I Don't Need a Family - Chapter 17

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Malfoid

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ I Don't Need a Family ◈

Episode 17

──────

* * *

‘It really was delirium.’

I had expected it to some extent, so I was not particularly surprised.

After using every method available to me to check, I found that her memory, cognitive ability, and capacity for daily life were all normal.

I was not a doctor, but there was no way this could be called dementia.

“Madam, subtract seven from one hundred, then subtract another seven.”

“Are you testing me? I said I’m fine!”

“Madam, if you find a lost cane, how should you find its owner?”

“Goodness, you’re doing what I taught you when you were little. You probably don’t even remember.”

Lady Fadde had not been cooperative, so it took some time, but this confirmed it.

She had recovered completely.

“I’m glad you recovered safely. Congratulations.”

Even when I smiled at her, Lady Fadde only stared at me.

“You really nursed me?”

“Lola and the maids did most of the work.”

“And saved my life when I nearly died?”

“That really was a close call. If that hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have dismissed your maids.”

“I will not ask any more about that. You treated me very well. I wish to apologize for misunderstanding you, even if only briefly.”

The lady seemed lost in thought. She looked even more so after I told her about my departure for the countryside, scheduled for tomorrow.

It seemed she had been deeply shocked to learn that House Ashwilt, which she had believed would at least protect her out of duty, had abandoned her.

Seeing her like that made my anger rise again.

‘She may not share their blood, but she is still their mother. How could they abandon their own mother?’

Then again, the Duke was desperate to throw away even his biological daughter when she was of no use to him. Perhaps it was only natural.

‘No, perhaps this worked out for the best. I might have hesitated if the Duke had shown even a little kindness, but not anymore.’

The Duke abandoned his mother?

Then I would abandon the Duke, my father.

It was a very neat calculation. Perfectly Ashwilt-like.

“Vivette Ashwilt.”

I raised my head at the Lady of the Annex’s voice.

She had already suppressed her emotions and become the perfect noblewoman once more.

“You saved my life and stood by my side against the family. In gratitude, I wish to repay you.”

“You don’t have to feel burdened. I only did what I should as family.”

The lady smiled faintly.

“But was there anyone else in this estate who did their duty?”

“Ahaha.”

I had nothing to say, so I could only laugh it off.

“I don’t say this lightly. Is there something you want? Tell me. I will gladly grant anything possible, even if I must give you everything I own.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

Opportunities like this were rare.

I had not done it expecting a reward, but there could not have been a better time to pursue my goal.

“Then, Madam, I want to leave this house.”

“Hmm?”

Lady Fadde seemed quite taken aback by my words.

“No, wait. What did you say? You wish to leave the house?”

“Miss? What do you mean?”

Even Lola beside me was startled. I had not mentioned it to her in advance.

‘I had planned to leave the Ashwilt Estate without telling anyone once Lady Fadde woke up.’

According to the family tree, I was free of the magical contract, so it was entirely possible.

I had only hesitated because I would be leaving with nothing.

But if the lady helped me, things would become much easier.

“Do you wish to be independent?”

“It is more than simply becoming independent. I want to completely sever my ties with House Ashwilt.”

“Why would you?”

The lady seemed genuinely puzzled.

“Doesn’t the Ashwilt family cherish you, at least?”

“They did, but only when I obeyed them.”

“The outside world is the wilderness itself. Don’t you know how reassuring the family’s protection is?”

“I don’t know. We have even run out of ingredients lately. The main house has been cutting off support more and more.”

“Ingredients? What do you mean?”

“Madam, Miss has barely been able to make stew with bug-eaten leafy vegetables lately. The main house has been...”

Lola, standing behind me, suddenly interrupted, but she could not continue.

Lady Fadde’s eyes had turned red.

“How dare those bastards even interfere with what my granddaughter eats?”

“Eek! M-Madam, please stop! Miss is a person without abilities!”

Lola cried out sharply.

From the corridor came the sounds of other maids panicking and rushing about.

I, meanwhile, felt nothing at all.

‘Just as I thought.’

It seemed the lady had let some highly toxic mana leak out.

It was further proof that Vivette’s body could not sense the flow of mana at all.

Even ordinary people reacted to harmful mana, but Vivette’s magic resistance was strangely high, so she could not even sense most harmful mana.

Still, that was not entirely good.

Even if a mage intending to attack me were nearby, I would not be able to detect them.

“Ah, forgive me. Are you all right, Vivette?”

“Yes, I’m fine. It’s only this much.”

“Only this much?”

Ah. Had that sounded rude, even though it was the lady’s mana?

I was about to say that was not what I meant when the lady muttered,

“I heard your magic resistance was exceptionally high. So it was true.”

“Yes.”

“How strange.”

“Strange?”

“If your resistance is that high, why did your Mana Heart break during the baptism?”

“!”

I had not expected the lady to bring up that accident first.

But she was right.

One might say I had been a baby then, and weaker than I was now.

But as far as I knew, Vivette had possessed greater magic resistance than most adults even then.

How could putting a little carefully selected, pure mana into a baby’s body, chosen by an adult relative specifically to avoid harming her, produce such a result?

It made no sense.

There was a reason Lady Fadde had felt wronged all this time.

“I only say this in case you are wondering, but I did not make a single mistake during that baptism.”

Lady Fadde spoke firmly.

“But neither do I think there was something wrong with you. At the time, overwhelmed by my sense of injustice, I blamed your lack of talent... Yet seeing how high your magic resistance is, I believe I was mistaken.”

“Of course. An accident is an accident for a reason.”

For now, I focused on calming her down. We could look into the details later.

“You don’t need to worry about it at all, Madam. It wasn’t your fault.”

“Thank you for saying that. I have lived my whole life waiting to hear those words.”

Lady Fadde’s sorrowful sigh troubled me.

‘Emotional condition affects recovery, too...’

Fortunately, she was a noblewoman. Training herself to control her emotions had become second nature, and she quickly calmed herself.

“More importantly, let us return to the original subject. Do you truly wish to leave the family? Ashwilt’s protection is likely greater than you think.”

“I want to live freely, even if I have to cast that aside.”

I looked through Vivette’s memories and told her everything about how I had been treated.

I swear that, since I was entirely a third party and not Vivette herself, I described it from an utterly objective perspective.

Lola, who was rather emotional, added her own comments from beside me, and before long, the two women were furious over what had happened to me.

“From the look of it, that bastard Arion won’t come to his senses until he loses his daughter!”

“That is exactly what I am saying, Madam! Please help Miss leave home!”

Lady Fadde was one thing, but Lola, why were you joining in?

As a servant working at the estate, I had expected her to stop me from leaving.

Until just moments ago, she had been shocked and asking what I meant. But perhaps her old feelings had resurfaced as she cursed Vivette’s family.

Was she that happy about me leaving home?

Or surely, she wasn’t planning to come with me?

“Vivette.”

After a brief cough to settle herself, the lady continued.

“I had long known that the Ashwilts were heartless. It pains me that I wasted twenty years avoiding the truth, telling myself they could not possibly be like that.”

“Madam...”

“This incident has made me realize that they would not even hold a funeral when I die. They would leave even my funeral to some local lord and never come themselves, all while confidently inheriting the rest of my estate.”

Lady Fadde snorted.

“Your grandfather left a fair amount of wealth in my name. I never spent it, only saved it. I did not wish to carelessly let Ashwilt property leave the family. I loved House Ashwilt. But not anymore.”

Lady Fadde smiled triumphantly, almost joyfully.

“Not a single penny will go to that bastard Arion. Vivette, I will give it all to you. Become my heir.”

“Y-your heir?”

This was rather startling.

I had wanted support that would let me stand on my own, not an enormous fortune!

And if it was an inheritance the previous Duke had given the previous Duchess, it was essentially Ashwilt money.

I wanted to leave because I could not stand House Ashwilt, but taking the family’s wealth with me felt a little...

“Consider it payment for saving my life.”

Even so, it still weighed on my mind...

“And payment for taking care of me until I die.”

What?

“Vivette, come with me. Let us live together and pretend to be family. Just pretending will be enough for me. Rather than remain with the family and die alone.”

“...”

Honestly, I was bewildered.

This was the first day I had properly spoken with her, and she was asking me to become family with her.

There was also a great deal of money involved, so it was not an easy decision to make.

“Of course, you may become independent from me later. You can leave after you marry, too! I have lived alone all this time anyway, so it does not matter.”

When I hesitated, the lady hurriedly added,

“Just become my heir. It is only to ease my guilt, so don’t feel burdened. I think it will help me feel more at peace.”

...Apparently, I was not cold enough to refuse someone who said so much.

Or perhaps, even after everything I had experienced, family was still precious to me.

“All right, Madam. Please come with me.”

That was what I said as I wrapped both hands around hers.

Lola even teared up and bounced in place behind us.

“Yes, Madam. Let us live well together, the three of us! I will serve you well.”

...Lola, why were you included?

I did not know why we had naturally become three people, but we spent some time making plans for the future.

“Ah, and Madam, if you don’t mind, I have one more request.”

“Just say the word.”