Chapter 4

“She kicked him and then hit him with the book over and over...” Astaliu continued.

This kid is driving me nuts. He’s ever so slightly twisting the facts. I’m surprised he’s even smart enough to say these things.

I wanted to shout that he was spewing lies, but I held it in. Instead, I glared at grandfather as if to say, “I have a different story to tell!”

Grandfather glanced at me while continuing to question Astaliu.

“So you’re telling me that Firentia started hitting you for no reason at all?”

“Th... that’s...”

Unfortunately for him, Astaliu wasn’t clever enough to come up with a lie on the spot. Among all the Lombardi household, he held the title of being not very bright and bad at using his brain.

Physicality was all he had going for him.

“Firentia has always hated us...” Bellezac chimed in after seeing Astaliu’s hesitation.

“Don’t interrupt someone else’s conversation, Bellezac,” Grandfather responded.

I smirked quietly. Knowing that he despised interruptions was what had kept me from shouting about the unfairness of the situation.

“Where did you learn such uncouth behavior?” he asked.

Tears welled up in Bellezac’s eyes again. However, his fear of Grandfather prevented him from making a sound.

“Continue, Astaliu.”

The boy seemed even more tense. Astaliu, who had struggled to formulate a proper excuse when asked, now proceeded to cry and bury his face into his father’s clothes.

Of course.

This was typical of any child who came face-to-face with Grandfather. Lulac Lombardi’s overwhelming presence even made adults tremble.

The only children able to interact with him were members of the Lombardi family who had grown up around him. Most people would not even dare to meet his eyes.

“Firentia.”

My father’s hand had been gripping my shoulder. When Grandfather called my name, it grew tense.

“Tell me what happened,” he said.

Despite asking the question, he didn’t seem to expect much from me.

Understandable.

My former self had been a scaredy-cat and a faint-hearted child. They were personality traits I’d inherited from my father, and they’d been exacerbated by the fact that I was surrounded by awful cousins.

But I met Grandfather’s eyes squarely and said, “I’ve done nothing wrong.”

“How dare you! Do you see what you did to my son…?!”

“Viese!” A booming roar erupted from Grandfather.

His shoulders shrank back, and his threatening demeanor was instantly subdued.

Viese hadn’t been able to control his temper, even moments after his son had been reprimanded for the same behavior. Like father, like son.

“Continue,” Grandfather prompted. In his icy gaze, I could sense something more.

“I was standing here, waiting for Father. Then Bellezac and Astaliu came over, calling me ‘half-breed’ and teasing me. When I asked them to stop, they hit me.”

“They hit you? Who exactly hit you?”

“Bellezac,” I said, using my index finger to point directly at him. “And they called me a lowlife and said that I should go to the peasants’ quarters.”

Even though I couldn’t see my father, I could picture his expression. I could feel his hand trembling in anger on my shoulder.

I could have glossed over the details, but I felt it crucial to be clear about the treatment I had endured.

I’m sorry, Father. Hang in there just a little bit longer.

“Is that why you hit Bellezac?”

“No.”

“Then what was your reason?”

“That’s because Bellezac...” I took a small breath and spoke clearly, “because he said ‘you’re not a Lombardi.’”

My grandfather’s brown eyes met mine directly. Though they might look like ordinary brown eyes, they could see far more than anyone could imagine.

“I am a half-breed,” I continued.

My mother had never been permitted to take the Lombardi name. I had no intention of denying that.

“But even as a half-breed, I am definitely a Lombardi. A Lombardi recognized by you, Grandfather.”

In the past, I had believed I was insufficient because my mother was a commoner. I had allowed my cousins to dismiss me and never thought I would be one of them. I had accepted being treated like one of their workers, instead of as a Lombardi.

But when I had managed the affairs of the house, I came to a painful realization.

I discovered that I was a hundred times more deserving of the Lombardi name than the idiots who pranced around boasting about their heritage. I was as much a Lombardi as anyone else.

“Bellezac kept saying that I wasn’t a Lombardi, and I couldn’t take it any more.”

“So you hit him, not because he mocked you for being a lowlife, but rather because he insisted you weren’t a Lombardi?”

“Yes,” I replied as I nodded, adding, “Grandfather.”

I wanted to imply saying, “I’m also your granddaughter.” I also wanted to show that I had just as much right to call him “Grandfather” as Bellezac did.

That’s when I saw it. I noticed a faint smile flit across Grandfather’s rigid face.

“Doesn’t your knee hurt?” he asked.

Only then did I look down at my knees. They were scraped and bleeding from the fall.

“Of course it hurts,” I answered.

“And yet you do not cry. You used to be such a crybaby.”

I felt a pang of realization.

I had been a crybaby just yesterday but I had suddenly changed. Did he think something was off?

Slightly flustered, I responded, “I’m going to cry! I just wanted to say everything first before I went to my room and let it out.”

I could hear my father’s soft chuckle from above my head. With that, the tense atmosphere also seemed to loosen up. I secretly swallowed a sigh of relief.

The first thing I needed to do to become head of the house was to earn Grandfather’s trust. Grandfather was king of the Lombardis. Every decision big and small, including the choice of successor, was in his hands.

In other words, everything would be smooth sailing if I could get on Grandfather’s good side. Even if Viese and the others might not be happy about it, if I had Grandfather’s love, there would be nothing they could do.

To earn Grandfather’s ire was the equivalent of committing social suicide.

The fight with Bellezac might have been an accident, but it ended up a great success. I had been trying to figure out how to get Grandfather’s attention, and I definitely got it.

“Um, Father. I think I’ll need to deal with Tia’s wounds,” my father said, cautiously waiting for the right moment to carefully broach the topic.

The Lombardis had their own private doctor. Many medical students supported by the Lombardis also assisted while doing their research. It was like a tiny hospital.

“Hmm. I’m sure you must. You may take her.”

Now that we have his permission, I better run away.

Just as I was going to grab my father’s hand...

“Wait,” Grandfather called.

Oh, what now?

“Firentia. Is this your book?” Grandfather asked. He picked it up from the floor and handed it to me.

I flinched. The thick book, People of the South, was clearly not a book of fairy tales for children. It was a very expensive and precious book. I had completely forgotten about it, and I knew how Grandfather felt about people who mishandled books.

I decided to confess. Grandfather had already seen me hitting Bellezac with the book, so there was no way out.

“Yes. It’s my book...” I answered, taking the book in both hands. “I’m sorry.”

“Hmm?”

Grandfather looked at me, puzzled.

What? Wasn’t he angry?

“What are you apologizing for?”

“Oh, because… I handled the book roughly. A book is for spreading knowledge, not for beating people... I mean not for harming them.”

“But I thought you just said that you did nothing wrong,” he said.

What a great memory.

I pretended not to know what he was talking about.

“But I also think it’s important to own up to your faults as soon as you realize them,” I replied.

Grandfather gave a hearty laugh and turned to my father.

“Go take Firentia to the doctor.”

“Yes, Father.”

He took one glance at my knee dripping with blood and lifted me up. I was only seven, so it was entirely normal for my father to pick me up, but my adult mind found it extremely awkward. Especially by my father, who had died so long ago.

Viese, who had been cowering in the back, shouted as if he had been wronged. “But Father! Are you really just going to let this go? Firentia has made a mess of Bellezac! She must pay the price for her actions!”

Ah, you poor thing.

I resisted the urge to bury my face in Father’s shoulder.

Viese still hasn’t learned how to read the room, not now or in the future.

“Do you dare question my decision?” Grandfather asked sternly.

“No, it’s just...”

“Viese…”

“...Yes, Father.”

“You should be ashamed of yourself.”

With those words, Grandfather went back to his office. Viese clenched his teeth, but there was nothing he could do.

“We’ll be on our way now,” Father said while holding me in his arms.

I thought he would just leave after that, but he stopped for a moment in front of Viese and said, “Brother. It’s just child’s play. Don’t make such a fuss.”

I quickly covered my mouth to stifle a giggle. He used my uncle’s own words against him.

“Y... you...!”

Viese was so angry he didn’t know how to react, but Father simply walked away. I hugged my father’s neck tightly and searched for Bellezac.

When our eyes met, he flinched.

Though I had been smiling, I quickly wiped it away and mouthed the words, “I. Will. See. You. Later.”

He suddenly burst into tears.

“WAAH!”

I paid him no mind and nestled my face into my father’s embrace, savoring the moment.

Ah, I missed Daddy’s scent.