Oscar randall: a tale of nobility and duty - Chapter 1
- Home
- Oscar randall: a tale of nobility and duty
- Chapter 1 - Family meeting and female master
Even after the funeral, I still couldn’t believe it.
My older brother was dead.
He was not yet thirty. His nephew was only four years old and at the height of his adorableness.
A landslide on the road caused the carriage to overturn. Was it possible for such a coincidence to happen? If the timing had been slightly off, if he had been riding in a different carriage, if he had caught a cold and stayed in bed!
My father and mother’s eyes were bloodshot. My nephew, Mark, must have sensed that many adults were coming and going and that something was different. He was quietly cowering.
“You”
My wife, Nina, gently placed her hand on my arm.
“Oh, it’s okay. Let’s go.”
A family meeting was about to be held.
I left home at the age of fifteen to go to school. It had been eight years since then. It was not as splendid as the buildings in the royal capital, but it was my dear old home. Oh, now it’s not my home anymore, but my parents’ home.
The spacious countryside mansion was filled with my family members. It was the first time since my wedding.
First of all, my parents, the current Lord and Lady Randall. The sister-in-law and nephew who lived with me. Then my second brother, who had become an adopted son-in-law, came with his wife. I, the third son, also came with my wife, but my daughter was only two years old, so she was left at home with my in-laws.
“Everyone, before we finish grieving, there is something we must do now.”
My sister-in-law, or rather, Lady Leah Daynels, straightened her back and said. Even at a time like this, she was impressive. The single-seater sofa on which she sat looked like a royal palace.
“Don’t you realize that as it is, your son Mark Randall’s life is in danger?”
Huh?
The tears of my widowed sister-in-law, Catherine, stopped. My parents also looked up, taken aback. Of course, so did I.
“W-what do you mean, Leah?”
Ah, brother, you’re being henpecked, aren’t you?
“I have a lot of troublesome relatives, you see. It’s ridiculous to think that My Darling will divorce me and become the successor to Viscount Randall…. They would even do something as ruthless as eliminating the legitimate heir to do that. That’s why I want you to do everything you can to ensure the safety of your son.”
W-wait a minute. Are you calling my brother My Darling? Uh, no, that’s not the point.
“Oh, well, Father, you may not believe it, but Leah is right. The upper nobility are, well, a different world. I also thought that commoners and nobles had different common sense, but the difference between the upper nobility and the middle nobility is even greater than that.”
My brother’s words were filled with conviction. You’re struggling, aren’t you, brother?
“First of all, let me confirm something. Currently, there are three candidates for the succession of the Viscount Randall family. The first son’s son, Mark Randall. The second son, the current Marquis Daynels, My Darling. The third son, the next Baron Tsuone, Oscar Randall Tsuone. My father-in-law is in good health, so there is no hurry for a change of succession. We will wait until Mark Randall comes of age before officially replacing him. Is that clear?”
Yes. No objection!
“Now, Sister-in-law Catherine, there are three main options for you. You can stay in the Randall family. You can go back to your parents’ home. You can break your ties with the secular world and enter a monastery. My wish is for you to stay. It is the best way for Mark to succeed the Randall family.”
“Of course. I will stay with Mark. I will not rely on my parents’ home. As the fourth daughter of an earl, I am an unwanted extra. If I were to return home, they would tell me to die rather than come back. Father-in-law, Mother-in-law, please let me stay here. For the first time since I came to this house, I have been treated like a human being. I never want to be treated like a household item again.”
“If you don’t want to be treated as a political pawn, there is also the option of a monastery.”
“Then I won’t be able to stay with Mark. I will never give up Mark. Mark is my precious family.”
The conversation between my two sisters-in-law was so fast that I didn’t have a chance to say anything.
To be honest, I had always thought of my sister-in-law as a gentle and kind person, but she must have had a lot on her mind. She had found happiness when she came to this house, but why did my brother have to die?
“That is the correct decision. So, next is the issue of your sister-in-law’s remarriage.”
Huh?
“Your sister-in-law is still young. All sorts of people will come crawling out of the woodwork, hoping to get their hands on her and, if possible, take over the Randall family. If there is pressure from her parents’ home, there may be a marriage proposal that she cannot refuse. If that happens, the son of her previous husband will be in the way, and he will be disposed of without hesitation. If that happens, My Darling will be sad.”
What is that? Scary.
“So, Oscar, please remarry Sister-in-law Catherine.”
Huh?
“W-well, no, uh, but I have Nina.”
When I glanced sideways, Nina’s expression had disappeared. T-this is scary.
“That’s why. With Oscar, there’s absolutely no way you’d push aside young Lord Mark to take over the Randall family. Until young Lady Catherine reaches adulthood, you’ll be the perfect pest control. My Darling is already the head of the Marquis family, so he can’t become the son-in-law of another family. Remarriage is possible, but in that case, elder sister-in-law would leave the Randall family register and become the second wife of the Marquis of Deinels. That would be counterproductive.”
D-don’t back down here. You’ll be forced to divorce Nina.
“I understand that, but… I’m also the son-in-law of the Tsuone family.”
“Oscar isn’t the head of the Baron Tsuone family yet. Since you won’t become the head of the Randall family right away even if you become elder sister-in-law Catherine’s husband, there’s no problem. Besides, Oscar will be mostly at his post. I heard that you spend your days off at the Baron’s house. If you just stay legally married to elder sister-in-law as it is, you’ll be completely separated. If you file for a white marriage, you’ll be granted a divorce easily.”
Ugh, hang in there. Don’t give in to the pressure of the Marchioness.
“No, I don’t want to divorce Nina. Even on paper.”
For the first time, elder sister-in-law Leah’s pressure weakened. She seemed taken aback.
“Why is it necessary to divorce?”
“Huh?”
“What?”
At that moment, my brother let out a big sigh.
“Oscar, Leah is telling you to take a second wife. It’s the common sense of the upper nobility. I hear it’s okay to have as many wives as you want.”
“Ah…”
As expected, the upper nobility is scary.