I Will Abandon My Family! - v2 Chapter 29, Chapter 30, Chapter 31, Chapter 32 (Patreon)

v2, Chapter 29

Shepherd’s Miscalculation (1)
Two weeks before meeting my lover’s, Mirial’s, parents.
The man I had always thought was incompetent and in the way got a divorce and left this mansion.

It seems he had another woman, committed infidelity, and left running away. I knew he was a despicable man, but I thought it would be more convenient if he died, since I couldn’t officially succeed to the title of Viscount like this.

Besides, he had probably had other women before now.
I thought it would be better if he died under the bridge and regretted leaving out on his own.

The only miscalculation was the departure of the servants and many of the citizens.
But just when I was thinking that I would be all right because I still had a nobleman whom I was in close with…

“Hah? Relinquish the fief?”

“Yes, half of these lands were given to the former Viscount Diaz for his services after he took his position. Therefore, it will be returned to the state.”

“That can’t be!”

“Stop joking!”

Civil officials suddenly appeared at our home and confronted us to return our peerage and relinquish our lands.

“The Ranford family will henceforth be Barons.”

“What… then, my son…”

“Has your son undergone the formalities and training for the succession?”

“That’s…”

“There’s no need for that! I am the eldest son of this family!”

What is he saying?
There is no need for that.

“Wow, to think you are this stupid.”

“I don't know what to say.”

“What!”

How rude of mere civil officials.
It’s unforgivable for commoners to defy a noble!

“According to our country's law, heirs are required to pass an aptitude test when they reach a certain age. Then they undergo special training while still in school. I understand that your son only attended the general education course at the Royal Academy… which means that he cannot become an heir at that point.”

“Huh?”

“At the Royal Academy, heirs and heir candidates are placed in special classes, even within the general education courses. Your son was in the lowest class, the class for third sons and alike who will become independent in the future.”

“Insolent!”

“I beg your pardon. It seems you have too little common sense. In the event of the death of the former head of the family due to illness or some other accident, or if the former head of the family causes problems, succession would be possible, but..."

“RIght. I…”

I can succeed the title.

“That would require the former head of the family embezzling the taxes of the people, or having some other problem with their character.”

“That’s right. My husband…”

“The former Viscount was a very good man, well respected by his subjects and neighboring lords, and was found to be blameless. Before his divorce, a formal letter was sent to us, and all the formalities were officially completed.”

“What did you say!”

That man, what a jerk.
He resented me and my mother and did such a cowardly thing.

“That man found a woman elsewhere and left. We are the victims here…”

“Then, have you filed a formal complaint with a lawyer? Have you filed a lawsuit?”

“That’s…”

The man was incompetent and cunning.
He told the nobles living in the neighboring fiefdoms that he was the protagonist of a tragedy and arranged for them to take his side so that he could avoid a trial.

A trial would cost us a lot of money.

“It's not worth talking about. Besides, the Prime Minister entrusted the lands to the Ranford family only on the condition that Lord Diaz would be the head of the family. He has no confidence in your son.”

“You should be thankful that you were left with the Barony… that’s all from us.”

“Wait…”

The civil officials left without even hearing what we had to say.

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v2, Chapter 30

Shepherd’s Miscalculation (2)
If I fail to inherit the title of Viscount, I will not be able to marry.
I won't be able to go to the Royal Capital.

I'm not the kind of person who would just sit around in the countryside like this.
Eventually, I was going to live in the Royal Capital and be on par with other high-ranking nobles.

I was going to be relative of the Count's family, have a close relationship with Mirial's family, and receive the Count's territory.

But why did this happen?

“What are we going to do, Mother!”

“How would I know! What do we do now… Barony, they say!?”

A Viscount and a Baron are too different in rank.
Many Barons are former commoners, and most of them are merchants who bought their titles with gold.

“This means that when I meet Mirial's parents..."

“It doesn't matter!”

“What do you mean, it doesn't matter!”

What if my marriage gets annulled?
I've already told my friends that I will be getting married, and I boasted around that I have a promising future with the daughter of a Count.

What will happen when they find out I got deprived of my title as a Viscount and my lands are forfeited?

No, I have no idea what kind of life I will be forced to lead before that.

“Since things came to this, do whatever it takes to get help from that woman’s family.”

“What?”

“If we get worse off than we are now, I won’t be able to survive… so protect me.”

“What are you saying…”

Mother says I should protect her, but living together is out of question, you know?
And yet she keeps saying something like this.

“I can't believe you brought such a fallacious wife here in the first place.”

“Calling her fallacious is too much!”

“Were you going to drive me out and take over the Ranford family? Throw me away?”

“Mother!”

Why do you blame me?
You can't be mad at me for that, since it's your wish for me to be happy.

“You are going to live just a few blocks away.”

“This house is mine… you can’t just throw me out!”

“Did you not want to keep it for your son?”

I have been a good son until now.
A son an excellent mother like her could be proud of, and she was willing to give up the mansion for my happiness.

“Oh my God… what did that woman tell you?”

“Mother, what do you think of me?”

What the hell is wrong with her?
Mother, who used to listen to my every wish, has gone crazy since that man has left her for another woman.

Everything went so well.
My perfect life started to go wrong.

And the crazy life has just begun.

Two weeks later at our meeting.

"I am breaking off this engagement.”

“We will demand reparations from you!”

“Wha… wait a moment, please!”

Mirial's broke off the engagement and demanded reparations.

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v2, Chapter 31

Shepherd’s Miscalculation (3)
A few days after the civilian officials from the Royal palace returned to the Capital, the day of the meeting with Mirial's parents came, and we froze because of the unexpected turn of events.

We wanted to change the date and set up a meeting after thinking things through, but it was already too late.

“We decided to call off the engagement on this occasion.”

“To think things would turn out like this…”

I thought Mirial’s father was already either concealing his emotions or quietly angry, but he was glaring at us quite a bit.

Why?

“What do you mean by suddenly calling off the engagement? We have already agreed…”

“Are you really asking us why?”

“I did not think you looked down on us to this extent.”

I broke out in a cold sweat.
I'm sure there are no rumors about us yet.

And yet—

“To think you were a marriage scammer… what an idiot you are.”

“Wha!”

“Falsifying a peerage is a serious offense. I know it's my fault too… I should have investigated properly before agreeing to the engagement.”

Investigated?
By what right?

“It's only natural to examine a man's background before marriage. The marriage between nobility must be authorized by His Majesty the King, after all.”

“Do you not even know that?”

“But... how can you call it fraud? It’s true that Shepherd will eventually take over the title.”

“No, that’s a lie.”

Mirial's eyes were different from usual.
Where is the innocent Mirial who loved me so much?

“Shepherd, there is a big difference between taking over a title and planning to do so. Besides, I have received a report that the Ranfords were to be reduced from Viscounts to Barons."

“A report?”

“I found it strange that I did not see Lord Diaz around.”

Does that man still has influence even here?
Just how much longer is that incompetent man going to stand in my way.

“However, after all this time…”

“Are you not going to apologize?”

“Huh?”

The Countess glared at Mother.

“You are the ones at fault here. Do you have no intention of apologizing?”

“What are you talking about…”

The Countess was angry at the lack of apology.
I see, she is upset about the lack of apology, so everything will be fine after we apologize.

“I apologize.”

“I won’t forgive you even if you apologize.”

“Wha!”

I am bowing down to you, you arrogant bi*ch.

“How distasteful.”

“What are you apologizing for? For falsifying your title or for tricking my daughter into marriage in order to get your filthy hands on the Count family’s property?”

“I have always thought there was something wrong with you, Shepherd.”

What?
She has been suspecting me for a long time?

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v2, Chapter 32

Breaking off the Engagement and Reparations
It is already known to the public that Shepherd and Mirial are engaged.
What would happen if the engagement was called off at this stage, given that I had been bragging about it at the gatherings of madams?

I thought I had to stop it all costs.

“We will be calling off the engagement.”

“Yes, that’s only natural. We will also be demanding reparations.”

How vile.
How dare they break off the engagement without my agreement and then demand reparations?

"Nonsense, you are the ones who breaking off the engagement. You should be paying reparations!"

“Hmph, you really don’t know anything.”

“Huh?”

Mirial smiled coldly.
It's hard to believe that she's that stupid woman with an empty head.

It's as if she was mocking us.

“In the event of a broken engagement, the party offering to break the engagement pays reparations if at fault.”

“See! So…”

“You are at fault for lying about your background and committing a fraud.”

“You're a school graduate, just what have you been studying… it makes me wonder if you really are Lord Diaz's son.”

This man.

How far will he go to make us look like a pair of fools?

“Lord Diaz passed the Royal Academy at the top of his class and was one of the most excellent students there.”

“Lord Diaz's intelligence must have been passed down to his daughter, Lady Marie, wasn't it? Lady Marie was also very talented and well known at the academy.”

And to praise such a failure is offensive to me.

“How dare you!”

“You don’t even know how to listen, huh.”

“We really can’t get through to you. We will have a lawyer come to visit you. You can’t go to the Capital yourselves, can you?”

They proceeded to talk selfishly, left behind documents regarding the breaking off the engagement and reparations, and prepared to leave.

“Wait a moment, Mirial. You love me, don’t you… give me a chance.”

“I love you?”

“Yeah, I also…”

Despite that, after all those insults, you still do something so pathetic.
How pathetic to put your trust in a woman like that.

“Stop it, Shepherd. You don’t need a woman like that.”

“Mother! They are a Count family. A middle-class nobility.”

That’s right.
But, their daughter is also a failure who’s going to let her little sister be the heir.

If you have listened, you would know that she is not even good as Diaz and Marie, those failures.

Ridiculous.

“My ex-husband is a failure whose only merit is his seriousness. He is…”

“You don’t know anything about him, do you?”

“What?”

“Lord Diaz was the top student at the Royal Academy. He was also a schoolmate of His Majesty the King.”

“Schoolmate…”

What is he saying?
Diaz was a third son of a Baronet—

“His Majesty, then a prince, met Lord Diaz at the academy, and they became good schoolmates… he also has friends in other high places.”

“He was so good that many nobles lamented the fact that he was adopted by a Viscount.“

Lies…
I don’t believe it.

“I am sure there will be many who will be pleased with your separation. There are many who desire a man of such talent.”

“Well, it’s irrelevant to you now.”

“Well then, farewell.”

They left the mansion, leaving me with nothing but regret.
A few days later, I learned that I had let go of an incredible treasure.

--- Volume 2 COMPLETE ---

Next chapter: I Will Abandon My Family! - v3 Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3