I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 32

Chapter 32: The Snowflake Festival (3)

“Everyone, he hit me! He attacked me!!”

The chubby boy's cry echoed through the hall, attracting everyone's attention.

Their gazes, as one, fell on Carsein.

“Goodness, Young Master Vitus is bleeding!”

“How hard did he hit him? We need to call a physician!”

“Look at his swollen nose! That was clearly malicious!”

Whispers and murmurs erupted, the gossip spreading like wildfire as the ladies, fanning themselves, exaggerated the story.

“I thought things would be peaceful this year, but… he never disappoints, does he?”

“A peasant will always be a peasant. He’ll never change.”

“How can he cause trouble everywhere he goes? Tsk, how vulgar.”

“Shouldn’t he be banned from attending these events?”

They glared at him, their words sharp as ice, branding him a troublemaker.

Claire, overhearing the commotion, marched towards Carsein.

She stopped before the sobbing noble, her voice calm despite her anger.

“What happened? You’re saying Carsein hit you?”

The three boys, their eyes widening innocently, launched into a perfectly rehearsed act.

“W-well… I… I just asked him to play with us.”

“Yeah, Carsein’s our age, so… we asked him to hang out with us instead of being bored with the adults…”

“And then he started yelling at us, telling us to stop bothering him… and he punched him!”

“…”

Claire gritted her teeth, her jaw clenching.

Vitus, the boy with the bloody nose, started to wail, and the other nobles, delighted by the drama, watched intently.

“Boo hoo… I don’t know why he hit me!”

“We tried to stop him at first. We asked him why he was being so aggressive. We told him he could just say he didn’t want to play… but he just attacked!”

“We did our best to intervene… but he was too strong…”

Her efforts to make this a pleasant event, 

her carefully chosen gifts, all wasted because of this incident.

Claire, her rage burning, turned to face Carsein. Her blue eyes narrowed dangerously.

“Didn’t you hear me? I told you to behave! I said you could enjoy the festival later! And you do this again?”

Carsein met Claire’s gaze, his expression blank.

He was silent, unmoving, just like always.

It only fueled her anger. Claire grabbed his wrist.

“I was a fool to expect anything from you. Come with me, you little…”

—Slap!

Carsein swatted her hand away.

“You’re… still suspecting me? Nothing’s changed, has it?”

“You…!”

“I didn’t do anything. Want me to prove it?”

He crossed his arms defiantly, challenging her.

***

[4. Prove your innocence.]

The choice was made.

With Claire’s affinity well over 10%, she wouldn’t blame me.

All I had to do now was choose the right answers.

It was easy.

—Ding!

“You! You said I hit you, right?”

“Yes! You attacked me out of nowhere!”

The boy, smug and confident, responded.

“You think you can lie when all my friends saw it? Everyone here saw what you did!”

“Really? Then they must have also seen you three attack me.”

“What are you talking about?! We were… we were trying to stop you!”

“We never attacked him!”

The three boys flinched, but I countered easily. They were the ones who could lie.

But there were things they shouldn't say.

“You were trying to stop him, but he kept punching him! That’s why his nose is bleeding!”

Game over.

You idiot.

—Slide. Slide.

I removed my thin white gloves.

And showed them to everyone.

“If I had punched him, there would be bloodstains. Why are my gloves clean? Care to explain?”

“Uh… uhhh…”

“W-well…!”

To solidify this fact, I called out,

“Lady Claire would know best about these gloves.”

“….”

All eyes turned to Claire.

She seemed shocked, then bit her lip, her gaze falling to the floor.

Yes, you know best.

You know when I started wearing these gloves.

You know why this is crucial evidence.

“Tell us the truth, Lady Claire.”

“Tell us! Is he lying or not?!”

The crowd, eager for an answer, waited for Claire’s response. Or perhaps they were just eager to see Carsein condemned.

Finally, she spoke, her voice low. But her words weren’t what they wanted to hear.

“These gloves… Carsein was wearing them before we left the duchy.”

The hall erupted in gasps of shock. The three boys, caught in their lie, scrambled to defend themselves.

“W-wait! He could have taken them off before he hit him!”

“He could have put them on later! How can we be sure?!”

“Ha… shut up, will you?”

It might have worked if they were accusing anyone else, but they had made a fatal mistake. It was Claire they were lying to.

“Stop lying. Who are you trying to fool?”

“L-Lady Claire? What do you—“

“These gloves are enchanted to prevent static discharge. They’re fragile, and the enchantment breaks easily, even with the slightest impact. You think I wouldn’t have noticed something like that?!”

How could she miss them? It was inevitable that they would attract attention.

Yes, these were the gloves Claire had criticized, asking why I was wearing such a thing.

I had deliberately drawn attention to them, creating a witness who could confirm that I was wearing them before the incident.

There were no bloodstains on the white gloves, which strengthened my innocence, and the witness’s testimony exposed the liars.

And the gloves themselves were the key.

The Welten Static-Proof Gloves, purchased during my countless retries while trying to clear this episode… they were the most crucial piece of evidence. In other words, they were a special item designed to unlock an additional choice before the Snowflake Festival.

“N-no way…”

“The Welten Discharge Gloves…”

“I’ve worn those before… If he punched someone with those, the enchantment would have broken…”

“The enchantment is intact. No bloodstains. And we have a witness. There’s no denying it.”

The atmosphere shifted rapidly.

The three boys, caught red-handed, tried to change their story, but it was too late.

“I’ve reached a verdict. Guards!”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

“Remove these troublemakers immediately!”

A woman, who had been watching the scene with interest, stepped forward.

It was Arsienne, the third Imperial Princess.

“Inform their families. They dared to falsely accuse Duke Carsein. Place them on the banned list. They are never to set foot here again.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

“W-wait! That’s not true! It’s a misunderstanding!”

“We’re sorry! Please, please have mercy!”

“It wasn’t like that! Please, spare our families…!”

The three young lords were dragged away, their pleas fading into the distance, followed by a muffled thud, and then silence.

Arsienne, glaring at them, didn't hold back her criticism.

“It’s laughable that such pathetic creatures call themselves nobles. Don’t you agree?”

“Excuse me?”

“That was my impression of the situation we just witnessed.”

…This comment was clearly directed at me.

She smiled, a look of amusement in her eyes, then approached Claire, who was standing there, her head bowed.

“I know you have a lot to say to Claire. But I’d like to speak with my friend first. Do you mind?”

I was surprised.

I had seen this scene before, but in the game, Arsienne had been more… deferential.

“Please, go ahead.”

“Thank you for understanding. I’ve given orders to the Imperial Guards. If anything happens, they’ll report to me immediately. Don’t worry.”

Princess Arsienne, with a faint smile, led Claire away.

▶You have successfully avoided the nobles' threats.◀
▶The commotion has been resolved without any incidents. The festival episode continues.◀
▶You have successfully triggered a result that goes beyond the simple selection of choices.◀

■Reward
[Under Arsienne’s protection, the Imperial Guards are now stationed in the ballroom. You are no longer threatened by the nobles.]
[Claire’s affinity has increased.]
[17% -> 21%]

This was a satisfactory outcome.

But…

[Arsienne’s affinity has increased.]
[Current affinity level: 3%]

‘…Did her affinity always increase?’

I don’t think so.

It seemed like the gloves I had purchased had played a role in resolving the situation.

***

There had always been trouble at the Snowflake Festival, every year.

Carsein would get into fights or insult the nobles, causing a scene. He would always complain about being treated unfairly.

‘And it was always Claire who had to clean up the mess.’

I could still picture her, fuming.

“How many times has he embarrassed the family?! He never changes!”

“Mother hired him tutors, hoping he would learn some manners! What was the point?!”

“I begged him to stop causing trouble, but he wouldn’t listen! What else could I do?!”

Claire, after punishing Carsein, usually by slapping him and confining him to his room, would always vent her frustration in the drawing room.

And this year, there had been another incident.

But this time, the atmosphere, the reactions, everything was different.

Arsienne, watching Claire stand there, her head bowed in silence, repeated her usual words,

“I told you. You should listen to Carsein’s side of the story at least once.”

Arsienne knew.

She knew the nobles’ underhanded tactics, their malicious schemes.

Those who weren’t familiar with the ways of the noble society were often ostracized, and Carsein, a peasant, was an easy target.

She had tried to reason with Claire, to calm her anger and investigate the situation, but…

It was always Claire, her friend, who stopped her.

‘I was like that too. When I fought with my brothers… it took a long time for us to reconcile.’

Claire’s slumped shoulders reminded her of her past self.

“Claire, even now, you should—“

“This… this isn’t the first time.”

“What?”

Arsienne tilted her head, surprised by her friend’s sudden interruption.

She had expected her to say,

“If you had told me sooner, I wouldn’t have reacted that way.”

“This isn’t the first time he’s caused trouble! He causes problems everywhere he goes, how can I not be suspicious?”

Excuses, justifying her suspicion.

But now…

“Today… no, the day before that as well… there have been a few times when I only suspected Carsein.”

She was being honest.

Arsienne sensed it.

A change in Claire.

She had to hear more.

“What made you suspicious?”

“…Carsein collapsed from a cold. But the physician said it wasn’t just the cold. He said Carsein had not been… eating properly.”

“Okay, go on.”

“So I had the chef prepare a feast for him… but he wouldn’t eat it.”

Claire clenched her fist.

“I asked him why he wasn’t eating, told him to have them clear it away if he didn’t want it… And the physician said it was because he was too weak to digest it… that it would be dangerous if he ate it…”

“I see. Carsein was…”

“O-of course, I had them prepare porridge right away. I… I ordered the chef personally.”

Arsienne smiled, as if to say that she understood.

It was true for patients in poor health.

The nobles didn’t know this, but most commoners did.

“If they can’t even digest food, you have to start with porridge. Rich, heavy food can be dangerous. That’s why there are more deaths from indigestion among nobles than commoners.”

Arsienne had only learned this after asking the Imperial physician.

“Hmm… that’s something you wouldn’t know.”

“…But that’s not all.”

“What?”

The Kelbia allergy.

The birthday gift.

She had done it again, twice.

She couldn’t just say she had been suspicious because she didn’t know.

And now…

The commotion in the ballroom.

Claire was confessing her mistakes.

‘…This isn’t something I can ignore.’

The more she heard, the more Arsienne realized how strained their relationship was.

But Claire wasn’t saying the most important thing, the words she needed to say.

Arsienne, her expression turning serious, said,

“You can’t just suspect your brother like that. It’s your fault for not trusting him, even once.”

“I… I didn’t want to be suspicious! But he’s… he’s caused so much trouble in the past, I couldn’t help but…”

“That’s prejudice, Claire.”

“…What?”

Claire’s eyes widened.

“You judged him without even asking why. You don’t trust your brother. You keep suspecting him. How can you be sure it won’t happen again?”

“….”

“Try to understand him. Try to see things from his perspective. Why do you think he acted that way?”

Claire thought about it.

She hadn’t.

Not even once.

She had never considered Carsein's feelings, not even for a moment.

Not this time, not any other time. She had never thought about the reasons behind his actions, never considered that he might have a story.

That’s why she had realized so late about the food.

That’s why she had only learned about Camilla from him.

The Kelbia allergy.

The birthday gift.

The commotion in the ballroom.

It was all the same.

But…

“…If he had just asked for help, I would have helped him…”

The problem was Claire’s personality.

Her pride was a factor, but her temper was the main obstacle, followed by her unexpected shyness, her inability to express her feelings openly.

In other words, she couldn’t bring herself to apologize.

‘I can’t change that, not with words.’

So she had to take some measures.

“Apologize. Tell him you’re sorry for suspecting him. You’re going to ruin your relationship if you keep this up.”

“Ugh, fine! Stop nagging me.”

Just then, they were informed that the Bagrand family's meeting with the Emperor was over. Claire stood up and left the lounge.

Arsienne, watching her friend leave, felt a pang of worry. She had never seen Claire slap Carsein, but…

“I need to do something about that temper.”

Arsienne sighed.

Next Chapter

Index

Previous Chapter