Chapter 228
"Why...why are you doing this?" Embarra.s.sed, Clerivan approached Gallahan to stop him.
Gallahan said, smiling comfortably at Clerivan. "Because Tia wasn"t alone thanks to you, Clerivan."
"Ah..."
"As Tia"s father, I wanted to say thank you for looking after my daughter."
Clerivan was silent for a moment.
He had so many thoughts that he felt like once he opened his mouth, a mess of tangled words would pour out.
After taking a few breaths, Clerivan carefully opened his mouth.
"Thank you is something that I should say." He chuckled at the end of his words.
"You don"t know how much my life has changed because of meeting Lady Firentia, Lord Gallahan."
Taking care of the Lombardy house and teaching the heirs, Clerivan thought that he was withering away.
Day by day, he did what was given to him and didn"t have any clear goal in mind.
In addition, he was also greatly disappointed that Rulhac"s grandchildren, whom he had been teaching for quite some time, were more ordinary.
And then, Clerivan met Firentia.
"I feel like I"ve met someone who recognizes me and values my worth. It"s like being reborn."
The succession training room was decorated like a playroom for children. The room was filled with low desk chairs, colorful cushions, and dainty dolls.
But then the excitement he felt at the moment when he welcomed Lady Firentia, who showed up with sharp eyes!
"If it weren"t for Firentia, I would be lonely until I die."
Clerivan bowed his head with a big smile at the old memory that was overwhelming even as he thought of it now.
"Thank you, Lord Gallahan." Clerivan said, fixing the basket on his arm.
"Have a good evening with your family."
That"s when Clerivan greeted politely and tried to pa.s.s by Gallahan"s side.
However.
Gallahan"s hand grabbed Clerivan"s shoulder.
"... Lord Gallahan?" Clerivan"s eyes shook as he looked down at Gallahan"s hand on his shoulder.
"What is it...?"
"Mr. Clerivan." Gallahan said and asked with a distinctive grin. "Where are you going?"
"The dinner is about to begin, so I shall go to my room..."
"Would you be fine with just eating dinner with that food?" Gallahan said, pointing at the basket.
"Ah, no, I"m okay with this, really...."
"But I"m not okay." Gallahan was still smiling.
His smiling face was clearly the same, but his green eyes were fierce.
Clerivan somehow got a little scared.
Gallahan"s fingers gripping his shoulder also dug a little deeper.
"Gal....Lord Gallahan?"
Then, Gallahan asked.
"Are you going to leave Tia alone in front of my father?"
"That"s..."
"You two lied together." Gallahan"s fingers squeezed Clerivan"s shoulder even tighter.
"You have to take responsibility as well."
"Uhhhh...??" Clerivan frowned.
"I don"t want to! I am also afraid of the Lord!"
He wanted to shout that way, but when he looked into Gallahan"s eyes, which folded beautifully and wouldn"t budge, Clerivan eventually replied with his head down.
"....Okay."
"Haha! That"s great, then! Let"s go inside!"
Gallahan patted Clerivan"s shoulder and pushed him against his back.
"I told the Chef to cook a lot of seafood that Clerivan likes."
"Yes? How do you know that I"ll be attending..."
"It"s all going according to plan! Haha!"
Being pushed by Gallahan, who was trying to gloss it over, Clerivan wandered.
"Wasn"t it a coincidence that we met in this hallway?"
Thinking of Firentia, who is completely different from Gallahan, he has vaguely thought that she probably resembles her late mother.
Well...
"Maybe the one she truly resembles is Gallahan..." Clerivan thought so as he was dragged into the dining hall helplessly.
***
"Clerivan?"
How come you are here?
When I ask him with a look, Clerivan looks at my father with a somewhat helpless face.
I didn"t quite understand, but it seems to be about him being dragged to dinner because of my father.
"Oh, I"m hungry."
"It"s been a long time since we all gathered together like this."
The twins and Shannanet came in.
"It"s been a while, Mr. Pellet." Shannanet gently greeted Clerivan.
Although it was a family gathering, no one seemed to be uncomfortable with Clerivan here.
"Yes, it"s been a while, Lady Shannanet."
When greetings come and go like that.
"Everyone"s here."
My grandfather arrived.
Soon the food came out and the meal began.
When the dessert was served over time, I brought it up.
"Grandfather, I have something to tell you."
"Hmm? What is it, Tia?"
I clenched my fists again, remembering the time I spoke to my father.
Let"s take it off at once!
"You know that the West representative became the Braun family at today"s meeting, right?"
"Since you"ve stepped up to the plate, I thought it would work from the beginning."
"Eh? How?"
"Because Tia and the Second Prince were working together." Grandfather drank wine with a smile.
He has complete trust in me. Thinking that he do, my heart became heavier.
Then, my father gave me a look as if to cheer for me.
"You"ve taken the money that Angenas owed to the Lombardys from Pellet"s before, right, Grandpa?"
"I did."
"At that time, the Pellet Company lent money to Angenas and secured the land as collateral."
"Oh, you must have taken advantage of that, huh? Very good! Very good! Hahaha..." My grandfather"s laughter grew smaller. Soon, he tilted his head and asked me.
"By the way, how did you manage to obtain the collateral without Clerivan going to the meeting?"
"Read this, Grandpa." I quietly handed out Clerivan"s contract.
"Hmm. Let"s see. "I, Firentia Lombardy, the owner of Pellet Company—"...." The voice stopped reading the contract.
But the most important part has already come out.
That I am the owner of the Pellet Company.
Grandfather was still looking through the contract and Shannanet smiled, shook her head, and drank wine.
"You..you...you...."
I bowed my head with the thought of being reprimanded. But the sparks spattered in the wrong place.
"Clerivan, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d! You should have told me!"
"...I"m sorry." Clerivan calmly bowed his head, as if he had expected it to some extent.
"That"s all right! But, how can you not take me seriously?"
"Grandpa, it is not Clerivan, it is I—"
"Wait." My grandfather raised his hand to stop me and asked.
"Then, the first business that had been launched after the Pellet Company was established is the famous Lira Diamond Mine."
The mine that was stolen from under Lombardy"s eyes.
"....It was what I did."
"But wasn"t it the time when you were only eleven years old?"
"It is."
"Then, the grain at Sousseau that we bought and sold in the East..."
"Yes, that too."
"What about the Trivia Wood in the North? Which is the base of the Eastern trade now?" Grandpa asked me again with a voice that I couldn"t tell whether he was angry or curious.
"Really... are you really saying that Pellet Company is Tia"s business? You"ve been raising Pellet since that young age?"
"Yes."
"Without this grandfather"s help? Without the help of the family?"
"Sometimes I got Lombardy"s help. Grandpa didn"t know." I nodded as I answered.
Grandpa looked at me and Clerivan alternately several times.
And all of a sudden.
"Hahahahaha!"
Bigger laughter burst out than ever before.
You"re laughing so hard.
He even picked up a napkin and damped the tears from his eyes.
"That"s what I meant! Haha! A child of only eleven years old! Hahaha!"
Thank G.o.d. I was relieved, giving a small sigh.
Fortunately, Grandpa didn"t look angry.
He sipped his wine and laughed, again and again, looking back at the contract.
"I was worried that Tia was young and lacked experience! To think Tia was the boss of a merchant guild!"
With my grandfather"s reaction, I was able to laugh a little comfortably.
"By the way, Tia." Shannanet called me.
"Wouldn"t it be hard to take care of both the Pellet Company and the Lombardy family?" It was a question full of worries.
"I don"t want to give them both up. I am a little greedy." I said as I shook my head.
"And I didn"t raise Pellet alone from the beginning. Clerivan and Violet have done all the hard work. I"m going to leave the Pellet business as it is now."
"Of course! Of course! Tia should succeed me and become the Head of Lombardy!"
"Well, Grandpa. Aren"t you mad at me?"
The atmosphere wasn"t bad, but I was still worried.
"It"s not bad for a person to hide some of their abilities. Good job, Tia." My grandfather rather praised me.
You"re not really angry.
Then
"Grandfather."
"Yes?"
"Give me the contract." I said, pointing to Clerivan"s contract in my grandfather"s hand.
"It"s a life contract."
"Ah, yes! Keep it safe! To hold Clerivan tight!" My grandfather laughed again as he hummed and returned the contract to me.
Oh, another fingerprint.
Now Clerivan was smiling comfortably at my grandfather"s words and shaking his head as if he couldn"t stop him.
"So, you"re done with the Angenas?" Grandfather asked me.
"Uhm, no."
"You mean there"s more to do? Perhaps..." Grandfather said, anxiously narrowing his eyebrows.
"You"re not gonna let the Angenas off the hook? Our Tia isn"t weak-hearted..."
"I still have a debt to collect. Clerivan, how much was it?"
Clerivan answered my question, wiping his mouth with a napkin.
"The first is 2,500 gold, and the second is 4,500 gold. A total of 7,000 gold."
"That is the money that the Head of Angenas borrowed from the Empress secretly with the Henforek estate. Of course, they didn"t pay the interest either..."
"If you include the three-month interest plus the penalty for breaching the contract, it is a little over 8,000 gold."
"That"s what it says."
I smiled at my family looking at me and Clerivan with a slightly amazed look.
"Oh, and there"s more! They destroyed the Pellet Company and Clerivan"s mansion. So we have to get them to pay us back!"
"We can"t forget about Violet too."
"She must have felt anxious in the Knight"s building. Violet needs to take a break, too."
"Didn"t you know Violet"s personality? For you to be forgiven, you have to pay back for what you"ve owed."
"That"s what she is."
I"ll pay you back twice as much.
I spoke to Clerivan, making a promise.
"I"ll make you a nice new house, Clerivan."
"Yes, would you like to raise the company building to a better building?"
"Oh, that would be great!"
I heard my grandfather laughing while listening to the conversation between me and Clerivan.
"Yes, yes. That"s my granddaughter!"
At that time, butler John hastily entered the dining hall. He wouldn"t bother with a family dinner if he could.
Therefore, my grandfather"s face hardened when he saw John coming in with a letter on a tray. And the rigid atmosphere became heavier when John spoke.
"An urgent letter has arrived from the palace."
Grandfather put down the wine gla.s.s and opened the envelope of the letter. After reading carefully, he got up right away.
"Jovanes is in critical condition. I should go to the palace right now."
The Emperor is in critical condition?
Didn"t he look fine until the conference?
"Tia."
I looked back when grandfather called me.
"You will also go with this grandfather as the successor to the Lombardy family."