Chapter 33
Dillard, who is currently in charge of the Lombardy general manager, entered the mansion early in the morning under the call of the Lord.
Dillard line has been a family member of Lombardy for generations, and their loyalty has been tremendous.
As a joke, it was said that the Emperor of the Dillards was Lombardy, not the real Emperor.
"It’s been a while since you’re here, Romense."2
At the mansion porch, the butler politely greeted him.
"Are we going to the Lord’s office?"
"No. Today, there was a person who called you to the meeting room."
"Meeting room? Hmm."
Dillard answers as if it were a big deal while stroking his short beard.
This Lombardy’s general manager was old but never stepped back from the front lines for a moment.
Still, all of Lombardy’s contracts and advances have gone through his desk.
Obviously, although his job does not require him to meet Lord in person he was called in hastily, and he was nervous, thinking that something might have happened.
But come into the conference room.
Then he asked the deacon.
"Are there any other people here besides me?"
The deacon replied with a small smile.
"Currently, Bray’s, Herrin’s, Bilki’s, Devon’s, and Were’s have already arrived. You are the last in Rome."
Dillard’s face became more confused.
All the families the deacon spoke of were those who were serving Lombardy like Dillard.
Like the Dillard family, some people were in charge of major businesses such as banking, education, transportation, agriculture, and architecture.
Dillard, who quickly stepped in, hurriedly opened the door of the meeting room.
Lord of Herin’s was greeted Dillard first.
"Oh, it’s been a long time."
"Do you know what the hell is going on?"
However, he was the same as he shook his head.
Romense, the general manager search for an empty seat, sit down and asked the same question to Bray’s first son, who was sitting next to him, but the answers were similar.
"I don’t know well either. I suddenly got a call yesterday..."
"It’s true. It’s not common to call them like this......."
Romense was right.
It was only at the New Year’s party at the beginning of the year and Lulak’s birthday banquets that this number of people gathered at once.
Then, the door opened and another person came in.
"No, even you, Clerivan?"
It was Clerivan with a drowsy face.
While looking at the middle for a moment, Clerivan naturally came to the side of Romense and sat down.
Romense Dillard, who was briefly surprised by the appearance of Clerivan, said hello in a small, low-key voice.
"It’s been a long time, Clerivan."
Clerivan, who rubbed his eyes as if tired, replied with a small voice, raising his head a little.
"Yes, father."
Clerivan’s surname pellet was his mother’s surname.
Dillard’s illegitimate child, Clerivan, grows up and lives apart from the Dillards family.
The vassals in the left who were familiar with the relationship of the rich man pretended not to hear the greetings shared by the two.
After a while, Lulak Lombardy opened the door of the conference room and entered.
Except for the old Were’s Lord, everyone jumped up and greeted them from where they were sitting.
Lulak laughed as he beckoned to sit at them.
"Everyone was here."
Contrary to what they were worried about, his smiley face looked very pleasant.
Thanks to this, the gathered vassals became more suspicious.
"The reason I called everyone today is ....."
There was tension in the middle of the seat.
When Lulak beckoned once, the attendant came out carrying something on the tray.
Sweet.
One small pot was placed in front of each person.
He couldn’t figure out what it was, tightly tied with a pretty red string.
"Hmm? What is this smell?"
Asked Dillard, carefully bringing his face to the jar.
"It smells cool, but it’s the first time I smell it."
"I know, right."
Those who are in a hurry already lifted the jar and even shaken it slightly.
Lulak, who looked at them with a smile, said.
"It’s about."
"......The medicine?"
I had guessed at the bitter smell.
The vassals stared at each other’s faces in the distance.
"Can I open it?"
When Clerivan asked, Lulak nodded coolly.
To the vassals who quarreled back and forth for curious minds and unwrapped the red ribbon, Lulak explained more.
"It’s a versatile ointment applied to a painful place. Especially, it’s a special medicine for muscle pain and people with poor joints like me."
"Hoh"
As they got older, the vassals that had one or two uncomfortable places looked into the ointment while shining their eyes even more.
"Oh! But they said don’t apply it to skin peeling or bleeding wounds!"
Devon’s raised his index finger and said firmly.
"But why... "
Finally, Devon’s Lord asked in a small voice.
Lulak smiled as if he had been waiting for the question.
"Do you know who made the ointment?"
"Well, well... ."
"That’s my granddaughter!"
Soon after, Lulak’s ’Hahahahaha!’ Followed by loud laughter.
"Speaking of a granddaughter."
The current third generations of Lombardy’s direct lineage were still young.
Larane, the oldest, was only 11 years old.
But the granddaughter made it.
Everyone was wondering if there was one more granddaughter of a grown-up that we didn’t know.
Then Clerivan asked in a quiet voice.
"Is this Florentia-nim?"
Lulak, who couldn’t stop shaking his shoulders, stopped laughing and looked at Clerivan.
The vassals in the middle of the left were rather fuzzy and noisy.
"If it’s Florentia, Gallahan’s...?"
"She still young.........."
However, it didn’t seem like they were joking about Lulak, who proudly boasted that it was made by her granddaughter, or Clerivan looking at that Lulak.
"Hahaha!"
Suddenly, Lulak laughed again.
Everyone, it was when they were sighing, saying that it was a joke.
"I’m not kidding. It’s really made by my granddaughter, Florentia. It’s a collaboration with a scholar named Estira who entered the Academy this year as a researcher with my recommendation.
"Aha, a joint venture!"
"Hahaha! It was a collaboration!"
People burst into laughter only then.
Well, it is.
Even though it was made by a young child, what the hell was going on, isn’t it a collaboration with a great scholar?
If you look at it, you must have picked the color of this ribbon.
That was the idea of the vassals.
"It’s a product that will be sold in earnest from next month. At that time, you won’t be able to buy it because it doesn’t exist, so thank you!"
"I think Lord is very proud of her granddaughter!"
Herin’s Lord laughed and struck him.
"I don’t know how far you’ll believe me, but you should have seen my granddaughter come and negotiate with me with the ointment!"
"You mean negotiating? With the Lord?"
The trails were amazing.
It was because they took quite a long time to sit down, laugh, and talk with Lulak.
The average child cries hard even when held in Lulak’s arms.
But she negotiated with such a Lord. That kid?.
"Florentia isn’t afraid of me. She’s a very nasty kid."
"Ho.... That’s amazing."
It was an unbelievable atmosphere that everyone said that Florentia created the ointment.
He seemed to be dubious to say that ’she wasn’t scared of Lord and she was a kid too’.
"By the way, I didn’t know if the Lord was so proud of his grandchildren."
At this meeting, Lord of Were’s family, who is the oldest and has a strong relationship with Lulak, said with a smile.
"The old guy has to be very smart."
It seemed like a joke, but he laughed without worrying about Lulak.
Because he thought something was wrong, he was the one who rushed onto the carriage from early morning just to get the ointment from the lord’s proud granddaughter.
Despite the unique cold, he looked down at the parcel in front of him with deep eyes without knowing what was inside.
Then, he touched the end of the red ribbon with his fingers.
It was the same color as the color of the braids that Florentia wears most often.
"Clerivan. Why do you do that."
Dillard, who was watching him from the side, called his son in wonder.
"Maybe you are thinking the same with your father and with them."
At first glance, Clerivan’s eyes looked at the laughs and chatters with a comfortable look.
But in the middle, there were moments when their eyes just stayed on.
"Everyone will be trying to figure out why Lord put everyone together and showed this ointment."
In the kingdom of Lombardy, it was the job of the vassals to read and practice the Lord’s intention.
Everyone seemed to be talking without thinking about it, but that’s just the appearance.
"Father, don’t you even think about ’How and when to distribute this ointment at the top of Lombardy?’.
Dillard nodded, shrugging his shoulders as if he had been caught.
"And one more thing......."
Clerivan once again took a red ribbon in his eyes.
Something that could be called instinct was telling Clerivan.
Watch the owner of this red ribbon.
Clerivan cherished a small, round jar in his hand.
* * *
Class is over.
"I think red is a good match for Florentia."
Larane said, tying a red braid to my head.
"Lara’s white looks good."
I wasn’t just saying it.
Is it because of Larane’s white skin, or because of the blue eyes inherited from Angenas?
The white color went well with Larane.
"......Thanks."
She praised me first, but she feels embarrassed to receive praise.
She was so kind, innocent, and tender-hearted that he wouldn’t be like Belsach, a child that was born in the same boat.2
It was a flower that was too fine to wither without being loved by leaving alone in a far place.
I said to Larane while thinking about that.
"Don’t you like dolls? There was something that came in as a gift for my birthday before, but I hate dolls. Would you like to have Larane?"
"Really? Wow, good!"
Larane showed off a happy smile that I would show when I got a gold bar from someone.
"I? I!"
"Give me a present too, Tia!"
The twins made a cry as they sorted out the books and cushions I was trying to organize.
"Okay, I see."
There was only one reason I was chatting with kids like this now.
"Ha-am."
I looked back, pretending to yawn loudly.
I’m still watching, I’m watching.
Clerivan was looking at me with eyes that seemed to shoot a laser.
Even before the start of class, he asked questions to me whenever he had spare time throughout the class.
Then, after the class is over, he is doing that outright.
I’m worried about it.
But that doesn’t mean that you can’t say, ’I’m going to die because your glares hurt’.
I am an innocent child who knows nothing right now, an innocent child.
Someone patted me on the shoulder of memorizing the spell to myself.
"Wow, that’s a surprise!"
"Why are you so surprised?"
It was Clerivan.
"Well. You were over there until now. Why, why are you doing that, sir?"
I asked with a disgusting smile as much as possible.
"Come with me."
"Yeah?"
Larane and the twins who were next to him also tilted their heads.1
I am not wrong.
"I told you to go with me, Florentia."
What did I do wrong?