In This Life I Will Be The Lord Novel - Episode 73

My eleventh birthday party had begun.
Lombardi’s banquet hall was filled to the brim with guests.
I had a fairly grand birthday party even for my eighth birthday, but this time it seemed to be double the size.
The difference was that back then, my grandfather intentionally gathered people, but this time, the party grew naturally as many people wanted to come.
They were all my father’s and grandfather’s guests, but I didn’t care much.
“Ah! It’s Lady Florentia Lombardi!”
“Is that dress perhaps going to be released as a limited edition?”
“Happy birthday, Lady! You look so beautiful today too!”
The number of people who recognized me had increased just as much.
“Hello, thank you for coming!”
I skillfully smiled at them and looked around the party venue.
A large fountain flowed in the garden attached to the banquet hall.
And next to it, I saw my father, lively conversing with others.
“Hahahaha! That’s a brilliant idea!”
He seemed even more active than before he fell ill.
His green eyes sparkled, moving keenly as if observing the person he was talking to.
He also seemed very skilled at dealing with people with a relaxed smile.
Perhaps because of this, people were gathered in a crowd next to my father.
Everyone seemed to be listening intently to every word and joke my father said.
“Happy birthday!”
“Oh, my!”
Suddenly, something white and fluffy popped out next to my face.
“Giliou! Mayron! You startled me!”
It was the twins, laughing playfully, holding a large white teddy bear.
“Hehe.”
“Why are you surprised by something like this, Tia?”
Having entered their growth spurt, the two were growing noticeably every day.
“Long time no see. Have you been back for a month?”
“Yeah. About that.”
“I was bored to death.”
For the past month, the two had been in the Schulz family’s territory.
They had gone to spend time with their paternal relatives, following their father Vestian who was on vacation.
“There’s nothing around.”
“And the atmosphere is so gruesome.”
“The atmosphere is gruesome?”
At my question, the twins simultaneously clicked their tongues and replied.
“I thought Father had a strict personality, but he didn’t.”
“Our father was really gentle compared to their relatives.”
“It’s really unbelievable.”
“Especially during meal times, only the sound of cutlery clattering could be heard.
And there were ten people eating together!”
“I thought I was going to suffocate.”
They seemed to have a lot bottled up, as they spat out complaints incessantly.
“If it was that hard, why didn’t you come back in the middle? You didn’t have to stay for a whole month.”
After all, the Schulz family’s territory wasn’t that far.
It was a manageable distance for the fifteen-year-old twins to travel by carriage.
But Giliou and Mayron’s reactions were a bit strange.
They subtly glanced at each other, then changed the subject.
“Here, quickly take your birthday present!”
“It’s a teddy bear specially bought from a craftsman in the Schulz territory!”
“Hmm.”
It’s very suspicious, but I’ll play along.
I took the teddy bear.
It’s soft and fluffy, but I’m not that impressed.
They know I’m not interested in dolls.
Why did they give me such a gift?
As I quietly examined the teddy bear, Mayron asked in a mischievous voice.
“How is it? Do you like the teddy bear?”
“Yeah, well… Thank you.”
Still, I’m not rude enough to complain about a gift.
But Giliou poked Mayron’s shoulder and said,
“See! I told you Tia wouldn’t say anything! She’s too kind, isn’t she?”
“Ah, I thought you’d throw the teddy bear away without hesitation! You’re too kind, Tia!”
Giliou kept laughing, and Mayron grabbed his head, looking disappointed.
It seems they made a bet about my reaction to receiving the teddy bear.
Mayron sighed and said,
“Tia, you have to clearly say if you don’t like something. You always think too much about what other people think, that’s your problem.”
Me?
What part of me?
“You’re too kind.”
Now Giliou joined in.
“This can’t be our only gift!”
“You should expect something bigger!”
“What’s bigger?”
They just grinned without answering my question.
“Tia, what do you want?”
“Me?”
If you asked me what I want, I could talk all night.
But I looked at my father, who was cheerfully conversing with the people around him.
“I don’t think I should ask for more today.”
Just having my father alive on my eleventh birthday.
And being able to enjoy today, which I spent alone in my previous life, was already enough.
“What kind of talk is that!”
Mayron gently stroked my head and laughed.
“We’ll buy you a real present soon, so let’s go out with us.”
“Yeah. There are quite a few fun places in Lombardi city too.”
“But it’s dangerous for Tia to go out alone, so you must come with us!”
How do they know that I plan to go out alone frequently from now on?
“Tia?”
Mayron narrowed his eyes and called my name.
Ah, right.
They had a subtly sharp side to them.
I quickly nodded.
“Just in case, never go alone.”
Giliou spoke to me, acting like an older cousin.
“How about you two?”
A quiet voice asked the twins.
“Hello, Lorraine.”
“Happy birthday, Tia. My gift is over there with the other presents.
It’s a beautiful tiara.”
“Thank you, I’ll use it well!”
“And Giliou, Mayron. I don’t think you two are in a position to give Tia such advice.”
Lorraine said soothingly.
“No, why?”
“Who was it who, from the day after their eleventh birthday party for several months, would gallop horses in the fields as soon as the sun rose and couldn’t be found in the mansion?”
“Ugh…”
Even though she didn’t scold them loudly, the twins couldn’t retort to Lorraine.
I subtly smiled and changed the subject of the conversation.
“Lorraine is getting prettier and prettier. I’m really envious.”
It wasn’t an empty compliment.
Lorraine, who was only two years away from adulthood, was truly blossoming day by day.
Even now, the young men attending my birthday party couldn’t take their eyes off Lorraine.
Both their earlobes were red, clearly enchanted by Lorraine.
She was like a pure white lily.
So clean and delicate that just looking at her made you feel a pang of fear, yet at the same time, made you want to protect her.
“People keep telling me that… but I really don’t know.”
Lorraine’s fair face blushed.
A Lombardi girl who’s not immune to even this much praise.
This was clearly a matter of innate personality.
“But I’m happy that Tia says so. You’re getting prettier and prettier, Tia.”
“Right! Tia is the best!”
A small face popped out from behind Lorraine.
It was Craney, Astaliu’s seven-year-old younger brother, with red, carrot-like hair and a freckled young face.
Ever since he was caught hiding behind a flowerbed, eavesdropping on Perez and my conversation and got a good scolding, Craney had somehow become my fan.
“Tia, the best!”
Craney rushed and hugged my waist.
And his wide, bright eyes looking up at me seemed to be waving several internal light sticks.
“Craney. You shouldn’t do that to Tia.
There are guests here.”
Lorraine gently admonished Craney, making him let go of me.
“Ugh… But Tia is so busy, I only saw her for the first time in a week today!”
His teary-eyed face looked strangely familiar.
Where have I seen that face before?
But next to Craney, the twins started grumbling together.
“Yeah. Tia is too busy these days.”
“She’s always in the library. We can’t even see her face.”
Ah, it was you two.
I wondered where I’d seen it, but it was identical to the twins who suddenly started following me around.
Sighing softly to myself, I said to Craney,
“Craney, are you reading one book a week as you promised?”
“Yes! I’ve read all the books Tia lent me! Can I borrow more?”
“Good. From now on, you’re allowed to come to my library to borrow books.”
“Wow, I’m so happy! I’m going to read a lot of books!”
Above all, for education, early education is the best.
I gently patted Craney’s head.
Craney was quite bright, unbelievably so for Astaliu’s brother, who seemed to have muscles even in his head.
Before my regression, the last news I heard was that he had entered the Imperial Academy and was quite prominent.
I regretted that if he hadn’t wasted time hanging out with Viese and following Astaliu when he was young, he could have entered the academy more prepared.
But in this life, Craney had somehow started following me rather than his brother Astaliu, and since it had come to this, I decided to help Craney a little.
I was thinking of changing the future of a complete stranger, so there was no reason to ignore Craney, who was my cousin and followed me well.
His “hehe” laugh as I patted his head was quite cute.
Then he suddenly looked up.
“Oh?”
I saw a boy walking past me, unaware that he had dropped his handkerchief.
“Excuse me!”
At my call, the boy turned around.
“You dropped this.”
The boy, who looked about the twins’ age, looked back and forth between me and his handkerchief in my hand, and his face turned bright red.
“Th-thank you, Lady Florentia Lombardi.”
The boys who were interested in Lorraine earlier also had red faces, and now this one too.
I smiled gently, conveying the message “Don’t worry, I don’t bite,” and offered him the handkerchief.
And my fingertips lightly brushed the boy’s.
“Ah!”
The startled boy dropped the handkerchief, and just as I instinctively followed it with my eyes as it fluttered to the ground,
A hand appeared from somewhere and snatched the white handkerchief.
It was a rough hand, calloused, unusual among nobles.
“Here.”
Red eyes looking down, and hair darker under the sunlight.
“Hello, Tia.”
It was Perez.