I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 344

Chapter 344: Family (14)

Even before I could process Claire’s words, the status window appeared, informing me that I had acquired information.

But the information displayed was rather perplexing.

It was about Isabella’s condition.

▶ Isabella is currently afflicted with the following status ailments: ◀

[Status Ailment: Madness <Level 6>]

[Status Ailment: Mental Confusion <Level 5>]

[Status Ailment: Separation Anxiety <Level 5>]

…

…

These messages were hardly ordinary status ailments.

While they appeared as simple status effects, within the game, they carried significant weight.

Even their levels were alarming. Even Level 3 ailments inflicted debilitating debuffs, so to see Levels 5 and 6…

If I had been afflicted with even one of these, it might have triggered a bad ending.

But why?

Why was Isabella suffering from these ailments?

Had something happened at the Duchy?

Or was there some internal conflict I wasn't aware of?

…I didn't know.

I lacked information.

Meanwhile, Claire berated the knights.

“Hey! You’re going to wake Mother with all that noise! Can’t you just let her sleep peacefully?!”

I naturally eavesdropped on their conversation.

“My Lady, even so, this is the Madam’s bedroom, so minimal security is…”

“Shaiden said she needs to rest! Your footsteps are more disturbing than anything!”

“…My Lady Claire, but we have our duties…”

“Don’t make me laugh.”

“Even an ant couldn’t get in with the security outside. Why do you need to do this?!”

At the word “surveillance,” the knights started sweating nervously.

“Hah. You know she’ll just fall asleep again even if she wakes up. And everyone knows how to cure this, right?”

The knights flinched.

“L-Lady Claire!”

“Did one of the servants say something? Who was it?! We’ll take care of them…!”

“Don’t overreact. Everyone who needs to know, knows.”

Claire sighed and revealed the truth.

“Only Carsein can help her. Everyone knows that.”

“…”

“…”

“This is the second time, so everyone suspected it from the moment she collapsed. Mother can’t recover from this state without Carsein.”

A heavy silence descended upon the hallway. The tension from moments before dissipated, replaced by an unsettling stillness.

Claire, suppressing her irritation, addressed the knights again.

“Now that you understand, go downstairs. You’re bothering me.”

The knights nodded and left.

Silence returned. The sounds of the knights' greaves and boots faded as they moved away, and Claire left as well.

With their mistress gone, the hallway was empty.

No one stood guard outside Isabella’s room.

It was as if even a clueless child could enter.

I knew I had to enter immediately, before any other knights arrived, but…

‘…Only I can help her?’

That conversation… I couldn’t understand it.

How could I?

It didn't make sense.

It sounded as if Isabella could only regain her sanity if I was present.

It was strange. That she would collapse just because I, a complete stranger, had left. And that she could recover if I returned?

We weren’t related by blood. I was just a legally adopted outsider. I had caused all sorts of trouble for the family, bringing shame and scandal upon them. They should be happy I was gone.

Shouldn’t they be relieved, celebrating my departure?

Instead of collapsing, shouldn’t they be clapping and cheering, or berating me for my ingratitude, like Arina?

What was going on?

Why were they acting like this?

They weren’t even my real family…!

-Squeeze.

“…!”

Harnie gently took my hand. When I looked at her, she nodded with a sympathetic expression.

I didn’t understand, but she seemed to.

She glanced towards Isabella’s room.

Was she implying that I would find answers inside?

…

Yes. I had to enter anyway.

To progress the episode, I had to open that door.

Claire had created this opportunity, twice. I couldn't waste it.

-Click.

The Duchess of the Bagrand Duchy.

And Carsein’s mother.

…The person who reminded me of my own adoptive mother, even though we weren't related by blood.

She was…

-Ding!

▶ Entered Isabella’s room. ◀

…
Lying in bed, her eyes closed.

***

“…”

I stood there for a long time, my gaze fixed on the bed.

And I realized something.

A lot had changed in just a few weeks.

She looked thinner, more frail.

Dark circles ringed her eyes, and her complexion was pale.

The wrinkles on her face seemed deeper, her expression haggard.

There were other changes as well, but…

To put it bluntly, Isabella didn’t look well.

It was a disturbing sight.

“…Why?”

You’re not my mother.

And I’m not your son.

“Why are you like this, just because I’m gone?”

I… I just couldn’t understand.

“…It’s not just anyone who’s gone.”

A voice answered, and someone entered the room.

Harnie looked startled, but I wasn't.

“It’s the Young Master. It’s not strange. It’s to be expected.”

“…Shaiden.”

It wasn’t an enemy.

The features were familiar.

The voice, too, was one I had heard many times.

He was the Duchy’s physician.

“Um, Carsein?”

“It’s alright. He’s not a threat.”

“…R-really?”

Harnie, who had been bewildered, seemed relieved by my reaction.

But I still hadn't received a proper answer.

I had to ask. And I had to hear it.

To dispel this unsettling sense of déjà vu.

But before I could ask, the answer came from a different source.

“Carsein… is that you, Carsein…?”

A weak, raspy voice called my name.

It was Isabella.

Damn it. It seemed things were going off track.

Because of my useless thoughts, Isabella had woken up.

I had to find Karn's note and leave before the pursuit event triggered.

But…

“Oh… my son… where have you been? How could you leave your mother all alone? Come here… let me hold you…”

Her eyes weren’t focused. Her pupils were dilated.

She gestured towards me, but her hand grasped at empty air. She was looking at me, but it felt as if she was seeing something else.

Shaiden sighed and explained.

“She’s just chasing after an illusion. She’s not conscious of her actions.”

“…Not conscious?”

“As you can see, the Young Master is right in front of her, but she doesn’t even recognize him. You don’t have to worry about being discovered.”

That was true. The real Carsein was right here, but she didn’t even recognize him.

“This is the Elbern Syndrome, the madness that afflicts the Madam.”

“What?”

“It happens when someone experiences a great shock. In the past, the Madam lost the Duke and Young Master Karn, and she wandered around searching for them. When the symptoms worsen… she starts searching for someone she can no longer see.”

But she would never find them.

No matter how much she searched, they wouldn’t be there.

Those she had lost would never return.

Trapped in an endless cycle, Isabella chased after unattainable illusions. That was the symptom of this terrible illness, the Elbern Syndrome.

Shaiden placed a large cushion in Isabella’s arms. She clutched it tightly, as if holding a child, tears streaming down her face.

“I… I was wrong, Carsein. It was my fault. I… I didn’t cherish you enough… I was a terrible mother…”

“…”

“So please… please stay with me… don’t go anywhere… don’t disappear like you did today… please stay by my side, Carsein…”

She repeated the word “son” over and over, calling herself a terrible mother. She confessed her wrongdoings, her voice filled with remorse and desperation.

Isabella, clutching the cushion and weeping, was a pitiful sight.

…I should have found it strange.

I should have known there was no reason, no need for this.

It was wrong for her to show such affection towards me, someone who wasn’t even her real son.

…But I didn’t know anymore.

“The Madam has always been burdened by guilt.”

Shaiden sighed, his expression filled with sympathy.

“She always felt guilty for not treating you like her own son, her true child. And that regret only grew with time. She didn’t know you well enough to know what to give you. So… unable to express herself properly, coupled with her noble status, she always gave you the worst possible gifts.”

…I remembered.

Isabella always tried to give me things, using money.

Just like my adoptive mother.

“But the Madam’s feelings were always sincere. She wanted to celebrate your coming-of-age ceremony lavishly, to express her heartfelt congratulations. She was determined not to miss this birthday. She instructed us to prepare a grand celebration, unlike any birthday you’ve had before.”

Two months.

She had started preparing two months in advance, not two days.

“So, Young Master, I have one request. Please… show the Madam some mercy.”

Shaiden handed me a pen and paper.

He probably wanted me to write a few words, a message for her. Perhaps it would help her let go of her regret, even slightly. If it was in my handwriting, she might recognize it and recover.

Normally, I wouldn’t have any reason to do this.

What did Isabella’s condition have to do with me?

It wasn't my concern.

But…

I didn’t feel any sense of satisfaction seeing her like this.

“…A simple greeting should be enough, right?”

“Yes. Thank you. Thank you so much, Young Master Carsein.”

Yes. Revenge…

Was useless.

***

After writing a short message, I searched for Karn’s note, as the episode dictated.

It didn’t take long to find it.

The mission was relatively simple, and I had plenty of time left.

I had almost finished. The location of the third treasure was revealed, and all that remained was to escape.

But…

“…Carsein…?”

Isabella grabbed my arm.

Her eyes were focused this time.

She wasn’t grasping at empty air. She was holding onto my arm.

Had she regained her senses?

A wave of unease washed over me.

My breath hitched.

Cold sweat trickled down my back.

As Shaiden reached for the sleeping draught he had prepared, Isabella suddenly opened a drawer and handed me something.

“I think you missed one… didn’t you? I found it a while ago and kept it here.”

“…”

I thought there were only three.

But there was another one.

“And… happy birthday, Carsein.”

Her words made me realize she hadn’t fully recovered.

But…

Surprisingly, what she handed me next was a gift.

Not a birthday gift that could be bought with money, but a real gift.

What Isabella gave me for my birthday…

Was a glass orb containing constellations, the very thing young Carsein had mentioned wanting, just once, in an old Memorial.

I, too, had thrown a tantrum once in my past life.

I had been envious of the other kids playing with glass orbs. In a moment of childish desire, I had asked for one.

It could be called an incredible coincidence.

Or perhaps, a striking realism.

…I still didn’t understand Isabella’s feelings.

But…

-Reach.

“Are you… hugging your mother…? Thank you…”

“I wish you good health, Mother.”

It was alright, just this once.

To call her that.

-Ding!

▶ Cleared the Hidden Episode, A Single Memory. ◀

▶ Isabella has become an ally. ◀

▶ All status ailments will gradually recover over time. ◀

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