In This Life, I Will Be The Lord

Chapter 147

Ramona.

Who was known as Perez’s lover in my previous life.

Ramona, who always accompanied Perez on public occasions.

She was here.

"At the Monak Top, she had the title of a shaman, but she seemed to take care of everything about Triva wood."

I thought it was a name I’d hear one day, but I was a little surprised.

No, I knew she’d graduate from the academy with Perez, but I didn’t know she was working at the Monak top.

No wonder my head was numb.

"Lady Florentia"?

Violet called me anxiously.

"What’s wrong with you?"

"No, it’s nothing."

I smile awkwardly and said.

"I’m just a little curious. Violet thinks so highly of her."

"To be honest, she’s the kind of person I’d like to bring to Pellet. I can trust her with that much enthusiasm."

Violet said, nodding her head.

It made my heart a little bit weirder.

She also won the heart of violet known as a strict person.

Violet began to compliment Ramona with her eyes glistening, thinking I was interested in her.

"...So I couldn’t attend that day, but I was convinced that the agent would easily win the auction. The very day before, the Monak Top participated in an auction in the remote Dimac Estate. Ramona arrived at the auction house early in the morning. She has probably been running her horse since dawn."

"She’s a very hard worker, as Violet said."

"Miss Ramona is still on Ivan’s estate, so maybe you’ll run into her."

"Still, she’s still in Ivan’s estate."

At the Monak Top, they have stored the collected Triva wood in a warehouse outside Ivan, and they still have time to go to Angenas.

So it’s right that she’s still in Ivan.

I smiled at Violet.

"As Violet said, I hope we’ll run into each other at least once."

* * *

And it makes sense.

The back view of Perez, who left the mansion alone without anybody accompanying him.

Dressed in plain clothes and robes that would not catch the eyes, Perez even pressed his hood deep as he left the mansion.

And he turned around the road and mixed into the market, making sure no one followed him naturally, like a habit.

It was a shabby market alley where the nobles didn’t walk there.

Walking among the crowd with his head down, Perez climbed up to a small two-story building.

At the end of the stairs, there was also a door with a nameplate that was not very noticeable.

[Monak Top]

Perez, who entered the door familiarly, only then took off his hood.

"Your Highness."

There was a person who approached Perez quickly.

"Long time no see, Ramona."

Ramona, a beauty with reddish scarlet hair and bright blue eyes, smiled brightly at Perez.

Her particularly white face quickly turned red.

Ramona, who saw herself in the mirror by looking sideways, wanted to cry a little.

She resents herself for not being able to hide her feelings at all.

And she didn’t like her eyes, which turned dark because she couldn’t sleep at all at the news of the Second Prince coming, nor the curly hair that was even more chaotic today.

It’s something she doesn’t usually care about.

Whenever she stood in front of him, she kept seeing things like that.

Ramona swallowed a small sigh and spoke in a brighter voice.

"I’ve prepared some refreshments, Your Highness. You like sweets, right."

But Perez shook his head.

"I have to be there in a minute. It’s okay. Let’s get a report first."

"Ah..."

Ramona nodded as she looked sullen at the chocolate cake she had bought for Perez.

Then he took out a thin package of documents prepared in advance from the drawer and handed them to Perez.

"Then I’ll look at the report and tell you."

The report was not very long.

In the meantime, she has consistently reported in writing, and it was Ramona’s way of picking up and delivering important things without any phrases.

Even after her report, Perez remained silent for a while.

He leaned against the window and read Ramona’s report carefully.

And Perez said, with the sound of the fluttering final chapter.

"Good work, Ramona."

"Thank... you..."

Ramona’s face was flushed again.

There’s been a lot of hard work, but this word seemed to compensate for everything.

Perez thanked Ramona in an unhyped, plain way.

"The stable supply and demand of wood helped us effectively extract the budget of Angenas."

"I’m glad I could be of help, Your Highness."

"I’m glad there’s someone I can trust like you."

Now Ramona’s ears were as red as the color of her hair.

But Perez asked, looking out the window, not Ramona.

"What kind of man is Lord Ivan?"

Ramona, who was agonizing over Perez’s question for a moment, offered an honest answer.

"A typical Northern aristocrat. He is generous to his own people but has a strong tendency to be exclusive. He used to be a very good person, but he has been suffering from chronic disease for a long time and he has changed his personality."

"His personality has changed. I wonder so."

"What’s the matter with Lord Ivan?"

"He will not accept any relief money."

"What?"

Ramona was embarrassed and asked again.

"Exactly, he’s not taking the Royal money. He has accepted what Lombardy and Luman prepared."

"But... I don’t understand. It’s time for the North to accept all the help, so why?"

"Isn’t the damage less than we expected?"

Ramona answered Perez’s question with a frown.

"Right now, Ivan’s estate collapsed, and many casualties were reported, including soldiers guarding it. Also, the wall stone hit the residential area, burying many houses. Even now, people who lost their homes are setting up tents near it and waiting for the house to be rebuilt. By the way, why did Lord Ivan..."

"Can you take me there?"

Perez asked Ramona.

"No, I know Ivan’s geography roughly, so if you could tell me where he is..."

"I’ll take you."

Perez changed his mind, Ramona said, quickly rising from her seat.

"Thanks, then, Ramona."

Perez pressed the hood deep again.

The place where the wall collapsed was not far from the market.

Perez stood in front of it and paused.

A black wall made of large, hard rock, which Ivan was proud of, was lying on the floor in ruins.

Crack.

Perez’s feet caught on something a little different from the ruins of the wall.

It was a plain porcelain plate.

Perez looked up at the huge pile of dirt that had been pushed in, breaking through the walls.

"Down there is..."

"Yes. It was originally a place where commoner households were concentrated."

Nature was ferocious.

If there was a green tree, the part of the collapsed mountain that hit the walls of Ivan was huge enough to be believed to be a garden in its original place.

Enough to hide the traces of all the peaceful things down there.

"But why is it so quiet?"

It was a strange thing.

We need to dig up the soil and pick up the stones.

There were few people around.

At best, three or four soldiers were shoveling soil in a small cart.

"There’s another place where the walls have fallen apart. But it’s a place close to a forest with a lot of monsters. The restoration staff is all concentrated there."

"...I see."

Perez stood stunned in front of the horrific sight.

Ramona tried to tilt her head slightly to see Perez’s face.

He doesn’t talk much and he doesn’t change his facial expression.

Sometimes she couldn’t look into Perez’s mind unless she took the time to look at his face.

Even so, of course, eight out of ten times she failed to read his mind.

Then they heard a small sniffle a little far away.

"Huh, uh..."

Naturally, the eyes of the two turned in that direction.

It was a little boy crouching underneath a perfectly fine building.

They wonder if he’s only seven years old.

The shabby child stared at the rubble with teary eyes.

Ramona approached the child carefully and asked, wiping away tears.

"Dear, why are you crying?"

"I’m hungry..."

Startle.

Ramona, who stiffened for a moment, stroked the child’s head in a friendly voice again.

"Really? Should we go to the bakery in the front and eat something delicious? It’s not far, so neither will your parents worry."

"Mom and Dad aren’t here."

The child said, wiping away tears with his sleeve.

"Dad went to work on the North wall, and my mom..."

The child’s eyes filled with tears, without a word.

This child’s house and his mother must be asleep somewhere.

"Ah..."

Ramona was speechless and gave the child a tight hug.

Perez, who was watching the scene, turned around and walked.

"Hey, wait here for a second!"

Ramona, who had said so to the little boy, caught up with Perez with a half gait.

She had no talent for reading Perez’s mind, but now she knew.

How angry he is now as he walking ahead.

"Oh, is there anything I can do to help you?"

"No, this is not something you can get involved in."

But Perez’s response, who returned, was adamant.

The work at the Top and the work at the Palace are distinctly different stories.

Ramona then realized she had crossed the line and apologized.

"...I’m sorry."

Perez said, shaking his head nonchalantly.

"Come to the Capital when the work of the North is done. Then, I will keep my promise to you."2

Perez took a big step toward Ivan’s mansion, leaving the words behind.

Looking at the back for a moment, Ramona went back to the child and smiled brighter.

"Let’s go, I’ll buy you bread!"

However, while holding the child’s hand and entering the market, Ramona’s gaze once again captured Perez’s back.