In This Life I Will Be The Lord Novel - Episode 29

Lombardi Family Head’s Office
A heavy, suffocating atmosphere filled the Family Head’s office. It was a bleak and imposing presence, so much so that any intruder would immediately want to turn around and flee. The source of this formidable aura was Rulac Lombardi, the family head, seated at his desk.
In his youth, Rulac was known as the “Lombardi Lion,” and his charisma, if anything, had only grown deeper and heavier with age. While his explosive temper had mellowed, on days like today, when he was deep in thought, his intimidating presence would subtly re-emerge.
Rulac gazed at the statue of his wife, Natalia, placed by the window. It was a bust his granddaughter, Florentia, had given him as a gift not long ago. He always viewed it with a mix of longing and affection for his wife, but today felt different.
“Natalia…” Rulac softly uttered the name of his deceased wife. “We should have been stricter parents.”
Viese was their first son. While their eldest daughter, Shananet, was older, she had always been a well-behaved and self-sufficient child. Because of this, Viese, with his childlike mischief and playful side, had monopolized the couple’s affection, especially Natalia’s attention. And that was the problem. By the time they realized something was wrong with Viese as he grew up, it was already too late.
The Lambru Empire was largely a society of strict primogeniture. Viese had learned this at a very young age. However, for generations, the Lombardi family had prioritized individual ability over the eldest son for succession to the family head position. As Rulac aged and his children grew, his concerns deepened. If there were a suitable successor, he would have gladly handed over the family head position and retired tomorrow, but there was no one suitable.
He had hinted at this desire to his eldest daughter, Shananet, recently, but her answer was cold. “Father, I’ve seen more than any of my siblings how much you bear. And I have no intention of living such a life, Father.” Rulac could only offer a bitter smile and nod. No matter how many advantages a position offered, if one didn’t desire it, it became a terrible, thorny seat.
Recently, Viese had made another grave mistake. Viese, who was in charge of managing Lombardi family properties in the central region of the empire, had sold land to an aristocratic acquaintance at an excessively low price. The problem was that this land had long been rumored to contain iron ore. Knowing this, Viese had still sold the land for his own external influence. Fortunately, it was initially believed to be a small vein, so the financial damage wasn’t immense. However, through this incident, Rulac finally understood clearly: Viese was willing to sacrifice Lombardi’s interests for his own personal gain.
Just as a deep sigh was about to escape Rulac’s lips, a soft knock tickled his ears.
“Who is it?” Rulac asked, unaccustomed to such a light knock.
“Grandpa! It’s Tia!”
“…Tia?” A bright, clear voice answered from outside the door. Surprised, Rulac rose quickly and opened the door himself.
“Grandpa!” Florentia, her cheeks flushed as if painted with flower petals, beamed at Rulac.
“Oh my, our Tia has come!” And with that, the heavy air that had pressed down on the office and Rulac instantly vanished. Rulac chuckled as he scooped up his small granddaughter, who had rushed over and hugged his legs.
“Kyaa!” Florentia’s joyful giggles filled the air, and a smile never left Rulac’s face. His face, creased with laughter, was so different from the serious man of moments ago that it was hard to believe they were the same person.
“Are you busy, Grandpa?” Florentia asked.
“Not too busy, dear. Why, is something the matter?” To Rulac’s question, Florentia replied brightly.
“Please write me a recommendation letter, Grandpa!”
“A recommendation letter?”
“Yes!” Rulac tilted his head for a moment before setting Florentia down on the sofa. This was always where Florentia sat when Galahan and his granddaughter visited the office. A moment later, cookies and juice were placed on the table. Florentia looked at them briefly before taking a large bite out of a cookie. She was incredibly nonchalant for someone seeking the family head’s recommendation.
She’s only eight, what would she know? Rulac chided himself, smiling at his granddaughter. “Is it tasty?”
“Yes! It’s sweet!” At her innocent demeanor, Rulac stroked Florentia’s hair.
“So, you want me to write a recommendation letter?” Florentia might not have known, but a recommendation letter from the family head wasn’t something easily given just because someone asked. A recommendation letter bearing the family head’s seal meant, in essence, that the recipient had Lombardi’s full support. It also implied that if anything happened to that person, Lombardi would intervene.
“It can’t be for you. Who is it for?”
“Estira! She’s Dr. Omally’s student, and she wants to go to the Imperial Academy to do research. In herbology!”
“Then she should get a recommendation from Dr. Omally.”
“Dr. Omally already gave her recommendation to another old… no, to someone else…” Florentia probably came to her grandfather purely out of a desire to help the girl. Rulac felt his heart warm again. But the family head’s recommendation was a public matter. The remaining task was how to gently dissuade his granddaughter without hurting her feelings.
“But Florentia, this grandpa’s recommendation isn’t something I can give out so easily.” Florentia sat still, listening with wide, bright eyes. Rulac was already sweating, brainstorming how he would handle it if his granddaughter started crying. The corners of his smiling lips trembled a couple of times. His particular weakness for his own kin was showing.
“That’s right! A recommendation from Broshel the librarian would be better than your grandpa’s!” Broshel was a scholar who had served as the vice-dean of the Academy and, after retirement, had joined the Lombardi family, which had provided immense support over the years. So, while not as powerful as the family head’s recommendation, it would still carry significant weight. “If that child, Estira, goes to Broshel and gets a suitable evaluation…”
“I need both!” Rulac stopped talking.
“By ‘both’ you mean…”
“Grandpa’s recommendation and Mr. Broshel’s recommendation, both!” Rulac was flustered, momentarily searching for words. Florentia asked him, “You said a ‘suitable evaluation’ was needed, didn’t you?”
“Th-that’s right…”
“Then, how can I get both of your recommendations?” Florentia seemed genuinely serious. “Estira is really smart and can make anything well!”
“She can ‘make things well’?” Rulac asked, his curiosity piqued.
“Yes!” Knowing a lot about medicine and applying that knowledge to develop and create things were two different matters. Many scholars could do the former, but the latter was rare.
“Then, I’ll bring the medicine Estira made!” Florentia put down the cookie she was holding and asked,
“It’ll be hard to impress both me and Broshel at the same time.”
“Estira can do it!”
“Hah, she seems quite confident.” Rulac chuckled, proud of his young granddaughter.
“Yes! So, if you like the medicine Estira made, you’ll write the recommendation letter, right, Grandpa?” At Florentia’s words, Rulac smiled and nodded.
“Yes, we’ll do that. I’ll talk to Broshel beforehand.”
“Wow! Grandpa, you’re the best!” Florentia, delighted, scampered over and hugged Rulac. He melted at the affection, something he’d never received from his other grandchildren, who always seemed afraid of him.
“Yes, yes.” Rulac, patting the child’s small back and chuckling freely, didn’t know. His granddaughter, burying her face in his lap and seemingly acting spoiled, was in fact, eyes gleaming, furiously churning her mind.
***
The West Wing, where the offices and meeting rooms of those who worked for Lombardi were gathered. A person not often seen here was pacing on the first floor of the West Wing.
“Isn’t that Lord Galahan?”
“But why is he pacing so anxiously here?” Those returning from reporting to their superiors all looked at Galahan, bewildered.
“Hoo…” The hallway where Galahan sighed heavily was none other than in front of Clerivan’s office. The door, emblazoned with “Clerivan Pellet” in gold foil, seemed impossibly large. He had come here, thinking it was a good idea after hearing his daughter’s words, but Galahan hesitated. He was afraid of Clerivan.
Should I just go back? It was true that he had received a lot of help from Clerivan during the Coroi business. However, that was separate from whether Clerivan’s sharp eyes were intimidating. Galahan’s shoulders slumped. He felt so pathetic. He had considered asking for Clerivan’s help even before Florentia suggested it. But he had always given up the idea because talking to Clerivan was awkward.
But his daughter was right. Of course, you should ask questions if you don’t know something. Especially for someone like him, still new to business, it was right to accept all the help available. Taking a small breath, Galahan steeled himself and knocked on the office door.
Knock, knock.
It was a fairly loud knock, even if it cracked a bit. But no answer came from inside.
Knock, knock.
Galahan knocked again, but still, there was no reply from inside.
“Ah, he must not be in!” A subtle brightness appeared on Galahan’s face. If no one was inside, there was nothing he could do, right? Just as Galahan turned to leave with light steps, making a promise to come back later, a promise he might not keep.
“Hmph!”
Not far away, Clerivan was standing. Arms crossed, leaning casually against the window, he was watching Galahan.
“M..Mr C-Clerivan!”
“I was wondering when you would knock,” Clerivan said in a cold voice. He had seen everything. Galahan’s face flushed slightly with embarrassment.
“Still, it didn’t take as long as I thought.” Galahan awkwardly scratched his head, offering a smile instead of a reply.
“You must have come to speak with me,” Clerivan said, walking towards him. Galahan watched him, thinking, Florentia clearly said ‘Teacher Clerivan is always kind.’ He suddenly worried if Clerivan treated his daughter just as coldly.
“Come in.” Clerivan, leading the way, opened his office door.
“Then, if you’ll excuse me for a moment.” Galahan politely bowed and stepped inside. His movements were stiff, as if creaking with tension. Clerivan subtly chuckled at the sight.