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.