In This Life, I Will Be The Lord - Chapter 95

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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 95

“Haa, haa…”

The Empress, so enraged that her elegantly styled hair had fallen forward, smashed one last picture frame before collapsing onto the sofa.

Instead of the Empress who was raging like a madwoman, Astana, who had been leisurely drinking tea beside her, looked at the Angenas Patriarch with a slight smile and said.

“Grandfather has come?”

“Y-Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

Astana, who had his 16th birthday just around the corner, was growing taller by the day.

“You were here…”

The Angenas Patriarch slightly averted his gaze.

He had always known that Astana took after his maternal side, but the degree was a bit severe.

As if not a drop of Emperor Yobanes’ blood was mixed in, it was like looking at young Lavinia.

“What can be done when an incompetent grandfather is unreliable.”

Even that personality.

“I apologize…”

Perdic Angenas swallowed a sigh and bowed his head once more.

“…Father.”

The Empress, who had been leaning wearily against the sofa armrest, called the Angenas Patriarch.

“Yes, Your Majesty the Empress.”

“Another diamond vein was discovered at the Lira Mine, wasn’t it?”

“I-Is that so…”

However, before Perdic Angenas could even finish his words, the Empress shot up from her seat as if having a seizure.

“Is that so?”

The Empress’s blue eyes were blazing fiercely.

“Is that what you should be saying right now!”

Thud! Crash!

The Empress grabbed the teacup that Astana had just set down and hurled it at the wall behind the Angenas Patriarch.

“If you had just done what I ordered properly! That mine! Those diamonds! They would all have been ours, Angenas!”

As the Pellet Trading Company that had taken over the Lira Mine made more money from diamonds, the Empress’s envy and jealousy grew increasingly severe.

It had reached the point where wearing diamond accessories to tea parties and banquets hosted by the Empress was forbidden.

The Empress let out a terrible scream-like sound, “Aaah!”

Her hands clutching her head trembled violently.

She couldn’t control her anger.

“Get out! Get out right now!”

The Empress pointed at the door, breathing heavily.

Perdic Angenas had no choice but to leave the Empress’ Quarters as ordered.

There was no resentment about being treated this way by his own daughter.

The relationship between father and daughter had long since disappeared.

Angenas was nothing more and nothing less than a power base that could solidify the Empress’s authority.

“Whew…”

Astana approached behind the Angenas Patriarch, who was letting out a heavy sigh.

“Grandfather.”

“Yes, Your Highness. I apologize for showing you such a shameful sight earlier…”

“Ah, never mind that. How did that matter I asked you about before turn out?”

“The matter from before…”

A few weeks ago, Astana had secretly asked him for a favor.

He wanted to own private property in a region outside the Imperial Capital.

However, according to imperial law, a Crown Prince cannot own private property while living in the Imperial Palace.

It was the same reason he couldn’t have a knight order or army.

But Astana, who had recently been trying to create ‘his own things,’ had asked his grandfather, the Angenas Patriarch, to buy land under a borrowed name.

If discovered, it would be treason punishable by beheading, but Perdic Angenas was working to fulfill that request.

“I’m negotiating with the lord of the region you mentioned, but it seems a bit difficult. He’s quite close to the Lombardi Family… Perhaps you should consider choosing a different region…”

“What, you can’t even handle something like that?”

Astana frowned deeply as he spoke.

“Didn’t I explain it clearly to you then? That land is good for hunting.”

“If you need good hunting grounds, I’ll look into other more suitable lands.”

“I won’t accept any land but that one.”

“But Your Highness…”

“Are you daring to argue with me, a Crown Prince?”

This was Astana’s favorite phrase to use whenever he was at a disadvantage since learning to speak.

“Oh, and get me a diamond brooch.”

“Pardon? But Her Majesty the Empress…”

“Just because Mother dislikes it, must I dislike it too?”

The Angenas Patriarch’s eyes widened in surprise.

Astana never did anything the Empress told him not to do.

But…

“I’m not a puppet who only does what Mother tells me to do.”

After grumbling sullenly like that, Astana glared at the Angenas Patriarch one last time and said.

“Next time you come to the Palace, you’d better bring the hunting ground documents and the brooch.”

Then he glanced once toward the drawing room where the Empress was and went off to his own quarters.

Watching this scene, the Angenas Patriarch felt an ominous premonition run down his spine.

That Astana had entered adolescence and his rebellious phase had begun.

And the premonition that if he started rebelling against the Empress, uncontrollable things would happen.

* * *

Beit was sitting alone on the empty Caramel Avenue after business hours, waiting for the building owner.

The building owner, who had suddenly demanded to end the contract, had been unresponsive even to Beit’s suggestion to meet and talk.

Finally, a reply came this morning.

It was a message to meet after business hours.

Normally, Beit became busier after 【Caramel Avenue】’s business hours ended, but there was no choice.

He had to meet the building owner and resolve the contract issue anyway.

“It’s about time for our appointment.”

Beit said while looking at the door that still showed no signs of activity.

Information about the new building owner was floating around in his head.

‘Rochello Cox, 35 years old, unmarried. Disowned at 22 and left the Imperial Capital to live elsewhere, but returned after hearing news of his father’s death.’

Up to this point, it was quite an ordinary background.

In the Empire where it was common to marry around twenty, being thirty-five and still unmarried was a bit unusual.

But seeing the man’s personality, he could understand why he hadn’t found a woman to marry.

Moreover, the information Beit had subsequently uncovered was even more outrageous.

‘Has gambling debts of about 300 gold.’

He was a typical good-for-nothing from a noble family.

The information was that his disownment thirteen years ago was also related to gambling problems.

And that wasn’t the end of it.

‘A con artist who operated under the alias Jeff Rich in the north. Still wanted.’

Using false names to commit fraud.

He was a real villain.

When he had visited the cafe before, his speech and behavior had rough edges for someone claiming to be nobility, and apparently he had wandered around doing bad things after being disowned by his family.

He was confident that further investigation would reveal other crimes and aliases.

However, the most important part was at the very end.

‘Still wanted.’

The nobles who were swindled by him in the north would be grinding their teeth in anger.

He probably knew that better than anyone.

If necessary, I decided to use that as a card to threaten him.

‘I’m sorry, master.’

Beit felt a slight pang of conscience as he thought of the former building owner who had now passed away.

He had such a kind impression and had been very accommodating to Beit in many ways, which made it even worse.

But he couldn’t lose this shop.

Even if it meant using information as a weapon, he had to protect it.

Ding.

Just then, the sound of the shop door opening rang out, and Beit stood up from his seat.

“Welcome. I’ve been waiting for…”

“Hello!”

It was different from the building owner’s hoarse voice he had been expecting.

It was an absurdly clear and cheerful voice.

“Wow, coming at night gives it a completely different feeling! You look even cooler too, Beit!”

The girl who laughed ‘hehe’ had a very familiar face.

Beit unconsciously muttered the girl’s name.

“Pirenthia… Lombardi?”

“As of today, I’ve become the owner of this building.”

I kindly explained to the bewildered-looking Beit.

“You little… I mean, Lady Lombardi became the owner of this building?”

“Yes! I bought it, this building.”

Honestly, just looking at the price, it wasn’t a wise purchase, but thanks to the diamond business, this level of spending honestly doesn’t even make a dent.

Besides, looking at the future, it’s also an excellent investment.

“I noticed last time that you seemed to be in a bit of a difficult situation. So I looked into it a little. Things like that person I saw last time and the situation with Caramel Avenue.”

“You mean you investigated behind the scenes?”

“I wouldn’t call it investigating behind the scenes… I didn’t want a shop I frequent regularly to disappear. I told you last time, didn’t I? That it feels like my hideout.”

Or a place that will become my hideout in the future.

Hehe.

“So I bought this building from that man. Now I’m the building owner.”

Wow, the day has come when I get to say something like this!

I’m a building owner!

Thrilling! The best!

“But that man was planning to open a dessert shop in this exact spot, wasn’t he?”

Beit’s shoulders trembled slightly.

He probably didn’t know about that part.

“He has no conscience. He probably planned to keep doing business pretending to be Caramel Avenue. Do you know how much extra I paid for this building?”

I asked casually.

“…I wonder.”

I held up four fingers.

“I paid 400 gold.”

It was an amount inflated several times over the market price.

“What’s your reason for buying this building at such a price?”

“I just told you. I didn’t want my regular shop to disappear.”

“That can’t be the real reason. Someone like you wouldn’t simply…”

“What do you mean, someone like me?”

Beit, who had accidentally let something slip, momentarily showed an ‘oops’ expression, but it was already too late.

As expected, he had finished investigating me to some extent.

“I mean, Lady Lombardi would…”

“You’ve gathered information about me, haven’t you?”

When I mentioned the word ‘information,’ Beit’s eyes became fierce.

Rather than the always gentle manager of Caramel Avenue, I felt good seeing what seemed to be a glimpse of Beit’s true nature for the first time.

“It’s okay. I also know a few things about Beit.”

I smiled reassuringly at Beit, who seemed to be bristling and wary of me.

This was quite different from the Beit I had encountered in my previous life.

Back then, he was truly so solid and experienced that even I, who prided myself on reading people quite well, couldn’t see through him at all.

Caramel Avenue originally disappeared this year, then mysteriously reappeared in this same spot after 10 years had passed.

And around that time, I had also visited this shop as a customer.

“To confess.”

I said while looking into those amber eyes watching me.

“I also know that this Caramel Avenue isn’t just a simple dessert shop.”

The information guild Caramel Avenue that secretly buys and sells information.

And the guild master who leads that guild.

That was Beit’s hidden identity.

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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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