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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 81

“Tia sent this?”

A large box filled with desserts was delivered to Poirak Palace.

“…All of this?”

Peres asked in bewilderment as he opened the lid of the box.

What had been delivered was at least 30 different types of cake slices and desserts.

“These are cakes from ‘Caramel Avenue’! It’s a very popular bakery these days.”

At Kaitlin’s explanation, Peres’s ears turned bright red.

Though that was all he showed outwardly, Peres was extremely happy.

He was a little sad that she didn’t visit the Imperial Palace often, but Tia was thinking of me too.

“Which one would you like to have, Your Highness?”

Kaitlin cheerfully prepared to transfer some to a plate.

Peres gazed intently into the box.

Which of these did Tia eat?

Which cake would she like the most?

As his eyes carefully scanned through, he spotted a chocolate cake topped with white cream.

“Probably that one.”

Chocolate and cream.

Everything Tia liked was gathered together.

Imagining Tia greedily eating the cake and being happy, a faint smile spread across Peres’s face.

“This one.”

Just as Kaitlin was transferring the cake Peres pointed to with his fingertip onto a small plate.

The Emperor’s attendant arrived at Poirak Palace.

“His Majesty commands you to come to the Palace Gardens, Second Prince.”

“…Right now?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Peres looked at the cake box with eyes dripping with regret.

Seeing this, the attendant said.

“We have refreshments prepared at the Central Palace, but it wouldn’t matter if you brought that…”

“No.”

Peres firmly refused.

“I’ll just go.”

He had no desire to share the gift Tia sent with anyone else, especially not with the Emperor.

“Kaileus.”

“Yes, Your Highness. I’ll guard it.”

Kaileus smiled as if he understood Peres’s feelings completely and spoke reassuringly.

Peres nodded once to Kaileus and followed behind the attendant.

In the Palace Gardens of the Central Palace, there was one large glass greenhouse.

It was mainly used to protect precious plants that had been presented as tribute but didn’t grow well in the Imperial Capital’s climate.

And because it maintained proper temperature well, it was also frequently used as a place for tea time.

Arriving at the Palace Gardens, Peres briefly stopped walking upon seeing the interior of the greenhouse.

Inside, leisurely admiring flowers and drinking tea, was not the Emperor.

It was Empress Lavinia.

Glancing at the attendant, he smiled as if that place was indeed where the imperial command had indicated and opened the greenhouse door.

Step.

The sound of Peres’s footsteps echoed loudly as he entered the greenhouse.

“Yes, you’ve come.”

Empress Lavinia, who had been examining the petals of nearby growing flowers, looked up at Peres and welcomed him.

“Come here and sit.”

Her smiling face seemed quite sincere.

However, Peres only stood there looking at the Empress with darkly sunken eyes.

“Didn’t I tell you to sit?”

The Empress spoke with an even brighter smile and sweet voice.

Instead of answering, Peres pulled out the chair the Empress had indicated and sat down.

With a satisfied smile, Lavinia personally placed tea service in front of Peres.

Meanwhile, Peres looked at the flower Lavinia had been caressing just moments before.

Maleficent.

A terrible poisonous plant that bloomed brighter yellow flowers the stronger the toxicity it contained.

However, the shape of the flower alone was beautiful enough to captivate anyone.

The delicate petals swaying in the wind closely resembled the Empress’s dazzling golden hair.

Trickle.

With a monotonous sound, Peres’s teacup was filled.

It was a clear, transparent yellow color.

“You must be curious about why I called you here, right?”

Instead of answering, Peres leaned his back against the chair.

At his leisurely appearance, Lavinia’s long eyelashes trembled briefly.

However, the smile on her face only grew deeper, as if it might emit a floral fragrance.

“I’ve been indifferent to you until now. I feel very sorry about that. So the reason I called you here today is none other than…”

The Empress stopped speaking.

Her gaze reached the teacup placed in front of Peres.

“Why aren’t you drinking it, Prince?”

It was gentle but clear pressure.

Hurry up and drink the tea placed before you.

The Empress’s smile was commanding just that.

But Peres did not yield.

Without even touching the teacup, he faced the Empress with an indifferent expression.

“It’s not ordinary tea. It’s tea brewed from herbs I specially prepared for you… Don’t you like it?”

Just listening to Lavinia’s voice, it seemed as if Peres was being very ungrateful by refusing tea the Empress had thoughtfully offered.

Not that Peres was one to care about such things.

His red eyes looked at the bright yellow transparent tea.

And he slowly opened his mouth.

“I’m fine. I’m sick of grass by now.”

Peres pushed the saucer of the teacup in front of him toward the Empress.

“Please drink my portion as well.”

“…How unfortunate.”

What is.

Peres felt old anger about to surge up and took a deep, silent breath.

A rusty blade isn’t threatening no matter how you point it.

It was still time to keep it hidden and sharpen the edge more.

However, that resolve was immediately shaken by the Empress’s next words.

“The reason I called you here today is to tell you that I will become your mother from now on.”

Mother.

The moment that word flowed from the Empress’s mouth, Peres pictured himself slitting the Empress’s throat.

First stabbing Astana over and over until he was a wreck lying at his feet, then killing Lavinia before his eyes.

The image of his mother taking her last breath while cursing the Emperor in that crumbling pavilion filled his vision.

The dry tears of worry for him, left alone as a child, still seemed to dampen his hands.

Peres glared at Empress Lavinia.

It felt like only by being covered in the blood of that mother and son could he quell this rage.

For a moment, seeing the spark that flashed in his eyes, the Empress smiled even more delightedly.

“I told His Majesty as well. That although I may not be the Crown Prince’s birth mother, I would like to care for the Crown Prince as if he were my own child from now on.”

Creak.

Finally, the armrest of the iron chair crumpled within Peres’s grip.

“Isn’t he still at an age where he needs a mother’s touch? His Majesty was so pleased. So after much consideration, I came up with the best educational method for the Crown Prince.”

The Empress said with her eyes curving sweetly.

“Go to the Academy, Crown Prince.”

If he stayed in this place any longer, truly.

Thud.

Peres stood up from his seat immediately without listening any further.

“Crown Prince!”

The Empress, looking somewhat startled, frowned and raised her voice.

“What is the meaning of this, Crown Prince! I haven’t finished speaking yet!”

“I apologize.”

Peres looked down at the seated Empress with cold eyes and said.

“I lack proper education.”

Leaving those words behind, Peres left the greenhouse without regret.

He could hear the Empress shouting something from behind, but he paid no attention.

After learning that Peres could handle aura, there weren’t enough guards by the Empress’s side who would dare forcibly detain him.

When Peres returned to Poirak Palace on foot, Kaitlin and Kaileus looked at him with worried eyes.

It was because Peres’s face was horribly contorted with clenched teeth.

No one dared approach him to speak.

Kaileus stamped his feet anxiously.

It seemed like watching would be less heartbreaking if he had just screamed and broken things instead.

The sight of him just sitting with his head down, his face showing no tears, looked so small today.

He had clearly gone after receiving contact from the Imperial Palace, but this was the first time seeing him completely collapsed like this, making them even more at a loss.

Then, Kaitlin, who had been watching Peres, began to move.

It wasn’t anything grand.

She simply placed a slice of chocolate cake in front of Peres and set warm milk beside it.

At the ‘clink’ sound, Peres looked at the cake.

His long, black eyelashes trembled.

The single slice of cake sitting quietly on the table felt as if it were looking at him.

The accumulated anger that had been burning hot enough to consume his reason was cooling down.

His heart that had been pounding as if it would burst gradually calmed.

The trembling of his hands that had been shaking with the desire to grab his sword began to stop.

Peres picked up a fork with those now calm hands instead.

Just as Tia would have done, he pushed a large piece into his mouth.

The sweet cream and bread melted and mixed in his mouth.

Without saying a word, silently.

When he had finished eating the entire slice of cake, moving only his hands and mouth, Peres had returned to his usual self.

“Sweet.”

Peres muttered as he wiped the white cream from the corner of his mouth with his thumb.

* * *

I visited the Pellet Trading Company office after hearing that Violet had completed her investigation of the ‘Lira Mine’.

Violet handed me a well-organized, thick report.

“The Rengkanta Family has debts totaling about 7,000 gold. Of that, 600 gold is debt that must be repaid immediately, so the auction starting price is expected to be around that amount.”

600 gold would be quite a large sum for a typical noble family.

Enough to understand why they would want to dispose of a single mine.

“The remaining coal reserves in Lira Mine are predicted to be very small. And from separate inquiries, people from Angenas visited this area a few months ago.”

“Did you find out exactly who it was?”

“Croyton Angenas, the leader of Durak Guild.”

Violet said with a confident voice.

“It doesn’t seem like he went there secretly?”

“He came quietly without special notice, but since there were originally no dealings with Angenas Guild in that area, and he was dissatisfied with Lira’s inn facilities and knocked on the lord’s castle gate in the middle of the night to get a room, some rumors spread in that region.”

Oh my, going to investigate secretly and then complaining about sleeping arrangements.

I shook my head.

“What about rumors regarding iron?”

“The expert who accompanied the Durak Guild leader said there’s quite a high possibility that iron ore is buried in that area.”

There is some there.

Though it’s so little that it would dry up after exactly three months of mining.

“So the winning bid price… is expected to be between 1,300 and 1,500 gold.”

I nodded.

But Lira Mine would be won at 2,000 gold as I had said.

Of course, Violet’s prediction was reasonable.

I knew the future winning bid price, while Violet didn’t.

“Just in case, let’s prepare generously with about 2,100 gold including reserve funds.”

“Yes, understood.”

Just as we were about to conclude our discussion.

Cleribane, who had been quietly listening to my conversation with Violet, spoke up.

“You might need to prepare a bit more than that.”

“Why do you think so?”

“I hear that Lombardi is planning to participate in the Lira Mine auction.”

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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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