In This Life I Will Be The Lord Novel - Episode 57

His eyes, holding a peculiar light, were clearly looking at me and Perez.
Oh no, were we caught?
It was a failure.
No one was supposed to know that Perez and I knew each other yet.
I quickly avoided the Emperor’s gaze.
But I could feel it.
That persistent gaze lingered on me for a while longer.
However, a moment later, when I looked again, the Emperor was talking to Father and Grandfather with the same expression as before.
Did I see it wrong?
It was also possible that I had been unnecessarily scared by a casual glance from Jovanes.
In any case, I tried my best not to look at Perez again.
“Then, let’s proceed with the medal conferment and then continue to enjoy the banquet,” Jovanes said, looking around at the gathered nobles.
Father, who had been holding my hand, gently placed me beside Grandfather and said, “Father will be back in a moment.”
Even though he was so nervous that his hands were cold, he still took care of me first.
It was a completely different sight from the Emperor over there, who made his children mere attendants for himself and paid no attention to them.
I lightly kissed Father’s cheek, wishing him good luck.
That alone made Father smile broadly, saying he felt energized.
In front of everyone, Emperor Jovanes stood on the platform, and the Emperor’s aides brought the medal.
As I watched Father’s back as he walked to the center, everyone’s gaze was directed towards the platform.
Perez was there, standing proudly as a member of the imperial family.
Astana, who had entered puberty and appeared from who-knows-where, was also next to the Empress, glaring at Perez with a truly disgusted look on his face.
Even as he aged, he still couldn’t control his expressions.
Then, I suddenly looked at Perez.
The rascal was still looking at me.
Whether he was in a good mood or a bad one.
His inscrutable expressionless face suited him a hundred times better as a royal than Astana’s.
I gave him a slight smile and turned my face back towards the platform.
The appearance of the medals varied depending on the recipient, but Father’s medal looked like a large golden necklace.
And behind him stood another aide.
He was carefully holding something in both hands, just like the medal.
“Gallahan Lombardi, step forward.”
At the Emperor’s words, Father knelt on one knee before him.
“I, Jovanes Canaboen Lambru Durelly, hereby bestow this National Foundation Day medal upon you.”
Unlike his chuckling demeanor moments ago, his deep, resonant voice spoke solemnly, as if making a declaration.
“You have fully deserved this medal for contributing to my will to care for the citizens of the Lambru Empire with your ingenious and unprecedented endeavors.”
The necklace, embedded with the imperial seal, was placed around Father’s neck.
“Furthermore, as your achievements are truly excellent, I shall bestow upon Gallahan Lombardi a special gift along with this medal.”
A special gift?
The second waiting official stepped forward.
And what was presented into the Emperor’s hands was a scroll made of old leather.
Jovanes unrolled it for everyone to see, then bestowed it upon Father.
“Gallahan Lombardi, from this day forward, is declared the lord of the Chesayu region.”
Gasp.
I wasn’t the only one who drew a sharp breath.
Everyone gathered in the banquet hall was shocked.
Except for Grandfather, who seemed to have known in advance and remained calm, and the Emperor, who was beaming.
Although the National Foundation Day medal held special significance, the largest gift bestowed with it was a villa.
And even that was just a kind of villa usage right that would be returned to the imperial family upon the recipient’s death.
But a territory?
And that leather scroll, no matter how you looked at it, was a land deed.
Moreover, the Chesayu region was not directly governed by the Imperial Family.
It was located at the lower reaches of the Nokta River, the second-largest river in the Lambru Empire, making it highly productive for grain and densely populated…
“It’s Lady Shesheu!”
Someone exclaimed in a small voice.
Behind the Emperor’s left, the white-haired elderly lady maintained her dignified posture, unfazed by the concentrated gazes of the people.
Beatrix Shesheu.
She was my grandmother, Natalia Shesheu’s sister, and the acting head of the wealthy Shesheu family in the South.
The Chesayu region, originally Shesheu family land, was bestowed upon Father.
That meant it was Beatrix Shesheu’s will.
Father, with a dazed expression, looked at the land deed in his hands and said, “Your, Your Majesty, I will care for it well according to Your Majesty’s will.”
The medal conferment ceremony was short, but its aftertaste was profound and long-lasting.
“Now, I just need to sit down and rest…”
Father muttered, gripping the land deed tightly with both hands.
“Haha! With such a faint heart, how will you properly serve as a lord!”
Emperor Jovanes returned to his boisterous demeanor and teased Father.
Yes, he must be happy.
Since he only made a big show of giving away someone else’s land.
Jovanes, who said he would now enjoy the banquet, disappeared among the nobles, and I quickly went over to Father.
“Father!”
“Tia…”
Father looked at me and gave a weak smile.
“What should I do with such a great gift…”
His face showed more burden and indebtedness than joy at acquiring land.
“What do you mean ‘what to do’? Just say thank you and live well.”
“Aunt!”
It was Lady Beatrix Shesheu who approached.
She was Father’s maternal aunt.
She was smiling kindly at Father, so much so that it made me wonder if the rumors of her being strict were true.
Lady Shesheu was famous for her unfortunate personal history.
She had two children, both of whom died in accidents, and she also lost her husband before.
The collateral branches of the family had been demanding that she relinquish the family’s rights for years due to a lack of heirs, but she had ignored them all and firmly held onto power.
However, she was equally famous for something else: her aesthetic sense and fashion taste.
Beatrix Shesheu’s influence was so strong that it was said fashion trends in the Empire originated in the South.
It was no wonder that all kinds of textile merchants had set up shop in the Shesheu territory.
Before Gallahan’s Clothing Store existed, when people thought of ‘clothes,’ they thought of Shesheu, not Lombardi.
I tried my best to act nonchalant, but I couldn’t help but feel a little nervous.
And sure enough.
Lady Shesheu’s gaze fell on me.
“Ah! This child is my daughter, Florentia. She is your grand-aunt.”
“Hello, Lady Shesheu. I am Florentia Lombardi.”
Lady Shesheu was very proud of her achievements.
So, I thought it would be better to use formal titles rather than family titles, and fortunately, Lady Shesheu seemed to prefer that as well, nodding with a faint smile.
And then she surveyed the clothes I was wearing.
Her plain but sharp brown eyes sparkled with interest.
“Hoo. The dress suits you very well.”
“Thank you for the compliment, Lady Shesheu. This dress is from Gallahan’s Clothing Store.”
“Is this what they call ready-to-wear?”
The elderly lady’s eyes widened.
“It’s, it’s a bit of a stretch to call it ready-to-wear. My daughter wanted to wear clothes I made to today’s banquet, so she added various decorations, making it quite different,” Father quickly explained, waving both hands.
“This dress, this child decorated it?”
Lady Shesheu stared at me intently.
“Do you like it, Madam?” I asked nervously.
“…Hmm. Yes. It’s a very beautiful dress.”
As expected.
I had been a little uneasy, but it worked after all.
In fact, the style of neatly sewing elaborate silk embroidery into the corners of the hem was something Lady Shesheu popularized in my previous life.
However, that trend was three or four years in the future, so I wasn’t sure if it would still be effective now.
But seeing her unable to take her eyes off my dress now, she seemed to quite like it.
“Yes, if ready-to-wear clothing is utilized in this way, quite a variety of styles could emerge.”
Lady Shesheu muttered, unconsciously touching the fabric of the dress I was wearing.
Before I knew it, my existence had become something akin to a mannequin wearing clothes, but it didn’t matter.
This was why I had made and worn the dress, so I was rather grateful.
“The silk produced in our Shesheu territory could make a good combination with ready-to-wear clothing. What do you think, Gallahan?”
Lady Shesheu asked Father.
“Ah, that… ”
Father was in the middle of choosing his words.
Another voice suddenly interjected into the conversation.
“The jewels on that dress are from our territory, Lady Shesheu.”
It was Jerome Ivan, the head of the Ivan family, distinctive for his long white beard.
“Lord Ivan, what brings you to the imperial capital?”
“Lady Shesheu of the South has also made a move, so what’s the big deal about my presence?”
“The effort of traveling across flat lands is different from crossing mountains and lakes.”
A tense power struggle ensued between Lady Shesheu and Lord Ivan.
“You’re all here, I see.”
This time, it was the Lord of Ruman from the East.
All the wealthy families from other regions, excluding Angenas from the West, had gathered in one place.
Father seemed about to suffocate and pant from the overwhelming presence of the three, and the surrounding nobles loitered nearby, eager to eavesdrop on the ongoing conversation.
The Lord of Ruman, who arrived last, asked Father directly, “So, I hear Gallahan’s Clothing Store plans to open branches extending from the central region this time?”
Until now, the clothing store had expanded primarily in the imperial capital, the center of the Empire, the Lombardi territory, and the surrounding medium- and large-sized territories.
And this time, they were looking for other territories, not just the central ones, and the rumor seemed to have spread.
“Regarding that matter, in fact, the practical person is not me…” Father said, sweating profusely.
“Ah! There he is. Sir Clerivan!”
Just then, Clerivan approached them, bowing politely.
Dressed in a sapphire-colored silk tunic, he looked splendid at the extravagant banquet.
“I am Clerivan Pellet.”
Father introduced Clerivan to the two lords.
“I am still inexperienced and only handle external affairs, so Sir Clerivan here is in charge of the actual work of the clothing store. Please direct your questions to him…”
In truth, to be precise, the practical people were me and Clerivan.
Since people didn’t know about my existence, Clerivan’s stock was rising steadily these days.
“Hoo, indeed. Say, let’s go over there and have a glass of wine with me…”
“I have a very fine rose wine brought directly from Ruman.”
Lord Ivan and Lord Ruman quickly pounced on Clerivan.
An impromptu business meeting was beginning.
Clerivan would tell me the detailed contents of their conversations later.
With the wealthy magnates of each region stepping forward, the mediocre merchants who had attended the banquet aiming for Father couldn’t even present their business cards.
They merely drank from afar with disgruntled faces.
But Lady Shesheu alone did not join Clerivan.
Instead, she approached Father and me and said, “Shall we discuss the Chesayu land, Gallahan?”
It was the smile of a victor who had already secured a good advantage.