Chapter 57

The eyes with a strange light were looking at me and Perez.

Ugh, have I been caught?

It was frustrating.

No one should ever know that I and Perez know each other.

I quickly avoided the Emperor's eyes.

But I could feel it.

That tenacious gaze stays on me for a while longer.

But when I looked back later, the Emperor was talking with my father and grandfather with the same face as before.

Did I see wrong?

There was a possibility that I was terrified by Jovanes's gaze that he gave without thinking.

Either way, I tried not to give my eyes to Perez again.

"Then, let's start with awarding and enjoy the banquet."

Jovanes said, taking care of the gathered nobles.

My father, who was still holding my hand, said tenderly when he was standing near my grandfather.

"Dad, I'll go back for a while."

Even though I was nervous enough to get my hands cold, I take care of myself first.

The children over there were completely different from the Emperor who did not care about making them his maids.

I kissed my father on the cheek to cheer on him.

With that alone, my father smiled broadly as he was empowered.

Emperor Jovanes stood on the podium in front of the crowd, and the Emperor's aides brought the medal.

When I saw the back of my father walking to the center, everyone's eyes were on the podium.

There was Perez, standing proudly as a member of the Imperial Family.

Astana, who was now completely in puberty, was also next to the Empress who was staring at Perez with a really stiff face.

Even when she gets older, she still can't manage her facial expressions.

Then suddenly, I looked at Perez. He was still looking at me. Whether it feels good or bad.1

The expressionless face, whose inner heart is not well understood, suits the Royal Family 100 times better than Astana.1

I smiled at him and turned my face back to the podium.

The appearance of the medal varies depending on the recipient, but my father's medal appeared as a large necklace made of gold.

And another aide was standing behind it.

Like a trophy, it was held in both hands.

"Gallahan Lombardy, come here."

At the Emperor's words, my father knelt in front of him.

"I, Jovanes Canabon Lambrew Durelli, will present this Founding Medal to you."

Unlike when he laughed a while ago, a low, loud voice spoke as if solemnly proclaimed.

“I deserve this medal because I have contributed to my willingness to care for the people of the Lambrew Empire in an ingenious attempt no one has ever thought of.”

A necklace with an imperial seal was hung around my father's neck.

“And your achievements are very good, so I give a special gift to Gallahan Lombardy along with the medal.”

Special present?

The official who was waiting for the second time came forward.

And it was a scroll made of old leather that was handed down to the Emperor's hands.

Jovanes unfolded it, making it visible to all, and gave it to his father.

"From today, I declare that Gallahan Lombardy is the owner of the Cheshire territory."

Heo-eok.

I wasn't the only one taking a quick breath.

Everyone in the banquet hall was astonished. As you may have known in advance, except for my calm grandfather and the Emperor who smiles.

Although the Founding Medal had a special meaning, the biggest gift awarded with the medal was a territory.

It was a kind of territory that would be returned to the imperial family when the person who received the medal died.1

What do you mean by territory?

And that scroll made of leather is a territory document no matter how much you look at it.

Moreover, the Cheshire territory is not land directly ruled by the Imperial Family.

Since the Nokta River, the second largest river in the Lambrew Empire, has been developed nearby, it has a high grain production and a high population density...

"Mrs. Sussew!"

Someone shouted in a small voice.

Behind the Emperor's left side, the gray-haired elderly woman remained indifferent to the concentration of people.

Beatrice Sussew.

My grandmother, Natalia Sussew, is an elderly woman who serves as the head of the House of Sussew, the wealthy man from South Olkezia.

Originally, the Cheshire territory, the land of the Sussew family, was handed down to his father.

That meant the will of Beatrice Sussew.

Father looked at the territory document in his hands with a blank face and said,

"Your Majesty, I will take good care of it."

The medal ceremony was short, but the afterglow was big and long.

"Come on, sit down and rest for a while….”

My father mumbled, grasping the territory document with both hands.

"Haha! You are too soft, will you be able to play the role of a Lord properly?"

Emperor Jovanes came back to chattering again and made fun of my father.

Yes, it good.

He's just showing off the territory to other people.

Now Jovanes, who said he would enjoy the banquet, disappeared among the nobles, and I shook my father's side.

"Dad!"

"Tia…"

My father looked at me and smiled weakly.

"What should I do with such a good thing....”

It was a face that had a feeling of burden and debt ahead rather than the joy of having territory.

"How can you do that? It's Thank You. You just have to say thank you and live well."

"Aunt!"

It was Mrs. Beatrice Sussew who approached.

She is a person who becomes an aunt to my father.