In This Life I Will Be The Lord Novel - Episode 84

Shananet and Vestian’s divorce in my previous life was quite a scandalous affair.
Divorce among nobles was not very common, and Lombardi’s internal affairs were always good gossip.
However, despite being so hotly debated, the exact reason for their divorce was never revealed.
Of course, rumors were rife.
From rumors that Vestian had another woman, to who that woman was and where she lived, and that Shananet had kicked Vestian out after finding out.
All sorts of embellishments followed.
“Was it really a woman problem…?”
Honestly, I didn’t think so.
Although Vestian Schulz had a handsome and likable appearance, that was all there was to it.
Among the nobles, the Schulz family was not well-regarded.
No, their very existence was faint.
The Schulz family only came onto the central noble’s radar after their marriage.
Shananet and Vestian were a rare case of love marriage among nobles.
Since intelligent Shananet chose him, I thought he might be a good-natured person, but now it doesn’t seem to be the case.
On the other hand, what about Shananet?
Beautiful, elegant, kind.
Above all, she was also the eldest daughter of Lombardi.
Before her marriage, Shananet held various important positions in the family.
There were even talks that she might become the next head of the Lombardi family as a woman.
But for some reason, after her marriage, Shananet gradually relinquished those important duties and was now doing only the bare minimum.
She acted as if she was trying to make herself small and inconspicuous.
It was a waste of her talent.
“Yes, something doesn’t add up.”
Looking back, Shananet and Vestian’s divorce was full of inconsistencies.
“Why didn’t they fight?”
Regardless of the problem between a couple that leads to divorce, it’s common to fight for custody of the children.
But Shananet didn’t fight.
As if she was responsible for the divorce.
She handed over the twins and a considerable amount of alimony to Vestian and went down to a resort.
It was Lombardi’s resort, but it was a distant place that took more than three weeks by carriage.
Shananet confined herself there.
That’s why the rumor that Shananet was clearly at fault for the divorce gained the most traction in society.
Shananet knew about such rumors but did not explain or reveal the exact reason.
She simply remained silent.
Vestian, not long after, remarried a woman from the Schulz territory.
“As if he had been waiting.”
It was very suspicious.
To understand it as having known each other for a long time because they were from the same territory, something smelled fishy.
“Hmm…”
As I was lost in thought, Clerivan opened the office door and entered.
“You’re here, Clerivan?”
“I apologize for making you wait.”
“You’re so busy these days. It’s natural for me, who is free, to wait.”
As the diamond boom swept across the empire, Clerivan was truly running around, his feet almost on fire.
In particular, requests from nobles were pouring in like a flood.
It would be good to just take orders on a first-come, first-served basis, but that’s foolish.
Nobles, desperate to get diamonds before others, are easy to handle.
But I told Clerivan not to accept payment from high-ranking nobles.
I don’t need trivial requests that just shorten the waiting period and get a few pennies.
It’s undoubtedly much more profitable to make them indebted.
Of course, Clerivan was doing an excellent job of that.
“Who was it today?”
“I’m on my way back from visiting the Pentwood family, the Wallen family, and the Lombardi mansion.”
“Perhaps grandfather?”
“Yes. He was talking about Lady Shananet’s necklace…”
Shananet had a cherished necklace.
It was a memento from Shananet’s mother and my grandmother, Natalia.
“It’s a simple sapphire necklace, so diamonds would suit it well. Tell him you’ll have it done in about a month or two.”
“Yes, Lady Florentia.”
I nodded and looked closely at Clerivan’s face.
“What’s wrong?”
“I thought you’d look bad from being busy. But you look much better?”
“It’s because work suits me. I can’t help but be full of energy when the business is successful.”
Clerivan showed me that his skin had become much smoother.
It really was as smooth and lustrous as a peeled egg.
That’s interesting.
“Oh, how are the preparations for the banquet going?”
“They are proceeding without a hitch. Most of the invited guests have sent back replies saying they will attend.”
“About the guest list…”
I doubted it, but it was worth a shot.
It wouldn’t hurt to check.
“Can we still add more?”
“Yes. If you’re thinking of His Royal Highness the Second Prince, we can add more guards if…” Huh?
“No. Not Perez.”
“Then…”
“Send an invitation to the Patron family in Schulz territory. To a woman named Maria.”
Maria Patron.
She was Vestian’s remarried wife.
The Pellet Merchant Guild’s banquet was a great success.
The new type of party, where only those on the guest list with an invitation could enter, was enough to make the attendees proud.
It was also perfect for creating a subtle sense of camaraderie among those who successfully entered the banquet hall.
The atmosphere of the banquet was unusually harmonious.
When everyone had gathered, Clerivan ascended to a platform set up on the stairs.
It was a different sight from the usual, where the host of a banquet simply stood on a stage or at the front to speak.
The nobles, dressed in splendid clothes and with their hair neatly combed back to reveal their handsome faces, looked up at Clerivan with joyful expressions.
“Thank you all for gathering here to celebrate the prosperity of the Pellet Merchant Guild.”
His confident, handsome face seemed to sparkle.
“To express our gratitude, we have prepared a small gift. Before you leave the banquet, please present your invitation to our Pellet Merchant Guild staff at the exit. Then, this.”
Clerivan held up a diamond necklace in his hand for everyone to see.
It was a simple gold chain with only a small diamond, but the gem, sparkling in the light, was like a star in the sky.
“We will give you a necklace as a gift.” The reaction was immediate.
“Wow!”
“Amazing!”
Cheers erupted among the nobles.
“We have prepared good food and good music, so please enjoy yourselves thoroughly.”
Clerivan finished his greetings, and the banquet officially began.
The first to approach Clerivan, who had descended the stairs, was the head of the Ivan family from the North.
He was the beneficiary who was gaining enormous profits in exchange for Clerivan hiring Croyley, a gem craftsman belonging to the Ivan family.
“Welcome, Lord!”
He was the head of Ivan, who reigned over the rough northern nobles.
He was a burly man with immense charisma, but when Clerivan greeted him respectfully, he smiled broadly.
“Clerivan! I heard you only accepted a part of the furs I sent this time! Why do you keep doing that disappointingly! For you, even several times that amount wouldn’t be a waste!”
“I will gratefully accept only the sentiment of such a precious gift you’ve given.”
“Haha, really! If you ever need anything, just tell me!”
“I will, Lord Ivan.”
Next was, of course, the Lombardi family.
Clerivan, spotting Rulac and his family gathered on the balcony, approached them first.
“Thank you for coming.”
“I couldn’t miss a banquet celebrating your business’s smooth sailing. I’m very proud and congratulate you!”
As Clerivan successfully led the Pellet Merchant Guild after becoming independent, Rulac also changed his tone when addressing Clerivan.
It was an act of respect, treating him not as a subordinate but as a businessman.
“Congratulations.”
Viese and Laurels simply uttered short words.
It was an extremely rude attitude for someone invited to a banquet, but Clerivan just laughed it off.
The mere fact that they weren’t openly trying to disparage him showed that the two were quite intimidated.
“Congratulations, Sir Clerivan.”
Shananet, standing next to Rulac, said with a gentle smile.
“I regret so much that I didn’t recognize such a capable person sooner.”
Clerivan, who had not had the opportunity to fully display his abilities in the Lombardi family and was merely managing the mansion’s affairs.
Seeing him succeed like a fish in water after becoming independent, Shananet felt regret.
She wished they had recognized such a talent sooner and given him an important position in the Lombardi Merchant Guild.
“I grew up receiving the grace of Lombardi from a young age. Please tell me if there’s anything I can help with.”
At his words, Rulac smiled contentedly, patted Clerivan’s shoulder, and said.
“Still, it’s a relief that you took the mine. I heard Angenas was greedy…”
“I was lucky to win the bid by a narrow margin.”
“Yes, luck, you say.”
Rulac’s displeased gaze fell on Vestian.
Rulac clicked his tongue at Vestian, who wasn’t with the Lombardi family but was cheerfully greeting and chatting with all sorts of people from a distance.
“Father.”
Shananet gently chided him, and although he averted his gaze, the bitter expression remained on his face.
Vestian had apologized, saying that failing to win the bid for the Lyra Mine was a mistake, but Rulac’s uneasy feeling never quite disappeared.
Moreover, Romassie’s words, who had been present at the scene, kept lingering in his mind.
“It was strange that the head of the Angenas Merchant Guild wasn’t surprised to see us.”
Lombardi’s participation in that auction was top secret.
Lombardi’s method was to buy all mines that might contain iron, no matter what.
So, only a handful of people knew that Lombardi would participate in the auction that day.
But Angenas wasn’t surprised by Lombardi’s appearance.
And the fact that their bid was higher than Lombardi’s was also very suspicious.
Speak of the devil.
Vestian returned, flushed, after chatting heartily among the nobles.
He was already holding a glass of wine in one hand.
“I heard there’s food and seating over there. Shall we go, Father-in-law?”
Rulac inwardly swallowed his displeasure at Vestian’s still easygoing demeanor.
After all, he seemed to cherish and love his daughter, Shananet, so he overlooked his many shortcomings.
“If you take a seat, I’ll bring you a glass of this wine right away.
How fragrant it is!”
Even as they moved, Vestian kept talking loudly.
He seemed to be enjoying the banquet even more than Clerivan, the host.
“You must tell me the name of this wine later…”
But then Vestian’s words were abruptly cut off.
It was right after he spotted a woman in the distance.