Chapter 257
The side story of Florentia.MTL-edited quality.
Chapter 1.
Maeaem- Maeaem
Summer when cicadas cry loudly.
Clarivan Pellet, the top"s Lord at the Lombardi Top, was walking along the wide corridor of the Lombardi mansion.
As he stretched out his long legs and moved, his hem fluttered long, and his blond and blue eyes twinkled in the midday sunlight.
At that appearance, many employees of the mansion who worked around him looked at him with enchantment.
Indeed, Clarivan couldn"t notice such a thing, and he just took his step by thinking about something.
"He met the Matriarch randomly. I can"t believe he came in. He ignorant b.a.s.t.a.r.d..."
When he recalled an uninvited visitor who had come without an appointment in advance, Clarivan"s straight eyebrows were wrinkled.
"Well, I"m sure this is all going the way of the Matriarch."
There was a statement in advance.
If "he" comes in unexpectedly, don"t send him back and let him know.
"All have plans."
When he remembered her, the light and pillar of Lombardi, a smile appeared on Clarivan"s face.
Without stopping, he looked inside the mansion and out the window.
The heat is in full swing, so it could have gotten messy and loose somewhere.
Wherever the eyes met, there was no place that was not perfect.
Of course, it always has, but in the opinion of Clarivan Pellet, who is quite subjective, Lombardi has become more perfect in about a year and three months.
It was the time when the current Matriarch of Lombardi, Florentia Lombardi, succeeded in the position of the householder.
"447 days to be exact."
Clarivan muttered proudly.
It was a number that was accurately calculated by adding one day each time he wake up every morning.1
It was also true that at first there was an uneasy gaze on the new householder, both inside and outside Lombardi.
The character Florentia Lombardi was in many ways an "uncommon choice".
However, the new householder of Lombardi, who heard the story, said with a distinctive confident smile.
"As time goes by, everyone will naturally know, well, why I became the Matriarch of Lombardi."
And it was just like that.
Out of concern, she quickly began to take center stage as a householder.
Like a person born from the beginning to become a Lombardi"s householder
She pretended to do complicated things without the help of others, and made the right choice every time without being blocked by difficult decisions.
It was truly every day that everyone who was serving the new Matriarch of Lombardi was admiring.
So, the past year and three months have pa.s.sed quickly.
As Florentia a.s.sures, and as Clarivan expects.
Now no one dared question the new Matriarch of Lombardi"s actions.
Whoever sees, Lombardi was getting stronger than ever in the history of the family.
Clarivan"s shoulders shrugged at the pride of the person who had such a person right next to him, and the pride of being the closest limb.
"Oh, Mr. Bate."1
Clarivan had just found Bate walking out of the gallery of the mansion and was approaching.
"It"s been a long time, Sir Clarivan."
Bate, the guild leader of the Information Guild, greeted with his mysterious amber eyes bent round.
It"s always been a thought, but like the name of the dessert shop he runs, it"s a deep smile that reminds him of caramel.
"The Matriarch is inside. She"s looking at Alpheo Jean"s work."
"You mean the new one?"
"Yes, I"m sure she liked it, but she"s feeling particularly good today."
"Good thing."
Clarivan hung his head to remember the character, who was now waiting for him in the householder"s office.
"Let"s go in."
"Yes, of course."
They were working closely with Matriarch enough to call themselves the left and right arms of Florentia Lombardi, but the two did not talk about their work at all.
It was because what each other knew was too sensitive.
Tap, tap.
Clarivan"s footsteps rang louder as he entered the gallery with a high ceiling and an open s.p.a.ce.
In the s.p.a.ce covered with white marble, all kinds of rare art works show off their beauty.
In the deepest and widest place, the work of Alpheo Jean, which Bate talked about, was held in place.
The t.i.tle of the work is "World Tree".
The world tree, the symbol of the Lombardi family, was embodied by its organ, woodwork, and was a huge sculpture of several pieces connected together.
It was an artwork created by burning the soul without a single day off for over a year to celebrate the fact that Florentia Lombardi, who recognized his talent as a child, became the Matriarch.
A large wooden pillar that can only be hugged by three adult males holding their hand in hand, and countless branches extending from it in all directions.
It was magnificent as if it were supporting the world, not the ceiling of a gallery, but also blazing as if it were about to devour everything.
And below it.
A person with a presence that is not pushed by the energy of the sculpture.
Lombardi"s householder, Florentia Lombardi, smiled as she looked back at Clarivan.
"Welcome, Lord Pellet."
***
"You calls me like that again."
Clarivan spoke in an uncharacteristically uneven voice.
"Please call me as comfortably as before."
"But now you"re the lord of Lombardi"s top..."
Although I was blurred, Clarivan didn"t even budge.
He"s so determined in a weird place.
"All right, Lord Clarivan."
"Lord, that honor is...."
"I"m calling Clarivan"s name, but I can"t speak informally."
Then Clarivan laughed with a shallow sigh as if it couldn"t be helped.
I smiled face to face with that Clarivan, then turned my head and looked up at the sculpture of the world tree again.
I felt as if I had become a lucky human being who witnessed the world tree that exists in the legend.
After standing still for a moment, Clarivan let me know in a soft voice behind my back.
"Well, the Matriarch."
"Tell me."
"I"m sorry for your appreciation, but Chanton Sushou is waiting in the office right now."
Clarivan"s speech, speaking the name of the Patriarch of Sushou, the great lord of the South, was quite harsh.
That means he doesn"t like him that much.
However, I did not respond to that remark.
It"s only because it"s time to come, but what?
Besides, it"s him who"s in a hurry, not me.
Instead, I reached out and swept the hard surface of the world tree.
Originally, it was said that art works were to be appreciated only with the eyes, but this world tree sculpture was made by Alpheo Jean in consideration of the touch as well.
Only for me.
"Clarivan."
"Yes, the Matriarch."
"What would it have been like if the branches of this world tree didn"t stretch out in that shape?"
"......what?"
"What if there weren"t any flowers of the world tree that bloomed there? No, what if this sculpture was just a little smaller than this?"
I smiled as I immediately met Clarivan"s blue eyes staring at me to read my intentions.
"Don"t you think it must have been a pretty nice sculpture, though?"
Like the sculpture I saw in my previous life.
With my help, Alpheo Jean started sculpting in earnest at a much earlier age than before.
Even with full support from Lombardi.
Since the genius is winged, it seems obvious that Alpheo Jean succeeded faster and gained more fame.
And there was already one sculpture that had been pa.s.sed on to the Lombardi family.
The "woman who cares for saplings" presented at the Lombardi Scholarship banquet held to secretly bring the Patriarch of Brown.
So I thought it was just pa.s.sing by.
Alpheo Jean eventually created his masterpiece, "The World Tree," and dedicated it to the new owner, me.
As if it were his destiny to produce the masterpiece.
"What I want to say is that what will happen will eventually happen."
But some things have changed.
The "World Tree" this time was a little different from that of my previous life.
Flowers, which were not previously present, were added, and branches were drawn in a more dynamic shape.
And more than anything else, the scale has become more grand.
"But, how to get out of that fate and how to use it depends on the person in the end."
Like Alpheo Jean, who created a more beautiful "World Tree" with his superior skills than in my previous life.
Then I tapped Clarivan"s shoulder with affection and said.
"You said he"s waiting? I"m going now."
I want to make him wait longer when I think about what has been disturbing me.
With that in mind, I took a very leisurely step from the gallery to my office.
I deliberately stopped in the middle to see flowers, and talked to Herringa"s householder of the Scholarship Foundation, who was pa.s.sing by.
And when I finally entered the office.
"The Matriarch of Lombardi."
Chanton Sushou, who was sitting, stood up and called me.
He was a n.o.bleman with no original expression, but his impression was even harder today.
It seems like a person full of anger.
However, I know too well that there"s a touch of impatience underneath that thick expressionless expression.
I stood still without saying anything for a while and appreciated the face of Chanton Sushou.
Eventually, Chanton Sushou couldn"t stand it anymore and asked.+
"What was written in the letter... is it true?"
Yeah, he should"ve come out like that a long ago.
I said, smiling at Chanton Sushou, with a full heart of joy.
"It"s been a month since I saw you, Patriarch Sushou."