I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Consequences of Malice (1)

▶The maid, Camilla, has arrived with dessert.◀

[1. Come in.]
[2. (Shouting angrily) What dessert?! Get the hell out of here with your dirty tricks!]
[3. Pull the covers over your head and pretend to be asleep.]
[4. (Burst out of the room) You eat that garbage yourself!]

The choices appear, marking the beginning of the first episode.

Right. It always started this way. After a brief time skip during the tutorial, the first episode began in Carsein's room.

With the maid announcing the arrival of dessert.

I had a cold, and my hunger had subsided, so I wasn't really in the mood to eat. But the correct answer was still option 1. To calmly invite her in.

However… I wasn’t sure if I could pull off the test in my current condition.

"Come in," I said, my voice muffled by the covers.

Camilla cautiously opened the door and entered.

“Excuse me, Master Carsein."

My head has been spinning since I made my choice. I can’t hold on much longer.

‘Damn it, I’m so dizzy I can barely see. I need to lean on something.’

I shuffled toward the headboard and leaned against the wall as the dessert cart rolled closer with a soft rattle.

Two puddings and a drink were set on the table in front of me. This was my dessert.

"I'll leave now, Master. Please call me when you’ve finished.”

Camilla responded and left with the cart.

Two puddings, a drink, and Carsein, pretending to be fine despite being exhausted and feverish. This was the scene as it played out in the game.

It was supposed to be a simple minigame, but I was struggling to act normal in this aching body. The relief I had felt when choosing clothes earlier was a distant memory.

▶The timer has stopped.◀
▶Penalty removed, as you endured until Camilla left.◀

A timer had appeared when Camilla entered with the cart. I had to appear healthy during that time, and I had succeeded.

The problem was what came next.

Carsein was supposed to collapse, unable to bear the cold any longer, ending the episode.

And in reality, I was on the verge of collapsing.

But then, a gleaming fork caught my eye.

“A Memorial... wasn’t it?”

A fork shouldn't be glowing. But there were objects that glowed in this game – items called “Memorials” that, when clicked, showed scenes from the past.

They were clues to help the player make the right choices in this ridiculous game overflowing with bad endings.

This episode was about to end, so I wasn’t sure if it was worth investigating…

‘But it’s best to be safe.’

My body, burning like a furnace, moved slower and stiffer than when I walked to the dining room. But I managed to reach out for the fork, and the Memorial illuminated brightly, projecting a scene like a film.

The scene showed an empty room in the Duke’s Manor. The head maid, Emma, was with another maid, Camilla.

Emma held out a pouch but abruptly pulled it back.

“There’s no money for you this time.”

“What? Why…”

“You expect payment after doing such a terrible job? Are you serious?”

Camilla, who had been expecting to receive her pay, was confused.

“What are you talking about? I did everything you asked.”

“Tell me what your tasks were.”

“I filled the bathtub with cold water instead of hot water, and I put extra salt in the food, like you said. Wasn’t that right?”

Today’s events unfolded before me. The salted food, the cold bathwater - it was all Camilla’s doing.

“Then why is the youngest miss upset! Carsein ate half of the soup without a fuss! He even took a cold shower without a single complaint. Of course she suspects you!”

“What? But I…!”

—Thud.

“...!”

“I’ll give you one more chance. These are the Rigomos Awakening Potion and the Stimulating Potion. Add them to the dessert and take it to him. If you fail again, it's really over this time.”

Emma pressed the two vials into Camilla’s hand, threatening her.

That was the end of the scene shown by the Memorial.

I was back in my feverish body, vision blurred.

The scene was slightly different from the one I had seen in the game. It wasn’t drastically different, but there was additional information.

In the game, the scene only showed Emma handing Camilla the vials. The player would focus on the fact that Camilla was the culprit.

I had never known that the pudding and drink contained these potions, which, when consumed together, could cause extreme agitation. I didn’t even know that Camilla was being paid off.

If I didn’t touch the food, the game would probably continue as planned. But…

‘I can use this.’

I wasn’t Carsein anymore; I was Kim Min-hyeok.

Whether it was escaping this place or clearing the game, if there was a chance, a loophole to exploit, I would take it.

—Plop.

I plunged the fork into the center of one of the puddings, taking a bite, then washed it down with a large gulp of the drink.

The Awakening Potion and the Stimulating Potion. They were consumable items in the game.

Individually, they could be used as ingredients, but consuming both at once would stimulate the nervous system, making you extremely sensitive. Carsein had once eaten both potions and ended up throwing a tantrum, leading to a bad ending.

But I didn’t care.

I was too sick to worry about getting agitated. With a cold this bad, how could I not be agitated?

Even if the pudding and drink were designed to make me go berserk, they wouldn’t have any effect.

—Gulp, gulp.

I finished a third of the drink and one of the puddings. That was enough.

‘Ugh… I can’t…’

I had reached my limit. I watched the fork slip from my grasp and fall to the floor, my body following suit.

I couldn’t feel the pain because my senses were dulled. I was only disappointed that I missed what was written on the status window.

▶CHAPTER 1 - Episode I cleared!◀
▶You have successfully triggered a result that goes beyond the simple selection of choices.◀

***

At breakfast, I had been filled with frustration.

Something wasn’t right.

Carsein had remained unresponsive to the cold water in the bath, the lack of acknowledgment from Mother, and the salted food.

There was no reaction. It felt like I had missed a golden opportunity.

And I was angry. I even began to suspect that the maid hadn’t done her job properly.

Then, Emma, who had been my nanny since childhood, had promised to make things right.

Some time later, Emma, with a sly grin, had told me to go to Carsein’s room. She assured me he wouldn’t be able to control his temper this time.

‘She never disappoints!’

Flora skipped down the hallway, her earlier resentment forgotten. She was so excited that she was practically bouncing off the walls, and she soon arrived at Carsein’s door.

‘Let’s see… She said she prepared dessert, right? Yes!’

Flora grinned as she recalled what Emma had told her, then opened the door.

“Did you enjoy the dessert I prepared?”

Her voice was laced with malice.

She knew what was in the dessert, and her question was dripping with sarcasm. She was daring him to get angry.

She was certain he would lose his temper, shout, and fume, his face red with rage.

“What? Where is he?”

Carsein wasn’t in sight. He wasn’t in bed, and he wasn’t at the table. She couldn’t see Carsein, the boy who always had to maintain his composure.

That didn’t make sense. Emma wouldn’t lie, unlike those other maids.

What was going on? Then she noticed a foot sticking out from under the table. He was hiding.

“Pfft, what’s this? Are you hiding from me?”

He wasn’t playing hide-and-seek. He was hiding, but he was so obvious, it only made her want to tease him more.

Flora thought about how to use this to her advantage and approached the table.

But then…

“Uh, uh…?”

Her mischievous grin vanished, replaced by a look of shock.

Her eyes, usually sparkling with mischief, were now wide with fear. Her cheerful smile disappeared.

She didn’t yell at him or get angry. She wasn’t even trying to maintain her composure.

Because Carsein wasn’t reacting. He wasn’t making any expressions or sounds. He wasn’t even trying to respond.

He was lying on the floor, unconscious.

“I-I… I don’t know…!”

Flora backed away, terrified, then turned and ran.

—Bang!

Carsein’s door slammed shut.

***

“Since everyone’s finished eating, I’ll be going now.”

“Mother, are you leaving already?”

“I still have some work to do. I want to finish what I started.”

“But Mother, you just returned from the estate. You should rest for a while.”

Isabella shook her head.

With Carsein and Flora gone, the two remaining sisters saw no reason to stay.

Although their mother had said she was going back to work, they knew the real reason.

Isabella’s pace had slowed considerably after Carsein left. Her gaze had become distant, and her responses were short and clipped.

It was because of him, the one who had left the table. That’s why she had left.

Claire, unable to hold back any longer, left the dining room and turned towards Carsein’s room. Arina noticed and called out to her.

“Claire.”

“Don’t stop me. Mom finally returned from the estate, and he couldn’t even stay until the end of the meal?”

If he had at least stayed for the entire meal, it wouldn’t have ended so awkwardly.

“That’s why I have to say something. Don’t stop me.”

“I’m not trying to stop you. I’m coming with you.”

“Huh?”

“I feel the same way. He should at least have some basic manners.”

The sisters, sharing the same sentiment, walked towards Carsein’s room.

“Carsein—”

“Hey, Carsein, are you in there? We’re coming in!”

Arina was about to knock on the firmly closed door when Claire, unable to wait any longer, burst in.

“What the…? Where did he go? He can’t be in the bathroom, can he?”

“There’s no way Carsein would have plans. And it looks like he was eating dessert at the table.”

“Well, yeah, but where is he… Wait. What?”

Claire noticed something sticking out from under the table. It was Carsein's shoe.

“This is ridiculous. What’s he doing on the floor after eating dessert?”

“Hey, what are you doing down there?”

The sisters approached and gasped, just like Flora.

“Carsein!”

“Someone, go get Shaiden!”

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