In This Life I Will Be The Lord Novel - Side Story, Chapter 40

Clatter, crash!
The sound of a chair falling over as I jumped up, and the clatter of dropped utensils, loudly echoed through the dining room.
“Are you alright, Tia?”
Father, his face pale, approached me and asked.
“Quickly, bring Dr. Estira!”
Grandfather shouted to the startled servants.
“I’m alright for now, Father. And tell Estira to come to the delivery room, not here.”
Although it was earlier than the due date, the delivery room, prepared for a safe and clean birth, was already ready.
It was the most suitable place for a proper examination.
“Can you stand and walk, Tia?”
“We’ll help you!”
The twins quickly came over and offered their arms.
Normally, I would have refused, saying I could walk alone, but it was better to be careful since I didn’t know when the pain would return.
“Thank you.”
When I arrived at the delivery room, escorted by the reliable twins, Estira was already waiting for me there.
“From here on, I will assist Lady Lombardi. The rest of you, please wait outside.”
Estira said to my family, who were about to follow her in as if possessed.
From now until the baby safely arrived, Estira’s word was law.
I waved to my family and said, “See you all later.”
I had intended it as a light greeting to ease the atmosphere.
Instead, my family’s faces became even more crestfallen.
“If you need anything, just say the word.”
“Dr. Estira, please take good care of Tia and the baby.”
Grandfather and Shananet spoke, their faces grim.
“Don’t worry too much, everyone. It’s not even certain if these are real labor pains yet.”
That’s what I said.
“They are labor pains. You need to prepare, Lady Lombardi.”
“Isn’t it a bit… too early?”
“It is, but the baby’s development is complete, so it will be fine.”
“Well, that’s a relief…”
Still, it would be best if it came out at full term.
“Who does it take after to be so impatient?”
A sigh, unavoidable, mixed with my muttered words.
Knock, knock.
“Lady Lombardi, it’s Catherine.”
“Yes, come in.”
Catherine, who had entered the delivery room’s reception area, carefully asked me, “Should I send someone to His Majesty now?”
“Oh, right. Of course.”
I had been so distracted that I had forgotten about Perez for a moment.
Why did labor have to start the day before his paternity leave?
I could already picture his distressed face.
“Yes, please, Catherine.”
I watched Catherine’s retreating back as she quickly left the delivery room, then turned my gaze outside.
“It’s raining heavily.”
The sky had been gloomy since morning, and now a torrential downpour was falling.
“I wonder if Perez is alright.”
He would rush here as soon as he heard the news.
I muttered, comforting the baby, who was listening.
“Let’s wait patiently until Daddy comes, okay?”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Your Majesty!”
Perez quietly frowned, looking down at the palace coachman who was repeatedly bowing his head.
Today had been a strange day since morning.
His dream had been strangely unsettling, and in the bathroom, he had accidentally broken a bottle of perfumed oil.
He didn’t want to leave Tia’s side due to the uneasy feeling, but he had no choice if he wanted to finalize his paternity leave preparations.
In the end, he had to leave for the imperial palace with a heavy heart.
But halfway there, such a fierce rain began to pour that it was impossible to distinguish the surroundings, and eventually, the carriage wheel came off.
And that was just a stone’s throw from his destination, the Central Palace.
“I apologize! It is my fault for being negligent in maintenance!”
He knew the man was normally diligent and a skilled driver.
It was fortunate enough that they had arrived safely at the palace through such heavy rain.
“I will call another carriage.”
A knight escorting the carriage approached and bowed his head.
“It’s fine, just get the carriage ready to go.”
Perez hopped out of the carriage and said, “I want to walk alone, don’t follow me.”
He intended to walk around the imperial palace a bit to shake off this strange feeling.
So he walked wherever his feet took him for a while.
It was still drizzling, but he didn’t care.
The walk, which had begun to clear his mind, lasted longer than expected.
Because he had walked all over the vast imperial palace forest.
He didn’t even know how much time had passed.
After a long while, Perez finally headed back towards the Central Palace.
But his unsettled mind was as heavy as his robe, soaked by the drizzle.
“I need to return to Lombardi quickly.”
Just as Perez, having finally made that decision, stepped onto the main road in front of the Central Palace.
“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!”
Regnite Luman, who had been lingering on the opposite side, spotted him and began to run towards him.
“Urgent message from Lombardi! Lady Lombardi has…!”
He didn’t need to hear any more.
Perez pushed off the ground and started running.
He should not have left the Lombardi mansion today.
He should have stayed by her side.
“I have a carriage ready!”
Regnite shouted.
But Perez didn’t get into the carriage.
Instead, he grabbed the reins of the lead horse and commanded, “Saddle it.”
He didn’t have the luxury of riding comfortably to Lombardi in a carriage.
Having assisted Perez for a very long time, Regnite moved quickly.
With skilled hands, he detached the horse from the carriage and placed an emergency makeshift saddle on it.
As soon as Regnite stepped back, Perez hopped onto the horse.
And the horse galloped away, kicking up the soft ground.
“Ah, of all times.”
Regnite, who was quickly preparing his own horse, looked up and sighed.
As if it had never stopped, heavy rain poured down from the dark sky again.

“The progress is faster than expected, Lady Lombardi.”
“Haha, so that’s why it hurts so much.”
It was not a laugh of amusement that escaped me.
It was a hollow laugh that came out when the pain was too much.
“Just a little more, dear.”
Shananet said, wiping the sweat from my forehead.
Shananet had originally been waiting outside the room with the other family members.
But as the labor pains became more intense, Estira recommended bringing someone to stay by my side, and I called Shananet.
“I’ve always respected you so much, Aunt.”
“Have you?”
“But from today, I’ll respect you even more. It hurts so much with just one, how did you give birth to twins?”
“Oh, I thought it was something serious.”
Shananet chuckled softly.
“You can still make jokes, so it seems you can still bear it.”
“For now. It hurts, and then I’m fine again, so it feels like I’m faking it.”
“Yes, it’s fortunate that the pain is still manageable, as the person who needs to be here hasn’t arrived yet.”
Shananet, who had spoken with a subtle hint of sarcasm, then asked Catherine, “Catherine, did you send someone to the imperial palace properly?”
“Yes. It seems His Majesty is delayed due to the heavy rain.”
I nodded at her words.
The rain was so heavy that the sound of it drumming against the window was deafening.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen rain this heavy, even during the rainy season.
“It’s alright, Aunt. The baby isn’t coming out right this moment, anyway.”
Shananet looked at me, who was smiling and saying that, and then sighed softly.
“I wish your father outside had half your courage.”
“How is Father?”
“Anyone would think Galahan was in labor, not you.”
“Haha.”
Another weak laugh escaped me.
My mother’s difficult labor had left Father traumatized.
So it was natural for him to be worried now that I was giving birth.
Especially since my father was always so tender-hearted.
“Father must be having a hard time too.”
“Hard time? Shan did all the hard work that day.”
Shananet clicked her tongue, wiping away the sweat that had already beaded on my forehead again.
Then she said, “So you don’t have to be alright either, Tia.”
“Ah…”
I was speechless for a moment.
But then I shook my head.
“I’m alright.”
I truly meant it.
I was really alright.
The labor pains weren’t too severe yet, so I could bear them.
Catherine, Estira, and Shananet were also by my side.
So I really was.
“Alrigh—”
Knock, knock.
A soft knock echoed in the delivery room.
“Tia.”
A familiar voice called my name.
Catherine quickly opened the door.
At the same time, the smell of water mixed with earth rushed in.
Perez stood in the doorway, water dripping from his black hair.