I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Claire's Coming-of-Age Ceremony (1)

Camilla, locked in solitary confinement.

Her punishment was lighter than she had expected.

Originally, she should have been in a dark, cramped cell, barely able to stretch her limbs. But thanks to the pleas of the other maids and servants, she had been moved to a slightly better place.

It was still a cold, bare floor, but she could at least curl up and get some sleep. The other maids secretly brought her extra food, and the guard, though aware of it, turned a blind eye.

In other words, she was being treated leniently, considering she was in solitary confinement.

But leniency was just that, leniency.

Even if she was well-liked in the duchy, she was still a prime suspect, just as Claire Bagrand had said.

Even if the servants helped her, Carsein would never forgive her, so it was clear that she would be expelled from the duchy.

It was her own fault, she thought, as she pulled out the remaining vial from her pocket.

It was a weight-loss potion, used by noble ladies to burn calories and break down nutrients.

However, because it broke down nutrients, if you didn’t eat within a certain time after taking it, you would experience symptoms similar to exhaustion and overwork.

If she drank this and faked her death from overwork in solitary confinement, her mother would at least receive some financial compensation.

And just then…

An unexpected visitor came to see her.

—Clank!

“Butler, sir?”

“Return to your post, Camilla.”

“…Excuse me?”

“You are to return to your master, Carsein.”

And so, Camilla was released from solitary confinement.

Not only that, she wasn't expelled from the duchy.

No charges.

No punishment.

She was to return to her position as Carsein's personal maid.

But at the same time, she was no longer given any tasks. More accurately, she was unable to do any work.

"Oh, you were supposed to come today? There’s nothing for you to do in the morning. You can go.”

“I don’t have any tasks for you. Just go and rest.”

“I’m just going to read and sleep. I don't need anything. You can go.”

It wasn’t just that day.

Morning. Lunch. Dinner.

No matter when she visited, there was nothing for her to do.

The bed was made. The room was clean. His belongings were organized. His clothes were washed.

Everything that Camilla, as his personal maid, was supposed to do was already done.

It had been like this for two days.

‘It’s the same today. The master didn’t ask for…’

Carsein hadn’t asked for anything. Everything a personal maid was supposed to do was already taken care of.

All she did was bring his meals and take away the dishes. Even a regular maid could do that.

It had started as a curiosity, but it was starting to worry her. This couldn’t continue.

Tomorrow… tomorrow, I’ll come 30 minutes earlier. I’ll get there before the master finishes everything himself.

Camilla made this resolution as she carried the tray of dishes down the hallway.

And just then…

A young lady, her pink hair shimmering like silk, appeared before her, blocking her path.

“Lady Claire…”

“I need to talk to you.”

Claire pointed her thumb towards an empty room.

She wanted to talk.

Camilla swallowed nervously and followed obediently.

***

One day. Two days. And then, the third day.

No servants entered his room except to bring meals, and even his family didn't visit.

I was living alone, without any problems.

The clothes were unfamiliar, but this was still far better than before. I was in a grand mansion, not a drafty shack. And the food was brought to me, so I had no complaints.

I didn’t have to survive on instant noodles anymore, I didn’t have to work multiple part-time jobs, and there was no one to judge me when I came home exhausted.

The only things I had to do were clean and do laundry, just like my usual routine.

But I couldn’t let my guard down.

▶CHAPTER 1 - Episode III begins!◀

It had appeared this morning.

The status window announcing the start of a new episode.

Only the episode number was displayed, not the title, which meant I hadn’t reached a branching point yet. This was the start of the next episode.

“Now, how do I clear this one?”

A few days ago, Heron, the butler, had visited and informed me that Isabella had granted me permission to attend Claire’s coming-of-age ceremony.

My house arrest had also been lifted. In this game, Carsein had been placed under house arrest for causing some sort of trouble at the beginning.

So, being released from house arrest not only meant that I could move freely within the duchy, but it also unlocked the upper floors of the mansion, which had been inaccessible until I cleared Episode II.

This was a natural progression of the main story, a consequence of rescuing Camilla, a requirement for clearing Episode II. It meant that I had successfully cleared Episode II and was now moving on to the next one.

And ironically…

“Claire's coming-of-age ceremony is tomorrow.”

What a coincidence.

Yesterday evening, I had found a Memorial in this room, a Memorial I hadn’t found when I played the game. It showed me a scene from three years ago, during Arina’s coming-of-age ceremony.

After seeing what had happened, how Carsein had reacted, I was so angry that I couldn’t sleep for a long time.

“That damn ceremony. It must have been hell for Carsein.”

On the day of Arina’s coming-of-age ceremony, guests from all over the Pesselus Empire had gathered to celebrate, along with Carsein’s family.

The ballroom was packed with nobles, and no one doubted that Arina would be named the heir to the Bagrand duchy.

It was the same for the other daughters. They were seen as future leaders of the noble society, proud members of the duchy.

But one person was subjected to relentless exclusion.

"Oh my, oh my. How… unrefined!"

“He may be a Bagrand, but he has no grace whatsoever.”

“A peasant is still a peasant, after all.”

The nobles, who were friendly and respectful to the rest of the Bagrand family, showed nothing but contempt and disgust towards the boy from the slums.

The only reason Carsein had been allowed to attend the ceremony was because Isabella had taken him in and recognized him as her son.

But they were cunning.

The nobles used their children, Carsein's peers, to ostracize him, subtly manipulating the situation to draw attention away from the duchy.

Carsein, dragged outside by the other noble children, was thrown to the ground and trampled by them.

When he asked why they were doing this…

“Why? Because you’re not a Bagrand.”

“Why should a filthy, stupid peasant like you be allowed to stay in the same place as us nobles?”

“Pfft. You didn’t think you had the same rights as us, did you?”

He was treated like a commoner, worse, a peasant.

Carsein, unable to endure it any longer, fought back. He had survived the harsh slums, and he managed to strike down one of the noble children.

But it only made things worse.

"Sister Arina! They started it!”

—Slap!

“Don’t call me sister. You’re not my brother, you’re not family.”

Carsein, who had caused a scene, was placed under house arrest for a month for ruining Arina’s coming-of-age ceremony.

From then on, he was forbidden from calling his sisters "sister." He wasn’t even allowed to call his mother “Mother.” He was like Hong Gil-dong, the legendary Korean outlaw who couldn't call his father "father."

It was disgusting. Even if he wasn’t related by blood, Carsein was the one who had been unfairly ostracized and beaten.

He was treated like an outcast, abandoned by the only people he could rely on, his family.

“This is making me sick.”

Even though the scene in the Memorial wasn’t from my past life, I still felt sick.

I had been bullied in school and had fought back. I couldn’t take it anymore, so I made an example of one of them.

And then, my eldest sister had told me I wasn’t her brother, that I was a disgrace who had brought shame to the family. She had slapped me, and I had felt the same way.

Anyway, this happened three years ago?

“I shouldn’t go. Yes. I definitely shouldn’t go.”

It was only natural to assume that it would happen again. I didn’t want to attend the ceremony.

It was best to avoid it if I could.

If I stayed in my room, I wouldn’t have to deal with the insults and scrutiny of others. They wouldn't welcome me anyway.

How could I stay in this room? Should I shower in cold water again, pretend to be sick, and stay in bed?

As I was contemplating various excuses…

"Master, it’s Camilla. May I come in?"

Camilla?

Why was she here at this hour?

Even if things were looking good, the death trigger hadn’t been fully deactivated. Unless I cleared a specific episode, I couldn't let my guard down.

I opened the door.

"Excuse me, Master. I…”

“Just come in.”

Camilla stood there, her posture demure. I was about to ask her what she wanted, but then I decided to just let her in.

Someone might overhear us if we talked in the hallway.

“Yes, Master…”

Camilla entered my room, her eyes filled with unease. Her voice was trembling. Something was definitely wrong.

But as soon as she stepped inside, her jaw dropped, and her eyes widened in shock.

‘What? What’s wrong?’

Her anxiety was contagious. Damn it, I could die too!

What did she see in my room?

I followed her gaze.

And then…

‘…My hand?’

Her eyes were fixed on my hand.

I was simply holding a rag, having paused my cleaning.

It was ridiculous, who would be scared of a rag? I blinked, wondering if I was seeing things, but it was real.

Just as I was wondering what was going on… Camilla suddenly snatched the rag from my hand.

“P-please leave this to me, Master. This isn't something you should be doing!”

Huh?

A question mark appeared in my head.

—Ding!

[1. You’re 30 minutes early today? Why? What are you planning this time?]
[2. I’m cleaning. Why did you take that? Give it back.]
[3. What are you talking about?]

‘Oh right. I chose the path where I didn’t accept a maid.’

I vaguely remembered this branch of the story.

Originally, the correct answer was option 2, and option 3 would have triggered a death flag. But the content had changed.

The choices changed as your reputation within the duchy improved. It meant that this rule was still in effect.

‘But my memory’s a bit fuzzy, since I used this route before I found a better one…’

Perhaps I should answer her first and gather some information.

I chose option 3.

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m your personal maid. Please let me handle these chores!”

Camilla pleaded, clutching the rag.

And then, I remembered this part of the story.

‘Right. This is after Claire scolds her.’

So that’s why she was so anxious. She had met Claire.

That made sense. In the game, the pink-haired crazy bitch was the one who most often activated Camilla's death triggers.

If this was that storyline…

Things were going surprisingly well.

[1. What are you planning to do in my room?]
[2. I’m sorry, but I don’t have any work for you.]

Perfect.

It was just as I remembered.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t have any work for you.”

This was an opportunity to increase Claire’s affinity.

***

The hallway was deserted after the two left. The maids usually avoided the left hallway, where Carsein’s room was located, as much as possible.

Even the footmen and other servants were gone, so it was unusually quiet today.

It should have been silent.

—Tap, tap. Tap, tap.

But instead of silence, the soft tapping of footsteps echoed through the hallway.

“How? How is Camilla out of solitary confinement?!”

The blonde girl had seen it. Camilla, who was supposed to be in solitary confinement, walking towards Carsein’s room, unharmed. And she had also seen Carsein politely invite Camilla inside.

She couldn’t help but feel anxious.

It was Flora who had instructed Camilla to put the Awakening and Stimulating Potions in Carsein's breakfast.

If this was revealed, along with the fact that she had bribed Camilla, everything would reach her mother’s ears.

—Tap, tap, tap.

Her urgent footsteps led her to her room. She slammed the door shut, pulled the covers over her head, and started to think.

“No, I don’t have to worry. Even if the plan failed, I can just deny everything, right?”

No one in the Bagrand duchy would listen to Carsein anymore. Even Mother, the only one who had ever listened to him, had finally come to her senses.

It was a shame that the plan had backfired, but it wasn't something she should be afraid of.

But why?

Why was she so scared?

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