I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 40

Chapter 40: Led by the Heart (1)

Harnie hesitated, then turned to the man.

“I-I’ll eat another one myself! That shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

“Miss, once the decision is made, it cannot be undone.”

“That’s not fair! You didn’t even ask for my opinion! You just decided on your own…!”

The man sniffled dramatically.

“Then there’s nothing I can do. It’s a shame, I was going to make a special offer for the young master… But it seems both of you have failed.”

“…”

“Just so you know, the young master already used all three tries, so I gave him an extra one. You’re the one who wasted it.”

“…Ugh.”

Wow, this guy was a good salesman.

He cleverly maneuvered the situation to deny both of us the opportunity, putting Harniè in a tough spot.

“Fine! I’ll eat it! Just give me another try!”

“A wise choice, miss.”

The tears vanished from the man’s eyes, replaced by a satisfied smile.

Harnie, on the other hand, struggled to eat the remaining half of the fish cake.

Her face was starting to turn red. It seemed like the spice was kicking in.

Even she was no match for the spicy fish cakes.

“Give me the marble.”

“Here you go.”

The man chuckled, handing her the marble. He seemed happy, even though he was about to lose a prize.

I looked at Harnie.

“You want number 4, right? The one you’ve been staring at.”

“…”

“Lady Harnie? Oh, you ate the spicy fish cake, didn’t you? Can I get you something to drink?”

Harnie glared at me, her face flushed. She tried to step on my foot, but…

She stopped and stomped on the ground instead.

I didn’t understand her intentions.

“You can’t start the game if you’re doing that.”

“Don’t talk to me.”

“But… isn’t that the prize you wanted?”

“I said don’t talk to me!”

She stomped on the ground again.

She must be feeling the heat.

She’d be fine if I just left her alone.

A few moments later…

Harnie stepped aside.

“Here you go.”

I easily won the prize.

“…”

“Aren’t you going to take it? It’s the one you wanted.”

—Glare!

Harnie glared at me, her eyes burning.

But then…

“Ha… fine. I’ll take it.”

She seemed to have convinced herself.

Why was she acting like this?

***

Harnie opened the prize box and sighed.

“You don’t like it?”

“No.”

“Then why are you sighing?”

She sighed again.

“You… You’re so clueless sometimes.”

“What?”

“Never mind.”

She could have at least explained herself. Why leave him hanging like that?

He was starting to understand why people got angry when others interrupted them mid-sentence.

Harnie took the item out of the box.

And…

“Here.”

She handed it to him.

“Hmm? What’s this?”

“You have to wear one too.”

The prize was a pair of rings. Each ring had a gemstone in a different color, but both had the same engraving. They were Wederos Kingdom rings.

“Shouldn’t you wear both of them? They’re a pair.”

He wasn’t interested in rings.

They didn't suit him, and they wouldn't be worth much.

The maids would probably criticize him for being extravagant if they saw him wearing them.

“You wear both. I’m fine.”

Harnie narrowed her eyes.

“Have you forgotten already? You’re my fiancé. Those noblewomen came here because of our engagement.”

“What?”

Suddenly, it hit him.

“…But even as a couple, we don’t have to go that far, do we?”

“Of course we do! We’ll be suspected if we don’t!”

Gifts were common in noble relationships.

Necklaces, pendants, amulets, badges, cravats… All kinds of gifts were exchanged.

“If they see that we haven’t exchanged any gifts, they’ll question our relationship.”

“Uh… I can just tell them I bought it for you…”

Harnie facepalmed.

She gritted her teeth.

“You created this situation! You said we were secretly dating!”

Oh. She was mispronouncing her words.

Especially the phrase “secretly dating.”

He had a feeling he would be slapped again if he didn’t accept the ring.

“A-Alright, alright.”

He took the ring, his palms sweating. He thought about it, then took her hand.

“May I borrow your hand for a moment?”

“What are you doing?”

He remembered reading about this in an etiquette book.

It was customary for a man to put a ring on his partner’s finger.

He slipped the ring onto her left ring finger.

“Is this better? More proper?”

He asked, satisfied with himself.

Harnie stared at the ring, then abruptly pulled her hand away.

“Did I do it wrong?”

“N-No… That’s not it…”

“Then what’s wrong?”

“You… You don’t have to go that far! Just showing them the ring would be enough! There’s no one watching us here…”

“Ah.”

She was right.

Etiquette was meaningless if there were no nobles around.

And most of the people at the Snowflake Festival were commoners. There was no need to be so formal.

“I wanted to get this ring so we could show it to the nobles. To prove that we’re a couple…”

“Is that so?”

“…”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Are you sure you weren’t doing that on purpose?”

She narrowed her eyes, her suspicion growing.

“You did that before too… If you were deliberately trying to…”

“What would I gain from doing that? I was just trying to follow proper etiquette.”

“…”

Harnie sighed, her expression softening.

“Ha… Just try not to do anything that will draw attention to us.”

She asked him to forget about what she had said.

She must have realized she was wrong.

He agreed.

He also promised not to use that etiquette again.

“It wasn’t wrong, but… It’s not something you should do casually. Don’t do it again.”

“Really? I read it in a book and thought it would be useful, but I guess not.”

“Hmph. Such a sharp mind, and yet you can be so… Oh, never mind. It makes sense… Ha…”

She answered her own question.

What was going on?

She sighed, then changed her tone.

“What book was it? Tell me the title. I need to know.”

“Hmm…”

Most of Carsein's books had been damaged by the maids. He couldn't use the family library or the duchy’s archives, because those were danger zones.

He had been reading the book in his room, but the cover was missing…

“Just by looking at you, I can tell you shouldn’t be reading that. Throw it away.”

“Why would I throw away a perfectly good book?”

“I’ll recommend a proper etiquette book! Just throw that one away. Okay?”

“…”

He wanted to argue, but he had a feeling he would be slapped again.

He didn’t know why. Maybe he was just doing something wrong.

—Boom!

A loud sound made them both turn their heads.

It was coming from the sky.

Fireworks were exploding, painting the darkening sky with colorful patterns.

“Wow.”

Harnie gasped.

She looked like a child seeing fireworks for the first time.

“That’s beautiful. How do they make them?”

No, wait.

She really was seeing fireworks for the first time.

Her violet eyes, reflecting the colorful explosions…

He had a feeling she had never experienced this before.

He had been through this too.

“You said you’ve been to the Snowflake Festival before, right, Young Master Carsein?”

“Yes.”

“Were there fireworks like this back then?”

She was still gazing at the sky.

Normally, he wouldn't be able to answer, but thanks to the Memorial, he knew.

“They weren’t shaped like snowflakes back then.”

“What were they like?”

“Much worse. They couldn’t even form proper shapes. They were just… colorful blobs.”

“Hmm. The magic must have been incomplete back then.”

Harnie chuckled, understanding the reason.

“Would you like to see them up close?”

“What?”

“We can’t see them properly from here. We could get a better view if we head towards the center of the festival.”

Harnie shook her head.

“You don’t have to do that just for me. This is good enough.”

That was a lie.

She wanted to see them up close.

She wanted to experience everything.

—Slide.

“Carsein? What are you doing with my hand…?”

“Let’s go.”

“What? Where?”

“To see the fireworks.”

He took her hand and said,

“I’ve never seen fireworks like this before either. They’re beautiful, and I’m curious about how they’re made. I’d like to hear more about them.”

“We don’t have to go there to talk about them. We can discuss them later…”

“No, we have to go now. This is the biggest Snowflake Festival ever. We won’t get another chance.”

She wanted to see them up close.

Her violet eyes, filled with longing, said it all.

She wanted to stay.

She wanted to explore the streets.

She wanted to spend more time enjoying the festival.

He wanted to give her that chance.

“We’re a couple, aren't we? No one will say anything. Let’s stay a little longer.”

“But Carsein, your time… What?!”

“Yes, the time you bought is valuable. You need to enjoy it as much as possible. Let’s go!”

He wouldn't let her hide her desires.

He took her hand and led her towards the fireworks, guided by her heart.

—Boom!

A large, purple snowflake exploded in the sky.

He couldn’t see her face clearly, but…

“Alright, alright! Just slow down!”

She was smiling as she hurried to keep up, her dress swirling around her.

See? She had been lying.

***

Dozens of patterns illuminated the night sky.

As the streets darkened, the lights grew brighter.

Lanterns, torches, fireworks…

They painted the night with vibrant colors, making the festival seem even more fleeting.

Harnie was smiling faintly.

“I’m glad I came.”

Carsein said, watching the last of the fireworks.

Harnie felt the same way. She just couldn’t admit it out loud, because of what she had said before.

He continued,

“Did you enjoy yourself, Harnie?”

“Yes, I did.”

“That’s good to hear. I felt bad that you had to accompany me.”

That was a lie.

She knew he was just being considerate.

Harnie shook her head.

“It was… a unique experience. I enjoyed the festival.”

“Is that so?”

She had come here to prevent an unexpected event.

But this unique experience…

This leisurely stroll…

She had enjoyed it.

“So the deal wasn’t a bad one after all. You haven’t complained about wasting your time with me.”

Harnie chuckled.

“You don’t really believe that, do you?”

“Am I that transparent?”

“Yes, you are.”

His words were unconvincing.

“It’s getting late. Shall we head back?”

Their day was coming to an end.

Two figures walked towards a carriage.

Their steps were neither hurried nor slow.

It meant that they had enjoyed their day, without any regrets.

“Thank you for today.”

Harnie said before getting into the carriage.

“Hmm… I guess we should practice the carriage etiquette now.”

“Practice? You’ve already mastered it.”

“Well, I don’t want to give those noblewomen any ammunition.”

“Ugh, fine. But… Carsein. This might ruin the mood, but can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

She had been wanting to ask this.

The timing was perfect.

“Why were you heading out of the festival area before we met? ”

He had been heading out before they met.

He hadn’t come here to enjoy the festival.

But he had taken her hand and said he wanted to see the fireworks.

His actions were contradictory.

Carsein chuckled.

“Lady Harnie, as part of our deal… You said I could make another proposition, right?”