I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Belated Birthday Gift (5)

The sun was setting.

Harnie, after we finalized the contract, had focused on acting like a couple, walking around and showing ourselves to others.

Well, it took a lot of time to calm her down after she got angry about having to pretend to be a real couple, not just a contractual one…

But anyway…

The engagement contract was successfully established.

“I think this is enough for today, Harnie.”

“I was just thinking about heading back.”

“I see.”

She was still angry.

It couldn't be helped, considering I had dropped that bomb on her.

“I understand you’re not happy with me, but let’s not forget that we both have objectives.”

“I know that.”

Harnie sighed, then suddenly held out her hand.

“What are you doing?”

“What?”

“You have to escort me to the carriage.”

“I thought you hated physical contact?”

“Well, this is different! It’s common courtesy between nobles who are dating…”

She looked at me, her eyes filled with disbelief.

I had encountered a serious problem.

‘…Escort? What’s that?’

How could I, a modern man, understand the etiquette of nobility, the social norms of this era?

I, a Korean who had never even been to Europe, was already struggling with the cultural differences. And now she was asking me to follow proper etiquette?

Medieval noble etiquette? I only knew how to bow!

I felt a cold sweat break out. Maybe I should hire an etiquette tutor instead of reading the news and studying economics and social studies.

…Anyway…

Harnie, tilting her head, covered her mouth with her hand and asked,

“Carsein, you… you don’t know how to escort a lady, do you?”

“…No.”

“Really?!”

—Nod.

Harnie looked surprised by my immediate nod.

“Ahaha.”

She laughed.

A beautiful, genuine laugh.

“Is that so funny?”

“I-I’m sorry, it was just… unexpected.”

She laughed, tears welling up in her eyes.

Wiping away the tears, she asked,

“You’ve never learned any etiquette?”

“No.”

Carsein would have.

But I wasn’t him, so I hadn’t.

She took my hand and led me to the carriage steps.

“The carriage steps are a bit high for noblewomen. And our long dresses get in the way. So you need to stand here and offer your hand to help us up.”

“Like this?”

“No, not like that, just four fingers. I need to hold onto your thumb to pull myself up.”

Oh. It was a clear explanation, even a layman like me could understand.

“Your hand should be here. I need to be able to put my weight on it as I step up, so it’s easier if you place it just above my waist.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Harnie explained the different ways to escort someone, depending on the situation, such as how to treat servants, elder guests, and fiancées.

And since we had the opportunity, she gave me a chance to practice. We even practiced getting off the carriage, making sure I remembered everything.

“You learn quickly! You’re even making sure I’m comfortable.”

“We practiced a lot. I think I’ve got the hang of it. But are you sure it’s okay? I’ve taken up a lot of your time.”

“We need to do this if I want to be properly escorted next time, right? You’re my fiancée who’s been having secret trysts with me for months, remember?”

“….”

I had no excuses. This was my own fault.

“Anyway, I’m really going now. I’ll send you a message about our next meeting, so don’t worry.”

“Alright. Have a safe journey.”

I watched the carriage until it disappeared from sight. The sun had almost set, and I turned towards where the Bagrand duchy's carriage was waiting.

But I wasn't going directly there.

I had another errand to run.

As I was rummaging through my pockets for the money, I realized I had forgotten something.

“Huh?”

I pulled out a violet handkerchief.

“Damn it, I forgot to return it.”

The carriage was gone… Well, it couldn't be helped.

I’ll give it back next time.

***

“…”

Camilla was watching the coachman’s every move. She would glance at her pocket watch, take out a notepad, check the time again, and jot something down.

She was reporting, of course.

And she knew exactly who she was reporting to.

Time rewound to earlier that day, when her master, Carsein, had asked her to prepare for an outing.

Camilla, while waiting for him, had met someone.

“Is… is that Camilla?”

“…Head Maid Emma.”

It was Emma, her superior, who had been in a foul mood recently.

“So it really is you? I heard you got lucky and were released from solitary confinement. Why haven’t you shown your face?”

“…”

“Well, it doesn’t matter. I don’t know how you managed to get so lucky, but your job is still the same.”

Camilla remained silent, suppressing her true feelings.

Emma pulled out a wad of cash from her pocket.

“You’re still willing to work for the duchy, right?”

She didn’t care how Camilla had been released. This advance payment was the perfect way to eliminate her hesitation and solidify her motivation.

There was no one better than Camilla for the task of tarnishing Carsein’s reputation and diminishing his presence, restoring the duchy's honor.

“It seems you’re planning to head out. I’ll lay the groundwork for you, so don’t worry. All I need is a report of what you do outside. I’ll inform the coachman as well.”

Emma pressed the money into Camilla’s hand, a sly smile on her face, then returned to her duties.

Camilla’s hands were now holding two conflicting items. In one hand, she held the hood Carsein would be wearing. In the other, she held the money Emma had given her.

They couldn’t coexist.

Camilla had to make a choice. Would she follow Carsein, or would she obey Emma’s orders and accept the bribe?

She made her decision.

—Crumple.

Camilla crumpled the money pouch and tucked it into her pocket.

Time passed, and the appointed hour arrived.

“Mr. Marvin, It's getting late. Would it be alright if I fetched Young Master Carsein?”

“Camilla, yourself? For what reason?”

“Well… I was given those instructions in advance.”

“Hmm. I suppose. That woman sometimes gives different instructions to each of us. Go ahead.”

Marvin didn’t seem to care much.

Camilla left without any problems and arrived at Carsein’s meeting spot with his things.

When Carsein returned from his meeting with Harnie…

“Welcome back, Master.”

She greeted him without revealing her true feelings.

***

Camilla, as ordered, stood waiting.

“Welcome back, Master.”

This game, with its insane difficulty, didn’t give you much time to act freely.

The time to gather information and avoid the death flags was limited to a few minutes at most.

It was the same after clearing Claire’s coming-of-age ceremony episode. The only time I had to gather information was the ten minutes I had spent in that restricted area, risking danger.

And even that was only possible because I had woken up early and created extra time. This free time, gained by choosing the outing branch, was even more precious.

‘She prepared everything I asked for.’

The map I had asked Shaiden to draw. The hood to conceal my appearance. The bag to hide the items. And other miscellaneous things.

This was enough.

‘But… I’ve never ridden one of those before…’

—Snort.

…No, I should say I’m reluctant to ride one.

In the game, Carsein had ridden a horse.

In Korea, it was safe, even walking alone at night. The worst that could happen was encountering a creep. But here, there was a bad ending where you could be murdered on the streets at night.

So I had to save time. I had to reach my destination before nightfall.

But…

—Snort. Snort.

Damn it.

I was scared. Horses were supposed to be a common mode of transportation in these fantasy worlds, but not for a regular person like me.

I missed cars, taxis, buses, bicycles, even scooters.

—Ding!

▶Episode IV, outing branch in progress!◀
▶Ride the horse!◀

The status window appeared, adding to my anxiety.

I had no choice. I had to bite the bullet and ride this horse.

I swallowed my nervousness and tried to close the status window, but it stubbornly displayed another message.

And then, the system delivered a checkmate.

▶System violation detected.◀
▶Forcing choice to progress episode.◀

[1. Ride the horse.]

▶The forced action is determined by the choice above.◀

‘What? Wait…’

Ignoring my resistance, the system repeatedly displayed the single choice, and then my body started moving towards the horse on its own.

And then, with practiced movements, it mounted the horse.

‘…Huh?’

My body had moved on its own, but once I was on the horse, it didn’t feel strange at all.

And contrary to my fear, the horse was surprisingly docile.

I took the reins and guided it forward. The horse obeyed my commands. It wasn’t that difficult. Was it because of the game system?

‘No, it doesn’t matter why. I just need to get there.’

I had to obtain that item. It was the only way to completely deactivate my death trigger.

Camilla called out to me.

“Umm, Master.”

“What?”

“May I… may I accompany you?”

“With me? You don’t even know where I’m going.”

“I… I don’t know where you’re going, but… I can be of help.”

Hmm…

I wasn’t sure if it would be helpful to take a maid with me.

Because the place I was going wasn’t a regular market.

But Camilla’s next words, spoken in a hushed tone, made me reconsider.

“I think the coachman is watching your movements.”

Watching my movements…

That meant someone in the duchy had sent him to track me.

If there was a chance I was being suspected…

If I needed to avoid that suspicion…

Then taking Camilla with me would be safer.

‘I’m not entirely comfortable with this, but…’

It was still the right decision.

“Do you have anything to conceal your appearance?”

“I brought two hoods, just in case.”

“Then it’s settled. We’ll be riding this horse together.”

“…”

“What’s wrong?”

“Well…”

Her hesitation sent a chill down my spine. She seemed embarrassed, her body shrinking inwards.

Oh… don’t tell me…

You too?

“I-I’m sorry, I… I don’t know how to ride a horse…”

My instincts were never wrong.

She wanted me to… put her on the horse. Even without her saying it, I knew.

And then, the choice window appeared, a forced choice from the system.

[1. Ride the horse.]

My body moved on its own again. I dismounted the horse, my movements fluid, and helped Camilla onto the saddle.

“There you go.”

It wasn’t that difficult after I did it once.

Thanks to the system, I could ride a horse now, so we should be back before nightfall.

***

After I got used to riding, our destination appeared.

It was 8th Street, a bustling area with well-known shops, including O’Hela Boutique. But our destination, away from the main street, wasn’t a place nobles frequented.

Ironically, it was just a few steps away from the main street, but it felt like a world apart, a place with a completely different atmosphere. This was the place Shaiden had marked on the map, the place he had warned me about.

I had to be careful.

“Master, this place is…”

“Shh. Don’t call me that. We’ll stand out.”

“Oh… what should I call you then?”

“Just speak formally. I don’t mind.”

“Okay.”

There were quite a few people with harsh expressions. If I revealed myself as a noble, I would attract attention.

And then… I would be robbed, just like in the bad endings I had encountered in the game.

‘If we hadn’t ridden a horse, we would have been cutting it close.’

It felt like the sun was about to set.

I had to finish my business and leave.

I followed the map and found a seemingly ordinary shop.

“Welcome.”

A man, his eyes narrowed, glanced at me and Camilla.

Camilla, as instructed, avoided eye contact.

The shop was dark and dingy, poorly lit. It looked nothing like a regular store.

Because this was a black market.

—Ding.

The choices appeared, seemingly unchanged, even though I had arrived earlier than in the game.

I, relieved, scanned the items and pointed to the ones I wanted.

“This one. This one. And this one. Can you ring them up together?”

“Hmm. Hold on a moment.”

The shopkeeper punched the numbers into a calculator and gave me the total. I already knew the prices, so I counted out the money and waited. But then…

“This isn’t enough. The total is 1700 Pessel.”

What?

The price was wrong. It wasn’t the price in the game.

“I’d like to know the individual prices.”

“You think the prices are wrong? After coming all the way here?”

“No, I just… I need to know which one is the most expensive.”

“Hmm… Well, if that’s the case.”

The shopkeeper, without a word, wrote down the prices.

The other items matched the prices I knew from the game. I even asked about a few other items, just in case, but the prices were the same.

Except for one.

‘…So it was this one that inflated the price.’

The most expensive ingredient, a rare herb, was 200 Pessel more expensive than in the game.

The only difference was the timing. I had come earlier to buy the items, and I hadn’t expected such a price increase.

“I don’t haggle.”

I knew. If I tried to haggle, he would refuse to do business with me.

‘It can’t be helped.’

I had to buy these items, even if it meant selling the things I had brought with me.

And just then…

A hand reached out and placed some money on the counter.

“I’ll pay the 200 Pessel.”

It was Camilla.

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