In This Life I Will Be The Lord Novel - Episode 51

“The palace isn’t fully tidied yet. We prepared it in a hurry, so there’s much lacking, Your Highness.”
Kailus apologized, unable to raise his head, looking ashamed.
“We will prepare proper dinner. My apologies, Your Highness.”
Catherine, who was personally setting out the cutlery, also wore a grim expression, seemingly displeased with Perez’s first meal at Phorak Palace.
Perez stood in front of the stone table set up in the garden, his face still unreadable.
I, who had been admiring the flowers while strolling in the garden, suddenly became worried.
What if he thinks the food brought is too subpar for his first meal in his new palace, even though it’s his own palace?
It would be very disappointing, even for someone as easygoing as him.
Moreover, it was Kailus who had gone into the still-being-tidied Phorak Palace to personally fetch the meal.
It would be a big problem if Perez was disappointed in Kailus, who would be serving him closely from now on.
What was so bad that they were acting like that?
I stopped what I was doing and rushed towards the table.
But then.
“What?”
Honestly, I was surprised.
Not because the meal laid out on the table was so messy.
Rather, I was surprised because it was excessively lavish.
But Kailus and Catherine seemed to think differently.
I could tell by their expressions, as they bowed their heads even lower, looking more apologetic at my reaction.
“We apologize, Lady. If it’s not to your liking, please eat this for now, and we will go to the Imperial Palace and bring more proper food.”
Judging by their expressions, this wasn’t a joke; they were serious.
“It’s much better than I expected, isn’t it, Perez?”
When I asked him, Perez finally gave a small nod.
The lunch Kailus had hastily prepared consisted of sandwiches spread with red jam, a salad overflowing with fresh fruit, roasted chicken with sweet sauce, accompanying roasted vegetables, and a basket of warm, freshly baked bread still steaming.
I didn’t know how it would taste yet, but this was an excellent spread for lunch.
Even at the Lombardi mansion, there were times when we had more extravagant lunches, but when I ate alone, it was usually a simple and substantial meal like this.
I asked Kailus, just in case.
“Is His Majesty the Emperor’s lunch much larger than this spread?”
Kailus nodded firmly and replied,
“His Majesty takes three full-course meals a day. Each time, there are at least three main dishes according to His Majesty’s preferences, and especially for appetizers and desserts, at least four types are prepared.”
“He wouldn’t eat all of that. Does he just pick what he wants?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Wow…” So our house was quite frugal, after all.
My grandfather disliked wasting food unnecessarily.
So, naturally, Lombardi’s chef prepared a small variety of dishes with all his heart.
The other family members were also accustomed to this way of eating.
I asked, just in case,
“How about the First Prince?”
At the mention of the First Prince, Perez, who had been unable to take his eyes off the prepared food, turned to look at me.
Was he feeling competitive, after all?
His face, as he looked at me, was harder than usual.
“As far as I know, His Highness the First Prince has an equally grand full-course meal prepared for him at every meal, by order of Her Majesty the Empress.”
“But since he’s young, wouldn’t there be more wasted food?”
“…The order was that since he is in a growth period, more attention should be paid to his meals.”
I had heard much about the Empress’s extreme maternal love, but it was truly peculiar.
I shook my head and sat down.
Perez also looked at me and then took a seat in the chair Kailus pulled out for him.
I immediately picked up my fork and knife and launched myself at the chicken dish.
There were other appetizers like salad and sandwiches, but the first thing was meat!
As I cut the softly cooked chicken and put it in my mouth, I tasted a wonderfully balanced flavor.
It wasn’t bad at all.
A piece of meat, two servings of salad, and then tearing off a piece of bread and spreading plenty of butter on it for a big bite.
As I was happily eating, Kailus, who was standing behind Perez’s chair to serve the meal, had a troubled expression.
I looked at Perez.
“Why aren’t you eating?”
Perez held a fork in one hand and just stared blankly at the food.
“Don’t you like the food?”
He shook his head.
“Then, do you not know where to start eating?”
He shook his head again.
Then, perhaps.
“Are you… afraid of the food?”
“Yeah…” His voice was tiny.
But it must have been clearly heard by Kailus and Catherine standing beside us.
Catherine tightly pressed her lower lip, as if she knew the reason, while Kailus tilted his head in confusion.
And I took the plate of chicken placed in front of Perez.
After cutting it into several bite-sized pieces, I speared one of them and put it into my mouth.
“…Ah!” Perez let out a small gasp of surprise.
But I looked directly at Perez and chewed and swallowed the food even more thoroughly.
“There, see?”
“…Don’t do that again. It’s dangerous.”
“Why? Because there might be poison in the food you eat?”
He nodded.
Kailus, who now understood the reason for Perez’s actions, wore a saddened expression.
It wasn’t because the new person he was to serve suspected him.
He simply realized the reason why such a young child had developed such a fear.
I placed the plate back in front of Perez and said,
“Don’t worry about that anymore. Catherine and Kailus are trustworthy people. They were sent by Lombardi, by our grandfather, to protect you.”
“But…” He still hesitated.
I understood that feeling.
When his mother was sick and dying, there was no one to help her, and afterwards, the child was left alone, surviving by eating poisoned food brought by a maid every few days.
Now, even if someone else appeared and said they would take good care of him, he wouldn’t easily believe them.
But he couldn’t refuse food.
“Do you trust me?”
“I trust you.” It was a much faster answer than before.
“Then, how about giving these two a chance?”
Perez lifted his rose-red eyes and looked at Kailus and Catherine.
What was he seeing?
After staring at the two for a long time, Perez picked up his fork again.
And carefully, he put the chicken I had cut into his mouth.
“Ah…” I heard Kailus’s sigh of relief from behind.
“Is it good?”
“Yeah.” Chew, chew.
The speed at which he moved his lips gradually increased.
Then, without hesitation, he put the soft bread, and then the jam-spread sandwich, into his mouth.
It was messy table manners for a prince, but no one pointed it out.
For them, Perez’s desperate eating of proper food after a long time was too moving.
I pushed my share of the sandwich towards him and said,
“From now on, eat whatever you want without worry. You don’t have to be afraid anymore.”
Stop.
His movements, which had been frantically bringing food to his mouth, ceased.
And after a moment, he nodded his head and moved again.
His face, as he quietly continued eating, was slightly brighter than before.
He seemed to be enjoying the taste of the food.
I also slowly began to eat beside Perez.
When lunch was over, he had eaten more than three servings by himself.
Catherine and Kailus smiled happily at Perez’s actions, poking his swollen belly as if it were a wonder.
Soon after, the empty dishes were cleared, and simple refreshments were set on the table.
Perez suddenly asked Catherine about the luxurious tea set and desserts, which he had never received before for a meal.
“Is this how a prince normally lives?”
Neither Catherine nor the continuously smiling Kailus could easily answer.
“Is this how you live comfortably?”
But Perez didn’t press them for an answer.
He didn’t even touch the tea set, simply staring at something reflected in the clear, shimmering tea water.
Even this time, I couldn’t find anything to say.
A moment later.
Just as the tea water had grown cold, I heard a voice calling me.
“Florentia!”
“Grandpa!” I got down from my chair and ran to my grandfather.
My grandfather, who patted my head as I ran to him, said,
“Let’s go home now, Florentia. Your father must be very worried.”
My father would probably be waiting for me at home, not even going to work.
The imperial palace was a place that made my father very uncomfortable and nervous, so he wouldn’t be at ease having sent me there alone with my grandfather.
I hadn’t thought of my father.
Then my grandfather approached Perez.
“Soon, teachers will come to teach you. Study hard.”
“…Yes.”
“You must not neglect either academics or swordsmanship.”
“Yes.”
My grandfather and Perez’s relationship was surprisingly dry.
Perez didn’t properly look at my grandfather’s face, and my grandfather treated Perez with a coldness utterly different from how he treated me.
I tugged at my grandfather’s clothes and helped out.
“Grandpa! Perez is so smart! He studies herb books by himself, and he’s really good with a sword!”
“Is that so?”
“Yes! So Perez will do great! His new teachers might be surprised. He’ll be good at studying and good at swordsmanship!”
Unlike the First Prince Astana, who only used his head when wearing a hat and had no talent for swordsmanship!
Perez was different from the start.
Even in his previous life, when he grew up alone like a wild dog in that detached palace in the forest, he showed such incredible abilities.
Now, if he were taught by excellent teachers personally chosen by my grandfather, how amazing would Perez become?
Just thinking about it made my heart pound.
Moreover, I couldn’t wait to see the distorted faces of that Empress and Astana.
“Right, Perez?”
“Yes.” Perez blinked slowly and replied.
“I’ll definitely work hard.”
The future of a striving genius can only be bright.
I approached Perez and ruffled his hair, saying goodbye.
“I’ll write. See you next time.”
It was time to part.
He would be able to grow safely, at least for the time being, until he grew up and went to the academy where he would meet his own people.
In a much better environment than before, and safely.
And if we exchanged letters occasionally, at least Perez wouldn’t forget me.
I extended a hand to shake.
“Take care, Perez. Eat well, grow big…”
Grab.
He pulled my extended hand and hugged me tightly.
“Don’t say goodbye.”
“Wh-what?”
“Don’t, say goodbye.”
“Ah, okay. Then…”
Still, what could I say to someone I wouldn’t see for a while?
I thought, gently pushing him away.
The boy who had hugged me as if he’d never let go readily yielded to my touch.
Yes, there was that.
I looked at Perez’s melancholy eyes and said,
“See you again, Perez.”
His face instantly bloomed.
The dimples hidden in his cheeks appeared, and the corners of his mouth, which had always uttered gloomy words, lifted slightly.
Even joy, which had been absent from his red eyes, seemed to emerge.
With a face like a newly budding small rose, he replied,
“Yes. See you again.”
On the way out of Phorak Palace, holding my grandfather’s hand, while riding in the carriage back to the mansion.
And that night, after taking a bath in warm water with soft bubbles and burying my head in a fluffy pillow on the bed.
Looking back now, his smile lingered in my mind for quite a long time, like the intense scent of a first-smelled rose.