WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Malfoid
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Don't Need a Family ◈
Episode 25
──────
* * *
After his cousin Ingrid left, Duke Ashwilt stopped with his pen poised over the ink.
‘Emotional abuse.’
The words his cousin had left behind kept bothering him. Not that he believed they were true.
He had no reason to endure such an accusation. His daughter was incompetent, but he had never starved or beaten her. He had never treated her unjustly.
Nor had he discriminated against her compared with her siblings.
He had merely acknowledged the slight “differences” based on aptitude and ability.
So he gave an amused snort.
“Ha! Ingrid, what nonsense. Go to any ballroom in Plaford. There is no one who would not praise how well I have treated that child.”
House Ashwilt was famous for its harmonious family, and everyone knew of his exceptional devotion to his daughter.
Every year, he readily paid her enormous medical expenses.
He had not hastily married her off somewhere just because she was shameful.
Above all, whenever he met someone privately, he always boasted about his daughter.
She is beautiful, just like her mother. She has a gentle, feminine nature. Look here, she even knitted this robe for me....
Fortunately, he never had to wrack his brain for something to boast about.
It was fortunate for the Duke.
If he did not talk her up like that, would people not think he had failed in raising his daughter?
If she could not use magic, she needed at least some other minor talent so people would not laugh at her.
After more than ten years of constantly forcing such things into people's heads, those in the capital believed Vivette was quite an admirable young lady.
Of course, it did not work at all in Erenston.
In contrast, there was no need to praise Gillian or Harris.
Everyone recognized their excellence without him adding a word.
As a result, he had unintentionally become known as a doting fool of a father.
Ha! Who would believe that his daughter left home because of him?
When this father had tried so hard!
Ingrid had said it happened because he never listened to his daughter.
‘What did she say? That I had not loved that child enough?’
That was wrong.
He loved Vivette very much. More than anyone else in the world.
But he also loved Philippe, his retainer who lived on Bunny Street.
And the boy from his domain who herded sheep at Cowhorn Cliff.
To him, as the head of the household, loving others was nothing remarkable. It was simply what he ought to do as a lord.
So it was not that, as his cousin said, he had not loved Vivette enough. It would be more accurate to say he had not treated her kindly.
‘But what is wrong with that?’
He had been exactly like this since childhood.
Yet he could guarantee that there had never been a problem before. Not until he had a daughter.
Ah, no.
He had been criticized a few times over it.
By Ingrid, when they were children.
Before his father succeeded to the dukedom, he had lived in the same house as his uncles and cousins who had yet to establish separate households.
Ingrid had been his closest cousin among them.
She was fairly good at her studies and clever, which he liked, but sometimes she cried over the smallest things.
She was easily hurt.
Her heart seemed even more fragile than glass made through magical engineering.
“...”
The Duke repeatedly tapped the mahogany desk with his fingertips.
“They are alike, after all.”
Like his daughter, Ingrid had been sensitive and needed affection.
But had that ever caused a rift between them? No. They still got along well even now.
As far as he knew, her siblings were also close despite their differing personalities.
Ingrid had pointed out his indifference a few times when they were young, but that was all. Unlike someone, she had not flown into a rage and left home.
There was only one difference between the two.
Ingrid Ashwilt had been a girl gifted in magic.
She was skilled in all kinds of magical tricks and popular with children her age.
She could not play an instrument and had not even learned embroidery, yet she was praised everywhere in Erenston.
Because she had magical ability.
In the world of mages, magical skill was everything. That was reality and truth.
So Vivette had turned out that way entirely because of her own incompetence.
Not because her personality differed from the rest of the family.
Ingrid had the same personality, yet she got along perfectly well with everyone.
Even if Vivette wandered outside, no one would love her anywhere.
The only place that might accept her was this house, her father's home. He only hoped his daughter would realize that soon.
“When will she come home?”
As the Duke looked through the frosted window, he could vividly picture his daughter suffering.
* * *
It was a late winter morning in Plaford, after the snow had stopped.
All kinds of clothes piled up before my eyes.
“Try this on.”
“No, my lady! Since it is still the festival period, how about a fresh green coat?”
From the main gown to robes to wear over it, white silk gloves, lace trim, and jeweled buttons, everything kept pouring out without end.
There were easily three full chests of accessories alone, not counting the shoes and dresses.
‘...Did I pack that many clothes when I left?’
No matter how hard I thought about it, I did not think so.
Madame Fadde and Lola had been busy dressing me since the morning of the New Year Festival holiday, desperate to adorn me from head to toe.
At last, it was the final day of the long New Year Festival.
We had decided to go out to Plaford's main street.
It began that morning, when Lola tore off the calendar page hanging in the sitting room.
“Today is the last day of the holiday, too. A lot of the guests must have left Ashwilt Estate by now.”
The scrap of paper bearing yesterday's date was thrown into the fireplace and turned into a handful of ash.
“My lady, the festival will be over by tomorrow. Is there anything you want to do?”
“The festival?”
As I tied my hair high, I glanced back at Lola.
“Well, it is already near the end of the holiday, so there will not be much left to enjoy.”
Even in an Empire said to have entered an age of prosperity, people were not comfortable enough to enjoy a festival for all ten days.
The period that could truly be called the festival was, at most, the first three days.
By now, things had almost returned to normal.
‘The best parts are already over.’
“Most of the stalls have already packed up, but the theaters are still doing wonderfully. My lady, you wanted to see the cembalo recital at the Lapierre Grand Theater.”
“I did?”
“Yes, you begged Master Gillian for an entire month to take you there as a birthday gift.”
How humiliating.
My face burned on Vivette's behalf. It was dreadful to imagine Gillian feeling superior as he watched Vivette cling to him.
Since even searching through my memories only brought up something vague, Vivette probably had not wanted to go that badly either.
She had only needed an excuse to spend time with her brother.
‘Vivette did not like music much to begin with.’
She especially could not stand the cembalo.
Our tastes were rather similar in that regard.
Just as I was quietly sympathizing with her, Lola leaned closer and whispered as if urging me on.
“Now that I think about it, there is no need to bring Master Gillian along. You can go by yourself and enjoy it. My lady, you do not need to stay indoors and mope just because things are a little strained between you and Master Gillian. Let us go see it together!”
It was a splendid mindset.
Too bad I did not particularly want to go.
“No, Lola. Back then, I only wanted to spend time with my brother.”
“Ah...”
The corners of Lola's mouth drooped again.
“I am fine, so do not worry about me.”
“A concert?”
I heard the steady sound of footsteps overhead.
The next moment, Madame Fadde came down the stairs leading to the second floor with her chin raised high.
“A cembalo recital, did you say?”
“Good morning, Madame.”
As if out of habit, she gave me a quick look from head to toe.
“Do you want to go there?”
“No, not really...”
“Vivette.”
Madame's gaze was fixed somewhere else.
“I will take you there today.”
“!”
Why? Did she think I wanted to go?
Had she not heard the rest, that I only wanted to go because of Gillian?
Perhaps she had simply heard the word concert and wanted to go herself.
Ladies of nobility were supposed to enjoy music, after all.
“As a birthday gift.”
“...”
So she had heard what I said.
Madame did not say anything more. Without waiting for my answer, she strode into the kitchen.
She swept aside the curtain separating the kitchen and sitting room.
Whenever Madame went in there, no one could follow. She would fly into a temper.
“My lady, this worked out well.”
Lola whispered beside me, as if cheering me on.
“Yes, it did.”
Since it had worked out this way, I decided to enjoy the daytime outing.
“It would be nice if I could get closer to Madame while we are at it.”
We would be living together from now on.
More than anything, the thought that this was my first proper outing began to fill me with anticipation.
I did not mean my first outing in the capital.
I had not properly gone out in either Erenston or Plaford yet, but it had been the same in my previous life.
I had always seen the hazy city streets through a car window or a hospital window. That was all.
Even when I felt a little better, I had been ashamed as a child that I walked differently from others, so I did not go outside.
And I regretted that for the rest of my life.
I was ten when I first started using a wheelchair.
After that, I never got out of it. That was, until my condition worsened further and I became confined to bed.
That was right. I had never once gone out for pleasure.
This was my first chance.
“Madame.”
I declared it to Madame, who was examining the dresses with a critical eye.
“I will take that yellow dress.”
I pointed to a flowing dress of golden silk embellished with gold thread.
If it flowed, that should mean it would be easier to move in.
Then I would not fall for no reason.
“My lady, that is not yellow. It is gold...”
Lola corrected me quietly, but Madame promptly clapped her hands with a sharp clap.
“Good. Now that you have chosen, shall we go out and enjoy ourselves?”
* * *
I had been wrong to think the festival had passed its prime.
The streets were still this crowded and cheerful!
“Hey, ladies, looks like you do not have an escort. That will get you into trouble. Heh heh.”
“It is dangerous for ladies to walk around alone. Heh heh.”
Look at that. Even the muggers were still fresh and in season.
I glared at the thugs surrounding Madame Fadde, Lola, and me.
True to Plaford's reputation as a heartless metropolis where someone could steal your nose while you were wide awake, we were surrounded by thugs a little over ten minutes after leaving home.
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
