I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 64

Chapter 64: Broken Wings (9)

The ripped pouch. The two tubes of ointment lying amidst the scattered belongings.

There was no mistaking it. It was Carsein’s.

Flora’s gaze was fixated on the scene, unable to tear her eyes away.

The oppressive feeling in her chest intensified, a barrage of questions echoing in her mind.

Why?

Carsein had nothing. He never asked for anything.

He might have been pampered and coddled back at the manor, but here, in the training grounds, he was utterly powerless.

And yet… someone had destroyed his belongings.

It had to be his pouch. The ointments were proof that it wasn’t a simple case of mistaken identity.

Why was this happening to him?

Unable to bear the suffocating weight in her chest, Flora marched towards the knight who had torn apart Carsein’s pouch.

“Hey, you! The one who was complaining about a ‘peasant’? Get over here!”

The knight flinched, turning to face Flora with a look of panic.

“Someone must have ordered you to do this. Who was it?”

“…”

“I’m asking you a question! Answer me!”

The knight remained silent.

But then… a voice answered from behind her.

“Why would someone do such a thing? It’s obvious, isn’t it? Because you wanted to see me suffer.”

“C-Carsein?”

Flora whirled around, her eyes widening in shock. She instinctively took a step back.

“M-me? Make you suffer? I never did anything like that!”

“Really? Another lie?”

“What?”

“Your lies are all I ever hear. It’s not my pleas that are false.”

Thud.

Carsein took a step towards her, his footsteps heavy, measured.

“At every meal, I’m served something different, something no one else can stomach. My meals have become some kind of… twisted culinary experiment.”

Thud.

“My clothes… holes, rips, tiny needles hidden in the seams. You’d remove the padding from my winter clothes, leaving me freezing, and make my summer clothes unwearable with those crudely cut holes. Remember?”

Thud.

“You spread rumors about me mistreating the servants, making sure no one would ever trust me. I had to be the villain, the one everyone suspected. The liar, the troublemaker. And it was all because of you. ”

Thud.

He stopped in front of her, his eyes locked on hers, a chilling smile playing on his lips.

“And now you’re asking who ordered him to destroy my belongings?”

A harsh laugh erupted from his throat, echoing through the empty pathway.

He laughed and laughed, his voice growing louder, as if daring anyone within earshot to question him.

And then… just as abruptly, his laughter ceased. His expression hardened, his gaze turning cold, calculating.

“It was you. You made me a target, someone everyone at the manor could look down on. Did you really think it would be any different here?”

“W-what are you talking about? Stop blaming me!”

“Why would they treat me any differently here? You know exactly why.”

A thin trickle of blood slid down Carsein’s cheek, tracing the path of a recent bruise. Claire’s handiwork.

“You created this situation, and now you’re denying it? You’ve always made me the scapegoat.”

“No, I…!”

A drop of blood welled up at the corner of his mouth, a testament to Arina’s brutal slap.

“You orchestrated everything. You made them doubt me, made sure I had nothing. And this is the result.”

“No! It’s not true!”

She had hated him back at the manor, that was true. But this? This wasn’t her doing.

“At least here, at the training grounds…!”

“Do you really believe that?”

“…What?”

“What you did, back at the manor…”

His voice cracked, his words barely a whisper.

“You took my sword. You took away the only thing that brought me joy. Because you couldn’t stand the sight of me. And you destroyed everything.”

Tears streamed down his face, mixing with the blood that now stained his clothes. Bruises bloomed across his skin, a map of past suffering.

His appearance was horrifying, unbearable to witness.

“This is all your fault.”

“No… no, it’s not! It’s not true!”

Flora screamed, covering her ears with her hands, her eyes squeezed shut. But his words echoed in her mind, inescapable. She stumbled backward, desperate to escape, to deny the truth.

It couldn’t be her fault.

“Get away from me!”

Thud.

She shoved him away with all her might, and he crumpled to the ground, his body offering no resistance.

“What…?”

Had he always been this frail? This weak?

Something wasn’t right. She hesitantly opened her eyes, and a choked gasp escaped her lips.

Carsein lay motionless on the ground, his body a canvas of pain, his clothes stained crimson. He wasn’t breathing. He wasn’t moving.

“Aaaaaah!”

Slam!

“Lady Flora! What’s wrong? We heard screaming…”

The maids burst into her room, their faces etched with concern.

“Ha… ha…”

“Lady Flora, what’s the matter? Why are you sweating so much?”

“You must have had a bad dream. Your face…”

A dream? Was it all just… a dream?

Flora looked around, taking in her surroundings.

The maids. Her bedroom. The familiar scent of lavender and chamomile. This wasn’t the training ground.

‘A… a dream…’

The maids, their voices soothing, took her hands, offering her a warm cup of honeyed water. They lit a few candles, filling the room with soft light, and wound up a music box, its gentle melody chasing away the lingering fear.

But the tremors wouldn’t stop. She knew it was a dream, that she was safe, and yet… she couldn’t shake off the chilling dread.

It’s all your fault.

Carsein’s voice echoed in her mind. The images, so vivid, so real, refused to fade.

What if it was true? What if, even without her direct orders, things were still… this bad? What if, after all he had endured, he blamed her, just like in the dream?

“…What time is it?”

“It’s 6:25 AM, Lady Flora.”

“You could have stayed asleep a little longer.”

“No, I’m… I’m fine. Just help me get ready.”

“Where are you going so early, Lady Flora?”

Her answer was a single word:

“The training ground.”

She had to see him. She needed answers.

For the first time in her life, Flora had woken up early.

***

▶Episode V, "Broken Wings (Part Two)" is in progress!◀
▶You must complete the sixth day of training!◀
▶Head to the training grounds and begin your drills!◀

The most dangerous day of my probationary period had arrived.

The first three days had been manageable. I had gritted my teeth, endured the discomfort, and pushed through. On the fourth and fifth days, my sisters’ unexpected interventions had made things significantly easier.

But this game wasn't known for its leniency.

Day six would be brutal. The harassment, the abuse, would be relentless. And if I wasn’t careful, if my HP dropped to zero… it would be game over.

Theo and his cronies were seething with resentment. Emma’s orders had become increasingly desperate, increasingly dangerous.

If I tried to rely on the same tactics I had used yesterday, I would fail. I wouldn’t be able to avoid the death flags.

And the system, as if sensing my apprehension, presented me with a tempting proposition:

▶You can request assistance.◀
▶Who would you like to ask for help?
[ 1. Request assistance from Arina. ]
[ 2. Request assistance from Isabella. ]
[ 3. Request assistance from Claire. ]
[ 4. Don't request assistance. ]

A choice that had appeared at the start of the sixth day. A tempting lifeline.

“A guaranteed intervention from one of them? How could anyone say no?”

Flora would be at the training ground today. And unlike my other sisters, she wouldn’t be there to help. If anything, she would make things worse.

Hadn’t she already proven that back at the manor? Destroying the document Arina had personally written to allow me to train, then trying to pin the blame on me…

Expecting her help was out of the question. Choosing her, trusting her… would be a surefire path to disaster.

And yet, the system was dangling this choice in front of me.

The perfect opportunity to call for reinforcements.

“Too obvious.”

Just like yesterday, at the crossroads. This choice, perfectly timed, perfectly aligned with my needs… it reeked of a trap.

“Besides, I don’t want their help.”

I could handle this on my own. I might have used them, manipulated them, but directly asking for their help? It was unthinkable. They were much too similar to … to my family back in the real world.

As I prepared to leave the barracks, I went through my belongings one last time.

“Perfect. There’s no way they’ll mistake it for anything else.”

The time had come. I was finally going to use it.

Mark and Radiel had been horrified, but I had insisted on borrowing a needle and thread. Now, a crudely patched-up pouch, containing a single item, was tucked away safely in my pocket.

Day six could begin.

***

“Mark has other duties to attend to this morning, so I’ll be overseeing today’s training.”

A senior knight stepped forward, announcing Mark’s absence.

And then, the warnings came.

▶You will not receive protection from Mark.◀
▶You will not receive protection from Radiel.◀
▶The knights’ hostility will intensify! Brace yourself for increased harassment!◀
▶Warning! If your HP reaches zero, you will trigger a bad ending!◀

“And… Lady Flora is here today, observing. Let’s show her what we’re made of, shall we?”

The senior knight’s words were met with a chorus of excited murmurs.

With Mark and Radiel out of the picture, they had nothing to hold them back.

Or rather, Emma’s cronies and Theo’s lackeys had nothing to hold them back.

“We’ll start with the run. Don’t think you can slack off just because Vice-Captain Mark isn’t here. Am I clear?”

The senior knight’s final words marked the start of our torture.

As if fueled by the warning, the knights set off at a blistering pace.

▶The knights have increased their speed!◀
▶Maintaining this pace will deplete your HP!◀

‘No. I can’t fall behind yet.’

If I lagged behind too early, I would become an easy target. As a trainee, I was allowed to stay at the back of the formation, giving me a chance to observe, to strategize. But if I lost that advantage…

I pushed myself, ignoring the burning in my lungs, the tightness in my chest.

I had to endure.

“…”

▶Flora Bagrand is observing you.◀
[ ???: 71% ]

I was going to use that foolish girl. I would turn her ignorance against her.

Three laps. We had already completed three laps. And they were starting to get impatient. Their pace quickened.

Trainees were supposed to stay at the back. They could criticize me for falling behind, but so far, I had kept up. Even if it meant sacrificing a significant amount of HP.

But now, the senior knights were pulling ahead, widening the distance between us. They were waiting for this opportunity, to force me out of my comfortable position at the back.

I had anticipated this. They might have seen these drills as mere mini-games, but I had been paying attention. I knew their patterns, their tactics.

I dodged a deliberate shoulder check, sending the offending knight stumbling into the dirt. I used my position to my advantage, preemptively striking those who tried to overtake me from the sides. A few of them, winded and frustrated, tripped and fell, earning a sharp reprimand from the senior knight.

They had underestimated me. They thought they could act with impunity, but I wouldn't play their game.

“Damn it, that little…!”

“Hey, you’re taller! Do something!”

“What am I supposed to do? He’s following the rules!”

“We can’t exactly report him to the instructors, not when he’s…”

The knights, their plans foiled, muttered amongst themselves.

“Hey, why are you still running? You’ve done your laps!”

Their attempt to force me out had backfired. In their haste, they had completed more laps than required.

“But…!”

“Look out! He’s right in front of you!”

“Whoa!”

I slowed down, catching my breath for the first time since the run had begun. Three knights, distracted by their own scheming, collided with each other, tumbling to the ground in a heap.

I was supposed to be the one on the receiving end of that… but things had worked out in my favor. Time for a bit of insincerity.

“Oops, sorry about that.”

The knights, covered in dirt, glared at me with unconcealed rage.

Ding!

▶Hostility detected.◀

Their anger, their frustration… it was all playing into my plan.

“…Come on, let’s go.”

“No way! That little…!”

“Just let it go.”

They grumbled amongst themselves before heading towards the wash area.

The first part was complete. Now, all that remained was to give them time.

▶Timer activated!◀

The timer’s duration would determine the outcome.

After completing the remaining laps, I sat down on a nearby tree stump, gulping down water as I waited for the timer to run its course. Then, I made my move.

▶Entering the Wash Area!◀
[ Warning! This area is classified as a Danger Zone! ]

Danger zone or not, it didn't matter.

What mattered was who was waiting there.

A delicate, golden head, trembling ever so slightly.

Even from behind, I could sense her distress.

─Look at this! Not bad, eh?

─Hey! That’s mine, you idiot.

─Share the spoils, you greedy…

The knights who had been tripped up during the run were now rummaging through others’ belongings, pocketing anything of value, casually destroying what they deemed worthless.

And then…

“Hmm, I’ll take these two. Burn the rest when that thing arrives. It’ll make things a bit more entertaining, wouldn’t you say?”

Theo Ramstear stood in the middle of it all, surveying his loot with a predatory gaze.

Flora was trembling. Even more so than before.

I stared at the back of her head, her ignorance on full display.

‘Enjoy the show, Flora. It’s all thanks to you.’

She was the one who had set this in motion.

Her dislike, her petty jealousy… she had turned him into an outcast.

This was her doing.

She had broken his wings.

[ ???: 78% ]

She was remembering. I could feel it.

It was time.

Time to put an end to this charade.

But then… the unexpected happened.

Thwack!

“T-Theo!”

“A glove? Who threw this… at Theo?!”

“…What?”

“Could it be…?”

Panic spread through their ranks.

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

It was Flora. Flora had thrown the glove.

▶You have achieved an unexpected outcome!◀
▶Conditions met! Flora's affinity box has been revealed!◀
[ Flora Bagrand ]
[ Guilt: 100% ]