Chapter 79, Nomani’s Return

Translator: Lizz

 

The next day.

Nomani returned.

 

“…Among the clan, there are some who, having succeeded in business, chose not to relocate. I left him with them.”

Nomani reported to Edward and the others.

 

Edward looked at Nomani, who seemed not to have slept at all, and said,

“Lady Sylvia said yesterday: ‘There is no need to supervise them. They would never allow anyone to live here without my consent. They are not such people.’ So, I and the others will trust you.”

Nomani was speechless.

Then he bowed deeply.

“Of course, I will live up to that trust. If he appears again, I will personally settle the matter.”

Edward gave a wry smile.

“I don’t want lingering resentment or anyone left with a bitter aftertaste. If someone tries to intrude without permission, just drive them out. That alone must be enforced.”

“Yes!”

Nomani replied briefly.

 

…In the end, Mariano simply wanted to be spoiled. That was what Nomani thought.

 

He wanted attention from parents who had been busy working since his childhood.

He wanted them to understand the shame he felt because they were involved in shady dealings.

He wanted them to pursue a profession he could boast about to others.

He couldn’t understand why, though being the clan chief, his father humbled himself before others.

As leader, he should throw his weight around more, and Mariano wanted to throw his weight around too, as the chief’s son.

Instead of focusing only on his companions because he was the chief, he wanted his father’s attention directed toward him.

 

Nomani understood these feelings.

But even knowing them, as the clan chief and given their way of life, he could not indulge Mariano. Especially if his wife was already spoiling him, then Nomani had to be stricter. Otherwise, someday Mariano would surely commit a crime.

 

Because the son of the Lord he had once served was exactly like that.

He was so beautiful that even the Chief Justice had taken notice of him, and for that very reason he was doted on by his parents. Nomani thought that if he were raised that way, his future would be worrisome.

 

Besides, there were countless people in far worse circumstances than themselves.

In fact, Beffa, whom Nomani had helped out of calculation, was one such case.

Mariano knew Beffa’s situation too. Compared to that, he should have had no complaints at all, ye…

Nomani sighed heavily as he thought about it.

 

Nomani had assumed his wife would choose to live with their son.

Mariano was fourteen. Gina, one year older, was serving Lady Sylvia as head maid. Beffa had already been working by the age of ten. Even the younger Sylvia was working honorably as the castle Lord. Of course, the other sons and daughters of the clan were also helping their parents or working in other shops.

 

And yet, his son still clung to his parents, doing nothing but complaining, which was shameful.

His wife would surely spoil Mariano, and if Mariano said, ‘I don’t want to work here’ and quit, she would not force him to continue but would try to support him. But even when Nomani and his wife worked together, they barely scraped by. They would sink deeper into poverty. Mariano, being spoiled, could never endure that.

Nomani planned to send money, but only enough that Mariano would have to work to get by.

 

That was what he had expected, but his wife agreed to entrust their son to another clan member and followed Nomani instead.

“If I stay with him, he’ll never change. That child can do it if he tries. But if I remain, he’ll stay poor and become nothing but a boy who complains.”

Nomani could not deny her sorrowful words. In fact, that was exactly the future he foresaw.

He wanted Mariano to become independent, to learn the hardship of living, to reflect on his own words. If he could reflect, then Nomani would begin to educate him as a chief—that was his thought.

 

The reception of the Narciso clan was completed.

Except for Mariano, no one rejected Sylvia’s magic.

They had been driven out of their former place and forced to earn daily wages through shady work, but now they were given a home and the title of ‘knight’. There should have been no complaints.

Those who might have complained were not brought along in the first place.

 

“If anyone has complaints or grievances against the Lord who welcomed us, I will not bring them before the Lord or our superiors. Before troubling the Lord’s hand, we will part ways here.”

Having been told that, some handed over money and left.

 

Those who were accepted expressed gratitude to Sylvia.

Many of them were quite exceptional.

“Lady Sylvia! We gathered many shells, please take them!”

“We have greens too!”

“These are berries from that tree. Please enjoy them!”

When Sylvia made her rounds in the ox cart, the resettled Narciso clan members came out one after another, calling to her and offering their harvest.

“Mm!”

Gina beamed, saying, “Lady Sylvia is truly loved!”

 

The knight order under Edward’s command was also thriving.

Their work was more like ‘a rather fine security force’ than a knightly order, but their uniforms were adapted from the ducal knight corps, making them very stylish.

When they were issued and worn, everyone murmured,

“It makes my heart leap somehow…”

Furthermore, the three bodyguards had special uniforms.

Gina explained,

“So that it’s clear at a glance they are Lady Sylvia’s protectors!”

Of course, Edward’s uniform was even more distinctively customized.

Gina, who had once led a clothing workshop, refused to compromise on attire.

She pursued every detail, even in areas the knights—including Edward—thought ‘didn’t really matter’.