My 101 lives can’t all be called wise.
I had no purpose; I just wanted a future where I could laugh and be with everyone.
What exactly should I have done to fulfill my vague and indistinct wish?
I never found the answer. Since it was a wish I had already given up on. I no longer wanted to live for others.
If you ask me whether I did my best in the last life, I would definitely answer yes.
At least I lived diligently for the goals I set.
Of course, it’s not like I never gave up. I regretted such a life, but now I don’t care anymore.
So when I thought about how to live this life, I could finally make one clear decision.
This time, I wouldn’t hesitate. I wouldn’t let my family hold me back from important turning points.
I think I’ve already passed two turning points.
I saved Arwen and met the princess at the head of the family meeting. How did I make use of these two turning points?
If I just think about the conclusion, I personally see it as successful.
Adele was involved in saving Arwen, but she doesn’t know the details about the work,
and through the head of the family meeting, I kind of grabbed hold of Miragen and Adrian.
Isn’t it fair to say it’s more than I expected?
After passing these two turning points, what exactly am I aiming for?
“Head of the Family.”
On the desk, there was something occupying the highest place in the drawing depicting Taylor’s hierarchy.
I erased my father’s name that was written there and replaced it with my own name.
It’s always been the case that accusations of betrayal come to me two to three years later.
Variables? No matter what, I had at least a year of leeway.
So the one thing I would have in that one-year leeway was simple.
I would oust Yuria and be recognized by my father to inherit through ‘legitimate’ procedures.
Thus, building my influence became my biggest goal at this moment. Looking at that drawing, I quietly murmured.
…In this life, I would,
“Become the Head of the Family.”
#
Adrian said he could meet again next time and walked me up to the Moon Tower.
It wasn’t really necessary, but since the princess was also there to see me off, it felt a bit burdensome.
Especially when he insisted I definitely contact him again.
I glanced briefly at the artifact tucked in my pocket, then I put it away with a sigh.
Seeing Miragen was indeed complicated in many ways.
If I were to pick the woman I had the closest relationship with in every life, it would definitely be her.
Teresa was my fiancée but intended to use my family, and with Adele, it was merely a subordinate relationship—nothing remarkable.
However, Miragen was different.
She was my lover, and I had even reached the position of her beloved at one point.
That life also failed, but those memories still lingered with me.
That’s why it’s complicated.
When I next met her, I was in the position of being pursued, and later on, we even became enemies.
In the life where I was called the Sword Saint, wasn’t she the leader of the extermination force chasing me?
Perhaps due to all the intertwined connections, every time I saw Miragen, a strange feeling would creep into my chest.
Whenever I looked at her, it strangely made a corner of my chest feel weird.
“Well, that’s no longer necessary.”
It’s true that Miragen has taken an interest in me, but that doesn’t mean I need to take her words at face value.
Calling me “Beloved” is just a part of her tricks to draw me in,
as long as I catch the Crown Prince’s attention, Miragen isn’t that important in the grand scheme of things.
It’s a bit harsh to say this to her, but my only concern is the Crown Prince.
Unless she does something special, I doubt she’ll have any significant role in getting closer to him.
Of course, if she had something to do with my death, that changes things.
Still, the current situation was quite relaxed.
Once winter comes, things will get really busy, but until then, I can focus on just Arwen and Yuria.
I had considered the family head meeting to be quite important, yet strangely, things went smoothly.
Looking ahead, I suppose what remains is to talk with Arwen about future plans,
get in touch with the Princess again to meet the Crown Prince, and then start laying the groundwork to secure the Lady of the House’s position.
To elaborate on that groundwork, it would involve winning over the attendants at the Ducal Residence.
As I called out, the door soon opened, and Renold walked in.
The bundle of documents tucked under his arm were the ones I had asked him to prepare.
I probably overdid it with the preparations, maybe I exerted quite a bit of personal effort.
It’s a satisfactory result.
If Renold is willing to cooperate like this, there shouldn’t be any issue continuing to work together.
“Are these the documents I asked you to bring?”
“Yes, I’ve gathered all the information related to the household attendants and their families.”
“Well done. If there were any costs incurred, let me know, and I’ll cover them separately.”
“Thank you.”
The reason I asked him to prepare information on the attendants is simple.
If I know about their families beforehand, I can use that to gain access.
Of course, this isn’t about blackmail or anything; it’s about creating a good ‘illusion’ for them.
If there’s some good fortune at their home, and it happens to come thanks to my assistance,
if a family member was sick, and by chance, they received medical help that cured them,
and if that medical help was at my directive? Then the gratitude would likely be directed towards me.
Human nature is quite amusing; people often appreciate the origin of their help more than the one who provided it.
Just like how the Emperor receives praise even if the policies were crafted by a mere minister, I’m looking to exploit that human tendency.
When oppressed and chained, people tend to resist even more,
if I build my people this way, I believe I will soon have some trustworthy allies.
However, whether those allies would engage in any betrayal remains uncertain, but it’s better than having none at all.
Becoming the Head of the Family is part of building my own power.
No matter how it goes, once I become the Head, the members will have to follow my orders, whether they like it or not.
Of course, I’d prefer not to issue commands that are overly forceful, but there could come a time when that’s unavoidable.
There could have been a situation where I should have acted accordingly.
“But it seems like the Lady of the House has been looking for you since earlier. What will you do?”
“…Me?”
“Yes, she asked another attendant if the Young Master was at home.”
I had no idea why she was looking for me, but I had a vague idea.
Since everything that happened at the Moon Tower was kept completely secret, she was probably trying to pin down the fact that I had vanished during the meeting.
The Princess might have caught onto what I did to some extent.
If the Miragen I know is acting, she must have moved by now.
Using the map as a basis, she’d probably voiced concerns about the Non-Human Race’s backlash and shifted her stance toward a gradual cultivation rather than an extermination.
Since it was a decision made during the head family meeting, the relationship between the nobles and the imperial family would likely sour.
It was around the time when the imperial family would start trying to assert control.
Then how would Yuria react?
She was looking for me, so it would be better for me to show myself first.
Renold looked at me with a worried expression, but I reassured him and stepped out into the hallway.
I made my way to the room where Yuria was staying and slowly knocked on the door.
Knock, knock—
“This is Robert. I heard you were looking for me.”
“…Come in.”
As I entered the room, there was Yuria glaring at me with her usual icy gaze. This time, she seemed quite furious, biting her lips as she immediately spoke up.
“What on earth have you been doing? Why was the Princess, who complied with the extermination until yesterday, suddenly opposing it based on some unheard-of Non-Human Race now?”
“I don’t understand why you’re asking me about that.”
“Ha, did you really think I wouldn’t know? Robert, you should not assume that it’s just me keeping an eye on you.”
She tapped the table a couple of times, then opened up a copy of the map the Princess had been claiming and continued.
“I knew recently you acquired a map, one that details the southern terrain. Did you think that even if you spent your money, that record would go untracked?”
“I’m aware of that. Are you suggesting that I gave the map to the Princess?”
“No use denying it. I’m already aware of everything I’m saying.”
“It is indeed the map I provided.”
While I questioned whether her claim of already knowing everything was entirely true, I nodded and replied without hesitation. There was no need to hide everything from someone who was coming at me like this.
However, perhaps out of frustration at my attitude, Yuria’s brow furrowed intensely.
“…Why? You must know how important this extermination is to Father. I suppose since it’s not related to the succession, you were looking for a way to save yourself.”
“Father probably knows too. The Lady of the House wouldn’t say nothing about matters she’s aware of, would she?”
The moment she saw the map, she must have realized my actions right away.
Still, considering the reason she hadn’t said anything to me yet, it seemed she realized that it was beneficial for Taylor.
At the recent head family meeting, opinions were sharply divided.
The imperial family opposed the extermination, while the nobles insisted on carrying it out.
Despite the nobles’ overwhelming strength making it seem like the extermination was approved for the time being, the imperial family was working to delay it as much as possible to somehow smooth things over.
The Imperial Family seemed to be making moves to delay this as much as possible and somehow brush it under the rug.
In such a situation, if Taylor were to stand up against it, how would the Imperial Family react?
They would practically appear as if they were a lifesaver.
Of course, they wouldn’t take any active measures, but if their attitude toward the subjugation changed just a little, the Imperial Family would surely pay the corresponding price.
The tug-of-war between the nobles and the Imperial Family could only happen through Taylor.
Yuria’s face briefly turned pale, then gradually regained some color.
She must have sensed that things were turning quite strange.
The wind was blowing towards me. It was I who had spread the sails and set the ship to sea.
I had likely realized that I intended all of this.
“What on earth is your game?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t think you can play word games with me. I’m asking why you, who hadn’t done anything regarding the family until now, suddenly decided to intervene.”
Her trembling shoulders clearly indicated her immense anger.
As her sealed lips turned white, I slowly opened my mouth.
In a dry tone, as if I were treating this lightly.
“I intend to become the Head of the Family.”
“…What?”
“Upon reflection, I still hold the rightful claim to succession ‘for now.’ Although it’s true the Lady of the House was chosen ahead of me when we were young. There was one rule in Taylor’s family.”
Until the Head of the Family dies, unless chosen by a will, the eligibility to become the Head of the Family remains valid for anyone.
The reason why the Taylor family bled so much is this, but it’s also why they could continue their might until now.
Yuria’s gaze sharpened further.
That icy stare pierced my brow, and the chill within it seemed to engulf my entire body.
But that’s all. She couldn’t harm me here; all she could do was express her anger.
“I want to lead the Taylor family as the Head of the Family. Until now, I had no particular interest in power… but I guess I won’t need to feel that way forever.”
After a slight smile, she tilted her head again and added,
“Are you perhaps lacking confidence?”
“…You crazy bastard.”
“So it seems you’re not.”
Though her eyes looked down on me with disdain, a chuckle involuntarily escaped me.
There was no sense of vigilance in her gaze.
She was merely watching me as if to say, what nonsense is he spouting?
Given everything that had happened so far, it was clear that she thought there was no chance I could become the Head of the Family.
“Well, since it seems our conversation is over, I’ll take my leave.”
But could she maintain that expression a year from now?
I always cursed the flow of time, but this time was different.
If time moved quickly enough for me to witness my future as the Head of the Family, and if I could see Yuria crumbling down…
“…Lady of the House.”
I was more curious about what emotions I would feel than anything else.
Thud—
As the door closed, a long silence fell.
It was a calm that felt like it could burst at any moment.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
