In This Life I Will Be The Lord Novel - Side Story, Chapter 50

“Ah, Father.”

The fluttering excitement from moments ago vanished, and Gallahan’s face hardened.

Though he merely stood with his hands behind his back, Rulac Lombardi’s presence naturally pressed down on his surroundings.

A few years ago, after a long struggle for succession, Rulac inherited the position of Lombardi patriarch and was widely considered to have seized power more meticulously than any previous patriarch.

Gallahan, who was a teenager at the time, vividly remembered the internal political strife that had occurred just before the succession to the patriarchate.

And how perfectly his father, Rulac Lombardi, had eliminated his rival siblings.

Recalling those memories, Gallahan, who had momentarily held his breath, bowed his head and managed to reply.

“I just went for a walk.”

“Until this hour?”

“Th-the scenery was so nice that I lost track of time.”

He wasn’t at an age to be scolded for coming home late, but Gallahan swallowed dryly under Rulac’s piercing gaze.

“Gallahan.”

“Yes, Father.”

“It’s good to enjoy a brief freedom among the citizens of Lombardi.”

Flinch.

Gallahan then remembered that he was dressed in shabby commoner’s clothes.

He felt a bead of cold sweat trickle down his back.

“As a member of Lombardi, it’s important to understand their lives well and to have affection for them. But.”

Rulac placed a heavy hand on Gallahan’s shoulder.

“You must know how to distinguish between those you govern and those you hold in your heart.”

He knows everything.

Gallahan raised his bowed head and met his father’s gaze.

His seemingly ordinary brown eyes held an irresistible power.

“I trust you, Gallahan, to handle yourself well.”

Handle himself.

Realizing the meaning of those words, Gallahan hastily tried to protest.

“But, Father…!”

However, a large hand once again gripped his shoulder heavily.

It was a sign that he would not speak further on this matter.

Seeing Gallahan’s mouth close again, Rulac finally wore a half-satisfied smile and said.

“I have something to give you, follow me.”

His father’s back, as he turned and walked away first, seemed impossibly large.

Too large to defy.

Gallahan eventually followed Rulac into the patriarch’s office.

Perhaps his work was not yet finished, as the brightly lit office was piled with documents everywhere.

Rulac, accustomed to navigating through them, sat down at his desk and opened a drawer, pulling out a rather thick bundle of documents.

“What is this?”

Gallahan asked as he instinctively took them.

“It’s a brief summary of the recent business dealings of the Lombardi Trading Group. Read it carefully, and you’ll get a sense of how the group operates.”

“But Father, I already told you I don’t want to work in the trading group…”

“Is it you who says you don’t want it, or is it Viese?”

Startled by the sharp question, Gallahan couldn’t answer.

Rulac, who had been looking at his youngest son with stern eyes for a moment, secretly sighed.

Among his four children, only Shananet, his eldest daughter, and Gallahan, his youngest son, showed potential to inherit the patriarchate.

However, Shananet had been gradually stepping down from her duties after marriage, citing her desire to focus on her family.

In the end, he had placed his hopes on Gallahan, the only one left, but the boy was excessively timid.

He had the ability to easily push his brother Viese out of the succession race if he put his mind to it, but he was the only one who didn’t know it.

He had hoped that his personality might change somewhat after he reached adulthood, but instead, Gallahan only became more withdrawn with each passing year.

“Viese has been tormenting you every day, hasn’t he?”

“Ah, you knew?”

“Do you think there’s anything in Lombardi that I don’t know?”

Gallahan’s face flushed at Rulac’s rhetorical question.

The memory of his clumsy acting in front of his father just yesterday resurfaced.

“This time is different. You no longer have a choice.”

Gallahan’s eyes widened.

“You understand what I mean, don’t you?”

Gallahan nodded heavily.

By taking away his right to choose, he was preventing Viese from interfering.

It was both a compulsion and a consideration for Gallahan.

Rulac, who had watched his silent youngest son for a moment, resumed his patriarchal duties and said.

“So, prepare yourself and come back to me. I cannot give you much time.”

“What on earth was that dream?”

Shan tilted her head as she cleared the table where a customer had just left.

She had a dream last night.

It was about Gallahan’s future.

It was content that hadn’t been there when she had a long dream in her village.

“Did the future change in the meantime?”

In her dream, Gallahan was working.

Surrounded by capable people, he looked busy but also very lively.

It was a future quite different from the Gallahan she had seen so far.

Then, someone smiled at Shan and said loudly.

“Shan, the food was delicious today too!”

“See you next time!”

They were regular customers who visited several times a week.

“Go home safely!”

Shan smiled back and greeted them, then looked around.

She had been running around hectically for several hours, but after lunchtime, the restaurant had become quite quiet.

And Shan found Gallahan sitting by the window in a corner of the restaurant.

“Gallahan, when did you get here?”

“A little while ago. It’s almost your break time, isn’t it, Shan?”

Gallahan replied with a small smile.

Shan’s heart fluttered slightly at his smile, and she untied her apron and sat across from him.

It had already been ten days since she started meeting Gallahan every day.

During that time, he had visited ‘Blue Wave’ every day, matching her break time and when her work ended, and the two had already become a part of each other’s daily lives.

It was good to see Gallahan’s face every day, but there was one thing that bothered her.

“Hmm.”

Shan couldn’t hide her dissatisfaction and frowned slightly, looking around.

It was because the women at the tables who were still there were secretly glancing at Gallahan.

“…”

Lately, Gallahan often stared blankly into the distance, as if he had some worries.

And his melancholic appearance attracted even more attention.

Shan narrowed her eyes and said.

“Gallahan, don’t come here anymore.”

“Shan…?”

“It would be better if we just met outside.”

Then Gallahan’s light green eyes wavered uneasily.

“What’s wrong, Shan? Did I disturb you? Did you get scolded because of me?”

“No, it’s not that.”

The owner of ‘Blue Wave’ didn’t dislike Gallahan occupying a table every day.

No, she even liked it.

Thanks to him, the number of customers in the restaurant had increased.

“Too many people come to see Gallahan.”

They all know he’s handsome.

At Shan’s small addition, Gallahan’s face instantly turned bright red.

But that sight was so cute that she heard women squealing from afar.

‘I can’t kick out the customers.’

As Shan was thinking grumpily.

“It’s… the same for me.”

Gallahan said, looking directly at Shan with a flushed face.

“Do you know how many men can’t take their eyes off Shan every day?”

“Me? To me?”

“Yes. They’re so busy looking at hard-working Shan that they probably don’t even know where their stew went. And sometimes, when Shan laughs, she seems to sparkle…”

Gallahan, who had been pouring out his true feelings, suddenly stopped speaking.

Only then did he realize what he was saying.

His pale face now looked like a beautiful apple.

Across from him, Shan, whose face was equally flushed, flapped her hands and asked.

“So you’ll still come even if I tell you not to?”

Nod.

Gallahan nodded quickly, even though he couldn’t quite meet her eyes.

It was a rather firm expression of will.

“Then… could you just sit with your face covered with a hat or a hood? How about that?”

…Nod.

Even after the compromise was reached, their two reddened faces did not easily calm down.

Friend.

The ambiguous word they used to bind themselves together to meet every day, and the conversation they had just had, was quite daring and crossed a line.

“Ahem. It’s hot, want to go see the backyard here?”

“…Shall we?”

Gallahan, hastily putting down money for the food on the table, jumped up.

The backyard, occasionally visited by guests and staff of the inn that operated with the restaurant, was small but a warm space with good sunlight.

“It’s a place that brings peace of mind,” Gallahan said, looking around.

“Right? I want to have a backyard like this someday too. A house that feels cozy and warm, with lots of trees and flowers planted.”

“…It suits Shan well,” Gallahan complimented, and Shan smiled brightly, then clapped her hands loudly.

“Oh, my mind!”

“What’s wrong, Shan?”

“I’m taking care of the trees and flowers here. But I forgot to water them!”

Shan hastily found a large bucket and filled it with water.

And just as she was about to lift it with all her might.

“I’ll carry it. Where do I go?”

Gallahan gently pushed Shan’s hand away and asked.

Gallahan lifted the bucket, which she struggled to lift with both hands, with one hand.

He didn’t seem to be struggling at all.

“Um… you can start with that tree over there. Should I help you carry it?”

But Gallahan shook his head.

“I’ll do it, just tell me how much to water.”

“…”

Behind Gallahan, who readily stepped forward, Shan secretly fanned herself again.

After watering the trees and flowers, the last thing Shan pointed to was a small potted plant.

Gallahan looked closely at it, sitting round and alone in the sunniest spot in the backyard.

His gaze kept returning to the delicate leaves and the tiny flower buds.

“What’s its name, Shan?”

Shan replied, watering it herself, to Gallahan’s question.

“Bomnia. It’s called Bomnia flower.”