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?