I Will Abandon My Family! - v4 Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14 (Patreon)

v4, Chapter 12

Dizziness and Stomachache
We were told everything, and it was enough to give a stomachache as if I ate a sweet cake.

"Mom."

"What can I say..."

I couldn't believe Mother would be so forceful.
But what puzzled me was why she had given the money.

It didn't seem like a final act of affection.

"Mother, what are you thinking?"

"Hehe, the fun is just beginning."

I’m afraid to find out what that fun is.

"Even if we banish her from the territory, it won't be the end."

I thought that with her status already stripped, she couldn't do anything, but I was naive.

"She’s a cunning person. Just making her a commoner isn't enough to keep her in check."

"That is..."

"Above all, Lord Diaz is shining now. Those who were pushed aside behind the scenes are looking for his weakness."

I swallowed hard.
I didn’t understand the horrors of high society.

"As for why Lord Diaz was mistreated to this extent... in a way, she’s a typical noblewoman. A devious woman.”

"In a way, Shepherd grew up sheltered.”

Using a woman's weapons to make people sympathize with her.
Knowing how to gain an advantage for oneself.

It's terrifying to think about.

"So, I'll let her swim. Marie, don't act alone."

"Yes."

"Well, it seems the Duke's family will send a Royal Guard over"

Yes?
What did you just say?

Mother.

"Mother, Royal Guards usually protect the Royalty."

"Oh? Lord Diaz is a distant relative of the Duke's family now, no? Because the Monhan family is related to the Duke's family."

"Well, even so..."

"It"s okay. I asked the First Knight Commander."

The First Knight Commander.

"The Margrave..."

"I feel dizzy."

"It’s okay; you'll get used to it."

Will I ever become as strong as Mother?
Will the day come when I have an unshakable, steel spirit, no matter what happens?

"Marie, don't imitate my Mom; she's extreme! Seriously."

"Henry, you are too worried."

"Yes, because of your carefree behavior, Mom.”

Yeah, it seems impossible for me for a while.
I thought to myself that I couldn't become like Mother right away.

"Now, we have to expand our business."

"Yes, you're right. We don't have time to fool around."

"We also need to prepare to crush the enemy forces."

While I wanted to get closer to Mother's active personality at all times, I didn't know that many things were happening behind the scenes.

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v4, Chapter 13

Grandfather (1)
Mother bought the Ranford estate, but...

"You two should keep this deed.”

“”Huh?””

Originally, it should have belonged to Mother.

"I got the Ranford fief at an extraordinary price. Normally, you would have to pay ten times the amount."

"Even so, it was you who negotiated the price, Mother.”

"Yes, but there are still many lands that have been protected by the previous generations. There's land that Dania hasn't touched yet."

"I see."

"Actually, I found a hideaway with the surveyors."

A hideaway?
That was news to me.

"It was a small house, so Dania ignored it, I think?”

What I received was a letter.

"It's from your grandfather. It says he wants to pass on some of the land to you."

I have few memories of my Grandfather.
He died when I was young, and I don't have any direct memories of speaking with him.

"Even if you didn't exchange words, the previous generation loved you. He wrote 'To my beloved Marie' on the envelope. I also heard that your name was given by the previous Lady, Mariange."

"My name..."

"So, the Ranford estate should be passed on to you. There's no problem."

I was loved by my Grandfather.
I was happy even though we never exchanged words.

"But I don't understand."

"What don't you understand?"

"The previous generation was surely not foolish."

Henry spoke well of the previous patriarch.
He once pointed out that not all of the Ranford family, was twisted.

"You can understand your Grandfather’s excellent judgement when he accepted your Father as son-in-law.”

"Yeah."

"Then why did he let that woman run wild?"

She was already referred to as "that woman."
It seemed she didn't even want to say her name.

"The previous generation must have been troubled by Dania as well... but he showed her a last bit of mercy."

"Mercy?"

"Even before she got married, Dania never seriously studied and was always playing around. The previous generation thought it would be dangerous to send her outside. Her sister is intelligent and diligent, but she would have had a hard time if she had been made the heir."

I felt that it wouldn't end with just having a hard time.
That person's jealousy was so strong that if my aunt became the head, she would surely hinder her and cause trouble.

"That's why he sent her far away... and he married her off to a rural noble family. Later, I heard that he had provided a considerable amount of money to her husband's family and then cut ties with them."

"He didn’t have to do all that, no?”

"You're reading into it too much.”

But then, I don’t understand.
How did it end up like this when he had foreseen so much?

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v4, Chapter 14

Grandfather (2)
The ability to think ahead is essential for a lord.
When the great famine hit, the Ranford fief may have suffered a lot, but it was still better off than others.

This is because they had food reserves.
And they had food that could be stored for longer.

"It was a wise decision to choose Lord Diaz as a son-in-law."

"Probably because he saw Father's character and talent. Ironically, I've heard that the previous generation was very fond of Father."

Henry also spoke with the merchants from Grandfather's time, and they mentioned that the relationship between Father and the previous generation was so close that it didn't seem like a father-in-law and son-in-law relationship.

"They said their relationship was like that of a real parent and child."

"Yes, even His Majesty the King had given up to the previous generation, I hear."

"Your Grandfather probably believed in him a lot deep down in his heart."

Father was kind and serious.
Because he was affectionate, he continued to treat everyone with love and kindness until the end, even if he was not loved in return.

"I did some research, and among the close merchants, they were also considering the possibility of kicking Dania out of the Ranford family."

"Eh..."

The reason was the severity of Dania's infidelity and her promiscuity.

My vision went dark.
That person did such things?

"I'm still in the process of investigating, but it seems the previous generation didn't think highly of Shepherd."

"I see, because there's the possibility that Dania had a child with some boy she played with somewhere."

I felt dizzy.
Certainly, that person was close to men other than Father, and I knew she was out and about at night.

In noble society, marriage and love are often considered separately.
Some even go so far as to encourage moderate infidelity.

"In general, Shepherd is just too incompetent, don't you think? I wonder how he became such a useless man."

"Indeed, compared to Marie..."

I didn't want Father to know.
But the fact that Mother was getting involved in the investigation meant that His Majesty the King was also re-investigating her conduct.

"But... if that's the case, then I..."

"No, you are undoubtedly Lord Diaz’s daughter."

"Huh?"

"You look like a young Lord Diaz in his younger days, and there's proper documentation to prove it."

That's a relief.
I was worried about what I would do if it turned out that way.

"And another thing that has come up is that the previous generation's death might not have been due to illness."

"At this point, it's a simple equation."

I didn't want to think about it, but it was highly likely that my Grandfather was intentionally killed.
With the sudden death of my Grandfather, that person, was secretly manipulating the Ranford family, and my Father would...

"What a horrifying thought."

"We have to consider the worst-case scenario."

That means those two can't be left alone as they are.
And it also means pursuing the crime of falsely claiming Shepherd’s birth, as he is not the biological child.

Next chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/91863068