In This Life I Will Be The Lord Novel - Episode 250

Before the time announced by the butler, Johan, all the Lords of the vassal families were already seated. Without anyone needing to announce it, the atmosphere naturally became calm, and everyone quietly looked at me. I also looked at each of their faces without saying a word. These were the people who led the great Lombardi family. Perhaps a few days ago, only my grandfather could have seen this sight; now, I was seeing it.

I opened my mouth with a hint of humor in my voice. “Seeing you all like this, you look a bit unfamiliar. Like people I’ve never seen before.”

“Haha.” At my words, the tension that had settled in the conference room dissipated, and everyone laughed lightly.

“And yet, everyone sitting here is someone I’ve known since childhood.”

“We feel a bit the same way,” said Lord Bray.

I nodded. “That’s right. And it will continue to be so. You will have to listen to various commands from a child you’ve watched grow up, now as your Lord. And I, too, will sometimes have to ask difficult things of you, who are like elder relatives I’ve known since childhood.”

The conference room became quiet again.

“But in those times, trust me. If you trust and follow me, I will repay you by making this family even greater.”

Not a single Lord blinked. They all looked at me with eyes filled with their respective passion and conviction. Their gaze felt like a promise to me. A promise from the vassal families to assist me with all their might in the future.

What more needed to be said? I nodded briefly again, signifying that I had received their promises well, and then said, “Then, let’s begin the meeting.”

The Lords took turns reporting on their families’ situations and outlining their plans. As the meeting progressed, I deeply felt my grandfather’s consideration. ‘He’s arranged everything so perfectly.’ The main businesses of each family were all settled. I didn’t have to put in much effort to understand the current situation of the families. Each family was now waiting for the new Lord’s command. As if one chapter of a book had ended. All I had to do was write my own story to follow.

After work today, I should go and give him a shoulder massage. Grandfather must also be waiting to hear about my first day as Matriarch.

The meeting lasted longer than usual. Perhaps everyone had come prepared for the first Lord’s meeting, as no one showed any signs of impatience. And towards the end of the meeting, I cleared my throat slightly and began to speak.

“Ahem. I have something to tell you.”

“Please speak, Matriarch,” Clerivan said to me, tidying the papers he had been taking notes on during the meeting.

“This is a personal matter, but as I am now the Matriarch, it cannot be entirely private. So I think you all should know.”

Whew, I’m nervous. The opinions of the vassal Lords were that important. If I didn’t have their trust, I might not be able to carry out my duties as Lord Lombardi. I took one last short breath and said, “I am engaged.”

…That’s strange. Why is everyone not reacting? The Lords were unusually quiet. Then, one by one, they looked at the other vassals sitting next to them and in front of them, and said, “Well, didn’t everyone already know?”

“We assumed as much when we saw you wearing a new ring today.”

And Lord Herring asked, as if to confirm, “Is it His Royal Highness, the Second Prince?”

“Who else would dare propose to the Matriarch besides him?”

“Indeed.” They talked among themselves, came to a conclusion, and then stared at me. Their eyes seemed to say, ‘So what?’

“…” Now it was my turn to be flustered.

“You’re not… opposing it?”

It was a union between Lombardi and the Imperial Family. Besides the nobles, I had prepared myself to hear some opposition from within Lombardi as well.

“Opposing it?” Klang Devon widened his eyes and looked at Lord Remarbau Vilkei next to him, tilting his head. Then Lord Vilkei, who had a calmer personality than Lord Klang Devon, said, “You should do as you wish, Matriarch. Are you not the Matriarch of Lombardi?”

The other Lords all nodded.

“No, you can say no if you dislike it.” I wanted to hear the Lords’ honest feelings.

But Klang Devon squinted one eye slightly and asked me, “Are there already nobles opposing it?”

Klang Devon, who was naturally large and had strong facial features, looked quite fierce with that expression. At the same time, the atmosphere among the other Lords also turned ominous.

“Who dares to oppose?” Lord Herring clicked his tongue and said, “Since ancient times, there have been those who have a fit whenever Lombardi and the Imperial Family seem to get a little close. Saying that Lombardi’s power is getting too great and so on!”

“That’s right, as if Lombardi is coveting imperial power!”

Perhaps they had a lot of pent-up frustration, as others also nodded in agreement.

“Honestly, why would Lombardi covet such a thing!”

“If we wanted it, it would have happened long ago.” Fiery denunciations, which could only erupt in Lombardi’s conference room, burst forth from everywhere.

“Matriarch.” Just then, Clerivan, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, called me. The blue eyes behind his glasses were unusually cold today. “There are several ways to prevent the nobles from even uttering a single word of opposition, but…”

Then Bray, who was in charge of the Lombardi Bank, quickly offered his opinion. “There are more than one or two people who are overdue on their loan interest right now. Shall we just scatter foreclosure documents? Just give us the names of the opposing families, and we’ll take immediate action.”

“Our scholarship foundation also…”

“If we just raise the price of agricultural products, they won’t be able to say a word…”

No, these people are serious. Realizing that things could go wrong if I left them alone, I waved a hand and said, “It’s something that hasn’t been announced yet, so don’t worry too much. I plan to announce it after receiving consent for the Crown Prince’s appointment. Besides, since I’ve received His Majesty’s will, even if they’re displeased, they won’t be able to object.”

“His Majesty’s will…” Someone among the Lords muttered. And a few seconds later, something akin to cheers erupted from here and there.

“As expected, Matriarch!”

“That’s a very clean method!”

The atmosphere was such that everyone seemed about to stand up and give a standing ovation. I was a little bewildered and also grateful, so I let out a wry laugh. Just then, Clerivan’s proud voice came from right next to me.

“What did I tell you?” It seemed like he was speaking to all the nearby Lords. “Just trust and follow.”

The Lord’s meeting, which was a bit louder than expected, ended successfully.

In the afternoon, someone knocked on my office door.

“Come in, Dr. Estira.”

“Congratulations again, Matriarch.” Estira, carrying her medical bag, bowed deeply to me in greeting.

“You’ve said it so many times throughout the banquet, and yet…”

“But I’m so happy that Your Lordship has taken the position of Lord.”

“I know. And I’m grateful for that.” Estira, who was once a somewhat timid medical student, and I, a seven-year-old child. We met then, and now we stand facing each other as a renowned physician and the Lord of Lombardi.

“From now on, as Your Lordship’s personal physician, I will work with all my heart. So if you feel unwell or have any pain, please call me anytime, no matter when.” Estira smiled warmly and approached me, saying, “Then, I’ll examine you briefly.”

It was a kind of health check-up. It was much more detailed than I expected, a thorough examination that seemed to scan me from head to toe. After a long time, Estira held several sheets of paper meticulously detailing my current condition.

“You are very healthy. However, strenuous work can quickly harm your body. So you must take care of your exercise, healthy food, and most importantly, sleep.” And then she began to neatly pack her medical bag.

“Dr. Estira, are you busy today?”

“No. Are you feeling unwell anywhere?”

“No. I have to go out of the mansion for a bit today. I thought it would be good if you accompanied me.”

“…Yes. Understood, Matriarch.” Estira looked a little puzzled but didn’t ask any further questions. She seemed to think I had my reasons. The vassal Lords from earlier, and Estira now. I could tell they all trusted me completely. I had to do even better.

With that resolve, Estira and I boarded the carriage. The Lombardi carriage carrying us quickly left the mansion and drove through the Lombardi city. I asked Estira, who was looking out the window, “Did you recruit more disciples this time?”

“Yes. A total of ten more have joined.” Estira, who had answered politely, suddenly sat up straight and said, “It’s all thanks to Lombardi’s support. Thanks to that, many people have learned medicine and can now care for more people.”

Just as Dr. Omally had done in the past, Estira also took on several assistants and disciples. It was a kind of apprenticeship system that began after she became Lombardi’s personal physician, where lodging and meals were provided at the mansion, and they received quite high salaries. It was an exceptional treatment with no other conditions attached, other than prioritizing the treatment of Lombardi’s people. They had even produced their first graduate who recently returned to his hometown to open a clinic.

“If you diligently research and can cure more diseases, it will be a good thing for our Lombardi too.”

A moment later, I felt the carriage slowly reduce its speed. The door opened, and we stepped out onto a wide plain outside the Lombardi city walls. The carriage had stopped alone in a place with nothing but empty, harvested land around it.

“Lord, why are we here…?” Estira asked me carefully. I pointed to the very center of the plain and said, “That’s the spot.”

“Yes?”

“Starting tomorrow, we’re going to build a hospital right there.”

“L-Lord…” Estira covered her mouth with both hands in surprise.

“I promised, didn’t I? To fulfill Estira’s dream.” It was a promise made a long time ago, on the condition of making the Melkon antidote for Perez.

“It will be a place where even people without money can come and receive treatment. We’ll build it very large so that people like Estira who study medicine, and people who study herbs, can all gather, eat, sleep, and provide medical care.” Although it was a vast, empty field, I could already see it clearly in my mind.

“There will be the treatment center over there, and dormitories for the doctors over there. And this side will be for patients who come from far away.” Then I turned to Estira and asked, “How is it?”

Estira was looking at me with tear-filled eyes. And slowly, she knelt down.

“Thank you. Thank you, Matriarch.” I also slowly bent my knees to meet Estira’s eye level and said, “I was able to get this far because Estira saved my father.”

“Fi-Florentia-lady…”

“Now, Estira and your disciples can save more lives there. Then more people will remember the Lombardi name. It’s not a losing business for me either.”

Even with my light, joking words, Estira’s tears didn’t stop. A moment later, when Estira had calmed down a bit, I helped her up by her shoulder and suggested, “It’s an empty land, but shall I explain it in more detail?”

Estira wiped her tears with her sleeve and nodded vigorously. So we walked the plains for a long time until the sun completely set, planning the ‘Lombardi Hospital.’
***
Tomorrow was the day of Perez’s appointment as Crown Prince. Two days ago, Lord Migente Ivan had already arrived in the capital from the north. Although he still limped on one leg as the doctor had predicted, he seemed very lively.

And today.

“Ah, they’re coming in.” I stood at the entrance and said, looking at the carriage that was just entering the Lombardi mansion. An enormous procession followed, led by a very large and splendid carriage pulled by four white horses, followed by an endless line of knights and baggage wagons.

“As expected of the East.”

“Is that mountain of stuff behind them Eastern silk?” The twins, who were guarding me, whistled softly.

Neigh- With the horse’s sigh-like whinny, tired from the long journey, the carriage stopped in front of me.

Whoosh, the carriage door opened, and a very flamboyant-looking man stepped out first. And then, a woman appeared behind him. A person with lustrous brown hair and blue eyes, wearing a bright and colorful dress characteristic of the East. As soon as she saw me, her gentle eyes widened with joy, and she smiled. I smiled back at her and greeted her.

“Welcome home, Lorraine.”