In This Life I Will Be The Lord Novel - Episode 175

A month later.
Lorraine opened her eyes to the warm breeze gently caressing her face.
The first thing to greet her when she awoke was the sound of an Eastern folk song drifting from afar.
A smile spread across Lorraine’s face at the friendly yet lively melody.
“You’re awake, Lady Lombardi?”
The gentle voice belonged to Tokia, the maid assigned to her by the Luman family.
She was a kind person with a deep complexion and jewel-like shining orange eyes, and she had been a great help to Lorraine in adapting to this place.
Lorraine drank the cool water Tokia offered and said, “We agreed to call each other by our first names, Tokia.”
“Oh, right. I’m sorry, Lorraine.”
“Hehe, it’s okay. We’re still getting used to each other. And, is it today?”
Lorraine asked, getting out of bed with an expectant face.
“Yes, it is. Ah! It’s just coming in now!”
Lorraine’s steps quickened at Tokia’s words, who was pointing outside the wide-open terrace.
“Ah.”
Lorraine let out an exclamation of admiration without realizing it.
Far in the distance, a large ship was entering, crossing the blue horizon.
It was the Pellet Merchant Guild’s Eastern cruise ship.
Its sails, as white as clouds, and its grand, splendid hull proudly sailing the sea, made one’s heart pound.
“It’s a view that never gets old, no matter how many times you see it.”
Tokia had also approached her side and was admiring the sight with her.
“Since the port was built in Chesayu and the Pellet Merchant Guild started acting as a bridge between the Luman territory and the central region, many changes have been happening in the East.”
“Pellet Merchant Guild…”
Lorraine thought of her cousin, Tia.
The night she was rescued from her confinement, she also learned Tia’s incredible secret.
Although she hadn’t received a precise explanation, Lorraine instinctively realized that the Pellet Merchant Guild belonged to Tia.
But she wasn’t as surprised as she might have been.
‘Somehow, I felt like Tia would have one or two such secrets.’
Lorraine smiled, recalling her cousin, who was always so sharp and brave that she felt more like an older sister.
“Lady Lorraine, your smiling face is truly beautiful.”
Tokia said, admiringly.
“Am I… really?”
Lorraine touched her face, bewildered.
Indeed, her laughter had increased significantly since she came to the Luman family. Her personality had also become much livelier than before.
“Soon, the goods unloaded from the ship will be transported to the castle. Would you like to get ready quickly and go see them, Lady Lorraine?”
Lorraine nodded with a smile at Tokia’s suggestion.
A moment later, Lorraine arrived at the largest hall in Luman Castle.
It was at the summons of the Luman Patriarch, Avinox’s father.
“Greetings, Lord Luman.”
Lorraine greeted him cautiously, a hint of nervousness in her demeanor.
As Avinox was currently out inspecting the territory, it was the first time Lorraine had met Lord Luman face-to-face alone.
“Oh, you’ve arrived!”
However, Indith Luman, the Patriarch, greeted Lorraine with such a bright demeanor that her worries were rendered meaningless.
“I called you because a lot of goods have arrived for Lady Lombardi. Would you like to take a look?”
Lorraine’s eyes widened, expecting a letter from Tia since the Pellet Merchant Guild’s ship had arrived.
Indeed, there were many goods neatly stacked, forming a small hill, where Lord Luman was pointing.
“Who on earth…”
Lorraine cautiously approached and examined the boxes, finding two letter envelopes in a small basket.
The red envelope was a letter from Tia.

[To Lorraine.
I’m truly happy to hear that your engagement ceremony went well.
I’m sending you an engagement congratulatory gift in the name of the Pellet Merchant Guild.
You said the wedding is in a year, right?
Please treat me well.
I’ll write to you occasionally.
Once again, congratulations on your engagement.
Tia.
P.S. If you need anything else, tell the Pellet Merchant Guild branch in the Luman territory. I’ll send you as much as you need.]

After reading the letter, Lorraine carefully scanned the stacked boxes.
She could see that most of the items had the Pellet Merchant Guild’s tag.
“Ah, this is…”
And she quickly realized that these were the goods she used to enjoy using when she was in Lombardi.
Perhaps she was worried about homesickness?
The thoughtful care, seemingly indifferent yet meticulous, was conveyed.
And the second letter was.
“Gr-Grandpa…?”
The sender’s name, ‘Rulac Lombardi,’ was written on the outside of a plain cream-colored envelope.
Lorraine’s fingertips trembled slightly as she took out the letter paper.
The content was not very long.

[Congratulations on your engagement, Lorraine.
Always remember that you are a Lombardi.
From afar, Grandpa.]

“Ah…”
Lorraine shed tears with a smile.
And she approached a large box stamped with the Lombardi crest.
The quick-witted Luman family servants carefully opened the lid.
“This is…?”
Inside the box was a white porcelain set beautifully engraved with the World Tree, the symbol of the Lombardi family, in gold.
It was perfectly equipped with dozens of large and small plates, silverware made of pure silver, and everything else needed for a formal dinner, enough to host guests immediately.
Lord Luman, who quietly approached and confirmed it, nodded.
“I’ve heard that it’s an Imperial custom since ancient times for the Patriarch to present porcelain with the family’s seal as a gift for officially approved marriages.”
Then, seeing the enormous number of porcelain dishes, he chuckled.
“As expected, it’s a Lombardi-scale.”
At the same time, he sighed softly, as if resigned.
The golden World Tree, shining even brighter under the strong Eastern sunlight, seemed to be telling Lord Luman, ‘If you ever mistreat my granddaughter, be prepared.’
Lorraine hugged Tia’s and her grandfather’s letters to her chest and cried tears of happiness for a long time.
***
At the same time, Lombardi Mansion.
Rulac Lombardi was in a meeting with the head of the Lombardi Merchant Guild, Romassie Dillard, and his daughter, Shananet.
“Finally, the time has come.”
Rulac said with a joyful and somewhat mischievous smile.
“I’ve been waiting for this day for a month, it felt like forever.”
“Father.”
Shananet shook her head, but she didn’t stop her father. She had also been looking forward to this day.
“Tell me again, Romassie.”
“Yes, Patriarch.”
Romassie Dillard cleared his throat and recited the contents of the document in his hand again.
“The investigation shows that Red Merchant Guild’s iron ore will be released into the market starting tomorrow. The amount Red Merchant Guild has spent on mining iron ore so far is…”
As Romassie’s report continued, Rulac’s smile deepened.
“Foolish.”
He couldn’t shake the thought that he had overestimated Jovanes all this time.
“He still hasn’t fixed that habit of not seeing anything else once he starts coveting something. Tsk, tsk.”
“He was always a very greedy person since childhood.”
Shananet said, soothing her unpleasant feelings with warm tea as she recalled Emperor Jovanes in his youth.
“Are you ready, Shananet?”
“Yes. Just say the word.”
Over the past month, relations between the Imperial Family and Lombardi had largely normalized.
On the surface, it seemed so.
The Lombardi Merchant Guild had resumed business in the capital, and Lombardi Transportation had restarted its consignment trade.
Emperor Jovanes must have been at ease.
Angenas, whose plans had been thwarted by Tia’s and the Second Prince’s engagement, held his breath.
Even the Empress, who loved to show off, had been quiet lately, not attending banquets.
“They must be relieved, thinking everything has returned to normal.”
The Emperor had already poured a considerable amount of money into mining.
It was more than half of Jovanes’s personal wealth, created through the Red Merchant Guild, not the Imperial Family’s assets.
But since the stable market made iron ore a steady source of income, he must have thought complacently that the mining costs could be recovered quickly.
Rulac chuckled.
And he commanded Shananet and Romassie Dillard.
“Release the iron ore.”
“Yes.”
“Understood, Patriarch.”
With Rulac’s single word, an enormous quantity of iron ore would be released into the market starting tomorrow.
Then, naturally, the value of iron ore would fall.
“I’ll make sure he doesn’t earn a single penny from iron ore.”
He intended to make all the money Jovanes had poured into mining costs turn into his own loss.
Of course, it was a huge amount for the Red Merchant Guild, but it was a negligible loss for Lombardi.
Moreover, Lombardi Mining planned to diligently purchase the cheapened iron ore at the lowest price.
By the time the market stabilized again, all of Red Merchant Guild’s iron ore would be in Lombardi’s possession.
Rulac finally said to Shananet, “Make sure it’s done ostentatiously, Shananet, so that Jovanes hears that it’s our Lombardi family releasing the iron ore.”
This much is a cheap lesson fee for the Emperor who dared to defy Lombardi.
Rulac glared towards the Imperial Palace.
***
“Oh, by the way, I heard iron ore became worthless?”
“Cough!”
At my words, Clerivan, who was drinking water, coughed for a long time before finally replying, “Cough, yes… Lady Florentia.”
“Grandpa is really something. He doesn’t even mind spending his own money to ruin someone else.”
“Isn’t it his nature to never lose?”
“That’s true, of course.”
I shrugged.
I actually like that kind of personality in my grandfather.
“On that note. How’s the response to the new Eastern cruise promotion?”
“It’s excellent.”
Violet replied with a very satisfied smile.
“Thanks to Lady Florentia’s suggestion to make ‘elopement’ the theme of the cruise sales event, cruise cabins for the next year are already sold out.”
“The East seems to have firmly established itself as a honeymoon destination for newly married couples.”
“At that rate, no one will travel to the West anymore, right?”
Violet nodded at my question.
“Western travel is almost completely unbooked, except for some elderly nobles.”
“If it were me, I’d go to the fresh and romantic East rather than the hot, humid West where all you can do is go to hot springs. Right?”
The payment for Lombardi Construction, which Angenas has been postponing, is also approaching soon.
I wonder what Empress Lavini plans to do.
Will she borrow money from Sheshou again?
I returned to the mansion with such thoughts, humming a tune, of course.
But as soon as I got out of the carriage, a very interesting sight caught my eye.
The well-built Lombardi employees were all busy moving something.
It was furniture, like tables and chairs.
“Is someone moving?”
As I muttered that, a loud shout erupted from the entrance.
“What are you doing! How dare you move my belongings without my permission! Johan! Butler Johan!”
Viese was seen, veins bulging in his neck, calling for Johan, the head butler of Lombardi.
Sure enough.
Before his name was called a few more times, Johan appeared with a very calm face and informed Viese, “By the Patriarch’s order, Lord Viese and Lady Selal’s residence is to be moved from the main building to the annex in the back, effective today.”
“What, what?”
Viese’s face turned pale.
The annex was a space where guests stayed in Lombardi.
In other words, Viese and Selal were being treated as outsiders.
“I-I’ll meet Father! Where is he now!”
“Do you think something will change if you meet me?”
Grandpa, who had come down to the entrance, said, looking indifferently at the luggage the servants were moving.
“It wouldn’t be bad to finish all matters while we’re at it.”
Grandpa approached Viese and declared, “As of today, Viese, I will strip you of all your rights as a Lombardi. The monthly allowance for maintaining your dignity will also be stopped. And of course, you no longer need to report to the Lombardi Real Estate Management Office.”