I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 284

Chapter 284: The Prophet of Wederos (3)

“I’ll pay.”

—Thud.

Carsein placed a thick envelope on the table.

—Thump.

And someone dropped a teddy bear.

“…What?”

“I said I’ll pay the taxes.”

Everyone in the room was stunned by Carsein’s immediate response.

It had all happened so quickly.

Isabella had brought Carsein back from his room.

And Arina had immediately confronted him, her words laced with barbs.

She had argued that since the two territories, Lusmire and Shatrain, were now under Carsein’s management, he should be responsible for their taxes.

While technically correct…

Everyone knew she wasn’t seriously trying to collect money from him.

They simply wanted him to participate more in family events.

They wanted him to stop prioritizing his territories and neglecting his family.

They wanted him to be more present.

But Carsein had placed a thick envelope on the table, filled with money.

Sensing the strange turn the conversation had taken, Claire spoke up.

“Hey! You don’t have to do that. We weren’t seriously asking you to pay!”

Claire tried to return the envelope.

“We just wanted you to spend more time with us…! We weren’t trying to take your money!”

“Yes, of course. We wouldn’t ask you to do such a thing.”

Isabella chimed in, agreeing with Claire.

“Unlike your sisters, you’re not even receiving an allowance from the Duchy. You even refused Claire’s financial support, and you’ve been paying for all the repairs in your territories with your own money.”

“…What? Mother, he’s been paying for the repairs himself?”

“Ah… yes, Arina. I haven’t told you. It’s been several months now.”

The financial support Claire had been providing had been replaced by an allowance.

And Carsein had refused to accept it, rejecting any financial assistance from the Duchy.

He hadn’t accepted Claire’s support.

Nor had he accepted the Duchy’s.

He had been managing his territories entirely on his own.

‘Which means…’

He must be short on funds.

He shouldn’t even be able to afford to pay taxes.

“You idiot…! Put that away!”

The taxes owed by the Bagrand Duchy were substantial.

As the only ducal house in the Empire, the amount each family member had to pay was considerable.

It was only possible because of their diverse business ventures and substantial income. If Arina had been in the same situation, she would have been struggling.

“You’re acting like some big-shot lord just because you’re making a bit of money from your territories. I didn’t realize you were shouldering all the expenses yourself. And now you’re even offering to pay taxes? Are you out of your mind? If you keep overspending like this—”

“That’s not just my taxes. It’s the entire family’s.”

“…What?”

“Consider it a fine for not attending breakfast.”

Normally, she would have been furious.

But Arina was speechless, frozen in place.

Carsein continued, his expression unchanged,

“Well, since you weren’t seriously trying to fine me, I’ll just consider it a donation.”

“A-a donation?”

“You can open the envelope and check for yourselves. I’m busy, so I’ll be going now.”

“Wait! Carsein!”

“Carsein…!”

Carsein, his face impassive, turned and left.

Isabella, Claire, and Flora followed him.

Arina simply stood there, watching them leave, her mind reeling.

-That’s not just my taxes. It’s the entire family’s.

-Consider it a fine for not attending breakfast.

“…The entire family’s taxes? Not just his own?”

That’s impossible.

He had been managing and repairing his territories without any financial support?

He had managed to accumulate enough funds to pay taxes with just two territories, despite their recent recovery?

That’s absurd.

There’s no way.

“That envelope is probably filled with useless scraps of paper.”

She wouldn’t be fooled by his childish antics.

…That’s what she should have thought.

“…”

Arina picked up the envelope Carsein had left behind.

And as she opened it, her jaw dropped.

“This… this is…”

The exact amount.

Not a penny more, not a penny less.

The heavy envelope contained the precise amount of taxes owed by all five members of the Bagrand family.

She crumpled the envelope in her hand.

-Ding!

▶ Arina’s inferiority complex has intensified! ◀

[Current level: 91%]

***

Arina’s harsh words had prompted Isabella to personally summon Carsein…

But that wasn’t the real reason she had called for him.

She simply wanted to spend time with him, to have a proper conversation.

To share a meal, to laugh together, to show him some affection, as a family.

Isabella had conveyed her feelings to Carsein, and he had simply nodded in agreement before returning to his territories.

“…”

She had cleared up the misunderstanding.

But his words still lingered in her mind, making her heart ache.

-I’ll pay.

-I said I’ll pay the taxes.

She hadn’t been a good mother to Carsein.

She knew that.

She hadn’t been there for him when he needed her.

She hadn’t protected him.

She hadn’t even noticed how he was being treated.

She had simply neglected him.

She hadn't been a proper mother to him.

She had built a wall between them, treating him differently from her other children.

She had to acknowledge and accept her mistakes.

‘Yes, I know. I’m a terrible mother. But… but…’

She couldn’t shake the feeling that he was slipping away from her too quickly.

Too soon.

He had grown up, become independent and capable, but it was too soon.

Carsein refused her allowance, her financial support, even her gifts.

The only thing she could offer him now was her wealth.

She wanted him to at least live comfortably, without having to worry about money, without having to worry about taxes.

And his refusal had hurt her deeply.

“Why… why won’t you accept anything, Carsein…?”

-Ding!

▶ Isabella’s Hidden Episode: <A Mother’s Embrace, Left Too Soon> cleared. ◀

▶ Synchronizing… ◀

▶ An event will be triggered when the target discovers the Key Memorial. ◀

[Key Memorial: ???]

***

In the Empire, taxes were calculated based on the number of family members, the size of the house, and the extent of their territories.

Therefore, in the tax payment segment after returning to the Duchy, if I paid more than the required amount for Carsein, a hidden event would be triggered, nullifying the penalties.

While it might seem like a waste of money, considering the importance of accumulating wealth for the Another Plan…

‘That’s not how this game works.’

It might seem paradoxical, but I had to spend money to save time.

After the martial arts tournament, Carsein was obligated to participate in various Duchy events.

He would be summoned back to the manor while managing his territories.

And his business ventures would be constantly interrupted by his family.

In such situations, choices would appear, offering me the option to spend money to buy free time. If I chose to save money and participate in the scheduled events, it would backfire, making it impossible to clear the Another Plan.

The reason was simple.

It would lead to a bad ending, as the Another Plan would become impossible to achieve.

After all, the Another Plan was the player’s chosen objective, defined before the start of Chapter 3.

It wasn’t unreasonable for there to be a time limit.

In short, trying to save a little money would ultimately cost me everything.

-Ding!

▶ You have paid more than the required amount of taxes. ◀

▶ By paying the taxes for all five members of the Bagrand family, all penalties have been nullified. ◀

[Penalty Nullification: Arina will not hold you back.]

▶ Episode postponed by spending funds. ◀

▶ Displaying remaining time until the next episode. ◀

▶ This time may decrease depending on the player’s actions. ◀

[Episode Postponement Time: 3 hours 20 minutes]

The belated notification confirmed my assumptions.

Arina wouldn’t bother me.

And there would be no penalties.

The episode postponement time was proof of that.

I was on the right track, just like in the game.

▶ Your current Noblesse Points are 22. ◀

“My Noblesse Points are already in the positive range. I can just follow the game’s storyline from here.”

I was almost there.

There was no need to deviate from the choices or alter my plans.

All I had to do was clear the episodes quickly and accumulate wealth. I could use money to buy time when necessary, and increasing my funds would be easy from now on.

Once my businesses gained momentum, they would generate a steady stream of income.

That's how Chapter 3, after the martial arts tournament, was supposed to unfold.

It was probably the easiest part of the game.

While there would be some minor annoyances, I could handle them. I was inside the game now.

“Of course, it means I’ll have to pull a few all-nighters…”

Just then, I heard a familiar voice in my head.

-Are you planning on working all night again, without getting any sleep?

“…”

I had listened to her complaints about my sleep schedule in the carriage…

And my mind became a jumbled mess again.

The cold clarity I had felt earlier began to fade.

Because of her.

Yes, I had to admit, I was worried.

This game revolved around Carsein, around me.

I was always at the center of every incident.

But those incidents, no, they had clearly targeted Harnie.

-Clench.

The possibility was slim.

But if, once again, she was the target, and not me…

“…I should at least check.”

After a moment of hesitation, I changed my destination.

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