A sharp silence that seemed as if it were about to explode pierced the room.
Sushou remained calm, even in front of Laviniâs face that was gradually becoming colder.
He lifted his teacup which he had put down again and even drank a few more sips of the tea.
Although the body that filled the chair was large, the handling of the teacup was quite delicate.
âJust whatâŚare you saying?â
Laviniâs voice trembled.
She was furious.
The face that was smiling beautifully, like a smooth porcelain mask, was gradually cracking due her anger.
âItâs exactly like Iâve said.â
The Sushou Patriarch answered while slowly lowering his hand down onto his bad knee.
It was a hand that belonged to a knight who had many scars.
âThe deadline for the funds lent out to the Angenas by Sushou has already passed. So, if you arenât able to return that money right away, weâll have to seize the collateral.â
âHey, Patriarch Sushou!â
Eventually, a loud shout burst out from the Empress.
The smile that tried hard to seem calm finally collapsed with a crash.
âYou want me to return the money right now?! Arenât you also aware of how impossible your condition is?â
âHave I said anything that was incorrect, Your Majesty the Empress?â
Chanton Sushou had an odd look on his face.
His twisted mouth made it hard to determine whether he was angry or smiling.
Seeing the face he had made, Laviniâs anger within her exploded.
âAre you pretending to be me right now?â
âOf course not.â
âIf not, then what? What are you trying to do, getting me to suddenly repay you such a large sum of money at a time like this?!â
âI know. Borrowing such a large amount of money yet feeling so at ease, how strange.â
Finally, the Patriarch of Sushou let out a dry laugh and smirked.
But the gaze in his eyes was as thin as the surface of ice.
âSince youâve borrowed the money, itâs natural that you now have to pay it back.â
Empress Lavini glared at the Chanton in front of her.
She was so angry that she had reached the point where her shoulders were shaking every time she took a breath.
However, she couldnât even scream according to her personality.
Because it was true that the Angenas had borrowed money from Sushou using their estates and land as the collateral, and subsequently, the hilt of the sword was rightfully held by Sushou.
The Empress, who had been glaring at Chanton Sushou for a long time, finally opened her mouth.
âIs the South so insufficient for you to covet the West as well? Representing both regions isnât allowed, so the West will still be under the jurisdiction of Angenas.â
âIâm already aware of that.â
âAnd yet youâre still greedy for our land. Arenât you being overly ambitious right now?â
âThat could be possible.â
The Patriarch of Sushou said languidly, as if he was stretching.
âBut, of course, I wouldnât be the only one who has a lot of greed. Wouldnât the Angenas, the ones who seized someone elseâs property, also have a lot of greed?â
âPatriarch Sushou!â
Her body trembled at the insults that were thrown directly in her face.
Her nails dug painfully into her palm as she clenched her fists.
However, thanks to the pain, Lavini regained her rationality.
Then, she took a deep breath whilst calmly grasping the situation.
âPatriarch Sushou.â
âYes, please continue.â
âIf youâre trying to pretend to be me, youâll regret it.â
âIâve already said it a while earlier, Your Majesty the Empress. Sushou is not trying to replace Angenas. Iâm just claiming the accumulated debt.â
ââŚthen Iâll arrange for the funds to be repaid within this month. If weâre not able to by then, Iâll hand over the deeds to the land.â
Empress Lavini put down all of her pride and suggested.
However, Patriarch Sushou shook his head.
âIâm sorry. Actually, the deadline stated in the contract is already three days overdue. Iâve already waited for the past three days, so I came here in order to get the deeds to the land today.â
âThereâs no such lawâŚ!â
âOr should we ask His Majesty the Emperor to mediate?â
Sushou interrupted the Empress and asked.
It was a method that was occasionally used when conflicts between nobles escalated.
Just like it did with Angenas and Brown, a long time ago.
It was normally a suggestion that was welcomed with open arms.
But Empress Laviniâs complexion was still as dark as it was before.
Because it was the excessively fickle Emperor Yovanes.
She did not know what kind of ruling he would make if he was asked to solve such a problem, especially in a situation where because of Astana, he was in such a foul temper.
Perhaps he might have asked Angenas to spit out something else on top of their fief as collateral.
Clenching her teeth together, Empress Lavini rose from her seat and opened the safe.
It contained the deeds to the various areas under the jurisdiction of Angenas.
Laviniâs fingertips trembled as she pulled out the deeds from among the pile to the places that were stated in the contract.
However, when she returned to her seat with the deeds to the land, her expression had already returned to normal.
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Before she handed over the deeds, Empress Lavini spoke.
âYou already said you wouldnât pretend to be me.â
âThatâs right.â
âThen, please make sure you attend tomorrowâs noble meeting. And what weâve done today is not to leave your mouth. Donât tell anyone.â
Now, it was more important than ever for Angenas to show an unshakeable and solid appearance.
âHmm.â
Patriarch Sushou, who seemed to agonise over her request for a while, nodded shortly after.
âIâll do that then.â
âAlso, youâll return the deeds to our fief if we repay the amount of money we borrowed, right?â
âThatâs quite difficult. Weâve already made plans for the estates in the west.â
âYouâd better put aside those plans, since weâll get that money as soon as possible.â
Empress Laviniâs words and scornful laughter elicited a rare laugh from Patriarch Sushou, who seldom did so.
Then, while accepting the bundle of documents that the Empress was offering to him, he told her.
âThen youâll have to hurry, Your Majesty the Empress.â
[ / / / ]
The day of the aristocratic meeting dawned.
In no time, my carriage was already approaching the venue where the noble meeting would take place.
Of course, it was the carriage that my Grandfather always used, the carriage for the head of the Lombardys.
I swept my hand over the interior of the carriage which was beautifully decorated in gold, like the black silk dress I was wearing.
âThe feeling of riding on this carriage, I missed it.â
This unshakable sense of security that seems to be put into this moving carriage!
The Patriarch of Lombardyâs carriage.
Of course, I had also ridden in this carriage in my previous life.
However, I was only accompanying my grandfather everywhere as a secretary to assist him.
âNow, itâs mine.â
Now itâs for me, Florentia Lombardy, the Acting Patriarch Lombardy, and no one else.
And just like that, I felt as if I had an unspoken connection with the carriage, and soon arrived in front of the place that the aristocratic council was to be held.
I patted the ornament of the World Tree and whispered.
âJust wait here for a while, alright? Iâll be right back after finishing this task.â
Those words werenât just said for no reason.
The aristocratic meeting this time wouldnât be too long.
I walked softly, taking leisurely steps.
As soon as I entered the conference room, countless pairs of eyes focused on me.
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âOh itâs young miss?â 1
An old nobleman who was talking to another nobleman by the door asked me.
It was a man who belonged to the faction that sided with Angenas.
âAre you sure you havenât come to the wrong place, young miss?â
âIs there perhaps a book club taking place near here?â
The sound of several people talking in whispers could be heard.
As I slowly glanced at their faces, one by one, the information regarding them floated in front of them.
That fat man who offered a bribe to his father and was turned down.
That grumpy looking man was competing with Shananae in the mining industry.
And the person who sent me a teddy bear for my 8th birthday.
There were very few people who were completely new to me in here.
Then, someone approached me.
âOh, isnât this Lombardyâs young miss?â
He was a nobleman I had seen several times before at a banquet.
He was a member of a household who was quite close to Lombardy and was always stuck right next to either my grandfather or Viege.
âHello.â
Since I donât remember his name, letâs just omit it completely.
Instead, I gave him a bright smile and asked.
âThis is the conference room that will be used for the upcoming noble meeting, right?â
âThatâs right, butâŚâ
âCould you please let me know which seat my grandfather sits in when he normally attends the meeting?â
âWhere the Patriarch Lombardy sits?â
The nobleman tilted his head for a while before telling me to follow him for now.
As I started to walk, numerous pairs of eyes also moved with me.
Curiosity, disapproval, vigilance.
All sorts of things stung the back of my head.
I gradually became more and more convinced by the fact that if I were not a Lombardy, I would not have been allowed into the conference room.
âPatriarch Lombardy hasnât arrived yet.â
âYes, I know.â
Right now, Grandfather is recuperating in bed.
âAha, then did you perhaps come here to see Patriarch Lombardy?â
âNo, nothing like that.â
The nobleman who guided me to my seat constantly chattered on without stopping.
Fortunately, my grandfatherâs seat was not too far from the entrance.
Exactly to the right of the chairmanâs chair.
The seat that was in the row furthest to the front and right in the centre.
It was a chair that didnât look particularly stable or firm.
However, I was well aware of what such a position meant in this place.
âItâs here. However, as you can see, Patriarch Lombardi hasnât arrived yetâŚâ
Flop.
I ignored the nobleman who was talking about some other nonsense again and sat my butt down onto the empty chair.
I saw the Angenas faction on the other side glance over.
âWhat an ideal spot.â
I laughed when I thought of my grandfather sitting in this chair and glaring at the nobles on the other side.
âWhatâŚexactly are you doing right now?â
The eyes of the nobleman who guided me to my seat were wide open with astonishment.
The responses of the others in the conference room were no different.
âAhem. Lady Lombardi.â
Then, I heard a courteous voice calling me.
It was the chairman.
âYes, Chairman Killian. Itâs been a while since I saw you. You came to my coming of age ceremony, didnât you?â
âYes, I didâŚdo that.â 2
I could see the complex emotions flit past the chairmanâs face.
He probably wonât be able to understand the situation any further since the appearance of me, sitting in the conference room probably overlaps with the one of me, having my coming of age ceremony only a few years ago.
âAhem, Lady Lombardi. That seat is the seat of your grandfather, Patriarch Lombardy. the seat of my grandfather, the Lord Lombardi. If youâd like to watch the noble meeting, thereâs a spot at the back over thereâŚâ
âIâve come here to attend the meeting, not spectate it.â
âAttendâŚ?â
âYes, Sir Speaker.â
The chairman looked at me, dumbfounded.
The nobles who were waiting to attend the meeting started to talk as a crowd.
However, it was all like joyous music to my ears.
âIf youâre attendingâŚâ
Iâm sure you understand what Iâm saying by now.
I repeated it once again, one word at a time in a clear and articulate voice to the chairman in order to confirm it with him again.
âFlorentia Lombardy. The Acting Patriarch of Lombardy.â