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Shepherd (1)
"You, Shepherd, are special."

I've been told that by my Mother since before I can remember.
My Father, who never amounted to much, was always a source of embarrassment.

Originally the third son of a Baronial family, he was incapable of independence.
Through my Grandfather's mercy, he became a son-in-law, unable to elevate the Viscount family.

However, seeing my Father, who was also looked down upon by the peasants, was embarrassing.

"Get the carriage ready."

"But sir, it's dangerous in this rain. In case something happens—"

"It's your job to handle that. I couldn't care less about your fate."

Today, too, I ordered the servants to prepare the carriage for me to go to the neighboring territory, but they started saying that they can't because of the heavy rain and strong winds blowing since the morning.

What laziness.
It's the servants' duty to obey orders no matter what.

"Shepherd, don't be unreasonable."

"But..."

"You two, just step aside."

"Master..."

My Father made the servants step aside.

"Shepherd, there's even an evacuation advisory in this rain. It's not just the horses, but the coachmen are also at risk."

"And what of it?"

"What will you do if something happens to them?"

"And what's your point?"

It's the servants' duty to obey their master's orders no matter what, even if it's just a mere evacuation advisory.

It's not like they're going to die or anything.
Besides, what does it matter if one of the coachmen gets hurt?

It's only natural for commoners to risk their lives for the nobility.

And yet...

"Shepherd, the servants are not slaves!"

"They're no different from slaves."

"What are you saying!"

He couldn't even treat the servants with dignity.
That's why they're getting too full of themselves.


With poor harvests continuing, the peasants who couldn't pay their taxes came seeking help.

"We can't allow such selfishness. What will become of our lives?"

"That's right. We should squeeze them properly."

And yet that man—!

He wouldn't listen to me or my mother.
If there's a poor harvest, there must be other ways to collect taxes.

There should be ways to smooth things over.

But still.

"You! Are you trying to make our lives miserable?"

"Don't be ridiculous! Charity work is what crazy nobles do to pass the time!"

That man reduced the peasants' taxes using our living expenses.
Can you believe such nonsense?

"My business has benefited a little. All that's left is to live a little more modestly... Dania, you've been getting new dresses lately, haven't you?"

"That's not the point."

"Shepherd, you've been gallivanting around lately too. Just cut down on the waste."

I couldn't understand.
Why should I help those people at the expense of making my own life difficult?

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Extra 2
Shepherd (2)
It's all because of the class system that I'm forced to live a life that doesn't suit me, spending my entire life in such a countryside is unbearable.

Nobles and commoners living in the same place.
That's why they look down on me.

"Father, look."

"Marie. Have you already understood this much? I look forward to your future."

"Lord Diaz, your daughter is very diligent in her studies."

Yet, I still continued to associate with poor church priests and nuns, tarnishing our family name.

"Don't associate with those people."

"We'll only be laughed at even more like this."

I've been fed up with being the son of a Viscount since I can remember.
I want the extravagant life of the court nobles I saw when I visited the Capital.

Their lifestyle is more suitable to me, but I can't compare.
Tea parties only for high-ranking nobles, I wanted to attend them too, but I couldn't.

We received an invitation at our house, but my Father declined.
He said there was a fire in the neighboring territory at the same time, and it was not the time to attend.

"Why is that?"

"The neighboring territory is in a crisis. Besides, we don’t have any free ships."

"That's..."

"In that case, we can go by land."

"Do you have any idea how long that would take? We don't have the money to afford such travel expenses."

"Then stop the donations and let the peasants pay for it."

That's right.
Since the taxes were reduced due to the poor harvest, it's only fair to make them repay the favor.

"We must be making some profit."

"Yes, you can stop wasting money on Marie..."

"Shepherd. Are you saying that the funds for your sister's education are wasteful... Who do you think you are?"

That’s my question.
You can't do anything on your own, relying on Mother's help to become the head of our household.

"But you can't do anything on your own either, Father! Marie won't be of any use anyway."

"That's right..."

"Then earn it yourself and go on your own."

"Huh?"

Why do I have to be told something like that?

"To think I would raise someone who can't even care for his sister... Was my education wrong?"

"Father..."

"Marie, don't worry about anything. It's time to go to church soon. Get ready."

"Yes."

He looked at me with cold eyes but with a kind gaze at Marie.


"Lord Diaz, good day to you.”

"Countess..."

"If you're going to the Mass, would you like to come with me?"

"Thank you."

She didn’t even bother to look at me.

I couldn't stand the way she doted on Marie, who was such a failure.


So, out of spite.


"Stop putting dirty things like this here!"

"Stop it, Elder brother! That's an important Bible!"

"Don't talk back to your brother!"

I tore up Marie's Bible and threw it into the fireplace.
I locked her in an unoccupied house because her crying was annoying and left her there.

I thought she should reflect on it a bit.

But...

"Shepherd! What did you do to your sister!"

Father, who had been away from home all day for work, came back at night and yelled at me while holding Marie.
I was even more annoyed when I heard that the Guild members had rescued Marie later on.

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Extra 3
Shepherd (3)
Why is someone as perfect as me stuck with such a shabby girl as my sister?
And yet, the Guild, and even the peasants, treat Marie well.

"Young Miss, are you studying today as well?"

"If you'd like, please take this."

"Young Miss, please don't push yourself too hard."


Even though I'm here, they prioritize Marie.

"Hey, this carriage is mine for the day."

"However, Young Miss is..."

"Do you dare to defy me, a commoner!"

"Please stop this, Elder brother!"

"Don't touch me, you filthy–!"

I pushed away Marie, who tried to grab my arm.

"Shepherd, what are you doing?"

"Mother, Marie grabbed my arm..."

"My, what a thing. Marie, as punishment, you'll clean the stable for a week! I won't allow you to go to the church either. You're probably just skipping your studies anyway."

"That's not..."

"No excuses allowed! Instead of wasting time, go earn some money. Stop being such a money drain."

Hah... serves her right.
I'll make her work like a slave while Father is away for a week.

She should cry and apologize.


But Marie didn't even cry.
She silently did her work without speaking.

Feeling bored, I made a mess where she had cleaned.

"Marie, it's still dirty, isn't it?"

"Yes..."

"You can't even clean properly. How much of a failure are you!"

But she didn't cry.
Even as those days continued, Father's absence made it easier to abuse her, gifts started arriving addressed to Marie.

It was a dress, but it didn't suit Marie.

"We don't need such a beautiful dress. Let's sell it."

"Oh, there are hair ornaments and necklaces too."

Spending money like this is ridiculous.

So, I decided to sell it, but...

"I'm sorry, but I can't buy this item."

"What about this one..."

For some reason, the merchant said they couldn't buy it, so Mother wore it to the evening party...

"Lady Dania, that necklace is..."

"It's a gift from my husband. It's nothing much..."

"What are you saying! That pearl necklace is a valuable item known as the Tears of the Siren."

"Yes, but it's something for unmarried women to wear."

"I heard it has the words 'for my little princess' engraved on it"

Later I found out that it was custom-made by a merchant related to Father's work for Marie. The term 'my little princess' holds a special meaning for a daughter.

"Haha... Wasn’t it actually a gift addressed to your daughter?"

"There's no mistake, right?"

"I can't believe it..."

I was humiliated in public.

"What is this!"

"Please stop, Mother! That was from Father..."

"It's because of you that I was embarrassed!"

"Why!"

The dress that brought shame was torn and burned, but it wasn't Father who prepared the dress; it was the Countess who had ties with Father and often made snide remarks to Mother.

That woman always found ways to provoke Mother.

And on top of it all...

"Mother, why is Marie going to the Royal Academy in the Capital?"

"Seriously, why is she such an eyesore?"

She started offering assistance to Marie to get back at Mother and arranged for Marie to attend the prestigious school in the Capital.

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Extra 4
Shepherd (4)
I truly thought Father, who wastes money on the useless Marie, was a complete idiot.
As we discussed our new life at social events within the territory, while I was about to enter the academy, the topic of the academy in the Capital dominated the conversation.

"When I enroll, I'm definitely joining the student council."

"I'll be in the research lab..."

Not being the eldest sons, these guys were desperate to become independent.
It's true what they say, no rest for the poor.

"Speaking of which, I heard you're getting married after graduation."

"Yeah, luckily my fiancée is skilled at sewing. She's also diligent in her studies."

"Isn't that foolish?"

"What?"

When the topic turned to his fiancée, I made a rude remark to a friend who boasted about his intelligent fiancée.
There shouldn't be any problem since it's the truth.

"Women ultimately have to rely on us by getting married. Smart women are arrogant. They end up thinking they can work too. They can only give birth to children."

That's right.
Marie doesn't need to study.
But she misunderstands and goes to school to study, which is stupid.

"Hey, don't say such things."

"Studying is useless anyway. What's important is a beautiful appearance and whether you can serve a man until death. Women who study are ugly and won't be accepted by men."

Just like Marie.

"Shepherd."

Amidst the silence, I received a sorrowful gaze from him.

What?

"Shepherd, I pity you."

"What era are you from?"

"Don't be so disgusting."

Why are you looking at me with such pitiful eyes!

"The girl who will be your fiancée is pitiable."

"Rather, you'll probably be single for life."

"You don’t need to hang out with us from now on."

With that said, they never associated with me again.

Well then, it's their loss.
And as the new year came, I entered the academy, but without joining any special courses or student councils, I ended up in the regular class.

There are many rules in school life, and if you achieve good results during your enrollment, you will be evaluated and treated well in the dormitory.

However, it was difficult to achieve those results, and the teachers, who could only think in a narrow-minded way, didn't appreciate me.

"Mr. Ranford, your attitude in class is poor, and your test results are terrible. You will have to repeat the year."

"What?"

"What do you mean by asking 'what'... What kind of education did you receive? There are few students here who can't study as poorly as you."

I was extremely disrespected by the homeroom teacher, but studying was just the minimum requirement.

"I didn't do it because I didn't need it. I don't need any subcourses, and there are only unnecessary subjects in this school. Aren't you evaluating me incorrectly?"

"Enough. I guess it was pointless to say anything. Submit this assignment by the day after tomorrow."

Having wasted time, I handed the assignment to my classmates while grumbling, but a week later, I was suspended from school.

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