The word âsuccessionâ caused a stir among the vassals family.
"Lord, those words are still..."
âAre you going to say itâs too early?â
Lulak smiled and asked again.
"Isnât it time for me to rest now? I wonder if this is what it means to say that each day is different."
The vassals had a sorrowful faces.
Especially those on the younger side.
The only Lord they knew was Lulak.
It was hard to imagine that someone other than Lulak would sit in the seat of the householder.
There was a strange silence in the crowd.
"These people, when did I say I was going to step down right now? Why are you all so dead?"
Lulak grinned and said.
"Come on, so feel free to speak. Who should I trust to hand over this family?"
Another silence fell.
Everyone is lost in thought.
Then Herrinâs householder broke the silence first.
"I wonder how Madame Shannanet will be."
Others nodded and sympathized.
"She has been taking care of this and that as a Lord representative. I think itâll be the safest option because itâs already proven."
"Hmm. Does anyone else think so?"
This time, Lulakâs question was answered by the Greene familyâs householder, who manages the land.
"I have experience working with Madame Shannanet. In fact, I felt so secure that I didnât need time to match hands and feet separately. Itâs like working with the Lord."
"Thatâs right, and also Madame Shananetâs ability to manage crises is no match for anyone else."
Tolta, who manages the mining industry agreed.
Then, the householder of the Bray family, who is in charge of the Lombardy bank, spoke.
"I wonder how Gallahan is."
"Hoo."
Lulak raised his eyebrows with the appearance of another name.
"What is the reason?"
"Because he already has experience in ruling and developing a territory, Lord."
"Yes, Cheshire has made a lot of progress in a short period of time."
"Yes, Lord Gallahan has a very good understanding of commerce and finance, even to my surprise, who do business dealing with money."
Bray, who is usually stingy in his assessment of others, was weighing more because of his words.
"In that sense, Lord Gallahan has a very good side to it."
"Thatâs right, and if Cheshire is incorporated into Lombardyâs estate, wouldnât it be possible to aim for a tremendous synergistic effect commercially? How is it, Dillardâs householder?"
All eyes were on Romassie Dillard, the Top owner of Lombardy.
The same was true of Lulak.
"Iâm..."
Romassie Dillard replied in a calm voice.
"I think neither Madame Shannanet nor Lord Gallahan can be a good candidate for succession, but itâs not going to be the best choice."
"What do you mean?"
The Toltaâs householder sitting next to him asked in surprise.
"So you have other options than Madame Shannanet and Lord Gallahan? No, Dillardâs householder, please. Youâre not..."
Are you talking about Viese?
Toltaâs householder couldnât bring the last words out of his mouth and asked with his eyes wide open.
"No, I said it with Lady Florentia in mind."
This time, the impact was even greater.
"Lady Florentia?"
"Isnât Lady Florentia the daughter of Lord Gallahan?"
"How come, the Lady is still a little girl..."
Various words poured out among the householders who supported Shannanet and Gallahan.
But Romassie Dillard remained nonchalant.
"Sheâs been intelligent since she was a child. After coming of age, she successfully led several businesses in Lombardy. Itâs not like Lombardyâs history has never had a succession to skip one."
"Thatâs true, but..."
Then an unexpected figure intervened in the discussion.
"I also thought of Lady Florentia first."
It was Clang Devon of transportation and delivery.
"A little while ago, you said that working with Madame Shannanet makes you feel secure."
Clang Devon said, looking at Greeneâs householder, who said that.
"When I work with Lady Florentia... It feels like Iâm invincible."
"Invincible?"
"Yes, thereâs nothing to be afraid of, if you trust and follow Lady Florentia."
"Huh, thatâs..."
Then the Herrinâs householder voiced opposition.
"But Dillardâs householder said she was intelligent, but isnât she still young? Besides, she recently got engaged to the Second Prince. Could such a person be the successor?"
This was also a fair word.
Again, everyoneâs eyes were on Romassie Dillard.
Then Romassie Dillard smiled furtively and shook his head.
"Itâs just an engagement. They havenât even officially started their marriage yet. It also mentioned her age."
Romassie Dillard said, looking straight at Herrinâs householder.
"Being young doesnât mean sheâs not Lombardy. Isnât it?"
In short, he said she had enough qualifications to become a successor.
A frantic war of words broke out, and the conference room was quiet again.
But this time, even Lulak was silent and in agony.
He knew the names of Shannanet and Gallahan would be mentioned, but the mention of his granddaughter, Florentia, was unexpected.
Lulak, rubbing his beard, looked silently at Romassie Dillard.
It was always Romassie, which had the best grasp of Lulakâs intentions and was able to move.
âIs it like that again this time? Or...â
Romassie was the one who first support Lulak before becoming the Lord.
Since then, Lulak and Romassie Dillard have grown together in a way.
Then he came forward to support Florentia.
It meant a lot to Lulak.
At the same time, he has a question.
âWhat did Romassie see in Tia?â
He could not have supported Florentia in such a public place without any justifiable reason.
Romassie Dillard was convinced.
Tia is the one who beat Gallahan and Shananet and fits the seat of the next Lord of Lombardy.
âThere must be something.â
Lulakâs curiosity was growing rapidly.
* * *
"Your Highness, itâs too early to return!"
Lignite cried out in frustration.
At the news that Perez had been in serious trouble, he brought Tedro and Steely and ran to the Lombardy mansion.
However, what he discovered upon arrival was Perez, who insisted on returning to the Palace without being able to move freely.
"Itâs not like the Empress is telling the world that she was trying to kill you. Then you donât have proper medical treatment at the Palace. What the hell are you going to do with this body!"
Angry Steely said, but Perez doesnât care.
"Get my sword, Tedro."
"I feel the same way this time. You still have to pull yourself together in Lombardy."
"Right, you canât even walk properly!"
Lignite sighed deeply.
Perezâs weak appearance came as a big shock to the three.
There have been assassination attacks before, but it was the first time Perez had been so badly injured.
"And you said you were poisoned! Lombardyâs doctor is so good. Letâs get treatment for one more day, Your Highness!"
But Perez just shook his head.
In the end, Lignite raised his voice.
"Then let me know why! Why are you suddenly going back to the Palace? When you first came to Lombardyâs mansion, you acted like you were going to set us apart and make a living here!"
"Itâs because of Tia."
Perez, who was sitting on the bed, answered, forcing himself to get up.
"I canât get Tia into my fight."
Oh, it said Lady Lombardy was with him this time.
Only then could the trio understand Perezâs sudden change of attitude.
Lady Lombardy seems to be a very precious person to Perez.
"My thoughts were short. I should deal with the Empress first."
Perezâs red eyes permeated with energy.
Not only did she send Sussew as an assassin, but she put a tail behind and used poison.
If she wants to kill him that much, itâs polite to attack her with the same heart.
But he didnât want to drag Tia into the ugly fight.
"Maybe itâs a good thing I realize it now."
It wasnât the time to be happy to have Tia around for a contract engagement.
Even though his selfish behavior was putting her in danger.
The blunt self, drunk on Tia, didnât even realize how irresponsible her actions were.
"Sigh."
Perez sighed and asked Lignite.
"Where is the Emperor?"
"...In the house of a lover in the northern residential area of the Capital."
"Did he start a relationship recently?"
"Well, right."
"Then Iâm glad heâs in a good mood when he hears about the breakup."
"Br, break up?!"
The trio was surprised and asked at the same time.
"The breakup, Your Highness, think again."
"If you break up with Lady Lombardy and fall out of favor with the Emperor, youâll be in trouble!"
"Thereâs a hunting contest coming up right now. Why donât we talk after that?"
It was Perez who knew how important Lombardyâs role was in the remaining plans.
But none of that could be more important than Tiaâs safety.
But the answer came from a completely wrong place, not Perez.
"Youâre talking about breaking up the engagement?"
Surprised, the trio quickly looked back.
Tia was leaning crookedly with her arms crossed in the open door.
"I led my tired body from detoxification to the hospital, and I came to see you, but what is this?"
With her squinting eyes, she strode toward Perez.
The three men, who were discouraged by the force, recoiled as if the sea were splitting and opened the way without realizing it.
"Where are you going with that look, Perez?"
"Iâm thinking of going back to the Palace."
"Why?"
"Not anymore..."
"âI canât put you in danger anymore?â youâre not going to say such nonsense, are you?"
Tia asked, raising one eyebrow.
"Didnât the word âbreakupâ that I just heard come from that ridiculous context? Probably not. Right, Perez?"
Perez clenched his lips without answering.
"I pulled the dagger out quickly. Did the poison spread to your head in the meantime? Otherwise, Perez I know wouldnât say such a stupid thing."
Steely gave Lignite a glimpse at the incessant verbal abuse.
âShouldnât we stop this?â
But Lignite shook his head slightly.
âItâs okay. Just stay still as the Lady Lombardy does.â
Lignite gave Steely that kind of look.
"Perez, Iâll give you a chance to cancel what you just said."
Tia said with a smile.
"Iâll forgive you if Estira tells that sheâs using a medicine as the strong one and the nonsense comes out for a while."+
But Perez also did not back down.
He just stared at her with his deep eyes.
"Thatâs right."
Tia murmured in a low voice.
Then she lifted a finger and said, poking Perez in the shoulder.
"Sit down."
Thatâs all.
Unwell, Perez had to sit back in bed, frowned at the pain.
Then Tia turned her head and stared at the trio and said.
"Get out of here."