I Will Abandon My Family! - v2 Chapter 21, Chapter 22

v2, Chapter 21

Success in Life
Henry’s face turned pale as Mother gazed happily at the model of a ship.

“When I was a little girl, I wanted to travel around the world on a ship.”

“Is that so?”

“I used to enjoy looking at ships and pictures of ships.”

So the very active Mother had such dreams, huh.

“I wonder if I will ever get to go for a business across the seas.”

“That’s very possible for you, Mother.”

One day, she might say, "I'm going on a trip” or something similar.

“Let’s not provoke her into doing it, okay?”

“Indeed.”

We were whispering to each other.

“What are you two whispering about?”

“”Nothing at all!””

I laughed to deceive Mother and let the moment pass.

“Marie, would you mind letting me see my grandson?”

“Of course, Father.”

Father, who felt that he could not bear to disturb Mother who was absorbed in her model, asked to see the child, so I decided to show him into the next room.

“Ah~!”

“Ohh, what a lively child.”

“Yes, he was born quick. He hardly cries at night, too.”

“He truly is kind to his mother. You also seldom cried at night.”

“Is that so?”

“Ahh.”

I was happy to see Father reach out and gently hold his grandson in his arms while reminiscing.

“What is his name?”

“It’s Cyril.”

“I see, that’s a nice name.”

I was happy to show my son to my Father like this.

“How long will you stay here, Father?”

“Ah~... actually, I’m going to the court in a while.”

“Huh?”

Father, to the court?

“Yes, His Majesty has bestowed a countship upon me.”

“Countship…”

To be awarded a court rank outside of succession rights, a person must have made considerable achievements.
In cases I heard about, people were awarded the rank of Baron after winning a battle, or securing peace during a war.

Yet to suddenly receive a countship?:

“In fact, I was offered the peerage a year ago, but I turned it down.”

“How come?”

“Yeah, I was sure a lot of trouble would arise once I accepted the countship.”

I could guess who the trouble would come from.
There's a great chance that those two’s impudence would grow even more with a rank higher than Viscount.
As a Countess, she would be going in and out of the palace more often, and that’s not a place to show her impudence in.

“I refused this time again… and then.”

“And then?”

“His Majesty told me he would raise my title to Marquis and gift me a castle.”

Oh, His Majesty seems to have a good understanding of my Father's character.

But what kind of accomplishments did my Father make?
That was what I was most curious about.

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v2, Chapter 22

Out of Goodwill
My Father had been too good a person since he was young.
Moreover, many of the people he helped were of extraordinary status, such as big merchants and nobles, and he helped them without wanting anything in return.

On a boat trip to a neighboring country right after leaving the Ranford family, Father came across a woman.

“She looked very sick, and when I called out to her, I immediately realized that she was a woman of high rank.”

“Yes?”

“She was a Duke’s wife. The little sister of His Majesty, and a woman with the highest status in our country.”

The woman of the highest status in our country.
The First Princess, Eliana.

His Majesty is the child of the previous King and his concubine, and Princess Eliana is the only child of the Queen and is said to be the highest-ranking woman in our country.

“Her mother-in-law tormented her a lot because she could not have children. She was in a state of depression.”

“How could she…”

“However, they deliberately made Princess Eliana fall into a state of depression, and planned to kill her on the ship.”

“What…”

What a horrible thing to do.
It's a serious crime to plot the assassination of a former princess.

“I could tell from the color of her skin that she was poisoned. Fortunately, her symptoms were still non-life threatening.”

“So you saved her?”

“Yes, thankfully, I had a herbalist with me.”

Father told me that he had managed to save Princess Eliana's life, and he had even managed to find out who had done it.

“Afterward, when I escorted Princess Eliana back to the Capital, I was informed of her status… and that is when I learned of your dismissal.”

“Father…”

I guess this is only a natural course of events.
His Majesty had no choice but to bestow a peerage upon him.

“After that, the old Duchess bowed her head to her… I learned later, that the old Duchess was not a bad person either.”

“What do you mean?”

“She played the bad mother-in-law by adopting a stern attitude to protect Princess Eliana from bad social gossip.”

The relationship between mother-in-laws and daughter-in-laws is a strange one.

“Blood is not the only bond between people. In fact, their bond may be thicker than blood.”

“That’s true.”

They say blood is thicker than water, etc..
I understand very well that special bonds can be created even between in-laws.

“And so, what about the Duke?”

“I heard the old Duchess gave him a stern lesson. It was the Duke's maidservant who planned the assassination.”

“What do I say about that…”

I’m sure it must have angered the old Duchess a lot.

“It made me ashamed to be a man.”

“You are different, Father.”

“I hope that’s true, but… well, this time, His Majesty threatened me with the title of Marquis if I don’t accept the countship for my achievements.”

“Threatened, huh…”

But, he would have to do something like that for Father to accept.

How will that affect the Viscount Household of Randfords?

“I can tell what you are thinking about.”

“So, what happens now?”

“Shepherd does not meet the conditions of succession. He cannot succeed the title of Viscount.”

“Eh…?”

Then, what is going to happen to the Ranford family?

Next chapter: I Will Abandon My Family! - v2 Chapter 23, Chapter 24