I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 73

Chapter 73: CHAPTER 1 (7)

-Drip. Drip.
The chilling sound echoed through the darkness, each drop a hammer blow against Flora’s already frayed nerves.
The cold, damp air sent shivers down her spine, her body trembling uncontrollably.
Theo’s voice, laced with amusement, shattered the oppressive silence.
“Ah, I forgot. You can’t speak with that gag in your mouth. How clumsy of me.”
Her eyes, adjusted to the darkness, focused on the approaching figure.
He crouched down before her, his face a mask of faux concern.
“Now, Lady Flora, you mustn't scream, alright? Promise me that.”
He removed the gag, and Flora, without hesitation, screamed.
“Help me!”
They had to be inside a building.
Someone had to hear her.
Her voice wasn’t weak, and surely, her screams, her pleas for help, would reach someone, anyone.
Anyone who dared to defy the person who had kidnapped the youngest daughter of the Bagrand Duchy.
But her cries were met with silence.
No response.
Except for Theo’s laughter, echoing through the darkness like a madman’s cackle.
“What are you doing, Lady Flora? You’re going to get me caught! People will think I kidnapped you! …Well, not that anyone can hear you here.”
“What do you mean?”
“We’re not in the ducal manor anymore.”
Flora’s eyes widened in terror.
Her pupils, dilated in the darkness, focused on Theo’s face, now illuminated by a flickering candle.
“Don't worry, Lady Flora. It’s not your fault. He’s the one to blame, isn’t he?”
Theo Ramstear, the knight who had always smiled at her, offering comfort and support. His gentle demeanor and warm smile had always put her at ease.
But the smile that twisted his lips now…
It was a stranger’s smile, cold and cruel.
‘How… How could I have been so blind?’
The unease, the dissonance, finally clicked into place.
She saw the truth behind his facade, the malice hidden beneath his carefully crafted mask.
She had been fooled.
And blinded by his lies, she had… she had wronged Carsein.
Theo stepped back, settling onto a nearby chair, tending to a wound on his arm, wrapping it in bandages.
“I didn’t want to do this, Lady Flora. Truly, I didn’t.”
“What?”
“I told you, didn’t I? All I wanted was to get rid of him. To punish him. But you… You weren’t there at the trial. He was declared innocent…”
“…”
“If you had been there… If you had spoken on my behalf… If you had helped prove my innocence and expose his lies… I wouldn't be in this situation. Why didn’t you come?”
It was absurd.
Even if she had been there, she wouldn’t have sided with him.
“…Ah, right. That fool who was transferred to the Second Knight Squadron… He mentioned something… He said you weren’t allowed to enter the courtroom. Am I right?”
Flora remained silent, her gaze fixed on the floor.
Theo chuckled, his amusement tinged with disgust.
“Of course. He must have manipulated the situation once again. But I know you, Lady Flora. You, who have shown me such loyalty… Surely you wouldn’t betray me, would you?”
“Don’t you dare talk about loyalty. You disgust me.”
“…Lady Flora?”
“The only reason you were nice to me… The only reason you pretended to care… was to gain my favor! You used me!”
Her arms might be bound, her legs tied to the chair, her body completely restrained, but she had to say this.
“You’re a monster. I should have never trusted you!”
Theo’s expression hardened, his grip tightening on her shoulder.
“No, Lady Flora. You shouldn’t speak to me like that.”
“Get your hands off me!”
“You need to choose your words carefully, Lady Flora. I was kind enough to remove the gag, and now you’re insulting me? Don’t make me angry.”
He squeezed her shoulder, ignoring her struggles, his gaze intense, his voice laced with a menacing edge. He leaned closer, showing her a bleeding wound on his arm.
“Look what you made me do. I had to escape, to call for that incompetent fool from the Second Knight Squadron, to silence anyone who could expose me. I risked everything to avoid the Judgment Orb’s mark, to escape that hellhole, the Thulea Mines, all for you! And this is how you repay me?”
His eyes bulged, his voice rising with each word.
“Ah, right, of course. Of course, you’ve been fooled by that silver-tongued liar, Carsein. But your words… Your words can fix everything. We can get rid of him, expose him for the monster he is. And my sins… They can all be blamed on him.”
He leaned closer, his hand, stained with the blood of guards, Emma, and his own subordinate, reaching for her.
“Let’s start over, shall we? Your one and only knight, Theo Ramstear, will eliminate that vile criminal, Carsein Bagrand. And I will be rewarded. Rewarded for saving you from your kidnapper.”
“This… This should be easy for you, wouldn’t you say?”
He smiled, a cruel, predatory glint in his eyes.
-Thwap!
Driven by a surge of anger and betrayal, Flora spat at him, a glob of saliva landing on his cheek.
“L-Lady Flora? What do you think you’re doing?!”
“You… You…”
His words, laced with feigned innocence, filled her with disgust.
He wiped the saliva away with his sleeve, his facade crumbling.
“You little bitch! I’ve been treating you like a princess, and this is how you repay me? You’ve pushed me too far!”
“Aaaah!”
He grabbed her hair, his grip painful.
“Do you have any idea what I’ve done for you? Do you know how exhausting it was to cater to your every whim, to deal with your childish tantrums?”
“Let go! Let go of me!”
“You're the worst kind of noble brat, you know that? Whiny, spoiled, useless… The only reason I put up with you… The only reason I wasted my time on you… was because of your family name. Because of your bloodline. You understand? You stupid little bitch.”
Flora, enraged, spat at him again.
“You’re still defiant? Still haven’t learned your lesson?”
He raised his hand, his eyes blazing with fury.
-Slap!
A sharp, stinging pain erupted on her cheek, a crimson mark staining the skin that had never been touched by anyone but her mother.
“Get it through your thick skull! You’re not the precious youngest daughter of the Bagrand Duchy anymore! You’re a prisoner! A captive! No one will even know you’re gone unless I let them know!”
“…!”
“I was too lenient, wasn't I? Spoiling you, indulging you… It must have gone to your head, made you think you were something special. Unlike your sisters… You have nothing to offer. You’re worthless.”
Flora couldn’t speak.
Her sisters… They were capable, intelligent women who held positions of authority within the Duchy.
And she… She was a lazy, ignorant fool who couldn’t even be bothered to read a book.
She was utterly useless.
That’s why she was frozen, paralyzed by fear and indecision.
She should have screamed for help the moment he removed the gag.
She should have called for the guards, for anyone, anyone who could help her.
She was a fool.
‘He’s right…’
The world outside the Ducal Manor was cruel.
Anything could happen.
And it had.
She had been kidnapped.
The allure of her family name, the prestige of being a Bagrand, had blinded Theo Ramstear, fueled his ambitions.
And stripped of her title, her status, she was nothing.
His touch, once filled with feigned affection, now carried the weight of malice, of manipulation.
He had used her.
Used her to frame Carsein.
Carsein… His words echoed in her mind, words she had once dismissed as mere cynicism.
The world was a cruel place.
She finally understood.
And with that understanding, she found her voice, a voice that trembled with fear but held an unwavering resolve.
“You’re right. I’m useless. But I won’t help you. Never.”
“What?”
“I won’t let you frame Carsein. I’ll tell everyone the truth! I’ll expose you for the liar you are!”
She wouldn’t be fooled again.
“So that’s it? You’re siding with that bastard?”
Theo’s face contorted in rage, his voice tight with fury.
“Ha… fine. You’ve left me no choice. I didn’t want to do this…”
“Hmph!”
“You’re pretty enough… You’ll fetch a good price on the slave market. I can offer you as a… gift… to my new patrons. They’ll appreciate it.”
“…!”
“This is your own doing. You’ll spend the rest of your life as a slave, a beggar in a foreign land.”
He picked up the gag, his eyes cold and merciless.
“Aaargh! No! Stop it!”
“Hold still, you bitch! You’re ruining the merchandise!”
Flora thrashed against her restraints, her fear replaced by a surge of defiance.
-Crack!
“Aaaah!”
“I should have seduced your sisters instead. They’re at least competent… Tsk.”
His hand tightened around her jaw, forcing the gag back into her mouth.
A single tear rolled down her cheek as despair washed over her.
And as that tear hit the floor…
A beam of light pierced through the darkness, slicing through the oppressive silence.
-Clang!
A resounding clash of steel echoed through the room.

***

Flora’s kidnapping.
Theo Ramstear’s escape from prison.
It all pointed to one thing.
I had to eliminate him.
That was the only conclusion I could draw.
In Episode VI, Carsein had to permanently remove both enemies from the Duchy.
The next chapter wouldn’t progress until that condition was met.
Which meant… This wasn’t simply about rescuing Flora.
The system, by introducing this hidden episode, wasn’t testing my investigative skills.
It was demanding action, demanding that I remove the obstacle standing in Carsein’s path.
It was a test of strength, a demand for both internal and external growth.
And once I realized that, everything clicked into place.
This was a preview of Chapter 2.
The serial killer who appeared early in Chapter 2…
He was none other than Theo Ramstear, who had escaped from prison.
And in one of the worst-case scenarios, Flora was taken hostage, and I had to rescue her, alone.
The reason behind his actions had never been revealed. All I knew was that Theo Ramstear had escaped from the ducal prison with someone’s help, and he had silenced anyone who could expose him.
‘If his escape was… inevitable…’
Then there was one detail I had overlooked, a detail that made this situation… predictable.
The day Claire visited the prison… One of Theo’s subordinates had been transferred to the Second Knight Squadron.
If Theo had called for him, he could have escaped using the same method, exploiting the security gaps between the Manor and the training grounds.
And while the Imperial Family would eventually transport them to the Thulea Mines, they were being held in the ducal prison for a day, a period of leniency that granted Theo an opportunity. The guards were also Emma’s people, making it even easier for him to escape.
But even if I had known and taken preventative measures…
Would the game have allowed such a convenient solution?
‘No. Impossible.’
The system, having kept Theo alive, would have found a way to twist the narrative, to force this confrontation.
If that was its modus operandi…
Then Theo Ramstear’s escape was an unavoidable fate.
[ Time Limit: 7 minutes 22 seconds ]
Fortunately, I had heeded the system’s warnings and come alone.
If Harnie had been with me, Theo, feeling threatened, might have killed Flora and escaped, just like in the bad ending of Chapter 2.
‘…This is it.’
A dilapidated shack, hidden away in the woods.
The place where Theo had conducted his clandestine dealings.
Every cell in my body screamed danger, urging me to be vigilant.
The metallic scent of blood hung heavy in the air.
‘Can I win?’
If I entered that shack… I would be facing him, his blade aimed at my throat.
To survive, I had to defeat him.
Theo Ramstear.
But was it even possible?
I asked myself.
And the answer… The answer was clear.
I had to use every trick, every advantage I could muster.
-Crash!
“Who the hell…!”
-Clang!
His sword flashed in the darkness, a swift response to my sudden intrusion.
He was prepared. He expected an attack. Carsein’s body was weak, lacking the strength for a swift, decisive strike.
-Clang! Clang!
-Thud!
“Gah!”
I seized the opportunity, slashing at his shoulder, drawing blood.
I couldn’t hesitate.
I had to capitalize on his momentary confusion, to keep him off balance.
Against Bruce Ivan, arrogant and complacent, I could close the gap in skill and overwhelm him.
But Theo Ramstear was different.
He was stronger. Faster. More skilled.
I was outmatched.
My stats were lower. My strength was lacking.
Even without considering the game’s numerical system… Could this frail body ever hope to defeat Theo Ramstear?
Impossible.
That’s why I had chosen a swift, brutal assault.
-Slash!
I targeted his left thigh, a deep cut that sent him stumbling back.
He was already injured, his movements hindered.
I had to end this now. Disarm him.
But then…
-Slash!
“…!”
“Just a lucky shot. You’re still pathetic, even with a sword.”
His blade ripped through my shoulder, a searing pain that sent me staggering.
He regained his footing, his grip tightening on the hilt of his sword, his eyes burning with fury.
“You… You dare… You think you can defeat me?!”
-Clang! Clang!
His attacks relentless, a flurry of steel aimed at ending me.
I was being pushed back.
My strength failing, my arms burning with the effort of blocking his blows.
He was faster, his every move calculated to exploit my weaknesses. For every step I took, he took two. I was losing the battle of speed, despite his injuries.
And his strikes… Each blow carried the weight of his honed skills, his relentless training, his burning rage.
When our swords clashed, his strength overpowered mine, forcing me back, my defenses crumbling.
And as I parried one attack, another followed, a relentless assault that left me breathless, my muscles screaming in protest.
But then…
“You… You insignificant wretch… You’re the reason… You’re the reason everyone is suffering… Just die! Die already—!”
-Clang! Slash!
“Gah?!”
That’s when I knew.
I could win.
“I’ve figured you out. You’re nothing but a walking inferiority complex.”
Kim Min-hyeok would never lose to this pathetic excuse for a knight.
His swordsmanship was brute force, devoid of finesse.
He might have been physically superior, but his skills were lacking.
“Fine! I’ll make your death slow and agonizing! You won’t get away with this!”
-Clang!
“You… You…!”
-Thud!
I parried his attack with ease, my movements fluid, despite my weakened state.
Because his swordsmanship was fueled by nothing but rage and resentment.