I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 262

Chapter 262: July 1st (2)

The nobles, hearing the commotion, began to gather.

It was Arina Bagrand’s birthday party, the eldest daughter of the Bagrand Duchy. It would be strange if such a loud outburst went unnoticed.

“What’s all the commotion?”

“It seems there’s a problem with a carriage.”

“That carriage over there. It’s broken down.”

“Ah, the wheel… I see. It’s blocking the entrance.”

The nobles murmured amongst themselves.

And then, the inevitable whispers began.

“Oh dear. It seems to be related to Young Master Carsein.”

“How unfortunate. On his sister’s birthday…”

“Causing a disturbance on such an important day…”

Well, this wasn’t any different from the other family birthday celebrations.

A disturbance at a family birthday party, an important event for the nobles.

And Carsein at the center of it all.

It was enough to draw attention.

-Ding!

▶ Episode III: Arina’s Birthday is in progress. ◀

▶ The wheel of your carriage has come off. ◀

▶ Choices have appeared. The outcome may affect your completion rating. ◀

The choices appeared immediately. Carsein, caught in this predicament, had to face another test.

‘The choices are… hmm.’

Still the same.

Nothing had changed.

‘That’s why I fell for it the first time.’

When I first encountered this scene, I had assumed that Carsein had gained enough influence to act more assertively, even within noble society.

After all, he had proven himself during the symposium.

And while the martial arts tournament wasn't over yet, his performance so far had been impressive.

So, I had thought that even in this unreasonable situation, I could choose a more aggressive option, a more proactive approach. I had believed I had enough justification.

[ 1. (Grabbing the noble by the collar) Hey, what did you just say? Lowborn from where? Say it again. ]

However,

Choosing that option would result in being expelled from the party.

The reason was simple.

‘Arina was the death trigger for the mid-Chapter 3 episodes.’

That choice would offend Arina, and once word reached her, I would fail the episode.

And since this was all due to Arina’s influence, my reputation among the nobles would plummet, and my Noblesse Points, essential for the Another Plan, would hit rock bottom.

That would make it impossible to achieve my goal, leading to a bad ending.

Failing to achieve the player’s chosen objective was already a critical blow. And it wasn’t just this choice. Anything that offended Arina was a major risk in this branch of the story.

That’s how I had figured out the solution.

“If you’re going to attend an event like this, you should at least arrive in a proper carriage! You’re inconveniencing everyone!”

I had to cater to Arina’s preferences.

For example, her dislike of extravagance.

[ 3. I'm just attending a birthday party. Is there really a need for such extravagance and to burden the servants? ]

“I’m just attending a birthday party. Is there really a need for such extravagance and to burden the servants?”

There was a reason why I had chosen to arrive in a cheap carriage.

***

“Anything else you’d like to say?”

“Ugh…!”

Refuting him with the choice I had created wasn’t difficult.

To the point that there was no need for extravagance when a simple carriage could also serve its purpose in order to prevent such accidents.

To the counterargument that he should have shown the dignity of a noble, especially at Arina’s birthday party, no less, I countered with frugality.

To the point that the coachman was at fault, I emphasized the noble’s duty to care for their servants.

The noble was speechless.

-Snap!

The sound of a fan unfolding.

It was a noblewoman, standing nearby.

“How unsightly. Calling yourself a noble, and yet behaving so vulgarly.”

“There’s plenty of time. What’s the harm in waiting a little while?”

“Forcing that poor coachman to fix the wheel himself is also quite unseemly.”

“What do you think, My Lady?”

“…”

Of course, that noblewoman was…

Isabella.

Isabella walked towards the noble and pointed at him.

“Remove him.”

“M-My Lady…!”

“Those who don’t care for their servants have no right to attend this party. Inform him that he is also banned from the Bagrand Duchy and all its territories for one week.”

““Yes, My Lady!””

Well, that was to be expected.

The Bagrand Duchy was known for treating its servants well.

-Ding!

▶ You have chosen the correct option. ◀

▶ You have shown the proper demeanor of a noble who cares for their servants. ◀

▶ You have demonstrated frugality by avoiding unnecessary extravagance. ◀

▶ You have refrained from using your status to suppress others. ◀

▶ Noblesse Points increased. ◀

[Current Points: -180]

The noble was escorted away, and the commotion quickly subsided.

The distressed coachman, with the help of the guards, fixed the carriage wheel and bowed his head in gratitude.

As I returned after seeing him off, Isabella patted me lightly on the shoulder.

“Next time something like this happens, just have them removed. I can’t believe that ruffian even received an invitation. Tsk.”

“It’s fine.”

“No, it’s not. He dared to call you a lowborn from the backwoods. I’m furious.”

Isabella expressed her regret at not having taken harsher measures against the man who had dared to insult a Bagrand.

“Come on, let’s go inside.”

“Yes.”

I had successfully navigated a dangerous flag.

All that remained was to mingle with the other guests.

***

-Ding!

▶ You have entered a high-risk area. ◀

▶ Certain conversations and actions may trigger choices, so please exercise caution. ◀

I followed Isabella into the main hall, where a large crowd of nobles had gathered.

As the status window indicated, this place was filled with nobles.

From elderly lords and ladies to young debutantes, it was a minefield of potential social disasters for Carsein.

‘But I’m in luck.’

I was with Isabella.

Flora would be off with her friends, making her presence irrelevant. Claire would leave due to a prior engagement.

And while Arina could potentially cause trouble if she overheard something, that was unlikely. As the host of the party, she had other duties to attend to.

In any case, the fact that the other family members would be leaving meant there would be a period of time where Carsein would be alone.

But entering with Isabella was the easiest route.

In this environment, ripe with opportunities for choices to appear, Isabella was the character who spent the least amount of time away from Carsein.

She rarely left his side, except for the occasional trip to the restroom.

I chatted with Isabella, and soon, Claire and Flora joined us.

While I didn’t intend to say anything with the whole family gathered, choices could still appear, so I remained silent.

I exchanged brief greetings with the other guests, making small talk about the martial arts tournament, and time flew by.

And then, it happened.

-Ding!

▶ A problem has occurred during the episode. ◀

▶ Carsein sent a letter to Arina informing her of his intention to attend the party, but for some reason, the letter never reached her. ◀

▶ You must meet with Arina and resolve the misunderstanding. ◀

The main episode was progressing smoothly.

If it continued like this, clearing the episode wouldn’t be difficult.

But this was this game.

Unexpected problems like this always arose at the worst possible time.

No matter how thoroughly I prepared, it was impossible to avoid them completely.

Anyway, I had to act quickly. Arina was surrounded by death triggers, so I needed to take precautions.

“I have something to attend to, so I’ll be leaving for a moment.”

“W-where are you going? The party hasn’t even started!”

Flora jumped up and grabbed my hand.

What was wrong with her?

“Don’t go! Stay here! Sister’s birthday party is still a long way off!”

…Did she think I was leaving the party?

Because I had left during her birthday?

“You’re not… leaving like last time… are you?”

…And now Claire was being difficult.

If I stayed hidden, I would die. Why would I do that?

I needed to nip this in the bud.

“I’m going to see Arina. I sent her a letter earlier, but she hasn’t replied. I’m worried she might think I’m not coming, so I’m going to see her in person.”

“Is… that so?”

“If you don’t believe me, you can ask her yourself later.”

I gently removed Flora’s hand from my arm.

***

Having escaped that gathering of crazy women, I suddenly realized that I didn't know where I was going.

This wasn’t the Bagrand Duchy.

It was just a venue rented for Arina’s birthday party.

And I hadn't bothered to memorize the layout of a place I would only be using once!

“I should have brought someone with me.”

Ugh. But I couldn't go back now…

“It can’t be helped. I’ll just have to rely on my memory of the minimap.”

I tried to recall the layout of the venue from the game.

“If I go up these stairs… right. Then straight ahead…”

I started to recognize familiar landmarks.

Even though it was pixelated, I could tell I was on the right track.

I encountered someone as I was walking.

A noble with a 21% affinity.

“Oh! Young Master Carsein!”

“Uh… yes.”

“I enjoyed watching your performance at the tournament. Thanks to you—”

He started rambling.

I still had plenty of time to find Arina, but I couldn’t just ignore him. That could lead to further trouble.

“Such martial talent is essential for a successor. Haha!”

That made me snap to attention.

This person…

He was a Bagrand vassal.

I could tell him now, but…

‘No. It’s better to make an announcement in a more public setting.’

Besides, bringing it up now would only prolong the conversation.

I made small talk, then cut him off when I saw an opportunity.

“I apologize, but I need to find Arina.”

“Oh dear, I’ve taken up your time. My apologies, Young Master.”

“No, it’s fine.”

…Well, it wasn’t, but…

“I’ll be cheering for you at the tournament.”

He said, then left.

Finally, I could go find Arina.

I walked down the hallway and found the familiar door.

-Knock, knock.

I knocked and announced myself.

But…

“Arina, it’s Carsein—”

-Click.

The door opened immediately.

The red ponytail that came into view was undoubtedly Arina.

…But why was her affinity so low?

[Arina Bagrand]

[Affinity: 5%]

As I stared at her, bewildered, she spoke, her voice sharp.

“What do you want, Carsein? I’m busy.”

Why was she acting like this?

I hadn’t said anything to offend her…

‘No, that’s not important right now.’

The episode came first.

I had to clear up the misunderstanding.

“I didn’t receive a reply to my letter, so I came in per—”

“For that trivial reason?”

“…”

Normally, I would have retorted.

But I couldn't.

Her voice, cold and distant.

The hostile glare in her eyes.

The way she interrupted me, as if she didn’t even want to hear what I had to say.

I knew what this was.

“If you came here for such a pointless reason, then just leave. If you bother me again, I’ll have you thrown out.”

-If you're here for something pointless, just get out. If you do that again, I'll throw you out, Kim Min-hyeok.

Just like my older sister.

A chill ran down my spine.

‘Damn it.’

I couldn't take it anymore.

“Hey, what the hell did I even—”

Just then,

A bright light filled my vision, and time stopped.

-Ding!

▶ Memorial activated! ◀

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