I’ll Be The Matriarch in This Life [Novel] Chapter 282

It was quite a sight to see Chanton Sershou's face completely crumple at my greeting.

"Don't stall for time with useless words. This is a matter of life and death for us."

"Useless words? That's too harsh."

I replied as if I were genuinely hurt.

"Autumn is just around the corner, so I was going to ask if your preparations for winter are going well."

"…"

Naturally, Chanton Sershou couldn't answer.

It wasn't like I expected an answer anyway.

The situation in the South was as obvious as a fire, and I had already grasped it through reports.

"What's the matter? Is the harvest not going well?"

I wanted to scrub some more salt into the wound, but I figured he might actually cry if I pushed it.

I sat down heavily in my office chair and said,

"Did you receive the letter I sent?"

"…I came to confirm it myself. Really…"

Chanton Sershou asked with an even stiffer expression than usual.

"Have you truly found the cure for the disease?"

"I hear the damage in the South is quite severe right now? They say the export of Sershou grain has ground to a halt."

"See, I told you. You get punished for being so spiteful."

"Don't tell me…"

Chanton Sershou's voice dropped low.

"This disease… did you…"

"Are you suspecting that I spread it?"

"Didn't you?"

"There is no further value in continuing this conversation. Get out."

I pointed at the office door and yelled coldly.

Perhaps jolted back to his senses by my sudden shift in attitude, Chanton Sershou clenched his fists tight and apologized.

"I misspoke, Matriarch of Lombardi."

"It's a relief that you realize it was a slip of the tongue."

I spoke with my expression still unyielding.

It didn't really matter since I wasn't actually angry.

If a similar thing happened to Lombardi one day, I would be the first to suspect Chanton Sershou as well.

Above all, for this wooden, inscrutable black bear to make such a slip of the tongue meant he was incredibly desperate.

That was why I deliberately acted even angrier.

It was to seize the high ground in the upcoming negotiations.

I pulled out a stack of papers from the drawer and placed it on the desk, intentionally making a loud thud.

It was the research report sent by the Lombardi scholars from Luman.

Chanton Sershou's gaze immediately bolted toward it.

"If I give you this, what can Sershou give me?"

At my question, Chanton Sershou answered as if he had been waiting for it.

"If that is indeed a definitive cure for the disease, we will pay an adequate price…"

"No, no."

I shook my head as I picked up the stack of papers, acting as though I could put it right back in the drawer at any moment.

"Does it look like Lombardi lacks money to you?"

I didn't forget to click my tongue at him.

"Show some sincerity, Lord Sershou. Think carefully about what it is I might want."

After a heavy, momentary silence, Chanton Sershou opened his mouth.

"…We will halt the terraforming project in the Tamal region."

I intentionally did not react.

It meant it was still not enough.

"I will also promise on the name of Sershou that we will never open a port in the Tamal region."

"And?"

"Just what more do you want…!"

"Achedia."

At the single word I casually tossed out, Chanton Sershou's eyes grew fierce.

Achedia was a Sershou territory bordering Lombardi, located right at the gateway leading to Chesayu.

"My conditions are that you halt the construction in the Tamal region and hand over Achedia to my father, Gallahan Lombardi, the Lord of Chesayu."

Without Achedia, Chesayu would no longer be isolated, and naturally, Chanton Sershou would no longer be able to interfere with Chesayu's Eastern trade.

"That is!"

"Why? Can't you do even that much for the citizens of your territory you cherish so deeply? Didn't you say it was a matter of life and death?"

He was silent for a long time.

He only clenched both his fists even tighter.

I left Chanton Sershou be and enjoyed the silence.

The answer he would give was obvious anyway.

"…I will do as you say."

I won.

Smiling brightly, I pulled out a contract I had prepared in advance.

It had the exact clauses I just mentioned pre-written on it.

For a brief moment, a look of "I've been played" flashed across Chanton Sershou's face, but it was already far too late.

The process that followed proceeded without a hitch.

All he had to do was sign the two copies of the contract and stamp his Patriarch's seal, after all.

"You can refer to this for the detailed research data, and I'll send the completed medicine to the Sershou estate tomorrow. You may take your leave now."

I said so while waving one hand dismissively.

Clutching a copy of the contract and the scholars' report in one hand, Chanton Sershou stood up abruptly.

But only for a moment.

Stopping his steps toward the door, he turned back around, rubbing his forehead roughly with an exhausted face.

"We need to rewrite the contract."

"Rewrite the contract? Why?"

"Right here, the clause stating that a port will not be built in the Tamal region is missing."

I reread the section Chanton Sershou was pointing at.

The contract merely stated, The terrain-clearing project in the Tamal region will be halted and never resumed, and All rights to Achedia will be transferred to Gallahan Lombardi.

"Hmm, this is surprising, Lord Sershou?"

I thought he would just slide by like a slippery snake.

"Couldn't you have just used my mistake to plot for the future?"

At that, Chanton Sershou frowned in displeasure.

"I don't commit cowardly acts when making a promise staked on my family's name. The name of Sershou is not that light."

"The same goes for me."

"What does that mean?"

It seemed an explanation was necessary for Chanton Sershou, who hadn't understood my words yet.

"It means I intentionally left out the clause about not building a port in Tamal. Whether Sershou builds a port in Tamal or not is none of my business."

"But then…"

"Do you think Lombardi is afraid of competition?"

I kindly added for the still-dumbfounded Chanton Sershou,

"Tamal has a good location, but the river is narrow and the current is strong, so building a port won't be that easy. For next time, I highly recommend hiring Lombardi Construction, which has experience in port construction."

Not just because it's my family's company, but there truly is no place better suited to build a port than Lombardi Construction.

"Well, I've said all I have to say, so seriously, get out."

However, Chanton Sershou didn't move from his spot, as if his feet were nailed to the floor.

Then, he suddenly asked me.

"What would you have done if I hadn't agreed to the trade?"

"…Whatever happens to the South's crops is none of my concern."

I answered with a shrug.

Chanton Sershou stared at me intently.

Then suddenly, he let out a weak, deflated chuckle.

"You are not being honest."

"Did getting Achedia taken away make you cra-… Did something happen to your head?"

"How very like the Matriarch of Lombardi."

In truth, if the deal fell through, I planned to distribute the cure for free in the name of Lombardi.

Explaining that we just stumbled upon it by chance, of course.

I couldn't let innocent Imperial citizens suffer because of a power struggle between Patriarchs.

"Stop talking nonsense and leave. I'm busy."

Only after the third eviction order did Chanton Sershou finally begin to move his feet.

But unlike before, he bowed his head politely toward me.

"Then I shall see you at the Great Council next, Matriarch of Lombardi."

The heavy footsteps of those military boots he seemingly never tired of wearing faded away.

Only then did a peaceful silence flow through the office once again.

"Since we made a deal, it means we owe each other nothing."

Recalling Chanton Sershou's final words, I stood up from my office chair.

Then, I slowly approached the window.

The panoramic view of Lombardi came into sight.

When I was young and playing in the garden, whenever I looked up, this was the window where my grandfather used to stand.

Now, from my favorite spot in the office, I looked down out the window.

Just in time, I saw Chanton Sershou climbing into his carriage.

That's what Chanton Sershou had said.

"If he had just left without saying anything, I wouldn't have let it slide."

He's a stiff-necked bear, exactly as he looks.

"That's why I can't hate him."

A competitor who knows the lines that shouldn't be crossed is something I welcome.

Power left unchecked is bound to rot, after all.

"Well then, shall I get back to work?"

I gave a big stretch and sat back down at my desk.

Even I didn't know why a smile lingered on my lips.