I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Death Trigger (3)

‘That crazy bitch is coming this way.’

I understood why Flora would come to torment and mock Carsein, but I didn’t expect this.

I wasn’t sure why Claire had graced the maids’ laundry area with her presence, but it didn’t matter.

‘This scene was skipped, so the choices didn’t appear until later.’

Until the predetermined scene played out, I had no restrictions from the choices. I had nothing to be afraid of.

I just had to continue with my task.

—Splash. Splash.

“Carsein, you…!”

Claire gritted her teeth and yelled as I resumed hand washing the clothes in the cold, soapy water.

“What are you doing! Answer me!”

“What does it look like? I’m doing laundry.”

“Why the hell are you doing it yourself, you idiot?!”

“Seriously. Should I visit Mother looking like this?”

I held up a dirty garment, the stains clearly visible.

“I can’t visit Mother looking like this. I’ll need to wash these today and let them dry overnight before I can even think about wearing them.”

“Damn it! Carsein.”

—Slap!

Claire lost her patience and threw the laundry onto the floor.

“Stop playing games and tell me straight. Why aren’t you ordering your maid to do this? Why are you doing this yourself, especially after you were sick just a few days ago?”

A faint sense of dread emanated from her intense blue eyes. Claire's face was contorted with frustration and anger.

If the choice window had appeared, I would have been dead if I answered carelessly.

However, there were currently no restrictions. I was in a condition, both mentally and physically, where I could confront Claire.

‘This… If I show this to Claire, then…’

But then, I noticed something strange.

‘…What’s that?’

I blinked, wondering if my eyes were playing tricks on me.

But it was real. I wasn’t seeing things.

There was a small number displayed inside the white box floating above Claire's head.

‘2… %?’

It was the affinity box.

What? Why had it gone up?

I wasn’t supposed to be able to increase Claire's affinity yet? Was there something I had missed?

‘…Could it be that?’

The status window message: "You have successfully triggered a result that goes beyond the simple selection of choices." That was the only explanation that made sense.

There hadn't been any choices that could increase Claire’s affinity yet.

It seemed that something I had done had influenced Claire’s affinity. I had no idea what she found appealing, though.

‘Alright. I’ll worry about that later.’

Right now, I had to shut Claire up.

—Ding!

[1. Why did you throw that! Now I have to wash it again! Are you going to do it for me?]
[2. (Ignore Claire and pick up the clothes.)]
[3. I don't have a maid. I didn’t choose one.]

The choice window appeared.

I immediately selected option 3.

"I don’t have a maid to do my laundry.”

“What are you talking about? Arina went all the way to your room to make you choose a new maid!”

“That’s why I don't have one. A maid to serve me.”

There was no need to hide anything. I was simply doing laundry because I didn’t have a maid. That’s all.

Claire seemed to understand.

“Carsein, don’t tell me you refused to choose a maid because of your pride! Is that why you’re washing your own clothes?!”

“Yes.”

“You idiot! There’s a time and place for pride, you know? You didn't choose a maid?”

Claire was outraged, cursing.

“You’re a noble, from the most prestigious Bagrand duchy in the empire! Are you seriously telling me that you’re doing laundry instead of ordering the servants to do it?!”

A noble, doing his own laundry? It was unthinkable.

Even the least influential noble would prioritize his pride and order the servants to do it, never doing it himself. Especially not in the middle of winter, with bare hands.

And this was happening in the Bagrand duchy, no less. It was no wonder she was furious.

“There are maids everywhere, all you have to do is ask. Stop acting crazy and just order them to do it.”

Claire, after her fierce scolding, was about to head towards the maids’ quarters. I stopped her with a single sentence.

“Order the maids? Are you seriously saying that to me?”

“Damn it! What’s wrong this time?!”

Right. You wouldn’t understand.

The second oldest sister from my past life was the same. That’s why I was going to explain it to you.

“You said it yourself. Even a maid was too good for me.”

“…What? When did I ever—“

Swoosh!

I grabbed one of the half-washed garments and spread it out in front of Claire, the stain clearly visible even with the water dripping from it.

“That stain… Don’t tell me, that’s from when…?”

“That’s what you said when the maid brought me those clothes. You said that I should be grateful to even have a maid who would wash my clothes that well, especially with me acting up all the time.”

“Are you kidding me? That was when you threw a tantrum over those clothes! It was just a small stain, but you overreacted and punished the maid. Are you seriously trying to use that against me now?”

Yes. It was an overreaction.

To Claire, it was just a minor stain, a small oversight that didn’t warrant such a harsh punishment.

But that’s why my logic was sound.

“It’s not an overreaction. I’m just doing laundry myself, just like you said, because even a maid was too good for me. What’s wrong with that?”

"Carsein, you…”

“So, which one is it? Should I do laundry myself, like you said before? Or should I listen to you now and order the maids to do it?"

Claire was speechless, caught in her own contradiction. I pressed on,

“That’s why it’s better to have no maids at all. Poisoned food, a bathtub filled with cold water… None of this would have happened if I didn’t have a maid. Am I wrong?”

Claire was speechless, her harsh criticisms silenced.

She knew. She knew why Carsein had collapsed that day, and she knew how he had been treated. Shaiden’s diagnosis confirmed it, all the signs pointed towards a maid’s involvement.

If he had no maid… If there was no one to serve him…

Then nothing would happen.

It was that simple.

“Do whatever you want, you idiot.”

The pink-haired crazy bitch turned around and stormed out, leaving behind a single curse. She couldn’t refute my points, not after what she had said.

However…

You must be feeling different.

Right, Flora?

“...!”

Our eyes met, and the annoying little brat, who had been following me and nagging me the whole time, quickly turned and followed Claire. It almost looked like she was running away.

Of course, she was the one who had ordered the maid to ruin Carsein’s clothes.

Based on the information I had gathered while playing the game, Carsein had punished the maid for deliberately ruining his clothes, which was justified.

However, no matter what he did, he was always blamed. This was the ugly result of Flora’s cunning and Claire’s ignorance.

This was why I found this moment so satisfying.

“Ah, I feel much better now.”

I may be doing laundry in the middle of winter, but I was content.

***

The next day.

I checked the clothes, dried overnight in the laundry area.

"Oh, they dried perfectly.”

Anyone could have touched Carsein’s clothes, but just like in the game, no one had.

Of course, if I had come a few hours later, they would have been ruined again.

The reason was that everyone was busy preparing for the important event.

Anyway, thanks to their busyness, the clothes were clean and dry. I could meet Arina, or anyone else, without any problems.

I quickly gathered the clothes and took them back to my room.

Next, it was cleaning time. There was no vacuum cleaner, and the room was large and luxurious but impractical. Everything had to be cleaned and organized by hand.

But I didn’t mind. No one would barge in, and unless it was mealtime, no one would visit.

I was alone, which meant I could avoid the random death flags that kept popping up.

“Phew, done.”

Years of living alone had paid off. The cleaning was a breeze.

“Next… I need to visit Isabella.”

I couldn’t forget that I had only cleared the tutorial and a single episode.

Countless episodes and chapters, each one threatening my survival, awaited me. I had to clear them all to see the ending of this game.

I couldn’t let my guard down. A small action could lead to a conversation. A conversation could lead to a choice. And a choice could lead to a series of death flags.

I took a deep breath, changed into the clean, dry clothes, and headed to the Duchess’s office.

▶CHAPTER 1 - Episode II is in progress!◀
▶Visit Isabella and pay your respects.◀

Knock, knock.

“Who is it?”

“It’s Carsein.”

A brief silence followed, and then a faint voice allowed me entry.

As soon as I opened the door, I noticed the three-section affinity box above her head.

“Have a seat. I’ll talk to you after I’m done with this.”

“Yes.”

I had expected this, but she was incredibly cold.

The brief silence after the knock. The way she told me to wait until she was done. The lack of any warm greetings, just a simple instruction.

It was clear that she saw Carsein as a troublesome child, someone who constantly threw tantrums, whined, and exaggerated his pain.

—Screech.

Isabella pushed back her chair and stood up. I thought she was finally done with work, but that wasn’t the case.

She was still holding a document, and she sat down on the sofa facing me.

“What brings you here today?”

Her voice was cold, and it was clear that she felt I was interrupting her precious work time.

This was all too familiar.

Her gaze, fixed on her work, her indifference to my words, her dismissive tone, the way she rushed me as if this conversation was a waste of her time…

It was the same as the woman I had called Mother, the one who never listened, no matter what I said.

‘Don’t worry about it. She’s not my mother.’

I had to remember my objective. I was now in Chapter 1, Episode II of the game.

I was here to deactivate the death trigger.

I spoke clearly, making sure she could hear me.

“I’ve come to discuss the matter of the maid.”

“If you’re talking about Camilla, she’s already been released.”

“…What?”

I was so surprised that I asked again, wondering if I had heard her correctly.

But Isabella calmly confirmed, her eyes fixed on the document.

“Arina and Claire told me about someone tampering with your food. But it doesn’t make sense to suspect Camilla.”

I hadn’t misheard.

She had released the maid who had tampered with Carsein’s food.

“There was no evidence, and besides, Camilla came to the duchy for money. She took care of you because she needed the money. She even sold her family’s heirloom to take care of her sick mother. Everyone knows this. It’s hard to believe she’s the culprit.”

Isabella sipped her tea and continued,

“As I said before, Camilla is highly trusted by the other servants. They even wrote a petition demanding her release from solitary confinement. I understand that you feel wronged, but I’ve ordered Arina to investigate. Be content with that. You need to learn to show mercy as a noble.”

I was speechless.

I was even more frustrated than when I had experienced this in the game.

It’s hard to believe she’s the culprit?

She was saying that even though Camilla was the real culprit? And she released her without even listening to Carsein?

And what was that about mercy?

‘So that’s why every time I complained, it led to a bad ending?’

It’s because it was pointless?

Realizing that the choices dictated the outcome, I almost laughed out loud.

—Ding!

[1. Why did you release her? She poisoned me! And she made me shower in cold water, and she put salt in my food—]
[2. What about the food I ate? The food I ate—]
…
…

The choices were merciless.

If it had been the real Carsein, he would have said something that would trigger a death flag.

But I wasn’t him.

I wanted to tell her about my frustration, about how unfair it was, but those were Carsein's feelings.

It would only make things worse.

So I drew a line.

“Oh, then I came here for nothing. I was going to ask you to do the same.”

Isabella finally looked up from her documents, her gaze meeting mine for the first time.

“As you said, Camilla isn’t the type to do such a thing. I came here to tell you that it was all a misunderstanding. That’s all… Oh, there’s one more thing.”

I slowly rose from the sofa, finishing my sentence.

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

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