In This Life I Will Be The Lord Novel - Episode 253

Perez closed his eyes.
He felt the heavy weight of the crown, lavishly adorned with gold and jewels, on his head.
Perez Brivachau Durelli, Crown Prince of the Lambru Empire.
He savored his achievement, repeating it to himself.
Then he slowly opened his eyes and saw hundreds of nobles looking at him.
They seemed surprised.
The fact that he had finally ascended to the position of Crown Prince seemed quite shocking, and some even squeezed their eyes shut.
Yes, they wouldn’t have known.
When his existence, the only illegitimate son of the Emperor born of a maid, was first revealed to them, no one would have predicted such a future.
They would have thought it natural that the future of that illegitimate child would only be to die at the hands of the Empress before reaching adulthood, or, if lucky, to live a little longer in hiding and then die at the hands of Astana, who became Crown Prince.
“To reach this position.”
Perez opened his mouth in a low voice.
It was a voice that sent shivers down the listener’s arms.
The nobles looked at Perez with somewhat despairing eyes.
“Many things have happened.”
The Crown Prince’s red eyes sought out each of those who had once raised their voices with Angenas.
It was a somewhat arrogant demeanor for a Crown Prince appointment ceremony, not yet having ascended the throne.
But no one dared to find fault with it.
With neither Empress nor Emperor in their rightful places, the new Crown Prince was already practically the master of the Empire.
Perez then declared,
“However, in the new era that is to come, the mistakes of the past must not leave their stain. Therefore, I intend to settle everything here today.”
Finally, it had come.
Who would be the sacrificial lamb of the example?
It was when all the nobles gathered here were not even daring to breathe.
“Bring them.”
Perez gestured to the servants waiting at the door.
“What is that?”
The servants were carrying a total of four sheets of paper.
Each neatly framed, just like the Crown Prince’s appointment letter a moment ago.
“Astana Nerempe Durelli, and Lord Mayer and his descendants.”
Perez said, pointing to each frame.
“These are their renunciations of succession to the throne.”
Renunciation of succession to the throne.
It was a promise not to succeed to the throne no matter what happened in the future.
It was practically surrendering everything as a member of the imperial family, giving up the greatest right bestowed by bloodline.
“W-when did…”
The nobles were aghast.
They didn’t even have time to feel relieved that they weren’t the targets of the ‘settlement’.
It had been repeated countless times in history that a new victor who ascended the throne, or the position of Crown Prince, would deal with other contenders for the throne.
But that process was usually messy and ugly.
Many died, and in the process, they often lost the trust of the imperial citizens and nobles.
It was also the first hurdle to jump into the political arena, where grudges were intertwined like a spiderweb, and dirty one’s hands.
“Uh… uh…”
The nobles groaned.
For all to see, the surrender documents of the imperial succession contenders shone neatly beyond the gold-framed pictures.
The Crown Prince had accepted their surrender without shedding a single drop of blood.
It was a perfect takeover.
Now, the only bloodline to succeed the imperial throne in the Empire would be the lineage that would begin with the Crown Prince.
“It seems I’m ready to start anew.”
Perez said with satisfaction, then took out another document from his pocket.
“I will convey His Majesty’s will to you.”
His demeanor was perfectly businesslike, but the nobles receiving it were not.
“His will…”
“I didn’t know his illness was that deep…”
Conveying a will meant that the Emperor’s life was coming to an end.
The nobles fell into deeper silence and listened to the Crown Prince’s voice.
“I, Jovanes, Emperor of the Lambreu Empire, by Imperial decree, permit the following. First, the Empress’s right to family succession and inheritance of assets. Second…”
At the content of the ensuing will, the nobles couldn’t believe their ears.
The will was the Emperor’s most powerful weapon.
Because Jovanes was usually greedy, the nobles had mentally prepared themselves.
Even if he ordered each family to pay a thousand gold to hold the Emperor’s funeral as grandly as possible, they would have no choice but to obey.
But.
“E-Empress…?”
The content of the will, unlike before, stated that the Empress’s independent authority would be maintained.
There was nothing in it that benefited Jovanes himself.
It was all for the successor, the Crown Prince.
“He’s even doing whatever he wants with His Majesty’s will.”
“How did he force him?”
The nobles whispered in very low voices.
That Jovanes would never have left such a will on his own.
That the Crown Prince must have forced him to do so.
“Who is he doing all this for, anyway?”
One by one, large question marks appeared in the nobles’ minds.
And at some point, they realized.
Since a little while ago, the Crown Prince’s gaze had been fixed on only one person, as if pierced.
“No way…”
“L-Lady Lombardi?”
However, as if she didn’t feel such gazes.
The Lombardi Matriarch remained seated calmly, completely unfazed.
Thanks to this, the nobles’ confusion deepened, and eventually, the Grand Conference Hall, which had been quiet until then, began to stir.
Amidst that slight commotion, the Crown Prince spoke.
“Finally, I have one more announcement.”
The Crown Prince was clearly determined to perfectly conclude everything today.
After all, he had gathered the nobles in one place and was already detonating three bombs in a row.
“I, Crown Prince Perez Brivachau Durelli, hereby declare that my engagement to Florentia Lombardi, Matriarch of Lombardi, remains valid.”
Finally.
Some nobles even opened and closed their mouths as if they were about to object.
But that was all.
To keep their heads on their shoulders, they had to keep their mouths shut.
It was understandable, as the engagement announcement, like everything the Crown Prince had done so far, was flawless and without weakness.
There was no room to dig into it.
He had brought down his rivals, Angenas and the Empress, and had dealt with other imperial succession contenders, leaving no room for the nobles to harbor rebellious thoughts.
Furthermore, he had twisted the arm of the dying Emperor to create a law protecting the rights of the next Empress.
The nobles felt like foolish beasts perfectly driven into a trap during a hunt without even realizing it.
“This is to uphold the promise between the Imperial Family and Lombardi.”
However, as if that wasn’t enough, the Crown Prince continued in a low voice, threateningly.
“I will not marry any woman other than the Lombardi Matriarch.”
The phrase ‘I will not marry’ implied that he would not have a successor.
Wasn’t he the Crown Prince who had suffered so much because he was not born of the Empress?
He would not have a successor from anyone other than the Empress.
So, this was half a threat.
The nobles thought simultaneously.
“Those who oppose my marriage to the Lombardi Matriarch will be charged with disobeying Imperial decree, going against His Majesty the Emperor’s will.”
No, it was a complete threat.
It was as if they were seeing the Crown Prince’s unstoppable march begin in advance.
It was then.
“Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince.”
A voice, neither too loud nor too high, quietly echoed through the Grand Conference Hall.
“Nobles are one of the foundations of the Empire. It is also your important duty, Your Royal Highness, to govern and persuade the nobles well.”
In the midst of this, where hundreds of nobles were driven into the cage of the Grand Conference Hall and threatened with beheading for disobeying Imperial decree if they didn’t listen.
Who dared to speak up against the Crown Prince and speak the truth!
As those searching for the source of the voice looked, they saw the Lombardi Matriarch rising from her seat.
“It’s problematic if you just give orders like this, expecting unconditional acceptance and obedience.”
Then, hundreds of gazes instantly shifted to the Crown Prince.
They were curious how the Crown Prince would react to the Lombardi Matriarch, who was directly challenging his authority, even though she was his fiancée.
But they were surprised once again.
“…I seem to have gotten a bit carried away.”
The Crown Prince’s momentum, which had been sharply scolding the nobles just a moment ago, softened all at once.
Not only that.
“I apologize.”
“Oh, no, not at all!”
“An apology! It’s unthinkable, Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince!”
As Perez slightly nodded and apologized, the nobles, instead, waved their hands, flustered.
And their eyes, which had been gloomily sunken just a moment ago, began to sparkle towards Florentia.
“It seems I need to explain a bit more.”
As Florentia said that, looking at everyone, the nobles perked up their ears.
“We are not getting married immediately. We plan to have a two-year engagement period.”
“Why two years, Lombardi Matriarch?”
To someone’s question, Florentia smiled gently and replied.
“I have no intention of doing a half-hearted job for either the Imperial Family or Lombardi. So, I intend to have one person assist me on each side.”
Every word, spoken without hesitation, with a firm yet gentle tone, had the power to naturally inspire trust in the listener.
It was a tone that resonated clearly, in a different way than the Crown Prince’s.
“And my cousin, who will assist me in this work, will graduate from the Academy in about two years. Therefore, I will take over authority over the Imperial Family around the time all preparations are complete in Lombardi.”
“Indeed.”
“Lombardi certainly needs time too.”
The nobles nodded in understanding.
“Furthermore, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and my successors will not dually inherit the authority of the Imperial Family and I, Florentia Lombardi.”
At Florentia’s words, the nobles’ faces brightened.
It was because she said that the worst-case scenario, which the nobles feared—one person inheriting everything from both the Imperial Family and Lombardi—would not happen.
Moreover, Florentia Lombardi had Chesayu and the Gallahan clothing business, which raked in the Empire’s cash.
Gulp.
People swallowed as they were reminded of how immense Florentia Lombardi’s power truly was.
“It’s not all bad. There are certainly good aspects too.”
She said with a smile, as if to clear the stale air.
“For example, the hospital being built in Lombardi.”
When the hospital, the talk of the town, was mentioned, the nobles perked up their ears again.
“Since we’ve decided to maintain the engagement instead of breaking it off, we plan to operate it not just for Lombardi citizens but for all imperial citizens. Of course, all of you gathered here will be able to use it.”
“Ohh!”
“Such good news!”
No one is as sensitive to their own gains and losses as nobles.
In other words, they were easy to handle.
Florentia suppressed a smile and added.
“Also, I plan to expand the Lombardi Scholarship Foundation. It’s true that it has been focused on the arts until now. At least in the future, no intelligent and capable person will be unable to attend the Academy due to financial reasons. If you know anyone like that, you can bring them to me.”
“Haha!”
“As expected of the Lombardi Matriarch!”
“You’re so generous!”
At Florentia’s magnanimous words, the nobles burst into laughter.
Florentia laughed along with them.
And through a strange gap in the laughter, someone’s muttered words echoed.
“Even Lombardi, can they really afford all that money?”
It was at that moment that the smile completely vanished from Florentia’s face.
“Who was that?”
She said coldly, sweeping her gaze across the noble seats.
“Who just said that?”
Of course, the frightened culprit did not step forward.
Her eyes, hardened so coldly that one might wonder if she was the same person as before, were so terrifying that they made the nobles avert their gaze even though they had committed no crime.
When no one confessed, the Lombardi Matriarch said to everyone.
“Never doubt Lombardi’s capabilities again.”
It was a short but chilling warning.
She had subdued the terrifying Crown Prince with just a few words, readily performed good deeds that would benefit the entire imperial citizenry, and now even possessed the charisma to overwhelm hundreds of nobles at once.
The nobles simultaneously glanced at the person sitting next to them and thought.
Perhaps they should fear the Lombardi Matriarch more than His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
They implicitly agreed and nodded, even though no sound came from their lips.