I Will Abandon My Family! - v1 Chapter 3, Chapter 4 + v2 Chapter 1, Chapter 2 (Patreon)

v1, Chapter 3

Lodging
We had to stay at an inn before going to the Royal Capital.

“This is…”

“Oh, it’s one of the inns I’m managing.”

The inn I imagined was much smaller, but the one in front of me was a hotel.
It was a magnificent structure, the kind used by high-ranking nobles.

“This is actually a villa I bought from a noble. And we renovated it.”

“As expected of my Mom.”

“The exterior is quite nice, too, isn't it? The only thing I have a little complaint about is the food.”

Once we walked inside, a footman greeted us.

“We have been waiting for you, President. Let me guide you to your room.”

“Mhm.”

He was quite an elegant footman.
Every move he made was well practiced.

“Mom, that person is…”

“Yes, a former knight.”

“You picked him up?”

“Yes.”

I didn't think she would be going around and hiring former Knights.

“It's a lot less expensive than hiring another guard.”

“I see…”

“Besides, former Knights have their uses.”

It's amazing how even Knights can be utilized by her.
Going as far as to using suspicious people if they can be used, that’s the kind of person my Mother-in-law is.

“Well, let’s eat before it gets cold.”

The food she ordered was a course menu.

“As I thought…”

“Mom…”

The food was all very luxurious, but not something that would be normally eaten over here.

We were in the mountains, of course sea fish wouldn’t be a hit here.

“Why are you not using local products from the mountains?”

“Hm?”

“Sea fish taste the best in the locations near the seas, they won’t be as fresh when they get here.”

I think it would be better to use fish from the mountain rivers, but in the most expensive restaurants, they prefer to use fish from the sea, especially the high-end ones.

“That… makes sense. As expected of my Marie!”

“Eh? Mother-in-law?”

“Mom, your during-a-meal manners are not acceptable.”

Suddenly, Mother-in-law got up and called for the head waiter and left.

“What happened?”

“I’m afraid she’s thinking of something bad again.”

She is so passionate about her work that she can't think of anything else when it comes to business.

I like her that way.

“Marie! Thank you.”

“As I told you, Mom, don’t be so noisy at a meal.”

“I think I've just had a breakthrough on my new project."

She smiled happily as she held my hand.
I didn't mean to do anything, but she thanked me tremendously.

And this was the beginning of it all.
That I would later be entrusted with consulting for my Mother-in-law's business is a story for another time.

----------

v1, Chapter 4

Adorable Daughter-in-law
I have an adorable daughter-in-law.
She was too good for that stiff, overly serious, stupid son of mine.

I married my husband after a passionate falling in love.
After ten years of marriage, we finally had a child and I have been trying to be strong despite all the rumors.

My husband passed away when Henry was very young, and I raised him by myself.
It took a lot of hard work to rebuild our fading household, but I took pride in my work and taught it to my son.

I gave him the best education and taught him not to be ashamed to go out in the social world.
Then I was introduced to Marie, a girl who was a special student at the same school.

She was a very hard worker.
She was modest with a love of learning, and the complete opposite of me, who was outspoken about everything.

She was very clever.

I was surprised that the stubborn Henry, fell in love with her.

However, I heard that her family relations were not so good.
She was a noble young lady, who was treated coldly by her mother, who favored her brother in every way.

A little after they have gotten married, I was informed that her brother was getting married as well.

I received a letter from Henry stating that they might be kicked out of the Ranford family.

I thought that there was no way.
It was the two of them who had rebuilt the Ranford household, which was on the verge of collapse.

Above all, I didn't think they would drive away their own.

A week later, Henry's fears came true.
I was stunned when the letter arrived.

How could she do this to the child she had given birth to with such pain?

But, on the other hand, I thought.
If they don’t want Marie, I will take her.

In fact, I would like to build a mansion nearby and have her within my sight.

She probably wouldn’t like co-living with her Mother-in-law, so I don’t wish for much.
But I thought it would be nice to have her within sight, were something to happen.

I only have one child, Henry.
All of my inheritance will go to Henry, but at this point, I can adopt Marie as an heir and have her inherit my business.

She would have to be adopted as an heir to inherit my business due to family registration issues, but the Ranford family doesn't understand how valuable Marie is.

If they are going to hand over their hidden treasure themselves, I'm not going to refuse.

“Someone, get me a carriage."

After this, I hastened to make travel arrangements and contacted a lawyer.
Just in case.

Then I went to pick up Henry and Marie, and when I saw them drenched in the rain, I couldn't stand it and burst into tears.

I couldn't believe that they would throw her out in such thin clothes in such cold weather!

----------

v2, Chapter 1

In-law’s Home
After an overnight stay and a comfortable trip, we arrived at the Royal Capital.

“Mom, you have renovated the mansion?”

“Yes, it was getting old. I took the opportunity to expand.”

Even low-ranked nobles don’t live in such big mansions, though Mother-in-law said it so simply.
Her parents are commoners, but they were what is called bourgeois.

I heard that they were wealthier than low-ranked nobles and had many businesses.
In particular, they own a lot of real estate and land, and run clothing stores and restaurants.

I was told they were still working hard.

“There are more servants too.”

“Yeah.”

It was difficult in my family to increase the number of servants.
We weren’t that wealthy, so I had to take on the role of a servant.

That being said, because we didn't have to compare to the luxury of the old days, we lived frugally to save money.

“Mom, the house next door is?”

“It’s for servants only. A Baron wanted to sell, so we bought it for a very reasonable price.”

A servants’ house?
I had never imagined that a luxurious mansion with a garden would be used as a dormitory for servants.

“I prefer live-in servants to commuting servants."

“Hahh…”

I am reminded that my in-laws have a different sense of money, because live-in workers are more difficult financially in many ways.

“Don’t worry, I write it off as expenses.”

“As expected of my Mom.”

“Besides, it's only natural to give special treatment to talented people. It is more wasteful to bring in new servants frequently.”

If you dislike a servant, you have to let them go and bring in a new one, that is the nobility’s way of thinking.

“Well, in my case it's because I'm trying to cut down on waste… but we'll talk about the difficult stuff later!”

Mother-in-law then took out a bell out of nowhere and rung it.

“Welcome back, Madam. We have been awaiting you, Lord Henry, Lady Marie.”

Merces, the housekeeper, appeared.

“Take them to their room, we will have tea after they are settled.”

“Yes.”

“I have some preparations to make first.”

Mother-in-law, who seemed flustered for some reason, left.

“Sorry about that.”

“No, it’s okay.”

I was about to take my luggage to my room.

“We have been awaiting you.”

“Eh?”

“We have been entrusted to assist you in everything, Lady Marie. Firstly, let’s get you a change of clothes.”

“The bath has been prepared as well.”

“Please come this way!”

The people, who seemed to be maids, had encircled me.

“Oi, you guys!”

“Young Lord can wait in the dining room.”

The maids forcibly took me to the bathroom, took care of this and that for me, and then dressed me up.

----------

v2, Chapter 2

Special Treatment
I was taken by three maids to a bathroom and took care of me.

“Oh my, your hair is splitting.”

“Truly… however, the treatment will be effective.”

“Moreover, your skin is so white.”

I dozed off in the flower-scented bathtub after washing my body.

How pleasant that was.
In my parents' house, I was the last one to wash, and I was not allowed to take a bath in the bathtub.

I was never allowed to wash my hair like this.

After bathing, I was offered fruit juice water for moisture and then put on loose-fitting clothes.

“We would like to dress you up more, but…”

“We were instructed by Madam to dress you in a comfortable outfit.”

“A dressmaker has been contacted to come after the teatime.”

A dressmaker?
Why is there a need for a dressmaker to come?

“We were ordered to have all of your clothes tailored from scratch.”

You have to know how expensive it is to make clothes custom-made.

“It’s Madam’s dream, after all.”

“Yes, she even wanted to choose Western-style clothes for you herself after the marriage.”

It's hard to refuse.
I didn’t dare to say no when I looked into the expectant eyes of the three maids.

“Are you done?”

“””Madam!”””

The maids bowed to Mother-in-law as she entered the room.
Behind her, Henry looked exhausted.

“Mom’s preferences again?”

“My sense for clothes is never wrong.”

These clothes are also very good.
Unlike the clothes I usually wear, it was made of high quality fabrics, and even the shoes were matching.

“Well, let’s have a cup of tea. Come, sit down.”

“Y… yes.”

On the table were luxurious sweets and tea.

“Everything is prepared for you.”

“Am I a bonus?”

“I mean, tea parties are usually girls-only, no?”

I wonder if I can call it girls only with just the two of us.

“Well, sit down.”

“Yes.”

I was kind of intimidated.

Rather, who am I?
I'm the daughter-in-law, I should be brewing the tea.

“Don’t mind it. Go along with Mom’s selfishness for a little.”

“Okay…”

I won't be selfish.
Even before we were married, Mother-in-law never did anything wrong to me.

She has a refreshing personality and not disagreeable at all.
She has the grace to admit and apologize immediately if she has done something wrong.

However, she did not get along with my own Mother.
My Mother has a high self-esteem and is an absolutist about status, so she could not tolerate commoners even if they were wealthy.

“What is it, Marie?”

“It’s tasty. Very tasty…”

It was my favorite apple tea.
She remembered.

That makes me so happy.

“Try the cookie, too. You like those, right?”

“I do.”

I don't know when I have felt so happy since.

It was so warm that even my heart felt warmed up.

Next chapter