In This Life I Will Be The Lord Novel - Episode 235

“Uh-oh…”
A hesitant sound escaped Craney’s lips, as if he was flustered.
His wide, round eyes were fixed on the approaching Perez, unable to move.
Perez wasn’t emitting killing intent towards Craney.
But just glaring and striding towards him was enough for Craney to find it unbearable.
“Oh dear.”
I sighed softly and gently pulled Craney behind me.
Then I raised my hand towards Perez and said.
“Perez, stop.”
At my words, Perez stopped a couple of steps away.
But his gaze steadily followed my hand, which was holding Craney’s hand.
“S-Sister.”
Craney called me from behind, his voice timid.
“Honestly.”
One of them is a guy who skipped two years and is currently the top student in civil affairs at the academy, and the other is a guy who skipped one year and is top in both civil and military affairs.
And this is the situation.
I let go of his hand and instead pointed at Craney’s face, asking Perez.
“Doesn’t this face look familiar?”
Perez’s dark, sunken red eyes, as if Craney’s very existence was unpleasant, turned towards Craney.
“Hiccup!”
He’s doing everything, really.
Craney finally started hiccuping out of fear.
“Think carefully, Perez. You saw him once when he was this small, and once again when he got this big, right?”
Perez’s dark eyebrows quietly furrowed.
And he thought for a long time.
“Ah.”
Perez let out a short exclamation and then opened his mouth.
“K-Craney?”
He’s quick to recognize.
Judging by his hesitation even while calling the name, he was clearly unsure.
“O-it’s been a long time, Your Highness.”
“You’ve changed so much I didn’t recognize you.”
Perez mumbled, uncharacteristically, something like an excuse.
Then he looked at me and said.
“Really. I didn’t recognize him, that’s why.”
“Okay, I get it. You’re just the type who doesn’t pay much attention to people around you.”
“No. I do pay attention to Tia.”
“…W-what are you talking about, really.”
As I was talking with Perez, Craney smiled brightly and said to me.
“You two look so good together standing like that!”
“What did you say?”
Looking at Craney’s innocent face, it seemed like he truly meant what he said.
It didn’t seem like he had considered the fact that Perez and I were engaged for all the citizens of the Empire to know, and then effectively broke off the engagement when I became the heir to the family.
“One of you will inherit the throne, and the other will inherit the Lombardi family. It’s like looking at a different world!”
Craney continued to speak innocently.
“You really look good together!”
“They say you never lose your top spot at the academy. You must be a very talented individual.”
Perez said, patting Craney’s shoulder.
“…Don’t say useless things to the child. Let’s hurry and depart for Angenas, Perez.”
Lately, Perez had been taking me to the Angenas townhouse every morning.
I had refused several times, saying that the route from the Imperial Palace to Lombardi and then to the townhouse in the capital made no sense.
But I couldn’t win against his stubbornness; he would come to Lombardi at dawn, just in case I left first.
“You’re going to Angenas, Sister.”
Craney said, opening the carriage door for me.
“Because we have to get what’s owed to us.”
“Don’t overdo it.”
“Overdo it?”
It was a common phrase, but the nuance was slightly different.
“There are so many families involved with Angenas. If you try to sort out all their interests, I think you’ll get very tired.”
“…You even think about things like that.”
Craney, who I thought had only grown tall, had also become remarkably mature in his thoughts.
“Hehe. Well, I meet people from so many different families at the academy. There will be those who are determined to get back the money they lent to Angenas, and there will also be those who would rather lose the money than have their association with Angenas revealed.”
Craney was right.
As soon as the Empress was imprisoned in the underground dungeon and news spread that I was in charge of organizing Angenas’s affairs under imperial command, I received dozens of letters.
There were personal requests, and there were pleas for help.
In fact, dealing with those families was more difficult than disposing of Angenas’s assets.
And Craney had seen through it immediately.
“Let’s talk more over dinner tonight, Craney.”
“Yes, Sister! Have a safe trip!”
Craney smiled brightly and stepped back.
He had grown a lot, but his smiling face still retained his childhood appearance.
My gaze lingered on Craney until the carriage departed.
***
“Father.”
Shananet called Rulac.
Rulac, who had been standing by the window watching his granddaughter Tia’s carriage depart towards the capital, turned at his daughter’s call.
“Why do you think His Majesty ordered Tia to organize Angenas?”
Shananet, who was particularly fond of her niece, was concerned about Jovanes’s intentions.
“He has always been wary of Lombardi’s power, and now he’s giving such responsibility to the new Lombardi heir.”
Responsibility naturally came with power.
To the noble families who had something to gain from Angenas, Tia had become an almost absolute authority.
“It’s because of the Second Prince.”
Rulac replied calmly.
“He means for her to let go of her feelings for Tia while Lombardi and the Imperial Family are in conflict. Jovanes did something right for once.”
“Do you agree, Father?”
“What else can I do? I worry that Tia’s heart might be hurt. But for greater things, some relationships must be severed.”
Rulac spoke with a bitter yet firm tone.
However, Shananet shook her head.
“This time, I don’t agree with you, Father.”
“Why?”
“Because I’ve always thought Tia should have everything.”
Shananet’s smiling face, as she said that, was somehow wistful.
“A life where she can be fully with the person she loves, even as the Lord of Lombardi.”
Shananet was content with her current life.
Every day was fulfilling, working for the family.
The empty seat beside her didn’t bother her much.
She had chosen love over family, and now she had simply chosen family.
But Tia was not like that.
“His Highness and Tia deeply care for each other. As you know, Father.”
“Only a blind man wouldn’t know.”
His granddaughter tried to hide it, but her eyes never sparkled as much as when she looked at that wolf cub.
So, while he was proud of his granddaughter for choosing to live as the Lord of Lombardi rather than for love, he also felt sorry for her.
“Tia will probably cut ties with His Highness and live for the family. She’s that kind of child.”
Shananet said to Rulac, who nodded with tightly sealed lips.
“But, Father, who has lived your entire life for the family, is the path you want Tia to walk truly that path?”
Rulac could not easily answer.
He had sacrificed everything for the family, but the things he had missed because of it were too important in a person’s life.
Rulac, who had not spent proper time with his young children, was not a good father.
And he was not a good husband who could dedicate a full day to caring for his ailing wife.
All of that was because of Lombardi.
It was because Rulac himself prioritized the family above all else.
‘If I could live again, I wouldn’t live like that.’
It was a choice Rulac had regretted deeply many times on his sickbed.
A life lived again.
It was a preposterous fantasy, but if he could, he would be a little more greedy.
To have everything without making a choice.
Rulac slowly nodded again.
“Yes. You are right, Shananet.”
And after the carriage had passed, he looked at Lombardi’s main gate, slowly closing, and said.
“Unknowingly, I had taken Tia’s sacrifice for granted.”
When there was an affection that would never break, even for a lifetime.
Rulac himself regretted his blind devotion to the family so much.
Yet, he had so naturally wished for his granddaughter to live solely for Lombardi, carrying a deep wound in her heart.
***
“How are things going, Clerivan?”
Clerivan, who had put on his business glasses again after a long time, smiled at me.
The capable Clerivan had been thoroughly ransacking the Angenas mansion from day one, saying, ‘I will find the money I’m owed myself.’
“The work itself is proceeding smoothly. I am concerned, however, that Angenas’s debts are considerably larger than expected.”
“Is it that much?”
“If you look here…”
Clerivan handed me a few sheets of paper.
“Are these all new discoveries from today?”
“Yes. They were found at the bottom of the safe.”
“Is it an onion? No matter how much you peel, more keeps coming out.” I sifted through the newly discovered promissory notes, and it was a sight to behold.
It seemed they had borrowed money from their own vassals, but there was no repayment deadline and no interest.
Moreover, there was even a clause stating, ‘Angenas bears no responsibility if the debt cannot be repaid due to unavoidable circumstances.’
The amount was a huge burden for the vassal families; it was practically extortion.
As I was looking at the papers, Clerivan spoke to me.
“Would you be able to spare some time in a few days?”
“Time? You can tell me now, Clerivan.”
At my words, Clerivan waved both hands.
“No. It’s not that urgent, so I’ll tell you again when Lady Florentia’s work becomes a little less busy.”
I grew quite curious.
Clerivan’s face looked tense as he spoke to me.
For the formidable Clerivan Pellet to be so tense.
“It’s not bad news, is it?”
“It’s not… that.”
Clerivan himself didn’t seem ready yet.
Sometimes there are words that take time to utter.
“Then it’s fine.”
So I nodded and continued to organize the contents of the promissory notes in my head.
Clerivan, who was also busy with his work, approached me and said.
“It seems there’s a problem, Lady Florentia.”
“Even if all of Angenas’s assets are disposed of, it won’t be enough to repay all the debts?”
Perez raised an eyebrow at the report from the official who had come from the government office.
“Yes, Your Highness. Even if we seize all real estate, movable property, and accounts…”
“What about the vassals’ assets?”
The official flinched at Perez’s question.
Strictly speaking, it was correct to confiscate and dispose of all assets of the vassals who had been in league with Angenas.
However, that would clearly cause a strong backlash from the noble society.
“Your Highness, that is…”
As the official hesitated, unable to answer, Perez frowned.
“What does Lombardi think about this issue?”
“I haven’t spoken with them yet. But Pellet Corporation is also a creditor, Your Highness.”
The official subtly hinted, then, observing Perez’s expression, said.
“If Lombardi requests to prioritize Pellet Corporation after knowing this fact…”
There wasn’t enough money, and there were many people who needed to be repaid.
So, they were naturally asking in anticipation that the priority would be determined by the family’s power.
“…Do as the Acting Head of Lombardi requests.”
As expected.
Just as the official nodded and was about to reply.
“Your Highness, let’s talk for a moment.”
Tia, who looked thoroughly annoyed at a glance, entered the office.