I Will Abandon My Family! - v5 Chapter 35, Chapter 36, Chapter 37

v5, Chapter 35
A Woman That is Dania (1)
I was a special existence.
I was supposed to be a being happier than anyone else.

Yet, I was born as the daughter of a Viscount, and my father was an unsuccessful man.
My mother, despite being a noblewoman, was plain, unremarkable, and immoral.

In the aristocratic society, political marriages were obligations.
If you were a nobleman's wife, it was common to have lovers outside of your marriage.

However, my mother never once cheated.
The commoners praised her for her chastity, but in reality, it was just because no gentlemen were interested in her.

With no charm and no prospects, she was an idiotic woman who rejected advances even in social gatherings.

Rather than a rigid and earnest man with no other qualities, she should have surrendered herself to a wealthy, powerful, and well-dressed man.

Despite being a noblewoman, she assisted in managing the estate.
Women should indulge in luxury and be pampered by gentlemen with their beauty and charm.

But it was always the same.

"Dania, you are the daughter of a Feudal lord. You need to study properly."

"Become an independent woman for the sake of society..."

It was always like this whenever she opened her mouth.
I didn't want to become like my mother.
I didn't want to stagnate in this countryside.
Someday, I would make a grand debut in the Capital's social scene and live an elegant life.
The prince would come to fetch me.

That's what I thought until, at the age of 15, a severe famine struck our territory.

As a result, many nobles with estates worked tirelessly to protect the lives of their subjects.

Our family was no exception.

"If we continue like this, the commoners will die of hunger."

"Dear, please don't worry about us."

"Father, please..."

My foolish mother and sister sold the estate to protect the commoners' lives, prioritizing that over our own well-being.
As a result, we temporarily faltered by reducing the commoners' taxes.

I couldn't get new dresses.
Days without being able to attend balls irritated me.

Yet, despite our impoverished life, my mother seemed happy.

"Welcome back. Thank you for your hard work."

"Yeah."

"Father, look. The harvest was plentiful."

The number of servants had to be reduced, and Anita willingly engaged in farming to make ends meet.
She even took on additional work to help with living expenses.

Unbelievable...

A noble’s daughter working.

And yet, she seemed happier than before we became poor.

I couldn't understand it.
During that, we reached the age to attend school...

However, due to our financial situation, we were told we couldn't afford to attend the academy in the Capital.

But when my mother became ill, I was told that even if I could attend a school, it would be a low tuition school that both commoners and nobles could attend.

That was the beginning of it all.
The reason I started to despise my mother.

I didn't want to become like that woman.

That's what I thought.

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v5, Chapter 36
A Woman That is Dania (2)
"Why is it not possible!"

I was supposed to attend the prestigious academy in the Capital and be noticed by my prince.
But I was told that attending the academy and making a debut in the Capital's social scene were both difficult.

"Don't make unreasonable demands. It's challenging given the current economic situation."

"It's because of you, Mother! Why did you get sick… It's your fault that my dreams got ruined! How could you!"

"Why are you saying such things!"

The hypocritical Anita shamelessly defended our mother.
She never had any intention of going to school in the first place.

"Because of you... it would have been better if you had just died back then!"

"Dania!"

"Then, we wouldn't have had medical expenses, and Father could have married someone better. In the first place, you are a stain on our family!"

Isn't that the truth?
A poor Baroness, a disgrace to the name of nobility.

Why did he marry such a woman?

"Get out right now! It would have been better if you were dead...!"

"Enough already!"

"Ahh!"

I didn't do anything wrong, yet my father struck me.
What a violent person!

"How could you hit me..."

"Why are you like this? How can you say such things to your own mother!"

What mother?
She never did anything for me.

She destroyed my dreams.

"I won't forgive you."

"Dania..."

"I will never forgive you for stealing my dreams."

Perhaps my mother felt guilty for ruining my dreams and life, as she started to act as if she was trying to please me after that.

But every time she did, I felt uncomfortable, and Anita, acting like a self-righteous ally of justice, stood in my way.

Yet...

One year later, Anita started attending a women's academy in the neighboring territory.
It was significantly inferior to the Royal academy in the Capital, but it was a well-known school.

"How come Anita is going to school!"

"Anita is using a scholarship. It doesn't cost anything."

"Even so!"

"You probably won't study properly. If you want to go to school, study more."

Women don't need education.
I just want to be loved, but at this rate...

I studied hard to enter a school for nobles, but I hadn't been studying properly until now.

So passing the entrance exam would be too difficult for me.

That's what they told me.

So, I used a certain method.
If I couldn't pass, I just had to make others fail more.

I really wanted to get into the Royal academy, but it was tough.
So, I schemed to drug other candidates, ensuring they failed on the exam day, and tampered with the carriage of a merchant's daughter from the same territory who was taking the exam.

Thanks to that, I passed as a substitute.

Since there were several substitute candidates, I used similar methods to eliminate rivals and finally entered the academy.

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v5, Chapter 37
A Woman That is Dania (3)
It was the sister school of the most prestigious school in the Capital, but I was never chosen for the exchange student program, which required outstanding academic achievements.

During that time, a cultural exchange event was held.
Although we couldn't interact directly, I didn't give up.

While Anita, who excelled academically but played around during her school days, was praised and spoiled, my situation became precarious, and my father scolded me.
It started around that time.

With my mother falling ill, the atmosphere in the mansion became oppressive.
I disliked my mother, and although I was treated harshly in the mansion and even apologized, I blamed her.

At that time, Anita, who graduated a year earlier than me, had her engagement decided.
The man was unremarkable.

Indeed, a man like that was suitable for Anita.
I believed that I would be the one to protect the Ranford family's future.

I trusted that I would be the heir.

However–

"Your engagement has been decided."

"Huh?"

It happened three months before graduation.
I, who had struggled to find an engagement all this time, suddenly had one.

The reason was simple.
There was no suitable match for me.

Counts or lower were out of the question.
But I didn't want the eldest son; he would come with a troublesome mother-in-law.
The second or third son would be acceptable, but they had to be wealthy.
I kept refusing men who weren't handsome enough.

"He's the third son of a Baron."

"What?"

"He's an excellent young man from the Royal Academy, and he will succeed me in the future. If he marries in, he can inherit the family fortune."

"Wait a minute... Why a son-in-law would–"

"If Anita is getting married, we need an heir. Why are you so surprised?"

Why...

Why won't you acknowledge me?

I'm right here.

"Why someone unrelated."

"He's a good young man and very hardworking. He'll protect you."

Why won't you look at me?
Handing over the title to a complete stranger?

It's ridiculous.

"Noble marriages are conducted with His Majesty's permission. If you refuse, you'll have to go to a convent... If you really hate it, leave the house."

"No way!"

"He doesn't have to be a son-in-law. I can entrust the estate to Diaz even without marriage."

How cruel.
To be forced into an engagement or be expelled from home is too much.

Unable to resist, I played with a man as a form of harassment.
I tried to make him break off the engagement.

I thought I could extort compensation if I did.

But that man didn't say anything.

"Diaz, I'm sorry."

"Don’t be."

"It's because I wanted you as a son-in-law that... I ended up forcing this incompetent daughter onto you."

I overheard the two talking.

What do you mean, incompetent?
I haven't done anything wrong.

And Diaz, too.
He started acting like the tragic hero, gaining sympathy.

My father spent more and more time with Diaz each day, taking him to negotiations and inspections.
In less than a year of marriage, father retired.

By handing over the headship to Diaz and starting the process of inheritance before his death, my father became my enemy, so I decided to eliminate him early.

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