I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Death Trigger (4)

“I won’t be visiting you for my morning greetings anymore.”

Isabella’s hand, bringing a cup of tea to her lips, faltered. The cup stopped mid-air.

“Is that all you have to say?”

“Yes.”

Carsein, about to leave, turned back and answered immediately.

“I heard you’ve caught a cold.”

As expected, Isabella knew.

Carsein could have used this opportunity to complain and express his frustration, but he had decided against it.

“Ah, yes. I apologize. I just haven’t been taking care of my health.”

“…Taking care of your health, you say.”

“I suppose I’ve been a picky eater. I’ll try to eat properly from now on.”

Isabella’s mouth opened slightly.

“I’ll be more careful. These kinds of misunderstandings happen when I act like this.”

Carsein turned his back and opened the door again.

He spoke clearly and concisely, then left without another word.

“…”

After Carsein left the office, Isabella stared blankly into space for a long time.

She had a mountain of work to do, but she couldn’t focus, her mind preoccupied with Carsein. He had always complained, whining about how unfairly he was treated, but today, for the first time, he had apologized.

When she had heard those words, "I apologize," when he had asked her to release Camilla…

She couldn’t believe her ears.

She had expected him to shout and blame others, demanding to know why Camilla had been released.

Of course, he didn’t always throw tantrums. There were times when he had remained silent, exchanging only a few words before ending his morning greetings.

But today, Carsein had apologized first. He had asked for Camilla’s release and admitted his own fault.

It was something that would have never happened in the past.

“Has he finally matured?”

He was getting older, so it was possible. Or perhaps there was an event that had triggered a change in him. He said he was studying in his room, so perhaps he had matured mentally.

Whatever the reason, it was a good thing. He was only a year younger than Claire and about to become an adult.

“The coming-of-age ceremony… Yes, he’s reaching the age of maturity.”

Isabella rang the bell to summon the butler. The elderly butler arrived shortly after, bowing respectfully.

“You called for me, madam.”

“How are preparations for Claire’s coming-of-age ceremony going?”

“The servants are quite busy, but everything is going smoothly for now.”

Claire, her second daughter, was about to turn nineteen. It was January, the month that bridged winter and spring. On the first day of the month, Claire would officially become an adult.

“Is that so.”

Isabella set down her cup and took out a report.

“Heron, do you remember this day?”

“Hmm… It’s the day of Lady Arina’s coming-of-age ceremony.”

Heron recognized Isabella's intent the moment he saw the report.

“You’re considering inviting Master Carsein to Lady Claire’s coming-of-age ceremony.”

Isabella nodded.

“If I recall correctly, you were planning to keep him away from the ceremony.”

“To be honest, I’m still thinking the same.”

And for good reason. Carsein had caused a scene at Arina's coming-of-age ceremony.

If Carsein attended Claire’s ceremony and created another disturbance… it would be a disaster, not just a matter of the duchy’s reputation.

“But I’m not sure this time. That’s why I wanted your advice.”

“I’m always at your service, madam.”

“I thought he would throw a tantrum when I told him I had released Camilla… but he didn’t.”

“Oh, Master Carsein…”

Heron was just as surprised as Isabella had been.

He had been expecting Carsein to complain about his cold.

But his prediction had been completely off.

“He didn’t complain at all. He even asked me to release Camilla, saying she was innocent, and he admitted his own fault. And he even said he wouldn’t be coming for his morning greetings anymore. It’s as if he’s a completely different person. What do you think happened?”

Camilla was still in solitary confinement, despite what Isabella had said.

Even if they lacked evidence, she was still a prime suspect, and she was also guilty of failing to properly serve Carsein.

Isabella had lied about releasing Camilla to see how Carsein would react.

In other words, the fact that he had come here to talk about it was a sign that he wanted to attend the coming-of-age ceremony.

‘He asked for Camilla's release?’

Heron’s jaw dropped, stunned by the unexpected turn of events. Even he, the ever-composed butler, couldn’t hide his surprise.

But this was also a natural progression.

Heron smiled faintly, addressing Isabella’s confusion,

“As I’ve said before, the young master is not a bad person. If you had treated him with love, like your other daughters, this might have happened sooner.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes. To be honest, I think a wall appeared between you and him after your chronic illness disappeared. Your affection for him was completely different from the love you showed your daughters.”

“Different affection, you say…? Between my daughters and Carsein?”

“That’s what I’ve observed. So, I think it’s only right to give him a chance.”

Isabella fell into deep thought.

Without Heron's advice, she would have likely kept Carsein away, just like last time. With even more guests expected at Claire’s ceremony than at Arina’s, she would have been even more determined to keep him away.

Because there was precedent.

But Carsein was also a member of the Bagrand duchy. Even if he wasn’t Isabella’s biological son, he was still her adopted son, legally recognized.

That’s why Heron thought it was appropriate to give Carsein a chance.

He had admitted his own fault and shown mercy towards Camilla.

If Carsein was capable of such actions, if he had truly matured…

He deserved the right to attend his sister’s coming-of-age ceremony, a right to be recognized as a member of the Bagrand family, even if the maids had given him a cruel nickname.

Isabella, lost in thought, put the report back on her desk.

“Release Camilla from solitary confinement, as Carsein requested, and tell him he can attend the coming-of-age ceremony.”

“Then the young master will need a maid.”

“Oh, right. Hmm… Perhaps Camilla should return to her previous position.”

There were two reasons for assigning Camilla back to Carsein.

Heron understood Isabella’s intentions and accepted the order.

“By the way, butler. Is there any news from the Theresia Marquisate?”

Heron, about to leave, paused, a look of confusion crossing his face.

“The Theresia Marquisate…? There hasn’t been any news, as far as I know.”

“…Is that so.”

She had suspected that the Theresia Marquisate might be the trigger for this change.

‘I’m afraid you’ve misjudged, madam.’

Carsein’s emotions were far, far removed from anything related to the Theresia Marquisate.

***

I had hoped for something, given that her affinity was at 30%.

But there was nothing.

The morning greeting had been a disaster.

My mood soured.

Isabella had not only reminded me of my past, but she had also made it clear that she was biased and prejudiced against Carsein.

But I couldn’t let my emotions get the better of me.

“Status window.”

I returned to my room and immediately checked the status window.

▶Episode II. The maids’ discontent has been cleared!◀
▶Camilla will be released from solitary confinement.◀
▶The maids’ discontent will subside.◀
▶You no longer have to go for morning greetings.◀

‘As expected.’

I had assumed I had cleared the episode after leaving Isabella's office.

The most important thing was that Camilla had been released, the death trigger deactivated.

Most of the bad endings in the early episodes were linked to Camilla, and if she wasn’t released from solitary confinement, it would lead to a series of unavoidable deaths.

If I had missed the timing, it would have been too late. Camilla’s release was a huge relief.

“But I can’t let my guard down. There’s a branch in the story where Camilla leaves the duchy.”

I had to be careful.

“The maids’ discontent was obviously because of Camilla. And the morning greetings are part of the game’s backstory, so I guess I handled that well. It was a burden anyway.”

I had managed to clear this dangerous episode.

▶CHAPTER 1 - Episode II cleared!◀

■Reward
[Exp 50]
[Lv. 1 → Lv. 2]
[0.05 stat points have been awarded!]

These rewards were the same as the ones in the game.

But since I was now inside the game, it seemed I was getting a longer receipt.

▶You have successfully triggered a result that goes beyond the simple selection of choices.◀
▶Additional rewards will be granted!◀
■Additional Reward
[Reputation +3]
[Your Reputation within the Bagrand duchy has improved slightly.]
[???]

“A result that goes beyond the simple selection of choices… So that’s why Claire’s affinity increased.”

If I had followed the game's storyline exactly, Claire wouldn’t have noticed that I had showered in cold water.

This proved that even a small change could lead to a favorable outcome.

“…But what’s with the question marks?”

Reputation was a system that reduced the chances of encountering death flags in conversations with the maids, but I had never seen this before.

I received something, but I didn’t know what it was.

“I sometimes got items after clearing episodes, but I don’t have any inventory, do I?”

The only things I had in my room were the clothes I had washed. The Memorials weren’t my possessions, and my stats didn’t increase in this way.

I hadn’t received anything from anyone… What could it be?

Just as I was puzzling over this…

—Knock.

There was a knock at the door.

It was definitely my door, but…

‘Who would visit me?’

No, there was no point in thinking about it.

Someone was knocking on my door, so I had to hear what they had to say.

“Come in.”

I waited, my gaze fixed on the door.

And then, I was shocked.

“...!”

“E-excuse me, Master…”

—Ding!

The status window appeared before I could even process what I was seeing. The question marks in the reward window were replaced with a short message.

[Camilla has returned as your personal maid!]

And then…

Camilla, her voice filled with uncertainty, asked,

“What… what would you like me to do?”

I didn’t know what to say.

My goal had been to deactivate the death trigger, and I had never seen a scenario where Camilla returned as Carsein's maid.

I wasn’t sure who had intervened and ordered her to return, but it was already done.

I had to accept it.

‘But wait… didn’t it say this was a reward?’

So, the reward I had received was a personal maid?

‘This is… a huge reward, isn’t it?’

I could see why someone might think this was a bad thing, a revival of the death trigger. But it was actually the opposite. As long as Camilla didn’t return to solitary confinement, I could avoid countless bad endings.

Think about it. Could I be sure that there weren’t any other events that could lead to Camilla leaving the duchy?

Absolutely not.

I could confidently say, as someone who had played the game, that there were definitely other possibilities.

But if she was my personal maid? It would eliminate the risk of external variables. By becoming my maid, she would cut off any other possibilities.

It was a win-win situation. It might seem like I was taking on a risk by having a maid again, but this risk could easily be managed.

‘No, this might even allow me to make new plans.’

I had made my decision. I would accept this.

“I don’t have anything for you to do today. You can come back tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow… you say?”

“Yes, tomorrow.”

Of course, even if you came back, there wouldn’t be anything for you to do.

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