In This Life I Will Be The Lord Novel - Episode 7

Why is he here?!
He looked much younger than the man I knew, but this was definitely Clerivan Pellet.
His tall stature, rigid posture as if he had a cast on his waist, and his upturned eyes.
Few people in Lombardi could maintain such a haughty demeanor.
“Lord Clerivan, what brings you all the way here?”
Father was also scratching his head, looking very bewildered.
It was understandable, as Clerivan Pellet was a highly capable but very busy man, overseeing the Lombardi Merchant Guild.
At least, the future version of him that I knew was.
He was so busy that I could count on two hands the number of times I had properly seen Clerivan’s face while working alongside Grandfather.
Most of his reports as guild manager were submitted in writing.
“May I come in?”
“Of course. Please, come in.”
Father, still looking dazed, led Clerivan to the center of the parlor, and I quickly picked up my book and pretended to read.
I didn’t know why.
It just felt like the right thing to do.
I fixed my gaze on some densely packed text on the page, and instead, perked up my ears.
Clerivan, seeming to acknowledge my presence, glanced briefly in my direction before sitting opposite Father.
“What is the matter? Has my father sent an urgent message, perhaps…”
“It is not that.”
“Then…”
Even though they were both employees of the same family, Father’s demeanor was very different from when he addressed Dr. Omally.
That alone allowed me to roughly guess Clerivan’s current standing within the family.
It was certainly clear that he was not someone even the patriarch’s son could treat lightly.
Why would such a person seek out Father?
“My visit today is not for Lord Gallahan, but for Lady Florentia.”
Huh? Me?
I mustered all my patience to avoid looking in their direction, enduring the urge.
“You came to see… Florentia, you mean?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
I could feel Father’s and Clerivan’s gazes on me.
My forehead somehow felt hot, but I still turned a page, as if deeply engrossed in reading.
“Then it must be about the lessons.”
Lessons? What lessons?
Unlike me, who was still confused, Father nodded.
“It’s not finalized yet. I came today to speak briefly with Lady Florentia.”
“Ah, I see.”
Regardless of understanding the reason for Clerivan’s visit today, Father seemed quite flustered, clearing his throat a couple of times before calling out to me.
“Tia, come here.”
“Yes.”
I scurried over, wearing the innocent face of a child who had been reading all along, oblivious to anything.
And after a moment of pondering where to sit, I settled on Father’s lap.
I was only seven, after all.
A real seven-year-old would try to stick as close to their father as possible when a stranger was present.
Father seemed to have anticipated this, as he lifted me onto his lap.
And then, silence fell for a moment.
More accurately, Clerivan and I faced each other without saying a word.
I just stared blankly at Clerivan, who, despite coming to talk to me, remained silent.
I couldn’t risk greeting him first, unsure if my seven-year-old self had ever met him before.
“…Indeed.”
After a moment, he murmured something I couldn’t quite grasp, looking at me with eyes gleaming with peculiar light, then bowed his head slightly while seated, greeting me first.
“It is an honor to meet you, Lady Florentia. I am Clerivan Pellet.”
Thank goodness. So we hadn’t met before.
I secretly let out a sigh of relief and bowed deeply.
“Hello. I’m Florentia Lombardi.”
I was trying to be as polite as possible to make a good impression on the future powerbroker of the family, but I bowed too deeply, and my body swayed.
Indeed, a child’s body with a large head is quite inconvenient.
“Lord Gallahan. May I speak with Lady Florentia alone for a moment?”
Though it was phrased as a question, he wasn’t really asking for Father’s consent.
In short, it was a request for him to leave.
“Tia. Lord Clerivan says he has a few questions for you.
Dad will be in his room for a bit, so you must answer him politely and well.
Alright?”
Father gently stroked my head as he explained.
“…Yes.”
I had somewhat expected it, but having to talk to Clerivan alone made me a little nervous.
His sharp gaze, as if dissecting me from head to toe, was also very burdensome.
I felt as if I were on an operating table.
Once Father’s door closed, Clerivan promptly stood up and retrieved something from the other side.
It was the book, People of the South, that I had been reading just moments ago.
“Do you know what my role is in the Lombardi family?”
If I knew that, I wouldn’t be this nervous.
What was ‘that’ Clerivan Pellet’s role in his younger days?
I shook my head broadly.
“I am responsible for educating the young heirs of the family who will lead Lombardi in the future.”
Ah! Lessons!
Now I understood the conversation Father and Clerivan had.
I had also received lessons from an education official for a short period around the age of nine.
But the teacher back then wasn’t Clerivan.
Had he moved to a different position before that?
Anyway, the ‘lessons’ Clerivan was referring to were a kind of heir-training, the first official evaluation stage for Lombardi children.
The family’s children would gather and be taught together according to the education official’s plan.
At first glance, it might sound like simple home schooling, but it was far from it.
On the contrary, it had many cruel aspects.
Firstly, there was no set age to begin lessons.
Only children judged ready to follow the lessons, regardless of age, were eligible to attend.
Naturally, the children’s abilities became apparent based on the age they started lessons.
Secondly, there was no set age for stopping lessons.
One would simply be told one day, ‘You no longer need to attend lessons.’
That was what happened to me in the past.
Of course, it wasn’t a graduation, but rather a disqualification from participating in further lessons.
And finally, every evaluation given during lessons was reported to Grandfather.
In short, Clerivan Pellet now was akin to a direct line connecting me and Grandfather.
And the fact that he had come to see me separately meant…
Grandfather sent him.
I barely suppressed a laugh that threatened to burst out as I recalled Grandfather’s face, his eyes gleaming when he looked at me.
As I stared at him with wide, intelligent eyes, showing no particular reaction, Clerivan slightly frowned, perhaps displeased, then placed the book in front of me and asked,
“I heard you were reading this book.”
“Yes. I’ve been reading it since yesterday.”
“Is that so. Then what is its content?”
He seemed to be testing if I could truly read this book.
Good thing I read it last night.
I pretended to think for a moment with an ‘hmm’ and then answered,
“I haven’t read much yet, but it says there are strange people living in the forest in the southern part of the Empire. This book tells stories about them.”
Clerivan seemed a little flustered when he heard my explanation.
He probably thought I was just carrying the book around like a toy.
I understood.
It was natural to be suspicious when a seven-year-old, who should be reading fairy tales, was reading a book that even adults would find tedious.
I smiled at Clerivan, in a ‘ask me anything’ posture.
“What is the name of the author who wrote this book?”
“It says ‘Rophili’ on the cover, doesn’t it?”
“What was the content of Chapter 1?”
“That person, Rophili, was talking about how they heard rumors about the southern people.”
“Hmm…”
Clerivan was at a loss for words, surprised by my unhesitating answers.
I chuckled inwardly, finding his expression amusing, then, with an innocent, clueless look, I asked,
“Did you come because you wanted to read this book? Shall I lend it to you?”
I said, handing the thick, green-covered book to Clerivan.
“I’m curious about the rest, but I can read it later.”
“Ahem. It’s not that. I have already read the book, so Lady Florentia may continue reading.”
“Oh, good!”
I smiled, truly delighted, hugging the book to my chest.
Seeing the usually stoic man’s eyes waver was quite entertaining.
His surprise lasted only a moment.
Clerivan, his face returning to its usual expressionless state, asked me another question.
“There are three rumors that Rophili heard in total. He…”
“Hold on, Mr. Clerivan.”
“…Yes?”
“You’re wrong.”
I curled the corners of my lips and smiled.
“Rophili isn’t ‘he.’ It’s ‘she.'”
“Eh?”
“It says so in the preface.
Full name is Avane Rophili. She’s a female scholar.”
“Th-that, what on earth…”
A flustered Clerivan opened the book and hurriedly read the preface.
Ah, this is fun.
I added another remark towards Clerivan, who couldn’t hide his embarrassment.
“You said you’d already read it. You must have skimmed it.”
His shoulders twitched, and his ears turned red.
I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from bursting out laughing.
Clerivan closed the book with a thud, then looked at me, sitting with a relaxed expression, and said threateningly,
“Initially, you might find it difficult to keep up with the lesson content.”
“I’ll learn a lot of new things then!”
I nodded brightly, as if welcoming it.
“We do not offer special treatment for young age. You will be attending classes with your cousins, who are older than Lady Florentia.”
“That sounds fun!”
The moon appears brighter when the night sky is dark.
Next to them, I’ll look even smarter!
Clerivan sighed softly, seeing me excitedly swinging my short legs, and then said resignedly,
“…And it’s not ‘Mr.’
Call me ‘Teacher.'”
Finally, permission was granted!
Before Clerivan could change his mind, I quickly replied loudly,
“Yes, Teacher!”
To be attending ‘lessons’ at the age of seven!
Was this perhaps the fastest in Lombardi’s history?
How would Clerivan report today’s events to Grandfather?
The thought made me feel even better, and I flashed Clerivan a wide grin.