I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 135

Chapter 135: Spring Outing (5)

Thirty minutes had passed since Isabella declared a break.

They should have resumed the portrait session by now.

But one of her children was missing.

Arina, Claire, and Flora…

They were all present, waiting patiently.

But Carsein, the one she had given money to, hoping it would cheer him up after Flora’s cruel words…

He was nowhere to be seen.

“Has anyone seen Carsein?” she asked, her voice laced with worry.

They all shook their heads.

Even if they knew, they probably wouldn’t tell her, but this time, they genuinely seemed unaware of his whereabouts.

‘Don’t tell me…’

A wave of panic surged through her, a terrifying thought gripping her heart.

What if… what if he was gone?

She was about to call for her servants, to order a search party, when…

“My Lady, over there!”

Heron pointed towards a figure approaching in the distance.

Carsein.

His clothes were torn, his face bruised and bloody.

“What in the world…!”

Isabella rushed towards him, her heart pounding, her eyes scanning his injuries.

“Who did this to you? Which family dared…”

But her questions were met with silence.

Carsein, unable to even distinguish the family crests, couldn’t possibly identify his attackers.

“My Lady, we should prioritize his treatment. Perhaps we should take him back to the carriage and tend to his wounds,” Shaiden suggested, his voice calm but urgent.

“Yes, of course. Use whatever medicine you need. Make sure he doesn't scar.”

Shaiden, the ever-reliable physician, was right.

Treatment came first.

She would wait, allowing him to recover.

His wounds would heal quickly, and the portrait session could still proceed.

But then… another problem arose.

“What? You’re saying Carsein doesn’t have a change of clothes?!”

“…Yes, My Lady.”

Her daughters had brought spare outfits, but Carsein… he had nothing.

They could buy him new clothes, but…

Time was running out.

The sun was setting, and they couldn’t proceed with the portrait session without a proper outfit for him.

Even the painter expressed his concern.

“…Only one family portrait, and it’s incomplete…”

Isabella stared at the single, unfinished portrait, her heart sinking.

This was supposed to be a special occasion, a chance to create a new family portrait to hang in the main hall of the Duchy. But this… This wouldn't do.

“Mother, there’s nothing we can do. Let’s just finish the portraits of the rest of us.”

“What?”

“We have to fill the other frames. It’s unfortunate about Carsein, but we can at least have individual portraits, can’t we?”

“Sister’s right, Mother. We should at least complete our own portraits.”

“Me too! I want to have my portrait painted!”

“….”

Her daughters were right.

They couldn’t hang an incomplete portrait in the main hall. They needed something, anything, to fill the empty spaces and lift the somber mood.

She couldn’t refuse.

But… she couldn't help but glance at Carsein, her heart aching.

“Are you sure you’re alright with this? We’ll be having our portraits painted, but you…”

“…It’s fine, Mother. We have one portrait. And there’s always next time, right?”

“…Are you sure?”

“Yes!”

He seemed unfazed, unbothered by their decision to exclude him.

“He said he’s fine, Mother.”

“We have to finish the rest of the portraits. Otherwise, the frames will be empty!”

“I don’t like empty frames!”

“….”

Isabella, unable to refuse their insistent demands, agreed.

The painter, his brushstrokes fluid and precise, created several more portraits. The subjects, unlike the first portrait, were all smiling, their expressions genuine.

And as the sun began to set, the portrait session ended.

‘Oh, right… I forgot…’

Carsein, as they arrived back at the Duchy, remembered something.

He watched his sisters, their laughter echoing through the hall as they headed towards their rooms, and then, he ran after one of them, calling out her name.

“Wait, Claire!”

“What?”

“I… need to talk to you.”

“Alone?”

“Yes.”

Claire frowned, but then she gestured for Arina and Flora to go ahead without her.

When they were alone, Carsein held out a small gift.

A cherry blossom hairpin, its delicate pink petals a perfect match for her hair.

“I… I couldn’t get you anything last time, so… this is for you, Claire.”

He had worked hard to protect this gift, to keep it from being destroyed.

He thought she would be happy.

But instead…

“You idiot! You got beat up for this?!”

“…What?”

“Haa, damn it! If you’re going to get hurt, just stay home! You moron!”

She glared at him, her voice filled with anger, before turning away.

Carsein watched her leave, his heart sinking. Did she not like it?

But there was nothing he could do.

The next day, he was summoned by Isabella and reprimanded for his actions.

He was asked to explain, to reveal everything, but he couldn’t. He knew that confessing, that revealing the truth, would only lead to more punishment, more accusations of “disgracing” the Duchy.

He apologized, his head bowed, and endured their scolding.

Claire, watching from the sidelines, simply sighed.

And then…

The new portraits were hung in the main hall of the Duchy.

All the old portraits had been replaced, and these new ones would remain for the foreseeable future.

But…

Carsein’s portrait was nowhere to be seen.

There had been a family portrait.

Even if it wasn’t a good one, surely they could have at least given him a copy?

And then…

Emma, with a smirk, delivered a single framed portrait to his room.

‘What… is this?’

The glass was cracked.

Not the outer frame, but the glass protecting the portrait itself.

The portrait was broken.

He looked up, confused, and Emma, her eyes cold and mocking, said,

“This is the only portrait you’re in, Carsein. Be grateful.”

-Thump!

She left, and Carsein stared at the portrait, his jaw clenched, his heart aching.

This… This wasn’t a family portrait.

There was a line, a crack that divided the portrait in two.

It separated him from the other four, a clear demarcation of their fractured relationship.

He felt alone.

He ran into the hallway, clutching the portrait.

Why was he the only one excluded? It wasn’t fair! He had been forced to leave!

He yelled, he protested, but, nothing changed.

The portraits remained, a constant reminder of his isolation.

He shoved the portrait into a gap between the wall and a painting, discarding it.

***

▶ The Broken Picture Frame Memorial has ended. ◀

▶ In 10 seconds, the timer will end and time will resume. ◀

My hand, frozen in time, was reaching for the portrait.

The portrait, hidden in that narrow gap, was still there, unchanged.

The crack, separating Carsein from the rest of the family, was still visible.

The spring outing, the family portrait, the broken picture frame.

“Damn it, it never ends.”

Why did these memories, these painful echoes of my past, keep resurfacing?

It had been a beautiful day, just like this one.

The cherry blossoms had been in full bloom, their delicate petals dancing in the gentle breeze.

The sky had been a clear, cloudless blue.

My stepmother had suggested a picnic, a family outing, and had even hired a photographer to capture the moment.

And I, foolishly, had allowed myself to hope, to believe that maybe, just maybe, this time would be different.

But…

They had treated me like an outsider.

And later, the maid had delivered a framed photograph to my room.

It was torn, ripped in half, just like in the Memorial.

“Well, at least I didn’t get my sister a hairpin and come back looking like I had been beaten up by a pack of wolves.”

Should I be relieved?

I didn't understand why I had to relive these painful experiences, these echoes of a past I couldn't escape.

But this Memorial, despite its cruelty, had a message.

Carsein would never be truly accepted by this family.

And history was repeating itself.

That realization, cold and sharp, sank its teeth into me.

▶ Time limit reached. ◀

The timer disappeared, and time resumed.

I pulled the portrait out of the gap.

“It’s well-preserved, isn’t it?”

“Y-Young Master… that’s… that’s a mistake. Let me dispose of it. Please, give it to me.”

Heron, his eyes wide with alarm, reached for the portrait, eager to destroy it.

“No, it’s not a mistake. This is the truth.”

“…!”

“Well, I suppose it’s a bit flawed.”

I removed the back of the frame and pulled out one of the portraits, the smaller one.

The one with Carsein’s smiling face.

“This is better. This is a true family portrait.”

-Crumple.

I crushed the portrait in my fist, letting it fall to the floor.

Heron’s face contorted, his expression a mixture of sadness and helplessness.

I handed him the remaining portrait, my voice cold.

“Dispose of it. I’m leaving.”

“Young Master…”

Ignoring Heron’s pained expression, I walked away.

-Ding!

Did my actions lower his affinity?

I didn't care.

His affinity wasn't relevant to this episode.

All I had to do was follow the script, give those family members what they wanted.

***

Thirty minutes had passed since Carsein left.

Heron, his eyes closed, sighed, a wave of sadness washing over him.

He picked up the crumpled portrait, smoothing out the creases, and cursed his own helplessness.

Shaiden approached, his brow furrowed in concern.

“What’s wrong, my friend? Why are you sighing?”

“…”

He had no words.

Heron showed him the portrait, the torn pieces carefully reassembled.

“This… This is…!”

Shaiden didn’t need an explanation.

“Who… who did this…?”

“The Young Master found it. It was hidden in that gap.”

“In that gap? My goodness…”

To think they had missed it…

Shaiden sighed, rubbing his face wearily.

They both remembered that day.

They couldn't forget it.

They had been the ones tasked with appeasing the young ladies, with trying to change their minds.

Isabella’s intentions, her desire to create a new family portrait, had been good, but the sisters’ resistance had been fierce, their refusal to accept Carsein as their brother unwavering.

They had tried to intervene, to find a compromise, to prevent any further conflict.

But they had failed.

And this torn portrait was the result.

“Do you… Do you have anything we can use to repair this?”

“Hmm, I have some glue.”

“That should be enough.”

Heron, without another word, carefully pieced the portrait back together, concealing the cracks.

The portrait was still damaged, but he hoped it wouldn’t break any further.

“Another spring outing, another family portrait… Shouldn't we be there?”

“…That’s what I thought, but…”

He hadn't received any instructions from Isabella, no orders to accompany them.

And the carriage had left at least twenty-five minutes ago.

“Here, give me that.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m the physician. I can claim I was worried and decided to follow them. It’s a plausible excuse.”

“Then let’s go. Together.”

“Heron, you know this could backfire! We could make things worse!”

“I know. But we can’t just stand by and watch him get hurt.”

In the past, they had been passive observers, helpless to intervene.

But this time, they would take a stand, even if it meant risking their own positions.

▶ Heron and Shaiden’s affinity has changed! ◀

[ ???: 70% ]

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