I’ll Be The Matriarch in This Life [Novel] Chapter 288

Oops.

An undisguisable look of dismay flashed across the faces of the trio.

To Emperor Perez, who feared nothing, the Matriarch of Lombardi was his one and only vulnerability.

And they had just touched a nerve.

"Your Majesty, please ignore what Tedro said."

"That's right. What does that fool know about marriage or dating anyway?"

"The idea that the Matriarch of Lombardi regrets getting married, Your Majesty knows better than anyone that couldn't be true."

They desperately tried to soothe Perez, who seemed to be rapidly sinking into a swamp of despair.

But it was already too late.

Florentia's sigh had already been lodged deep in Perez's heart, and the mere suggestion that she might be regretting the marriage itself was causing him to turn increasingly pale.

This is a disaster.
His close aides. especially Tedro, who had brought up Marriage Blue, felt like sewing their mouths shut.

"She regrets getting married…"

Perez muttered once again.

The shock must have been immense that he remained completely motionless, seemingly having even forgotten to blink.

Lignite Luman glared at Tedro while grinding his teeth, quietly swallowing a sigh.

To him, Perez was a lord he trusted and followed, as well as a close friend of many years.

And he had realized it time and time again since their Academy days…

Just entertaining the thought made his mouth go dry.

If the Matriarch of Lombardi truly was reconsidering the marriage itself… if someone with her resolute personality were to suddenly suggest postponing the wedding… Lignite Luman shuddered involuntarily.

It was then.

A tearing sound echoed through the quiet office.

"Haaa."

"Th-The chair…"

It was the sound of the chair's armrest, which Perez was gripping, cracking.

All the chairs in the Emperor's office were carved from solid wood by master craftsmen.

The chair Perez was currently sitting in was specifically known to be made from the incredibly hard Triva wood from the North.

Yet now, it was being crushed in Perez's grasp like freshly baked bread.

Lignite Luman unknowingly gulped down dry saliva.

The one and only leash that could control the wild beast that was Perez.

To put it mildly, Perez didn't have what you would call a nice personality.

But Florentia Lombardi had tamed him.

Lignite squeezed his eyes shut at the terrifying thought.

"We need a plan."

It wasn't him who spoke.

Lignite Luman's eyes flew open in surprise.

Perez was slowly standing up from his seat.

The armrest of the chair, completely torn from the main body and having lost its original shape, rolled across the floor.

"I need to come up with a plan."

At Perez's resolute mutter, the trio, including Lignite, nodded fervently.

No matter what, this marriage had to happen.

For the first time in a while, everyone's hearts were united.

Perez was walking along a forest path.

A damp and refreshing forest, heavy with morning dew, stretched out endlessly.

As far as he knew, there was no vast forest with towering old trees like this within the Imperial Palace.

It was strange.

He was certain he had lain down in his bedroom at the Imperial Palace.

And he had been thinking of Tia right up until the moment he fell asleep.

Perez continued walking, lost in thought.

How long had he walked?

He saw a light in the distance.

He had finally found the way out of the forest.

Perez's steps quickened.

His only thought was that he had to get out of this forest and see Tia.

Because of this, he didn't realize that he was completely out of breath.

For Perez, who had surpassed human limitations, this was something that could never happen in reality.

"Haa."

He had finally emerged from the forest.

The sunlight poured down blindingly.

However, contrary to his initial resolve, Perez stopped dead in his tracks.

It was because of something towering in the middle of a vast meadow that unfolded as soon as the forest ended.

A tree so massive it warped all sense of perspective, its branches reaching out so far it was impossible to guess where they ended.

"…The World Tree?"

Perez instinctively realized he had encountered the tree that no one had ever seen, the one that existed only in stories.

His mind went blank.

Before this colossal existence, he was nothing but a mere human.

Yet, Perez didn't run away.

Instead, he slowly began walking toward the World Tree.

A wind blew from somewhere, and the World Tree's branches swayed, producing a thunderous sound.

It was as if it were warning him.

But even that couldn't stop Perez's steps.

In fact, he walked faster.

He had a certainty… a certainty that the World Tree wouldn't harm him.

After walking for a long time until rough breaths burst from him, he finally reached the World Tree.

And he was overwhelmed.

Standing before the World Tree's trunk, which resembled a ruggedly cracked cliff, and under the green canopy that looked like a holy crown, he felt as if he had returned to his childhood.

It felt like the day he had met his fairy.

The fairy he felt might burst into laughter while sitting on a branch of that World Tree in the forest he had entered to stop his stomachache.

Perez slowly raised his hand.

The World Tree trembled once more, as if issuing a warning.

Can you handle it?

It seemed to ask.

A quiet smile spread across his lips.

He stretched his hand wide toward the World Tree.

And finally, he touched it.

"Haa!"

His body heaved as he abruptly woke up.

Looking around, the familiar Emperor's bedroom came into view.

"Haa."

His entire body was drenched in sweat.

Perez raised a hand and wiped his face.

The breath hitting his palm was just as rough as it had been in the dream.

His throat was parched.

He frantically downed the water sitting next to his bed.

For a long time, his red eyes stared at his palm.

The very hand that had touched the World Tree in his dream.

"Mmm."

Perez let out a low groan.

He felt nauseous, unlike anything he had ever experienced.

Had he gotten indigestion from drinking the water too fast?

Aside from when he was poisoned, his body had never even caught a mild cold.

Had something been put in the water?

Perez glared at the clear, transparent water in the crystal pitcher for a moment before pulling the cord next to his bed to summon the physician.

During the short time waiting for the attendant to enter the bedroom, Perez squeezed his dizzy eyes shut and muttered lowly…

"What on earth was that dream?"

"Perez is coming here?"

"Yes. We received a message saying he will join us for dinner and stay at the Lombardi mansion tonight."

"Hmm, okay. Understood."

I nodded lightly.

He was originally supposed to spend the night at the Imperial Palace tonight.

But to go out of his way to come all the way here… It wasn't like him to change his scheduled itinerary.

It was a good thing for me, as it gave me more time to catch up on the Matriarch duties I had been putting off.

Dismissing it lightly, I reached for the refreshments set beside me.

"Is the medicine Estira gave me starting to work now?"

I had felt great ever since I opened my eyes this morning.

Perhaps because I slept so well, I felt incredibly refreshed and energetic.

And the most amazing thing was that I started feeling hungry.

The fact that I had barely been able to swallow water due to morning sickness now felt like a lie.

I had eaten a full breakfast and lunch for the first time in a while, and if that wasn't enough, I was now even having a snack.

"It's really fascinating."

Is the morning sickness already ending?

Out of a recently formed habit, I rubbed my lower belly and tilted my head.

"Well, that's a relief."

Although it was a very short period compared to other pregnant women, even that had been complete torture.

Honestly, I had been worried if I could keep enduring it.

"Are you already worrying about your mom?"

The absurdity of my own words made me laugh.

What power could a baby the size of a tiny jellybean possibly have?

"Ah, this is nice."

This feeling of physical comfort, experienced for the first time in a long while, was as sweet as honey.

As I worked while picking at snacks one by one, the sky outside the window had grown dark before I knew it.

Just as I realized this…

As if waiting for this moment, a low knock echoed in the Matriarch's office.

A helpless smile escaped me at the same time.

I already had a good guess as to who was outside the door.

"Come in, Perez."

"Hi, Tia."

My heart pounded as I watched Perez approach with a smile.

My fiancé… No, my husband in a few days, was seriously handsome every time I saw him.

"But what's all that?"

Perez was holding an armful of things.

"I brought some gifts."

"Gifts?"

I sat on the sofa in the office as Perez guided me and received the items he handed me one by one.

"This is the completed seating chart for the wedding."

"Wow, did you finish all this by yourself?"

The large seating chart, which was big enough to cover the entire table, was densely packed with the names of all the guests without missing a single one.

"There's nothing left for me to touch."

It was the seating chart I hadn't been able to finish because I fainted a few days ago.

I didn't know what excuse Caitlin had made, but the seating chart finalized by Perez's hands was flawless.

"And here, I've organized the agenda items that will be brought up in the Great Council for the next few months."

A thick file folder was set down on top of the seating chart.

"You organized all this?"

"Yeah."

"That must have taken a lot of time."

"Anything for you."

Perez answered with his signature, picturesque smile.

"What is this, I'm touched."

"And this."

As soon as he set down the file folder, a small box was pushed in front of me.

"What's this?"

"Open it."

Without delay, I carefully untied the main ribbon and opened the box.

"Chocolate… cookies?"

The box was filled with heavy cookies studded with large chunks of chocolate.

Just like the ones we had shared in the shabby separate palace a very long time ago.

Don't tell me, these…

"Did you make them yourself, Perez?"

"…Yeah."

He nodded slightly.

But for some reason, his complexion didn't look too good.

He also seemed to be sweating strangely.

"Are you okay?"

Instead of answering, Perez curled his trembling lips upwards into a smile.

"I promised you before, didn't I? That I would bake you cookies myself… ugh."

"Perez?"

Startled, I hurried to his side.

But Perez's complexion only grew worse.

"Does it hurt somewhere?"

"I'm sorry."

"No, being sorry isn't the issue here."

I was thinking this as I watched Perez barely maintain a smiling face that was pitiful to even look at.

"My stomach hasn't been feeling well since this morning… Urgh!"