In This Life, I Will Be The Lord - Chapter 94

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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 94

Looking toward where the sound came from, I could see Beit with a quite flustered face having a conversation with someone.

“Didn’t you hear me? I’m telling you to vacate the cafe as soon as the contract ends.”

The middle-aged man with a thin build and stern expression seemed quite annoyed by the conversation.

Judging by how he kept picking his ear and clicking his tongue.

However, at the same time, the man’s eyes were constantly scanning the interior of the cafe.

His gaze was filled with greed.

“When we made the contract, you said I could operate the cafe without worry for about 10 years!”

“That’s what my father said before he passed away. I never agreed to such words!”

“Even so, that’s still…”

Beit, who always wore a smooth smile, was now pale with shock.

“It’s only been 2 years since I opened the cafe, and I’m just starting to establish myself. How can you do this to me?”

“Ah, well. That’s not my concern.”

The person who appeared to be the building owner had no interest whatsoever in Beit’s circumstances.

Having inherited the building due to his father’s death, the new owner was busy looking around the building that had suddenly become his.

“Father really… such a good building at such a ridiculous price…”

It was the kind of muttering where you couldn’t tell if it was to himself or for others to hear.

The more he did this, the more Beit’s handsome face was colored with despair.

However, unable to back down, Beit approached the building owner once more and said:

“I’ll increase the monthly rent. Please reconsider.”

But the building owner, far from accepting Beit’s proposal, only let out a scornful laugh as if it were absurd.

And he looked Beit up and down before saying:

“You seem quite young, but you shouldn’t try to go through life so easily.”

“Ea, easily… Ha.”

Beit swept his bangs up and swallowed a hollow laugh.

He had much to say, but his face showed he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

“This bakery is supposed to be so famous? I wondered how delicious it could be. Now I see it was all thanks to the good location.”

The new building owner’s last comment seemed to be Beit’s limit.

“We’re currently open for business, so let’s make an appointment and discuss this again later. I’ll come visit you at your home.”

“Ah, forget it.”

The building owner waved his hand dismissively as if annoyed.

“There’s nothing more to discuss. Just prepare to vacate when the current contract ends.”

And the man left the cafe.

“Haah…”

Beit’s sigh was deep.

It was understandable.

Just when 【Caramel Avenue】 was gaining word-of-mouth recognition and it was time to recoup his investments.

A new owner suddenly appeared telling him to vacate the cafe, so feeling lost was natural.

Beit, who had been pressing his furrowed brow, looked back at me and our eyes met.

I didn’t panic and smiled brightly as I said:

“I’ll have two more pieces of the same thing.”

I should at least help him sell more.

Beit nodded slightly at my words and quickly brought out two more pieces of chocolate cake.

But he also brought a glass full of milk.

“I didn’t order this.”

“It’s on the house.”

“On the house?”

What service when he’s about to be kicked out of the cafe?

When I stared up at him in disbelief, Beit avoided my eyes and scratched his temple lightly before saying:

“It’s good to drink lots of milk during your growing years.”

“Ah, yes…”

It had been quite a while.

Since I’d been properly treated like a child.

Everyone around me treated me like I was already half-grown, almost an adult.

Father and my cousins did, and needless to say, Cleribane and Violet who worked under me.

Because they knew well that I wasn’t just an ordinary eleven-year-old kid.

But shouldn’t that be the same for Beit?

“I’ll drink it gratefully.”

I bowed politely and took a sip of the milk.

Beit watched me with a somewhat pleased expression, but when our eyes met again, he returned to his expressionless face as if nothing had happened.

He’s really bad at managing his expressions.

I felt like giggling, so I just drank a few more sips of milk.

As I continued chatting with Creny, Beit, having returned to his usual self, began working, weaving between the tables filled with people on the second floor.

He would stand in a corner with his hands behind his back, watching to see if customers needed anything, and quickly approach to refill empty glasses when he spotted them.

Sometimes he would check the ground floor counter, but mostly he moved among the customers like this.

This was the Beit I had observed over the past few months as a regular at 【Caramel Avenue】.

At least during the cafe’s operating hours, Beit was a better waiter than anyone.

At least during 【Caramel Avenue】’s operating hours.

“So lately that family has enormous debts…”

“The third son of the Feamin family’s affair partner is…”

“I heard this rumor from my relative in the west…”

As I quietly sipped my milk while looking outside, I could clearly hear the conversations of women gathered in small groups discussing various topics.

It was as if my body was sitting here in 【Caramel Avenue】, but my ears were hearing about events happening all across the Empire.

Then I felt an intense gaze on me and looked up.

It was Beit, standing quietly in a corner as if the earlier dispute with the building owner had been a complete lie.

Standing there with his bright amber eyes gleaming, making no sound, he looked like a cat.

The kind of cat that seems to be casually doing its own thing, but constantly perks up its sensitive ears.

Really.

I’m telling you, he’s terrible at managing his expressions.

* * *

The council chamber where the nobility council members had gathered after a long time was heated.

This was because an issue that warranted the two factions sitting face to face and raising their voices sharply had been brought up for discussion.

“For drought-stricken areas, it’s natural to temporarily lower tax rates to ease the burden on the Empire’s citizens!”

“That’s the burden on the Empire’s citizens? It’s the burden on the eastern nobles!”

Two nobles at the forefront of each faction faced off with veins bulging in their necks.

“The east already received tax exemptions due to last year’s drought! Asking for the same thing again this year is greed, pure greed!”

“The drought this year is worse than last year, so what are we supposed to do!”

“The eastern nobles should dispose of their private property or find money some other way!”

After fighting like this for a while, nobles slightly older than those who had been at the forefront stepped forward.

“The national finances are in terrible shape because of the taxes exempted for the east. You can’t be unaware of this fact, can you?”

“While it’s true the national treasury has decreased somewhat, it’s not exactly a difficult situation. It’s not bad enough to bleed the east dry.”

“But because the eastern nobles won’t pay taxes using drought as an excuse, other regions are suffering considerable losses trying to fill that gap. This is eastern selfishness, pure selfishness.”

Amid everyone raising their voices and fighting, Lombardy and Angenas were quiet.

The Angenas Patriarch was listening to his close associates constantly whispering around him, while Rulak Lombardi sat alone as if in another world, completely at peace.

Although they were fighting fiercely as if national security was at stake, it wasn’t actually that serious a matter.

Whether or not to exempt the eastern regions’ taxes this year due to drought.

That was all there was to it.

In fact, among the Nobility Council members seated here, there were only a few from the eastern region.

The reason everyone was fighting so heatedly over someone else’s affairs was one thing.

Pride.

This was a battle of pride between nobles united around Lombardi and Angenas as their main axes.

When the heated debate reached a temporary lull.

The Angenas Patriarch made a statement.

“If we absolutely must exempt the eastern region’s taxes no matter what, then the contributions of the families opposing this here should not increase by even a single penny.”

“What kind of unreasonable…”

Naturally, if taxes from one side decreased, the burden on the rest would inevitably increase.

The attacks that had quieted down exploded toward the Angenas Patriarch.

However, the Angenas Patriarch was silently enduring those complaints.

Intermittently, when it seemed the sparks might die down, he would speak again to keep the atmosphere going.

‘I need to keep dragging out time with this agenda.’

Perdic Angenas took out his handkerchief and discreetly wiped away sweat.

He had to ensure that the agenda coming up next would be pushed to the next meeting.

The Nobility Council followed the principle of majority rule.

But today, the number of nobles from the Angenas faction in attendance was somewhat small.

If they proceeded to the next agenda in this state, it was obvious they would suffer great losses.

But at that moment, Perdic Angenas and Rulak Lombardi’s gazes met.

Startled.

The Angenas Patriarch tried to maintain a calm expression as he folded his handkerchief back into his chest, but he felt a sense of “oh no.”

Because he could see Rulak Lombardi’s lips curling up mysteriously from across the large council chamber.

“Now, now.”

The chamber, which had been as noisy as a marketplace, instantly quieted at Rulak Lombardi’s voice.

The Angenas faction also stopped speaking.

Rulak Lombardi was someone who possessed such presence.

“What use would it be for us to continue our discourse here among ourselves?”

At his slow yet admittedly dignified voice, the nobles who had been excitedly ranting were gradually calming down.

‘This can’t happen!’

In his urgency, the Angenas Patriarch blurted out anything.

“What kind of statement is that, disrespecting our entire Nobility Council! Apologize!”

Because he spoke so hastily, he ended up saying something completely out of place.

Even those who had been supporting Angenas flinched momentarily and looked back at Perdic.

Though his face had turned bright red, Perdic Angenas pretended not to notice and glared at Rulak while feigning great anger.

“What I meant was, let’s hear His Majesty the Emperor’s opinion. Aren’t the taxes we’re discussing here about who pays more or less ultimately all His Majesty’s property?”

There was no argument against that.

Everyone was nodding and agreeing.

Looking around at such an audience, Rulak Lombardi said gently.

“Then how about we move on to the next agenda.”

Perdic Angenas finally hung his head.

His hand had been completely read.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t match Rulak Lombardi.

It felt like being blocked by a massive wall.

After the meeting ended.

Perdic Angenas’s steps toward the Empress’ Quarters were heavy.

In the end, he had suffered a complete defeat to Rulak Lombardi.

When he opened the door to the Empress’ Quarters and entered, the sound of things breaking was already loud from far away.

It seemed one of the Empress’s maids had already reported what had happened in the council chamber.

The Angenas Patriarch, eyes tightly shut, arrived at the drawing room and opened the door.

Crash!

As soon as the door opened, a vase flew toward him and shattered into pieces at his feet.

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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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