I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 312

Chapter 312: As If It Never Happened (9)

This was the third carriage heading towards the Bagrand Duchy.

And they, too, encountered the same obstacle.

“So the Chas River Bridge is under repair?”

“Yes. Count Ptoah is personally overseeing the repairs. And with the recent downpour and the flooding, it’s impossible to cross at the moment.”

Arina, unfolding a map, explained the situation.

She pointed out the blocked roads, based on the reports she had received.

Just like Claire and Flora, they couldn't use the bridge.

Isabella and Arina would have to stay somewhere else for the night.

Logically, that was the best option.

However,

-I don’t need anything.

That voice echoed in her mind, each repetition a sharp stab of pain.

Initially, she had tried to ignore it.

Carsein’s rejections had been hurtful, a source of frustration and disappointment, but that wasn’t important.

But as they passed by familiar locations, Isabella couldn't escape that voice.

She had tried to dismiss it as her imagination, but it happened everywhere.

In the places Carsein had been, his rejections echoed like phantom whispers.

Even the sight of Shatrain’s specialty crops, now widely distributed throughout the Empire, or the Lusmire stones and concrete used in construction, triggered those memories.

He had refused her help when he had been managing Lusmire, rejecting her allowance, Claire’s financial support, even the Duchy’s resources.

Those memories, so vivid, so painful, resurfaced, bringing with them a throbbing headache.

The subtle ache in her chest, the pounding in her head, made her increasingly anxious.

“It would be best to stay the night, My Lady. The conditions aren’t—”

“No, we’re going back to the Duchy today.”

“What?”

Arina asked, surprised.

“Even if the conditions are unfavorable, there are still ways to reach the Duchy, aren’t there?”

“Well… there are other routes, but the roads are muddy due to the rain. The carriage wheels might get stuck. So, we’ll have to take the off-road path, which has firmer ground, but it will be a very bumpy ride.”

“I don’t mind. A little discomfort is fine.”

“…Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Arina, seeing Isabella’s resolute expression, was taken aback.

But Isabella was determined.

She didn’t care about the bumpy ride.

She had to reach the Duchy today, even if it meant enduring some discomfort. It was better than arriving a day later, taking the more comfortable route.

-I don’t need anything.

“Ugh…!”

“Mother?! I’ll call for a physician! Just stay here…!”

“I’m… fine.”

“Mother…”

“Let’s go… back to the Duchy… Now.”

Carsein’s cold, sharp rejections echoed in her mind, a relentless torment.

***

Carsein had always been the son she had neglected.

He had grown up well, but she hadn’t been a proper mother to him.

While others might whisper and gossip, he was her son, legally adopted into the Bagrand family.

He wasn’t related by blood, but he was still her son, in her heart.

Perhaps that was why she was being punished.

But Isabella wouldn't give up.

No, she couldn’t.

She wanted to be a proper mother to him, just once.

She wanted to show him that she truly cared for him, that she accepted him as her son.

She wouldn't forget again.

December 31st, a date she had once overlooked, was now clearly marked on her calendar. The most important day of the year.

For December 31st,

For her son’s birthday,

For his coming-of-age ceremony,

She had meticulously planned a special celebration for Carsein.

She would dedicate the entire month of December to his coming-of-age ceremony, even if it meant disrupting the Duchy’s schedule.

But as they approached the Duchy, Isabella’s headache intensified.

The flawlessly executed Founding Festival.

The Golden Dragon Martial Arts Tournament, where he had brought honor to the Bagrand family.

The Eastern Nobles’ Conference, where he had excelled in the symposium.

Shatrain, revitalized and thriving, exceeding its former glory.

Lusmire, transformed from a barren wasteland into a bustling transportation hub.

The spring outing, where the entire family had enjoyed themselves.

The village where the Snowflake Festival had been held.

Everywhere she looked, she saw traces of him, reminders of his achievements.

He had supposedly received help from his sisters during the Founding Festival, but he had carried the burden of the preparations. And yet, he hadn’t asked for anything in return.

He had placed second in the martial arts tournament, qualifying for the arena battle and achieving a result any family would be proud of. And yet, he hadn’t wanted a reward.

The Eastern Nobles’ Conference, the symposium, had been the same. He hadn’t even used the Bagrand name, let alone asked for the Duchy’s support.

He had earned his place through his own efforts, revitalizing Lusmire.

And Shatrain’s revival had been even more remarkable.

Lusmire, once a desolate territory, was now thriving.

And the Snowflake Festival, where he had gone alone.

Carsein had always been alone.

‘Could it be…?’

A terrible thought crossed her mind, a chilling premonition that made her gasp.

He had received no support, no affection, no recognition.

“My Lady, we’ve arrived!”

They had reached the Duchy.

“Mother, I’ll open the—”

-Click.

She was faster than Arina.

The moment she heard the coachman’s voice, she had already moved.

The carriage door opened.

She didn’t even seem to hear Arina’s surprised gasp as she rushed out of the carriage.

‘No… It can’t be… It can’t be true…’

What had he wanted, that boy who had always been alone?

She still didn’t know.

Even when she had asked, he hadn’t told her.

And that same boy,

Who had always refused her offers of help, her affection,

Had clung to one thing.

His work.

He had managed his territories, diligently accumulating wealth.

He had refused her allowance, the Duchy’s support.

He had insisted on using his own money, as if he were repaying a debt.

This… it was as if…

“No, that can’t be… That’s impossible…”

He had been saving money,

Rejecting her help,

Because…

“Gasp… gasp…”

The flower crown he had received at Claire’s coming-of-age ceremony was hanging on the wall.

And within its delicate frame, she saw Carsein, dressed in a servant’s uniform, his expression indifferent, as if he didn’t care about his own coming-of-age ceremony.

She remembered his reaction, his casual dismissal of his own birthday.

Her breath hitched in her chest.

She remembered that day.

The day he had returned from inspecting the territories.

The day he had been found unconscious in his room, suffering from a severe cold, having refused to rest.

He had been so indifferent, so distant, even after collapsing from the Rigomos Hypersensitivity Syndrome, refusing to acknowledge her concern, insisting on canceling their morning greetings to avoid wasting her time.

Her mouth went dry.

She had thought…

She had hoped…

That there would be something.

Something that reminded her of him.

But there was nothing.

There were no traces of Carsein in the Duchy.

Not in the grand main hall, not on the staircase, not even in the dimly lit hallways.

…No.

There wouldn't be anything in her room either.

Nor in his study, or anywhere else.

All she saw were phantom images of Carsein,

Reminders of the accusations, the neglect, her own failures as a mother.

Her mind went blank.

There was no trace of him, not a single sign of his presence in this vast manor.

“No, that can’t be… That’s impossible…”

There was one place, one last place, where there might be something.

His room. It had to be different.

She opened the door, a sliver of hope flickering in her heart, praying for a single trace of him, a single mark on the blank canvas of her mind.

And…

Isabella’s mind, which had been a blank slate, remained empty as she collapsed to the floor.

“You didn’t need anything… because…?”

Her vision blurred, her eyes filled with tears.

But she could still see it clearly.

He had calculated every expense,

And had repaid them all.

With his own money, earned through his own hard work.

He hadn't accepted a single penny, not a single gesture of kindness.

There was no trace of him left in this Duchy.

He had become… as if he had never existed.

Isabella’s mind was a blank canvas, devoid of color, devoid of life.

“Ah… ah…”

“Mother!”

“My son… my son… Carsein…”

Isabella reached out, her hand grasping at empty air.

She wasn't reaching for a person, but for clothes. Not Carsein, but Carsein's clothes.

“Don’t tell me…”

Arina bit her lip, a chilling premonition gripping her heart.

She had seen this before.

Her mother, like this, in the past.

It was a disaster.

A recurring nightmare, a curse that had begun the day her father and Karn had disappeared.

“Why…?”

Her mother’s illness, which had been cured, had returned.

“Carsein… Carsein… my son…”

-Ding!

▶ Key Memorial: The Room Without a Master activated. ◀

▶ Isabella Bagrand has been afflicted with the Madness status ailment. ◀

[Effect: Duchy operations paralyzed.]

“Mother… what…?”

“Ah… my son… my son…”

“…”

Arina gritted her teeth.

“Where did you go, after doing this…? Carsein!”

-Ding!

▶ Error! ◀

▶ Cannot intervene at this stage. ◀

▶ Determining alternative course of action… ◀

…

…

▶ Deactivating choices and initiating forced event. ◀

▶ Chapter 4 clear conditions changed. ◀

▶ All episodes converted to main episodes, and can now be replayed. ◀

▶ Re-evaluating branch… ◀

▶ Calculating outcome… ◀

…

…

▶ Conditions met. ◀

▶ Key Memorials for three synchronized characters activated. ◀

▶ Arina Bagrand’s trigger, <Mother’s Role, Resumed>, has been deleted. ◀

[Pursuit trigger reactivated.]

▶ All Chapter 4 episodes will now begin forcibly. ◀

***

-Tap. Tap.

A man, his elbow resting on the table, tapped his fingers impatiently.

He had just finished reading a report, and a cruel smile spread across his face.

“Hey.”

“Y-yes?”

“Are you sure about this?”

“O-of course! I double-checked, just in case.”

To see the invisible lines of magic, woven into the very fabric of reality.

Only one group possessed such an ability.

‘The eyes of the Wederos Kingdom.’

He had recently lost a valuable subordinate. At the Founding Festival, of all places.

It hadn’t been a difficult task.

Assassinating the defenseless Duchess. What could be easier?

He had once been a member of the Knight Squadron, so he knew the Duchy’s layout like the back of his hand. It should have been a simple mission.

And his subordinate wasn't some incompetent fool like Emma Urnen or Theo Ramstear. He was a trusted and capable assassin.

But someone had interfered, disrupting his plans.

And that someone,

Was likely Carsein Bagrand.

‘Now that I think about it, there were so many inconsistencies. All my plans were being disrupted by that irregular.’

Carsein. He had to be eliminated.

“And… there’s something else.”

“What is it?”

“He’s disappeared!”

“Disappeared?”

“Yes. The Duchy is trying to keep it quiet, but… he’s definitely gone. Look at this!”

A cruel smile spread across the man’s face.

This was his chance.

The fear of the Wederos Kingdom still lingered in the Empire.

“Unleash the Western monsters. We have to keep those Westerners occupied.”

“Y-yes, sir. But… what about this…?”

“Ah, that.”

He grinned.

“Starting tomorrow, Carsein Bagrand will become the most hated man in the Empire.”

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