I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Claire’s Coming-of-Age Ceremony (4)

“…Huh?”

My eyes were heavy. I had been sleeping well in the Bagrand duchy, but last night, I barely got any sleep.

I tossed and turned all night, my mind racing.

Naturally, my main concern was figuring out how to get through Claire's coming-of-age ceremony.

I had hoped that a decent solution would come to me…

‘Why can’t I think of anything?’

I thought I could fake an illness. I was willing to shower in cold water again and catch another cold.

But the problem was that I had met Claire yesterday and drunk the honey water she had prepared. She had confirmed that I was healthy, and she had even threatened me not to skip the ceremony by pretending to be sick.

There was no way that excuse would work now.

So I was stuck attending Claire's coming-of-age ceremony.

‘This is the only reasonable option…’

—Creak.

I opened the closet, and Carsein’s clothes from before I possessed him appeared. They were expensive-looking garments, befitting a nobleman.

Claire's coming-of-age ceremony, a major event in noble society.

If I showed up at such an important event in shabby clothes, everyone would be displeased.

So my plan was to claim that I didn’t have any suitable clothes to wear and skip the ceremony to avoid causing trouble. I would be scolded, of course, but it was a decent excuse.

“First, I need to wash up.”

I was thinking about what to do with these clothes when I decided to head to the bathroom.

“Master Carsein, it’s Camilla. May I come in?”

Camilla, at this hour?

She must have come because she was worried and wanted to clean or do something.

“Yes.”

I gave her a curt reply.

But contrary to my expectations, there wasn’t just one person at the door.

“…What are you doing here? I didn't call for you.”

“Well… Lady Claire sent us.”

“Huh?”

Claire sent them?

No way.

I stared at Camilla, silently urging her to explain.

Tell me what's going on! They might do something to me, just like you did!

Camilla, sensing my unease, answered,

“Lady Claire ordered us to make sure you’re bathed thoroughly in hot water, just in case you catch another cold. She said if you weren’t presentable, we would all be punished with 100 lashes…”

Damn it. I knew it.

There was no escape.

It didn’t matter what Camilla said, they had no choice but to follow Claire’s orders and make sure I was clean and presentable.

Even if the maids hated me, there was no way they would do anything to me with Claire breathing down their necks.

I felt a wave of dizziness and pressed my hand to my forehead.

‘That crazy bitch. She wasn’t kidding.’

I should have known from yesterday.

She had threatened me to attend the ceremony and had even taken steps to prevent me from feigning illness. I should have been more careful.

—Ding!

▶The maids, sent by Claire to help you bathe, have arrived. How will you respond?◀
[1. I don’t care if you’re punished or not. Go back. (Reputation -200, Claire’s affinity -30%)]
[2. Alright, I’ll bathe.]

Wow. The choices were completely one-sided.

If I refused, my reputation would plummet, and Claire’s affinity would decrease significantly. It was basically a death sentence.

I had a glimmer of hope, a possibility of finding a way out, so I asked…

“Can’t… can’t I just wash up by myself?”

Camilla sighed and replied,

“I’m sorry. Lady Claire will punish us if you catch a cold.”

Ugh, right! Of course!

“Ha… Alright.”

***

The maids, terrified of Claire's wrath, didn’t even dare to touch me.

‘Tragedy up close, comedy from afar. They weren’t kidding.’

Would I have seen it the same way if I was just playing the game?

They looked desperate to survive, sweating profusely as they struggled to fulfill Claire’s order, to make sure I was properly bathed and presentable.

Finally, the murderous intent that had been burning in their eyes faded, and they deemed me clean enough. My bath was over.

My sense of smell was numb, overwhelmed by the dozens of scents I had been exposed to in the bathroom.

“We’re done now, right? So you can go back and tell Claire…”

“Not yet, Master. The bath is over, but you still need to get dressed.”

“…What?”

“Didn’t I tell you? Lady Claire said to make you presentable.”

“Wait, so ‘presentable’ means…”

“It means we have to dress you for the ceremony.”

I felt another wave of dizziness and pressed my hand to my forehead.

Meanwhile, I heard a chilling sound coming from my room, the clatter of wheels rolling across the floor.

I turned my head, filled with dread, and saw a cart with a luxurious outfit, presumably menswear, being rolled into the room.

“Is… is that for me?”

Nod.

“I heard they brought a famous designer to the duchy.”

Oh… Damn it.

There was no way I could get out of this by claiming I had no clothes.

I had finished my bath, but I still had to endure the maids’ ministrations.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity… the maids whispered among themselves, declaring me presentable.

The maids, who had never liked Carsein, left the room in a hurry.

I was alone with Camilla again.

Now I could ask her.

“Why did you do it, Camilla?”

Camilla flinched, sensing my question.

***

The other four, excluding Carsein, already had clothes prepared for the ceremony.

Claire, the star of the event, would have put the most effort into her outfit. And Isabella and the other two sisters wouldn't have been careless, since they were family.

So they wouldn’t have needed a designer. If they had already visited a dressmaker and had their outfits ready, there was only one reason to call a designer to the duchy.

“The clothes in here aren’t exactly suitable for a ceremony. But I don't recall reporting this.”

It was my clothes.

Word of the coming-of-age ceremony might have spread, but no one knew that the clothes in my closet were ill-fitting, outdated, or in such bad condition that they were unwearable.

In other words, unless Camilla had personally reported it, a designer wouldn’t have been called.

Camilla didn’t deny it.

“As your personal maid… I deemed your current wardrobe inadequate for Lady Claire’s coming-of-age ceremony.”

“So you acted on your own? Without my permission?”

“…Yes.”

I pointed out that she had acted without my consent, and Camilla’s eyes widened in fear.

“Why did you do it?”

“As a member of the Bagrand duchy, you deserve to wear an outfit befitting your—“

“No, I don’t want to hear about formalities. I never said I wanted to attend the ceremony.”

I hadn’t even mentioned the ceremony. Frankly, the Bagrand duchy wouldn’t have cared if Carsein attended the ceremony or not.

This meant there was another reason for Camilla's actions.

“Tell me. You did this because you were scared of being expelled by Claire, right? You thought you had to do something, anything, to prove your worth?”

I cut her off, ignoring her attempt to justify her actions with formalities. Camilla hesitated, clutching her skirt. I was willing to wait for her to answer, as long as it was the truth.

She fidgeted with her skirt, her lips trembling, before finally speaking.

“I… I didn’t want you to be called a… a fake Bagrand.”

“…?”

Her answer was completely unexpected. I thought she would have prepared a better excuse, perhaps using formalities to justify her betrayal.

She didn’t want me to be called a fake Bagrand?

I was about to scoff, but then I stopped myself. Camilla was a character with numerous death triggers, so I had to be careful.

“Master, I…”

“That’s enough. Just tell me how you managed to pull this off.”

Camilla, her face relaxing, began to explain.

“I checked your closet while you were in the bath, and when I heard the maids talking about the ceremony, I went to see Heron.”

“That crazy pink…”

Damn it, I almost slipped up.

“You mean, you reported that I didn’t have any clothes to wear to Claire’s coming-of-age ceremony?”

“Yes. Heron said he would inform the Duchess, and I received a report that morning stating that a designer would be arriving.”

So that’s how things got twisted. No, my plan would have probably failed anyway, even without Camilla.

If Claire had been acting like this, she would have checked my clothes, and Arina might have even visited my room. Flora might have also mentioned it to Heron in passing.

Anyway, it couldn’t be helped. If Isabella was already involved, there was no way for me to get out of this. I had clothes, and I was healthy. There were no more excuses.

‘I have no choice. I’ll just have to lay low.’

The choices would appear even at the ceremony. This game would create unexpected situations, no matter where Carsein went.

I’ll just have to hide and wait for an opportunity to leave. I could use the choices that appeared to create a valid reason.

“Okay, you can leave now. It’s almost breakfast time, isn’t it?”

But Camilla hesitated.

“Umm…”

“You still have something to say?”

“Well… the Duchess asked you to have breakfast with the family this morning.”

…What?

***

This felt wrong.

A family breakfast? She was inviting Carsein, the outcast, to have breakfast with her other three daughters?

‘No, this must be because of Claire.’

She must have meant that she would check on me during breakfast, not that she was going to drag me there. Seriously, that girl was relentless.

“Master, here.”

I couldn’t wear casual clothes to breakfast.

This scene didn’t exist in the game.

But it was happening now. I had to accept this reality, this skipped scene that was now playing out.

She would scold me if I was late, especially the second oldest sister, who was always looking for an excuse to criticize me.

I followed Camilla to the dining room.

Damn it, I was late. I was definitely going to be scolded. Everyone was already seated at the table, except for me.

“…?”
“…?”
“…?”
“…?”

Why were they looking at me like that?

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