I Will Abandon My Family! - v3 Chapter 13, Chapter 14, Chapter 15 (Patreon)

v3, Chapter 13

Missed Gold (2)
"What are you talking about?"

"Huh?"

Lies.
They are undoubtedly saying that to unsettle me.

"Lady Dania, are perhaps not aware?"

"No way."

In contrast to the composed madam, the noblewomen who had been friendly until now had surprised expressions.

"The rumors in the Capital..."

"That's right. It is true, Lord Diaz has gained the title of Count and risen as a diplomat."

"My husband is a civil servant secretary in the Capital, so."

Countess Schprin, who has a husband working as a civil servant secretary in the Capital, showed me the newspapers.

"This is..."

"He has been praised for revitalizing the previously troubled territory and achieving success in diplomacy."

The newspaper shown to her prominently featured her ex-husband, Diaz, shaking hands with the Prime Minister of the neighboring country, and beside him was Marie, who should have been plain but now looked beautiful.

"The ability of the Count Monhan, who became the right-hand man of the Prime Minister... What is this about?"

That man became a Count?
No way.

"Did you not know that Lady Marie was on close terms with the Duchess?"

"That's impossible..."

I mean, someone like her…

"The Old Duchess Heinsh personally sought her out as the conversation partner for the Duchess, who had no friends in the Capital.”
"It seems she received special treatment for encouraging and supporting the Duchess during her difficult childbirth, and even provided advice to pregnant women, earning recognition from His Majesty the King..."

Unbelievable.
That incompetent person?

"Why..."

"If you need to know, Lord Diaz was friends with His Majesty and the Prime Minister since their student days."

"I haven't heard anything about that. Not a word."

"Dias-sama was desired as a son-in-law for the Marquis family, and he is a modest person."

He intentionally kept it from me.
He didn't want me to know and definitely hid it.

Perhaps he was planning to destroy the Ranford family and waited for an opportunity.
He must have begged His Majesty to help him become the live-in son-in-law of our family.

And then he sought revenge against us, hiding behind his incompetence!
Surely, he only received his title out of affection.

What a greedy and despicable man.

"This is just..."

"It's the worst."

So Marie was in on it too.
The two of them schemed together and laughed at us behind our backs.

"Are you alright?"

"You didn't know, did you?"

I can't forgive them.
They're happily living in the Capital without any troubles while I suffer like this.

In that case...

"No, I'm fine."

"You look pale."

"No, I am just relieved."

I won't forgive them for making us miserable like this.
If he were just some insignificant person, it would be one thing, but not if he's a golden opportunity.

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v3, Chapter 14

Duke Family’s Reception
Would you know the term 'out of proportion'?
Right now, both my Father and I are the perfect examples of that.

"Father, I have a headache."

"Don't say that. I do too."

The Duchess successfully gave birth.
Although she was in a state of depression for a while, I advised her to take walks and breathe fresh air instead of staying confined in her room, and she took up the suggestion of knitting hats and gloves for the baby to distract herself.

It seems she had always enjoyed embroidery as a hobby, and it served as a good distraction.
Though it was a difficult childbirth, both mother and baby came through safely, and it was a baby boy.

"Lady Marie, you are my angel. It is thanks to you that I was able to give birth to the heir."

"No... it's not like that."

"No, the direct line of the royal family hasn't been blessed with a boy for the past fifty years."

Indeed, for the past few years, boys were born only from concubines.
Even the Queen, the mother of the Duchess, had difficulty conceiving and was not blessed with children.

But still...

"I had no problems with my health even after giving birth. Thank you very much."

"It's not like that."

The Duchess.
She used to be a princess, and now she bows her head to me.

"Lady Eliana, please..."

"I also have to thank you, Lord Diaz. If I hadn't met you that time during our trip..."

"Don’t say that."

"I will never forget this favor."

Ah, my Father's expression is dead.
The other party is a member of the royal family.

Yet, even after the Duchess gave birth, we were frequently invited to the Duke's mansion.

"Did the sweets not suit your taste?"

"No, not at all. It's just that..."

To be honest, the luxurious sweets we rarely eat.

"I had them made by the court cook and the pastry chef... I wonder if I should complain later."

"We are just not used to such delicacies. They are too precious for us."

My Father spoke up on our behalf.

"Well, professionals are capable of bringing out flavors that everyone enjoys."

"Haha... that's true."

She is strict.
Lady Oriana is too strict.

"The sweets Lady Marie gave us the other day were truly delicious."

"Oh no... that was..."

"I want to have them again."

One of the local specialties of our territory.
Potato pancakes, but I regretted bringing them afterward.

They looked very rustic.

"I found them so easy to eat, I wanted seconds."

"The peach savarin was delicious too."

That one was also an improved version of our territory's economical recipe.
I was initially hesitant to bring it, but Mother suggested it, so I decorated it a bit more luxuriously and scattered flower petals on top.

"I absolutely loved the peach savarin."

"I-I see."

"I prefer savarin over cakes and cookies."

In the end, the Duchess was delighted with the souvenir.
Frankly, my homemade sweets were far from the level of the court cook's, but the little-eating Duchess finished everything I made.

As a result, her previously slender figure became a bit plumper.

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v3, Chapter 15

Formidable Parent and Child
I have something I've always thought about.
It's about the two types of people who gather together.

People with ambition and people without ambition.
It seems that my Father-in-law and Marie belong to the latter group.

The two of them have achieved many things purely through goodwill, without any ambition.

"My stomach... it hurts."

"Are you alright?"

"I'm sorry."

Invited to the Duke of Heinsch's house, Marie gradually went from being the Duchess's conversation partner to becoming her friend.

"I apologize."

"No, it's fine."

To be honest, the treatment she's receiving now was stomachache-inducing.

"Princess... no, Madam has been weak since childhood and couldn't attend school properly."

"I have heard about that."

"Due to her position, it was difficult for her to attend classes like a normal student, and she was looked at by other students with rose-colored glasses."

As a Royal and a princess, it might be inevitable.
But did she really not have a single person she could trust and call a friend?

"However, Madam had someone she admired."

"Admired?"

"Yes, there was a fellow female student who was kind to her during her school days."

There are probably many people who were kind to a princess.
Although some may have ulterior motives.

"This student offered a handkerchief to her when she fell ill and was about to vomit, without knowing her status."

"Is that so?"

"And then, she brought a bouquet of lavender to the infirmary."

Wait a minute.
If I recall correctly, that was around our second year.

"That female student was Marie."

"I knew it."

She fell ill as an underclassman, and Marie made a bouquet of lavender she cultivated herself and sent it as a get-well gift.
I heard that the student was often absent from school due to her weak health, and she couldn't attend classes in the classroom and cried.

"The bouquets arrived frequently."

"They did. That happened."

Marie had a tendency to meddle in other people's affairs.
But she did everything out of pure kindness, without expecting anything in return.

Without realizing it, she had helped a member of the Royal family.
And not only that, she admires the two parent and child even more because they are both selfless.

"People who approached Madam always had ulterior motives."

"Sigh..."

"Others looked down on her if they couldn't use her due to her frailty. Only Lady Marie was different."

Well, Marie probably didn't know her fellow student was a princess since she was from a remote area and hadn't made her debut in high society, so it was only natural for her to be kind to an underclassman.

"But I wasn't certain until they came to the Duke's house. However, when I saw the gifts for our Madam, I became convinced it was her."

"Is that so?"

Could it be that Lady Oriana heard about Marie from somewhere?
And that's why she chose her as a conversation partner?

Next chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/87613935