In This Life I Will Be The Lord Novel - Episode 96

Seeing Bate flinch, I recalled what happened in my previous life.
I had also bought information from ‘Caramel Avenue’ once.
It was to find out about Perez.
But since it was such a secretive place, and an informant known only through word-of-mouth among those in the know, I actually knew nothing about Bate.
The statement I made earlier, “I know a little something,” was half bluff.
I truly knew nothing other than that Bate ran an information business.
The same went for this building.
I didn’t know why he returned ten years later and reopened the store in the same place.
I only guessed it must be a very meaningful place to Bate.
And seeing Bate’s visibly shaken reaction now, I knew my guess was correct.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Bate seemed intent on playing ignorant to the very end.
I shrugged and said,
“You’re more embarrassed than I thought.”
“This isn’t embarrassment, it’s…”
Bate, who had bristled and was about to retort, stopped speaking.
He was certainly much softer than the Bate I remembered.
Such a transparent face.
And a thought flashed through my mind.
Then, how good was Bate’s current information gathering ability?
Information accumulates over time.
Moreover, ‘Caramel Avenue’ was just starting to get established.
I wanted to test his current capabilities.
“Operating a store, the rent must be quite a burden, right?”
At my words, Bate looked at me as if to say, ‘Why are you asking such an obvious question?’
He was still wary of me.
Then, how about this?
“Try to investigate me thoroughly. And if the results please me, I won’t charge you rent for one year.”
“One, one year…”
Bate’s eyes wavered, as if he was calculating in his head.
“How about it? Isn’t it a pretty good offer?”
It must be tempting.
He could save a large amount of operating costs for a whole year.
But Bate shook his head slightly, as if trying to clear his mind, and then said,
“Investigate? I’m just someone who runs a dessert shop. You’re saying things I don’t understand.”
Oh, so that’s how you want to play?
“Alright then.”
I immediately got up from my seat, as if I had no more lingering attachments.
“That’s a shame. It would have been an opportunity to save a lot of money for a year.”
“…Ugh.”
“But if you’re willing to consider my offer, I’ll see you again in a week at this time.”
I said only that and left the store.
It was obvious what Bate’s face would look like, left alone.
I chuckled and got into the carriage that was waiting outside.
***

“Tia! Are you all ready?”
“Let’s go quickly!”
Lauriel was still tying my shoelaces when the twins outside urged us on.
“If you keep being noisy, I won’t go!”
“O-okay…”
“Hee hee.”
When I got annoyed, their voices quickly became sullen.
Lauriel, who had been listening to the argument between me and the twins, chuckled softly and said,
“You three are truly close.”
“Lauriel.”
“Yes, Lady.”
“Are you making fun of me?”
“No, I’m truly serious.”
“I’ve seen how Lauriel’s brothers treat Lauriel.”
Lauriel, born as the youngest sister to three much older brothers, had truly grown up showered with love.
I had seen the Dillard family gathered together once, and it felt like observing a textbook family, filled with warmth and endless laughter.
Perhaps that’s why Clerivan’s existence was an even greater flaw.
I opened the door to the dressing room and went out.
The waiting twins brightened and stood up, approaching me.
“Oh, so cute!”
“You’re so cute I want to bite you!”
The twins stomped their feet, looking at me.
“You’ve suddenly gotten even cuter lately!”
“Stop getting prettier!”
What’s wrong with these kids?
But then Lauriel joined in.
She cupped my cheeks with both hands and shook her head, saying,
“It’s true. Lady, you’ve gotten so much cuter lately, it’s a big problem…”
“R-really?”
With Lauriel saying that too, I wondered if it was true and checked the mirror.
That’s strange.
I don’t see anything different.
And the gazes of the three people reflected in the mirror were quite burdensome.
“What are you doing? Are you not going?”
Then, as if a spell had been broken, the twins quickly started moving.
“Let’s go! We have to go!”
“Tia will definitely love it too!”
Giliou and Mayron, jumping up and down, led the way to the vast grassland on the outskirts of Lombardi.
Of course, we didn’t go there just to look at the land.
“Wow, the stables are huge!”
I gasped at the sight of several stables housing dozens of horses.
“This is where nobles living in the capital keep their horses.”
“Everyone comes out often to ride horses and have competitions here!”
It was understandable why the two of them had frequented this place every day since turning eleven.
Just looking at the vast grassland made my chest feel open and refreshed.
“Tia doesn’t know how to ride a horse yet, so let’s ride together.”
Giliou extended his hand to me.
“No. I ride more safely than Giliou. Ride with me.”
This time, Mayron cut in and said.
“You ride safely? Liar.”
“I’m much better than you. That’s not wrong, is it?”
They were growling, ready to fight again.
I looked at the two of them with pathetic eyes, then took Lauriel’s hand and said,
“I’ll ride with Lauriel.”
Lauriel was also a skilled rider.
No, at least better than those two troublemakers.
“Hee hee.”
The twins’ shoulders slumped at my decision, but I ignored them.
No. I’m not changing my mind. Go back.
My choice was right.
Lauriel was able to ride a horse stably and quickly, and the experience of riding with such a skilled person was thrilling.
“Whoa-!”
The wind hitting my face was pleasant, and running alongside the horse, feeling its powerful movements, was also great.
And the strong scent of grass wafting from the vast plains remained in my mind more intensely than anything else.
So much so that I wanted to learn how to ride a horse myself.
“How is it? Fun, right?”
Mayron asked me, his cheeks flushed from the exercise.
“Yeah, it’s good.”
“See! I knew Tia would like it!”
“Shall we run one more time?”
Giliou said, patting the neck of the equally excited horse.
“Hmm. One more time?”
It was fun, but I wasn’t really keen on it.
My back, legs, and even my bottom were all stiff and sore from the unfamiliar horseback riding.
But riding a horse was fun, so I was hesitating.
“No.”
Lauriel said firmly.
“Lady, since it’s your first time, you shouldn’t overdo it. Let’s stop for today and come again next time.”
“Mmm, is that so…”
“Well, Tia shouldn’t get hurt.”
The twins also nodded and quickly conceded.
“Then we’ll return the horses to the stable.”
“Wait here for a bit. When we come back, let’s go see the autumn leaves over there.”
“Okay. Go ahead.”
I waved to the two of them as they dismounted and walked away, holding the reins.
“Lady, I just need to go to the restroom…” Lauriel whispered softly.
“Then I’ll go see Bailey and Blanc.”
Bailey and Blanc were the mother horse and baby horse that Father had given me for my eighth birthday.
They used to be in the mansion’s stables, but as Blanc grew bigger, it seemed they needed more space, so they were moved here recently.
It was a little disappointing not to see them often, but coming here today, it seemed like a good choice.
They’d be able to run around freely here.
Viface, the one Perez gave me, must be here too.
I wonder if the whole family is together.
I tried to recall what I had vaguely heard and started walking to find the stable where my horses were.
“It should be somewhere around here…”
If I couldn’t find it, I could always ask someone.
Thinking comfortably, I took the opportunity to look around the stables.
I walked from one stable to another, watching the horses that looked at me with curious eyes.
Then I met a family of cats living in the stables and played with them for a while.
And then I walked again.
And then I suddenly realized.
“Where am I?”
I hadn’t come to a completely random place.
It was still near the stables.
But I couldn’t tell exactly which stable it was.
“Hmm. Do you guys know where this is?”
I asked the horses peeking out, but they just blinked their gentle eyes; no answer came back.
“Let’s just walk that way for now.”
I arbitrarily started walking towards what looked like the starting point.
But then, a group of children coming out of a nearby stable stopped me.
“Hey, you.”
There were about five or six kids who looked like they came from wealthy families.
Their ages varied, from my age to around the twins’ age.
The one who spoke to me was the child walking at the very front.
He must be from a high-ranking family if he’s acting like a leader at such a young age.
“I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere. Who are you?”
Right.
Of course, kids who are similar can use informal language on first meeting.
But even for that, his words are a bit too blunt, aren’t they?
Especially the way he’s looking me up and down, evaluating me, is unpleasant.
“Who are you, then?”
“What? Ha…”
The boy, who swept his bangs back in disbelief, chuckled.
“You don’t even know who I am. It’s obvious without even hearing your name.”
Well, it was a valid deduction.
Usually, high-ranking nobles knew each other well from a young age, as they played and socialized among themselves.
However, I was an exception, having grown up uniquely due to my father’s somewhat peculiar personality for a noble.
“I am Case Angenas.”
Angenas again?
At the same time, the Angenas family tree unfurled in my mind.
Case Angenas was the grandson of the head of the Dyurak Trading Company.
That meant he was a collateral branch, not a direct descendant of the head of the family.
But for a collateral branch to be acting like this, it seems Angenas’s influence is quite strong these days.
Just then, a familiar voice called out, and I turned around.
“You’re here!”
Lauriel was running towards me.