In This Life I Will Be The Lord Novel - Side Story, Chapter 7

His forehead, which was always half-exposed since he ascended the throne, was now covered by unadorned, calm bangs.
He wore no fancy accessories, only a plain iron sword at his waist.
But even so.
“Wow. Perez, you…”
I had been surprised every time I saw him since morning.
“Even simple clothes can’t hide your beauty, can they?”
“…Tia.”
Perez’s earlobes turned red at my compliment.
But I was confident.
I was just speaking the truth, so why?
Honestly, I wondered if this would even work as a disguise.
Even though he had chosen the most ordinary ready-made clothes, the ones Perez wore somehow looked incredibly expensive.
“As expected of my fiancé.”
“Ahem.”
Seeing my proud smile, he finally turned his head slightly and cleared his throat.
A blush spread all the way down his exposed, long neck.
“…I think it would be better if you went alone.”
“Mayron.”
Mayron muttered something, watching us, and Giliou nudged his brother’s side.
“But I agree too.”
But even so, he didn’t forget to chime in.
“What are you two so dissatisfied about?”
At my question, the twins, standing side by side and glaring at Perez with identical sharp eyes, replied, “Why are you suddenly leaving a week earlier?”
Giliou’s mouth was puffed out in a pout.
“I told you. I’m going to hit Chanton Sheshou with a surprise attack. And for that, there’s somewhere I need to stop by briefly.”
“So secretly, to the point of disguising yourselves?”
“Yes. So secretly that no one but my people know. And…”
I raised my fist and lightly punched Mayron’s shoulder, saying, “It always hurts the most when you’re caught off guard, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah, well…”
Mayron looked down at his shoulder, which I had hit without hurting him, and sighed shallowly.
“If we, your escorts, are absent, Chanton Sheshou will be suspicious.”
“Exactly. Bears are smarter animals than you’d think.”
This time, I really got hit with a surprise attack, didn’t I?
I narrowed my eyes, recalling the port of Tamal.
Moreover, with Chanton Sheshou ordering even my merchant guilds to be thoroughly inspected to slow them down as much as possible, if I were to travel openly, there was no telling how much my journey would be delayed.
Chanton Sheshou would be looking for reasons why I wasn’t moving with my family.
“If you two are at the mansion, and Catherine and Kailus are here, Chanton Sheshou won’t be too suspicious.”
Just as the twins always accompanied me when I left the mansion, Catherine and Kailus always accompanied Perez.
Publicly, Perez was visiting the Lombardi mansion today to spend a week’s vacation with me, and would begin his journey to the East with the Lombardi people.
And by that time, Perez and I would already be on a cruise heading East.
It was while I was thinking about the upcoming schedule.
“Are you ready, Tia?”
“You don’t have to come out, Dad.”
“Of course I have to see my daughter off when she’s grown up and going on a trip like this.”
Father said, gently putting his arm around my shoulder.
He was smiling, but the lack of strength in his smile showed that he was very worried.
Father, who had been silently patting my shoulder for a while, said in a slightly heavy voice, “Thank you, Tia.”
He probably noticed that the reason I was moving secretly was related to Chesayu.
I smiled even more brightly, feeling both sorry and grateful for Father’s feelings.
“It’s nothing. Protecting Lombardi’s assets is my job as the Head of the Family.”
Although Chesayu was an independent territory from Lombardi, Chesayu and its people were very precious to Father.
That alone was reason enough to move to protect that land.
“And if we properly break Chanton Sheshou’s spirit now, things will be easier in the future.”
Chanton Sheshou’s methods, different from those of Empress Lavini, truly ignited my competitive spirit.
“It’s time to leave, Tia.”
Perez approached and quietly informed me.
I gave Father one last tight hug, waved to the twins, and then climbed into the carriage.
Perez, after saying a few words to Catherine and Kailus, sat down next to me.
The coachman, chosen for his discretion, closed the passenger carriage door, and the carriage slowly began to move.
“I’m a little excited.”
It was as I was lightly tidying my clothes, feeling a gentle flutter in my heart.
My gaze, casually cast out the window, caught sight of Grandfather standing with his hands behind his back under a receding tree, watching the departing carriage.
His face didn’t show the same overt worry as Father’s.
But his solitary figure, standing and watching, somehow stuck in my mind.
I deliberately opened the carriage window and poked my head out.
I saw Grandfather’s eyes widen slightly.
“I’m off, Grandfather!”
I didn’t shout loudly, but it must have been loud enough.
“See you in the East!”
As proof, a smile slowly spread across Grandfather’s surprised face.
I waved and smiled until Grandfather’s figure receded and was no longer visible.
***
How long had we been traveling? Familiar scenery passed by the window.
“Oh, here… This is where we dropped off Lorraine and Avinoxs.”
It had been deserted at night then, but now, in the morning, carriages were bustling along the well-maintained road.
“Do you remember, Perez?”
He nodded briefly at my question.
His lips were slightly turned up, and his eyes were narrowed.
“You seem to be in a very good mood today.”
“I am.”
Perez admitted plainly.
“I never thought the day would come when we’d travel alone like this. And most of all…”
Perez’s fingertips brushed my loosely tied hair.
“You said you needed me.”
“Ah… I did.”
“That’s why I’m happy.”
Perez’s voice sounded languid as he said that.
The way he sat, leaning back against the seat, was like a well-fed feline.
“I really can’t move alone. And you said you traveled a lot with your academy classmates, Perez.”
“That’s right. I even went to the East. Though it was by land, not by boat like this.”
“Come to think of it, you’ve been everywhere in the Empire, haven’t you?”
“Yes. During vacations… I was busy.”
At his words, I recalled Perez’s body, which I had once seen, covered in scars.
I had never asked Perez in detail about his time at the academy.
The same went for the travels he took every vacation.
What he had moved for, wandering to such distant places.
But there were some things you could know without asking.
“You’ve been through a lot.”
I gently placed my hand over the back of Perez’s hand and said.
Then his fingers slowly intertwined with mine, gripping tightly.
“It’s a good thing I gained that experience then. Now I can help you like this.”
The wind blowing in through the open window ruffled Perez’s black hair.
His warm gaze towards me and the fluttering of his clothes had something that made me stare blankly at him.
‘Ah, I want to tease him.’
Suddenly, that urge welled up within me.
I wanted to see that gentle, refreshing face turn red, to confirm that flustered expression that he probably only showed to me in this world.
It was a slightly mischievous thought.
And something very appropriate came to mind.
I took out two small, booklet-like items from my handbag, which was in a corner of the carriage.
“These are the IDs we’ll be using during our trip.”
Since we were going to the trouble of disguising ourselves in ready-made clothes, we couldn’t use the names Florentia Lombardi and Perez Brivachau Durelli.
These were fake IDs I had asked Violet to prepare along with various other things for this journey.
“Here, look. Our names.”
“Chaser Gloa, Larita Gloa.”
“And what’s written underneath?”
“…Married Couple.”
It was just as I expected.
I could see his handsome face slowly reddening.
Nobles who tremble at a single glance from Perez would faint if they saw this.
“There’s no better disguise for a young man and woman traveling alone than this.”
I shrugged as if it couldn’t be helped and said, “So, Perez.”
“…Yes.”
I leaned slightly towards Perez, who was still recovering from the word ‘married couple.’
“Which one do you like?”
As I got closer, I felt him hold his breath.
“Think about it. We’re supposed to be newlyweds, and usually, newly married couples call each other pet names, right?”
His red eyes, seen up close, were shaking as if there was an earthquake.
I suppressed the urge to burst out laughing and whispered in a slightly secretive voice, “Honey?”
Gulp.
Perez’s gulp was loud enough for me to hear.
I opened my mouth once more.
“Darling?”
At that moment, Perez’s face flushed crimson, like water overflowing from a glass.
And he hunched his large body, slowly covering his face with both hands.
“…Tia.”
Perez called my name, as if groaning through his fingers.
“What’s wrong? I asked which one you like? You have to choose one to call me, don’t you?”
I pretended not to know anything and leaned my face even closer.
“Honey? Darling? Which one do you like?”
“Ah…”
Perez, as if he couldn’t bear it any longer, turned his body sideways, trying to move away from me.
Not a chance.
I lifted my hips slightly and sat snugly next to him.
“Darling is a bit cheesy. Yes, Honey sounds better.”
When were you trying to escape?
I saw his red eyes peeking at me through his fingers.
I looked straight into those eyes and smiled brightly, saying, “Please take good care of me during the trip, Honey.”
He didn’t react.
He was stiff as a stone for a few seconds.
Then, the next moment, from behind his large hands, which were now cupped over his knees, came a surrender.
“…Please save me, Tia.”
Ah, so this is why you used to tease me so much.
“Ahahaha!”
My laughter, holding my stomach, echoed loudly inside the smoothly running carriage.

I shouldn’t have laughed like that earlier.
I stared blankly at the scene before me.
Ah, right.
We were supposed to be a newlywed couple.
I blinked a few more times, but nothing changed.
I slowly turned around.
One hand still on the doorknob.
And I opened my lips, which felt glued shut.
“There’s… only one bed?”
Perez, standing in the dim hallway with his arms crossed, had a faint smile in his eyes.