I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 31

Chapter 31: The Snowflake Festival (2)

It was a strange sight.

Flora, who loathed Carsein, and Carsein, who had been relentlessly tormented by her, were riding in a carriage together, alone.

An awkward silence filled the air as the carriage set off.

"Spit it out if you have something to say."

It was Carsein who broke the silence.

"You’re not planning to just sit here with me, are you? You must have something to say. It’s just me, so you don’t have to worry about anyone overhearing."

Flora, the adored daughter, wouldn't want to be in a carriage with Carsein. He knew how much she hated him.

So he was prompting her, trying to make her talk, to get to the point.

Flora, with a snort of disdain, spoke up.

"Are you trying to get our family's attention again?"

Carsein chuckled, as if he already knew her intentions.

"Attention? You think I'm doing this because I want attention?"

"You're not? Then how did you get invited to the Snowflake Festival?!"

"I didn't want to go."

How could he possibly want to go, knowing it was just an excuse for them to keep an eye on him under the guise of a birthday gift? Carsein genuinely didn't want to go to the festival.

But…

"You're lying! You lied to Claire and Mom, so they're taking you as a birthday present!"

Flora didn't believe him.

"Your birthday? It's always been ignored! It wouldn’t have mattered if they didn't know about it this time! If you hadn't said anything, how would they know?”

In Flora’s mind, Carsein had to be isolated from the family.

He didn’t deserve any attention.

He was a villain, trying to drive a wedge between them.

So, clutching her skirt, she shouted,

“Your lies might have worked this time, but there won’t be a next time! I'll stop you at the festival! I’ll make sure you can’t do anything to our family!"

You’ll never be a part of our family!

I won't let you have any of their attention!

I'll stop you from getting any attention from them!

“I won’t let you have my sisters, my mother, or my brother's place! Not you, you filthy peasant!”

Flora, her chest heaving, took a deep breath.

This was beyond a simple conversation. It was a threat, a declaration of her desire to see Carsein bullied, ostracized, isolated.

Flora, after her venomous outburst, smirked. She expected Carsein to lash out, to attack her.

If she could use that to isolate him further…

If she could get him punished and confined to the mansion…

She would be satisfied.

“…!”

But Flora’s smirk vanished.

Carsein was still. His head, resting on his hand, didn’t move. His expression was cold, unreadable, as if he was completely unaffected by her words.

He was simply listening.

And then, a mocking smile spread across his face.

“Remember what I said? I’ve always felt that way.”

Flora gasped at his words, her breath catching in her throat.

“I never wanted it. I never did anything wrong. But I’ve always been treated like trash. And it’s the same now, isn’t it?”

She remembered.

The day she had stormed out of the dining room after realizing he had noticed the Kelbia fruit in his food.

The day she had gone to confront him, accusing him of suspecting her.

The day she had shouted at him, claiming she was innocent.

Those words…!

“I never asked to go to the Snowflake Festival as a birthday gift. You silly girl.”

—Gulp.

“Wh-what are you talking about?”

Flora, tense, remembered from her previous experience that she should at least listen to him.

But the carriage came to a halt.

They had arrived at their destination.

Carsein, a chilling smirk on his face, opened the door and stepped out. He then offered his hand, his posture that of a perfect escort.

“Don’t worry. I know you want to get rid of me. You don’t have to try so hard.”

He spoke, as if seeing through her.

“You’re… you’re not going to tell my mother and sisters?”

“No. I don’t want anything from this house. Jewels? Money? Clothes? None of it. And…”

—Not even…

—Neigh!

“Whoa, there! What’s gotten into you today?”

The rest of his sentence was drowned out by the horse’s sudden whinny.

“Aren’t you getting off? Or are you planning to climb down this high carriage on your own?”

“…”

His words didn’t sound like a lie.

‘It doesn’t matter if it’s true or not…’

Carsein was frightening today.

Extremely so.

***

“Hurry up! You’ll have less time to enjoy the festival if you’re late!”

Claire shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth.

The other three were waiting, having gotten off their carriage earlier after the incident with the horse.

Flora, ignoring Claire’s words, skipped towards her sisters. And then, as if trying to hide, she stood next to Carsein.

“Now that everyone’s here, let’s go.”

Isabella led the way.

Carsein, trailing behind, checked the numbers floating above their heads.

[39%] [11%] [17%] [3%]

‘They’ve gone up quite a bit.’

A family-wide increase in affinity. It seemed that birthdays, even belated ones, were truly a magic potion in this world, not just in the game.

And some of the numbers were even higher, thanks to my efforts.

I checked the status window. The other stats were also looking good.

‘I should be fine even if they decrease a bit during this episode.’

Meanwhile, the family was heading towards a building, leaving the main festival area.

Normally, you would expect to roam freely and enjoy the festivities at a festival.

But this was the Snowflake Festival, an Imperial event.

As such, the nobles had to attend a specific event organized by the Imperial family.

That's why they were going there first.

▶Episode IV. The Snowflake Festival is in progress!◀
▶Successfully complete the festival with your family!◀

‘Right, it wouldn’t be that easy.’

It wasn’t just about the festival.

This location was also part of the episode. “Successfully complete” meant that I couldn’t cause any trouble, even during this pre-festival event.

As I followed Isabella, nobles began to appear, recognizing the Bagrand family.

The Snowflake Festival was a celebration for everyone, not just the commoners.

This was a social gathering for the nobles.

A den of wolves, as far as Carsein was concerned.

We entered a large hall.

The nobles, chatting in groups, immediately turned their attention towards us.

“As expected of the Bagrands.”

“Their impeccable grace is a work of art.”

“I’m looking forward to seeing the great contributions they will make to the empire.”

They showered the Bagrand family with praise.

Except for one person.

“But why is that… bastard… here?”

“Shh, he’ll hear you.”

“This is a disaster. I thought this festival would be fun… but I guess not.”

Whispers of anxiety and contempt were directed at Carsein.

Arina, seeing this, gave Carsein another warning.

“Once we’re done meeting the Emperor, we can enjoy the festival. Just be patient until then.”

“I don’t care.”

Arina sighed, seeing his indifference.

“You haven’t forgotten, have you? I promised you a reward if you behaved.”

“I know, I know.”

She was still suspicious, but the audience with the Emperor was their priority.

As they walked down a long corridor towards a large room, Claire turned and headed back to the ballroom.

“Go find your friends. We’ll be done soon.”

Only two people were allowed an audience with the Emperor.

Isabella and Arina.

Flora and Claire left to mingle with their friends.

And Carsein was left alone.

In a den filled with wolves.

—Ding!

The choices began to appear.

***

They were coming.

The wolves, waiting for this moment, hoping to be left alone with him.

No one would protect him now.

They could punish this outsider who dared to stand among them without consequence.

Even if they lost something in the process, the gain would be greater.

‘Carsein’s removal is in everyone’s best interests.’

And there would be personal rewards as well.

The mere presence of Carsein was an insult to the high-ranking nobles.

So there would be a reward.

For those who bravely removed this uninvited guest.

For those who took the lead in punishing this peasant.

For those from insignificant families, with no titles or power, this was an opportunity to gain recognition.

That was the information I had gleaned from the Memorial in the flowerpot.

“Well, well, well. Look who it is? Back for more?”

“What are you doing here? Did you bring us gifts?”

“This is the best gift ever! Haha!”

The nobles, with their mocking laughter, surrounded me as I leaned against a window.

The men were ready to act.

The women, though seemingly indifferent, were smiling, their minds already devising ways to spread rumors.

And I…

—Ding!

The choice window appeared.

▶The nobles are threatening you. How will you respond?◀
[1. (Punching one of them as an example) Damn it! You think I’m just going to take this?!]
[2. Escape to the second floor.]
[3. (Pleading) Please leave me alone! My eldest sister promised me a gift!]
[4. (Remain silent.)]
…
…

All kinds of choices, all at once.

I knew the death flags from experience, and there were choices that would allow me to escape this situation.

But they were all wrong.

If, in Episode III, I was forced to choose a character and confront them, in this episode, I had to choose an incident.

Carsein had to face a conflict, but…

‘If I can disrupt the flow of the choices… it changes things, doesn’t it?’

I glanced around, and Claire’s pink hair stood out, even from afar.

She would probably notice even the slightest commotion.

And Flora…

‘There’s no hope there.’

Okay.

I’ll just endure this.

I didn’t react to their taunts, remaining completely silent. I had chosen option 4.

After about 10 minutes…

“What’s wrong with him? Why isn’t he reacting?”

“Say something, you filthy little mushroom!”

Finally, the scene I had been waiting for.

“This isn’t working. Move aside.”

“What are you going to do?”

“He’ll talk if we hit him a few times.”

The largest one stepped forward.

He was cracking his knuckles, practically advertising his intent to strike.

—Ding!

[1. Take the punch.]
[2. Dodge the punch.]
[3. Attack before he hits you.]
[4. Block the punch and counter.]

The choice window appeared just in time. I was going to choose option 2.

Now all I had to do was wait for the punch…

—Whoosh. Thud.

“Wh-what…? He blocked it?”

His punch was so slow that I instinctively blocked it.

‘Seriously? He’s that weak? And slow?’

Was it because I had been in so many fights in my past life?

I was surprised by how weak his punch was, but then I realized.

It made sense for him to be weak and slow.

If I thought about it, Carsein’s health wasn’t great, but that didn’t mean he was good at fighting. In other words, these kids were the same.

They were pampered noble children. They had probably never been in a real fight.

Carsein, on the other hand, had grown up in the slums, fighting for survival. His life had been far harsher than theirs, no matter how plump and soft they looked.

So… this kind of punch wouldn’t even register as a threat to him. Even if he had no fighting experience.

‘I was wondering how he managed to beat those nobles… So that’s how.’

An unexpected mystery had been solved.

“You little…!”

He reared back for another punch.

Damn it, I almost blocked it again.

I watched his slow fist approach and dodged it before the system forced me to counter. I dodged a few more punches, and he was panting, clearly exhausted. He shouted,

“Get him! Let’s get that peasant!”

They started to gang up on me. They had lost all sense of dignity, their only thought to beat me up.

‘But why should I let them?’

It would be more embarrassing to be hit by their pathetic punches.

Even though they were surrounding me, it wasn’t me who was getting tired.

I just had to dodge, and they would tire themselves out.

And that’s what happened.

“Wh-what the…?”

I didn’t even touch him. I just dodged.

And then, the chubby one lost his balance. His future was obvious.

He stumbled, flailing his arms, then slammed into the wall, collapsing onto the floor.

He had fallen face-first, and his nose seemed to be broken. Blood was gushing from it.

“Y-you little…!”

He touched his nose, feeling the blood, and glared at me.

Well, it worked out the way I wanted.

“He… he hit me! He attacked me!!”

He had set himself up perfectly.

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