I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Claire’s Coming-of-Age Ceremony (6)

Following Claire, Arina and Isabella also looked up in shock.

There was no way Shaiden would side with Carsein. Arina immediately questioned him.

"What are you talking about, Shaiden? Food he shouldn't be eating?"

“Are you familiar with Kelbia allergy?”

The three sisters all shook their heads. Only one person flinched, her shoulders trembling.

But Shaiden, seemingly not noticing, continued, his tone suggesting that he had expected this reaction.

“Kelbia fruit contains a small amount of poison. It’s generally harmless to humans… But it’s a different story for those with allergies.”

“Allergies…? You mean…?”

“Are you saying Carsein has a Kelbia allergy?”

“Yes.”

Shaiden confirmed it, and the sisters stared at the untouched food on the table.

Carsein had already left, and he hadn’t touched any of the food, except for one dish: the roast turkey in the center.

Claire, remembering how he had torn into the meat with his bare hands, asked in a trembling voice,

“What… what are the symptoms? Carsein already ate some of the meat!”

“It depends on the severity. Some people only experience a mild aversion to the taste and smell. But in more severe cases, people can distinguish between food that contains the fruit and food that doesn't."

Carsein had intentionally avoided the other dishes.

He could distinguish between them. It was safe to assume so.

“But that’s only for stages 1 to 3. If someone is in stage 4, the most severe stage, like the young master…”

Gulp.

“Even a small amount can trigger a severe reaction. If the toxin isn’t neutralized, they could be bedridden for days.”

““What?!””

“Wh-what…?”

“Fortunately, it seems he only ate the meat. The Kelbia fruit was used only in the seasoning, not in the meat itself… But he couldn’t have avoided the scent, so he must have felt a strong aversion.”

Why hadn’t he eaten the food?

Because he had a Kelbia allergy and could tell that the food contained the fruit.

Why had he torn into the meat with his bare hands?

Because he wanted to avoid the skin, seasoned with Kelbia fruit, and eat only the meat.

Why hadn’t he apologized?

Because he had done nothing wrong.

It wasn’t food; it was poison.

That table had been nothing but poison to Carsein.

“This is so unfair. They told me to eat, so I ate. Why am I being hit for listening to them?”

“I’d rather be sick in bed with a cold. I wouldn’t be hit, and at least I’d get proper food. Don’t you agree, Claire?”

“I apologize for being vulgar and filthy. I guess it’s better if I don’t attend the ceremony.”

“This disgusting sight will excuse himself. Enjoy your meal.”

Carsein’s voice, ringing through the dining room, his announcement that he was leaving, now echoed in their minds.

He had been invited to the meal, but it was as if he had been told not to eat. He would have been forced to sit there, watching them eat, while he couldn’t touch anything. And considering his allergy, it was even worse.

“As I’ve mentioned before, the malice directed at the young master is excessive. I urge you to investigate the servants. That is all.”

Shaiden left, closing the door behind him, and a long silence filled the dining room. The maids had already left after the initial investigation, so only the four family members remained.

“How… how could this…”

—Bang!

Isabella slammed her fist on the table, her eyes blazing with a rare fury.

“Who? Who would dare do such a despicable thing in the Bagrand duchy?!”

Her voice, laced with anger, echoed through the dining room. She wasn’t directly blaming her daughters, but this was not something she would let slide.

“Arina! Summon all the servants immediately! Now!”

“Mother! Calm down!”

“Calm down? You’re telling me to calm down after seeing this? After witnessing their blatant attempt to prevent him from eating?”

“I understand. I know how you feel, but even if you punish them all severely, you won’t find the culprit. You’ll only end up punishing innocent people.”

“Carsein… oh, Carsein…”

“Mother!”

“Mom!”

Isabella’s legs buckled, and she collapsed. Claire and Arina quickly caught her and helped her into a chair.

“Mother, you should rest. Claire and I will investigate and find the culprit.”

“I’ll find them, Mom. I’ll make sure they’re punished. So you just rest, okay?”

“How could… how could someone be so cruel and malicious…?!”

Isabella continued to fume, unable to contain her anger. The two sisters tried to calm her down, reassuring her that they would find the culprit. Finally, Isabella left the room.

But in the chaotic dining room…

One person couldn’t hide her anxiety.

‘Wh-what should I do…?’

Carsein’s gaze, that knowing look, was burned into her memory. She couldn’t shake the feeling that he knew.

‘It wasn’t… it wasn’t me this time…!’

—Snap!

The young girl’s thumbnail broke, a victim of her own anxiety.

***

Click.

“Master? You’re back already… Oh my!”

Camilla, who had been making the bed, jumped in surprise and turned around.

But it wasn't just the sound that startled her.

“Goodness… Master! What happened…?!”

The outfit for the ceremony was ruined. It was a far cry from his pristine appearance that morning, when she had helped him dress after his meticulous bath.

And he didn't look like he had come from a meal. There was a deep scratch on his cheek, blood trickling down his jawline and staining the white fabric of his shirt. It looked more like he had been punished than enjoyed a family breakfast.

“Camilla.”

“Ah, yes… Master…”

Startled, Camilla was slow to respond.

“I simply answered Mother’s summons and went to have breakfast, dressed for Claire’s coming-of-age ceremony, just as Claire had ordered. I even showed them the outfit you had prepared. What do you think went wrong?”

“N-nothing, Master…”

“Then this… this happened at breakfast, right?”

Camilla nodded silently.

Carsein began to recount the events.

“Something interesting happened at breakfast. It’s amazing how they only served me food I couldn’t eat.”

“I-I’m not sure what you mean…”

“Kelbia allergy. I couldn’t even eat because of it. That’s why I look like this.”

“...!”

Camilla's heart sank at the mention of those two words.

She had been hired to torment Carsein, and she knew.

Kelbia fruit was like poison to him.

“They served me a table full of food I couldn’t eat and expected me to enjoy it. How could I not be angry?”

Camilla couldn’t speak.

She had been a noble once, so she understood. To invite someone to a meal and then serve them food they couldn’t eat was a deliberate act of malice.

In other words, that meal had been only for the other four.

‘They… none of them noticed…’

Carsein’s words, their subtle accusation, made Camilla lower her head in shame.

“I was so angry… I tried to avoid the Kelbia fruit by tearing off the meat and eating only the flesh. And then Claire slapped me. See this?”

Carsein pointed to his bleeding cheek. Camilla, feeling dizzy, quickly brought a cloth to wipe away the blood.

Carsein, his face a mess, chuckled wryly.

“Do you understand reality now, Camilla? Filthy, uncultured, and vulgar. That’s exactly who I am.”

A blunt and direct statement, its meaning clear to anyone.

He was implying that this was all because of her unnecessary intervention, that she shouldn't act on her own accord again.

And by telling her to understand reality, by reminding her of his position, he was implying that he would never be accepted as a true noble.

In other words, he was telling her that he wasn’t worthy of attending the coming-of-age ceremony.

Camilla was speechless. She had essentially led him to this, to being humiliated and injured.

She wanted to tend to his wounds, but the atmosphere made it impossible. The best she could do was avoid mentioning the ceremony.

Camilla, her face filled with regret, turned to leave. But then…

“Oh, Camilla. I have one more question.”

Carsein’s question, right before she left, was…

“How much would today’s breakfast, the one the duchy served, cost in terms of money?”

It was a strange question.

***

After Camilla left, I stripped off the ruined clothes and headed for the bathroom.

I wiped away the blood, which was still trickling down my face, with a warm towel. The stinging pain intensified.

Well, it wasn’t a complete loss. I had managed to get out of attending the ceremony by getting slapped. Not a bad trade.

The pain would fade eventually.

‘That strong hand… she’s just like…’

It felt strangely familiar because I had been through something similar.

It was on my second oldest sister’s birthday, the day she turned twenty. I had been slapped by her, just like Carsein.

‘And it’s also the second sister’s birthday here. And…’

The number next to her name in the status window had changed.

‘This is almost identical to my past life.’

It would be the same. These people didn’t know.

I checked my reflection, the blood mostly gone, then quickly left the bathroom and got dressed. I sat at the table, thinking about the breakfast incident.

“I managed to create an opportunity, but what will happen now?”

My actions had three objectives.

First, to pressure the person who was solely focused on tormenting me.

Second, to restrict the actions of the head maid and the other servants.

And lastly, to ruin my clothes and create an excuse to avoid Claire’s coming-of-age ceremony.

I wasn’t sure which one would be effective. It would depend on the outcome, and since this scene hadn’t happened in the game, it was impossible to predict.

However, I could at least expect them to treat me with a bit more caution for a while.

One person, realizing that her plan had failed miserably, would be fuming right now. That was enough.

“The most urgent issue is Claire’s coming-of-age ceremony… Hmm.”

Carsein was bound by the events of the episode and forced to react to the choices.

And as far as I knew, this episode never disappeared. There were times when other episodes were added first, but this one always happened.

How should I get through it?

That was my biggest concern.

Just then…

The status window appeared.

—Ding!

▶Hidden episode unlocked!◀
▶Episode III. You have discovered a hidden episode within Claire’s coming-of-age ceremony!◀

‘Hidden episode?’

▶This setting was unknown to the player!◀
▶Analyzing to provide a suitable explanation!◀
…
…
▶Analysis complete!◀

※Hidden Episode
[Unlike the main or sub-episodes, this is a hidden episode that is only unlocked when certain conditions are met!]
[It usually involves background stories, after stories, and settings that support the main storyline!]

I thought the Memorials served the same function, but the explanation suggested otherwise.

‘Memorials aren’t treated as episodes. They’re just chunks of information for the player to use.’

You couldn’t interfere with events that had already happened. That was the limitation of the Memorials. But this was clearly being treated as an episode. I needed to be careful.

So why had it appeared?

The answer seemed to lie in the knock at the door.

—Knock, knock.

“Who is it?”

There was no answer. The knocking continued, the sound becoming weaker each time.

‘Don’t tell me… a death flag is suddenly appearing here…!’

Right. I could just ignore it.

If I didn’t open the door, they would just go away…

▶A forced event is occurring.◀
▶Open the door and talk to the character!◀

Damn it.

Even the status window was forcing me?

I couldn’t avoid it. I had no choice but to open the door.

The visitor was short.

I had to look down to see their face.

“What are you doing here?”

“I-I have something to tell you.”

It was Flora.

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