I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 195

Chapter 195: One Step Away (11)

Carsein, oblivious to the situation, started searching his room with a bewildered expression.

Flora, peeking in through the doorway, giggled mischievously.

“Collecting coins suits a beggar like you. But I couldn’t stand the sight of you hoarding them in the Duchy.”

One day, Flora had witnessed Carsein secretly bringing something back to the Duchy.

She had initially assumed he was just scavenging, like any beggar would, but his repeated actions had aroused her suspicion.

Why would a commoner, someone living off the Duchy's generosity, be hoarding anything? There had to be a reason.

And she had soon discovered his secret.

Two boxes, hidden beneath Carsein’s bed.

One was filled with worthless coins.

The other contained items he had apparently brought from outside the Duchy.

If he had hidden them, they must be important to him, right?

So, what would happen if she got rid of them?

A mischievous smile spread across Flora’s face.

She had sold the miscellaneous items to an antique dealer, earning a small sum of money. But the money wasn't important.

The thought of Carsein’s reaction, his frustration and bewilderment, filled her with glee.

“Ah, that’s refreshing.”

Carsein was frantically searching his room, his face covered in sweat. She heard him rummaging through drawers, knocking things over.

So they were important to him.

She didn't know why he had been collecting those items, but something was clearly wrong with him.

“Mmm~ Sweet.”

Flora stretched languidly, a satisfied smile on her face, and walked away.

***

He searched and searched. He turned his room upside down.

But they were gone.

The items from the second box, the one filled with valuable possessions… they were nowhere to be found.

Without those items, he couldn’t buy Mielle’s magic doll.

He didn't have enough money.

He considered using the Duchy’s name, hoping they would extend him credit, but…

“I’m sorry, but that doll has been sold.”

The last magic doll was gone.

In the end, Carsein had to abandon the idea of giving Flora the doll he’d chosen as her birthday present.

Even so, he didn’t return empty-handed. He used the money he had to buy something else, however small.

But misfortune was only just beginning.

“Ugh…!”

“Run! Now!”

“HAHAHAHA!”

He had snuck out of the Duchy without any guards, and on his way back, he was ambushed by a group of nobles. They beat him mercilessly.

“You’re out here, wandering around, on Flora’s birthday?”

The time Carsein had spent outside buying Flora’s gift had been meant for the family to celebrate together.

So, the moment he returned, Claire reprimanded him.

“Carsein, do you even think? Look at the state of your room! The maids worked so hard to clean it, and you’ve made a mess! Don’t you realize that if they have to clean your room, they won’t have time to prepare for Flora’s party? And look at you! You’re covered in dirt! You’re nothing but a nuisance!”

Arina scolded him for messing up his room, for leaving the Duchy, for ruining his clothes.

He wanted to explain.

He wanted to tell them that he had gone out to buy a present for Flora, that he had used his own money, the money he had earned himself.

But he couldn't.

“Heeheehee.”

Flora was standing behind them, watching him being scolded, a smirk on her face.

He couldn't tell them about the boxes, not with her listening.

He had wanted to surprise her with a gift, and now…

“I’m… sorry.”

He lowered his head and apologized.

He had to admit his fault, just like always.

His sisters continued to berate him, but then, claiming they were too busy to deal with him, they left.

But Isabella’s punishment was far more severe.

“W-What…? Are you saying… I’m not allowed to participate in the party…?”

He couldn't believe his ears.

He couldn't celebrate his sister's birthday?

That couldn't be true.

Carsein, forcing a laugh, asked again.

But her voice, cold and indifferent, pierced through his denial.

“I believe you understood perfectly.”

He wasn't physically hurt. Claire had simply pushed him, and Arina had slapped him, but this time, the pain wasn't physical.

It was a dull ache in his chest, a suffocating tightness.

Isabella, the one person in the Duchy who was supposed to be on his side, had delivered the harshest blow.

“It’s Flora’s birthday. I would appreciate it if you would… stay out of it.”

She had ordered him to stay in the main seating area, away from the festivities, essentially isolating him from the party.

She had warned him not to cause any more trouble and then dismissed him.

He couldn't even explain himself.

He wanted to tell her about Flora’s gift, about the reason he had left the Duchy, but Emma was standing right there, listening.

And then…

“Awww… Too bad. He’s so persistent.”

As he walked away, dejected, he overheard a familiar voice.

Flora.

She was talking to other nobles.

It wasn't unusual for her to chat with her friends at a birthday party. He had been about to ignore them, but…

He couldn’t ignore what he heard next.

“Carsein was secretly hoarding something?”

“Yes! His boxes were filled with all sorts of things!”

…What? What had he just heard?

Carsein’s ears perked up.

“He’s been bringing things back to the Duchy for a while now. He’s been collecting them.”

“Oh my. And then?”

“I was watching him, and it seemed like he wasn’t carrying them around all the time, so I thought he must be hiding them somewhere…”

“And…?”

“I found a suspicious box under his bed!”

Suddenly, everything clicked.

“He can’t seem to shake his beggarly habits.”

“Collecting junk from the streets.”

“What happened to the box?”

“Heehee. What happened, you ask?”

Her voice, laced with mischief, sent a chill down his spine.

“Carsein had hidden it under his bed. My sisters and Mother had no idea. Even the maids didn’t know. So, it must have been filled with important things, right?”

That couldn’t be true.

Flora had simply found a box under his bed.

She wouldn't have…

“So I sold everything to an antique dealer!”

Flora, her arms spread wide, boasted about her actions.

She described Carsein’s reaction, his bewildered expression, his frantic search for the missing items. She couldn't stop laughing, her voice filled with glee.

She was delighted.

The nobles praised her, saying that he would be devastated, that it would serve him right.

And Flora…

“I agree. And it happened on my birthday! It was the best present ever!”

A birthday present.

That’s what she had called it.

Carsein’s eyes, once filled with hope and anticipation, now held nothing but emptiness and despair.

He had refused to believe it, had clung to the hope that it wasn't true, until now.

“That… That was you…?”

The undeniable reality hit him like a tidal wave.

He could hear the nobles talking.

He strained his ears, hoping to hear something, anything, that would prove it was all a joke.

But…

His hopes were crushed.

“He was carrying a gift box?”

“Yes, I saw him earlier.”

“A gift? For me? Ugh… How disgusting! Who does he think he is, trying to give me a present? The only gift he can give me is his absence!”

His anticipation turned into a hollow ache, a crushing disappointment. And then, a wave of sadness washed over him.

He overheard them talking about the box being crushed, the gift being ruined, Carsein being scolded for trying to give her a useless present.

For Flora, that was the real gift.

He had endured it all.

He had wanted to surprise his sister, to make her happy.

He had bought her a gift, even though he had been beaten and robbed by those nobles, even though he had to protect the box with his own body.

He had wanted to give Flora a happy birthday.

But this betrayal… This was too much.

-Slam!

Carsein returned to his room and slammed the door shut.

He saw the box, and another wave of betrayal washed over him.

“I… I worked so hard to get you a birthday present…”

Flora’s voice, her laughter, her words of contempt, echoed in his mind.

Tears streamed down Carsein’s face as he ripped the new gift box to shreds.

“Waaaaah! Waaaaah!”

The ribbon was torn, the wrapping paper shredded.

And finally, the white teddy bear was revealed.

“Th-This… This…!”

Overwhelmed by sadness, he stomped on the teddy bear, crushing it beneath his feet.

“I’ll… I’ll never get you another present! Ever!”

-Slam!

The trampled teddy bear was tossed into a dark closet, never to see the light of day again.

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