The Damn Family Is Back Again

32 – 32. Snowflake Festival (3)

“Everyone, this guy hit me, hit me!!”

The president’s office was instantly drawn to the outcry of the bloated man.

And their gaze is all on Carsein.

“Wow. Blood from Buteus Youngsik’s nose…!”

“How hard did he hit you for blood to… Maybe we should call a doctor first.”

“Look at his nose, it’s so red! Isn’t there too much malice?”

Soon, gossip followed.

As the fans spread this fact, the voices spread throughout the president’s office in an instant.

“I thought it would be quiet this year, but… as expected, it doesn’t disappoint.”

“Trash is always trash. Nothing has changed.”

“Why does he keep causing accidents like this? Tsk, how vulgar.”

“At this point, shouldn’t he be on the list of banned participants?”

Someone who was impure came to the president’s office and kicked up a fuss.

Naturally, this voice reached Claire, who was nearby, and she walked steadily towards Carsein’s back as always.

Clare, who had passed by Carsein, sat down and asked the crying nobleman with great composure, “What happened? Did Carsein hit you?”

Then, the corners of the three people’s eyes folded neatly, and they immediately put on a show of great distress.

“Uhuhuk, I-I… I just said let’s play together.”

“That’s right. Since Carsein is our age, we told him not to be bored with the adults and to play with us…”

“But then he suddenly started tormenting us and hit him!”

…”

Clare’s jaw dropped.

In the meantime, the nobleman who had spilled coffee began to wail, and the other nobles looked on with amusement.

“Uhuhuh. I don’t know what I did wrong to be hit.”

“At first, we tried to stop him too. We asked why he kept hitting us, and if he didn’t want to play with us, he should just say so. But he started with his fists.”

“We tried to stop him as much as possible… but he was too strong…”

With this one act, the meaning behind the festival, which they had been looking forward to and had even prepared a birthday present for, was completely lost.

Furious, Clare immediately turned around and glared at Carsein.

It was a chilling gaze that seemed as if a blue laser beam could shoot out at any moment.

“Hey, didn’t you hear what your sister said? She told you not to cause trouble. She said if you wait a little longer, you can enjoy the festival. But here you are again?”

Carsein looked back at Clare with an expressionless face.

Just like always. He didn’t react at all.

That only made Clare even more annoyed, so she quickly grabbed Carsein’s wrist.

“I’m such a fool to have expected anything from you. Come with me, you bastard.”

Tap.

However, Carsein swiftly brushed off Claire’s hand that was holding onto his wrist. And then…

“You still suspect me like that? Has nothing changed?”

“You…!”

“I haven’t done anything. Want me to prove it?”

Rather defiantly, he crossed his arms and confronted Claire.

***

[ 4. Prove Innocence. ]

The choice has been made.

Having exceeded 10%, Claire will no longer blame me in this episode.

All that’s left for me now is to choose the consecutive correct answers.

That is, extremely easy.

-Ding!

“Hey, you. Did you say that I hit you?”

“Yeah! You suddenly hit me!”

He continued the conversation with an air of superiority.

“My friends all saw it, are you going to lie? Everyone here saw it too!”

“Oh, really? Then you must know that the three of you attacked me?”

“What are you talking about? We, we were just trying to stop you!”

“We never attacked you as a group!”

All three of them flinched simultaneously, but I easily brushed it off. After all, I was in a position to lie.

However, there were clearly things that shouldn’t be said.

“Even though I wiped it off, you kept touching her face over and over again! That’s why there’s coffee on it.”

Game over.

You stupid brat.

Swish. Swish.

The thin white gloves made of two separate pieces were taken off.

And in front of them, I showed it openly.

“If you kept touching it so many times, there would definitely be coffee stains. So why don’t you explain why these gloves are clean?”

“U-uh?”

“T-that’s…!”

To make this fact clear, I immediately shouted.

“What does it matter? But Claire here knows the most about these gloves.”

“…”

All eyes turned to Claire at my words.

She, looking somewhat shocked, bit her lip.

Yeah. You know the best.

Since when have I been wearing these gloves?

Why is this crucial evidence?

“Please tell us the answer, Claire Youngae.”

“Second Duchess, please discern the falsehood from the truth!”

The expectant crowd waits for Claire’s words.

No. Perhaps they want to condemn Karsein.

Finally, her tightly sealed lips part.

But. The words they want to hear are not spoken.

“These gloves… have been worn by Karsein since before he rode in the carriage as a duke.”

The chairman is astonished, and the three real culprits quickly object.

“Just a moment! He could have taken them off and hit someone!”

“He could have put them on later, how can you believe that?”

“Hey… can you keep your mouth shut?”

Their excuses are of an excellent standard, but that’s the story of ordinary gloves.

It’s as good as admitting to having worn them again. Because the opponent is not Arinana Isabella, but Claire.

“If you’re going to lie, at least do it properly. Who do you think you’re fooling?”

“Claire Duchess? What is this…”

“These gloves have a magic spell to prevent static electricity. The durability is not good, so even a slight impact can break the enchantment. Do you think I wouldn’t be able to find even a simple trace like that?!”

With these gloves on, there’s no way it wouldn’t catch your eye.

Receiving criticism was perhaps part of the plan.

That’s right.

These gloves were the ones Claire had been criticized for wearing when she went out for fun.

She acted openly to receive criticism, and by receiving such criticism, she created a witness who saw her wearing these gloves.

The fact that the gloves were white left no trace of blood, leaving a deep impression, and those who committed perjury were rounded up based on witness testimony.

Finally, the gloves themselves are the key.

The specially-made Welten power outage prevention gloves, which were prepared to pass this episode with a Retry Shin Gong during the outing quarter, serve as the most important evidence. In other words, they are a special product obtained before the Snowflake Festival to acquire additional choices.

“Wait, could it be…”

“Welten’s discharge gloves…”

“I’ve tried them too. If the durability was so poor that I punched someone, the gloves would have broken right away…”

“The gloves are intact. No bloodstains. Even the witness. This… is a dead end.”

The atmosphere in the room changed rapidly.

The three people who had tried to frame me quickly changed their stance…

“The conclusion is clear. The Royal Guards.”

“Yes!”

“Immediately bring those bastards who caused trouble here.”

The woman who had been observing this scene with interest stepped forward.

The third princess of the royal family. It was Arsien.

“Inform the family directly. They dared to frame the Grand Master of Baghdad, so they will be put on the banned list and never set foot here again.”

“Yes!”

“Wait, no! It’s not true! It’s a misunderstanding!”

“We made a mistake! Please, please show us some mercy!”

“It wasn’t like that! Please, at least for the sake of the family…!”

The three men were immediately dragged out of the room, and as if the sound of their voices had spread, there was a loud thud! But even that couldn’t be heard.

Arsien did not hesitate to gossip about those who were dragged away for their crimes.

“They may be a Hanmihan family with no name or rank, but it’s amusing that even such people are considered nobles. Don’t you think so?”

“Yes?”

“That’s my impression based on what I just witnessed.”

…This clearly refers to me.

After giving a satisfied smile, Arsien approached Claire, who lowered her head.

“I know there are a lot of things I want to say to Claire. However, I intended to talk to this friend first. Will you allow me?”

To be honest, I was a little surprised.

I had seen this scene before, but Arsien was always in a position where he had to ask for my permission.

“Yes, of course.”

“Thank you for understanding. From now on, if anything happens, I have instructed the royal guards to report to me immediately. Don’t worry.”

Princess Arsien took Claire with her, with a faint smile.

▶Successfully eliminated the threat of the nobles.◀

▶Proceeding without causing any disturbance. The festival episode continues.◀

▶Successfully achieved results beyond the choice options.◀

■Reward

[Under Arsien’s protection, the eyes of the royal guards are focused on the headquarters. No longer threatened by the nobles in this place.]

[Claire’s intimacy level increases.]

[17% -＞ 21%]

Satisfactory results.

But.

[Arscien’s intimacy is increasing.]

[Current intimacy level: 3%]

“…Did this originally go up?”

I don’t think so.

It seems like it’s because he’s easily overcoming danger with the gloves he prepared in advance.

***

Last year, the year before, and even before that, there was always chaos during the snow festival.

Whether it was Karsein hitting someone or spreading rumors and raising his voice against the nobles. And there were always disturbances, such as feeling unfairly treated.

“Every time, it was Claire’s job to calm down the chaos.”

It still remains vivid in my mind.

– Why do you keep insulting the family name like this? It’s not like that stubborn person is going to change!

– Your mother assigned you as a governess to teach you some dignity as a noble. But what good does it do in the end?

– I beg you, please stop causing harm to others, even though I desperately ask you not to!

Claire, who firmly restrained Karsein with handcuffs and isolated him.

She always complained while drinking cold water in the reception room.

And this year, as always, there was chaos in the boardroom.

However, unlike back then, the current atmosphere, public opinion, and reactions have completely changed.

Arscien repeated the words he had said every year to Claire, who kept her head bowed in silence.

“I told you. Listen to Karsein’s words at least once.”

Arsien knows.

The depravity of the nobles and their wickedness through drugs.

Those who are unfamiliar with noble society often face discrimination, but if you are a commoner like Carsein, who is not even a peasant, it was obvious that they would suffer even worse.

So, I always tried to stop Claire.

I tried to investigate, suppressing my anger towards Carsein…

But every time, it was Claire, my family, who stopped me.

“I’ve been through that too. I think there was a time when I had a long fight with my brothers.”

At first glance, Claire’s slumped shoulders felt like seeing my past self.

“Claire. Even now, if you–“

“Me. Actually, this isn’t the first time.”

“Huh?”

Arsien raised an eyebrow at the strange answer that abruptly cut off my words.

If it were normal,

-If you had told me earlier, I wouldn’t have done that.

-You should have had a few accidents! You’re causing such a commotion everywhere, without suspecting anything?

Those were the words that should have come out.

Answers that were close to hindsight, saying that it is natural to be suspicious.

But.

“Today… No, even the day before, I had suspicions about Carsein several times.”

Now, an honest answer was flowing out of my friend’s mouth.

Arsien had a hunch.

That something had changed in Claire.

There was a need to continue this story.

“What did you suspect?”

“…Karceine had once collapsed due to a cold. But, according to the doctor, it wasn’t just a cold. He had been having trouble eating even before that.”

“I see. Go on.”

“So, he had asked the chef to prepare a hearty meal…but he wouldn’t eat it.”

Claire clenched her fist.

“Why wouldn’t he eat it? When I told him to get rid of it if he didn’t want to eat it…the doctor said he was too weak to digest it because of his poor health. If he eats it…it becomes even more dangerous.”

“I see. So, something like that happened to Karceine…”

“W-well, of course, I immediately ordered Miyeom to prepare something light. I personally…asked the chef.”

Arsien smiled as if she already knew without needing an explanation.

It was the case with patients whose conditions were extremely poor.

Although the nobles in the palace usually didn’t know, when asked about it by commoners, they usually answered that they knew.

-If you don’t even have the energy to digest, you start with porridge. It’s more dangerous to eat something greasy. The reason there are more sudden deaths among nobles than commoners is because of that.

Arsien also learned this knowledge after receiving it from the palace.

“Hmm. This is something you wouldn’t know well about.”

“…But that’s not the end.”

“What do you mean?”

Kelbia allergy.

Birthday present.

I committed that mistake twice in a row.

But it was a matter with potential problems to answer that I suspected only because I didn’t know.

And even the commotion at this party.

Claire was honestly confessing all of her faults.

“…This is not something to just let slide.”

The more I heard the story, the more I could see how damaged the relationship between Karsein and Claire was.

But the words that should have come out first towards Karsein were not coming out of her mouth.

Arsien said with a more serious expression.

“Do you have to suspect your sister like that? At least once, trust her, it’s your fault for not doing so.”

“I didn’t want to suspect her either! But, because she has been causing so much trouble, without me knowing…!”

“That’s prejudice, Claire.”

“….Huh?”

Claire’s eyes widened.

“You’re pointing out the mistake without even asking or investigating why she did it. You don’t trust your sister that much. You keep suspecting her till the end. Can you guarantee that you won’t do it again next time?”

“…”

“Pay more attention to your sister. Try changing your perspective once again. Think about why she behaved that way.”

Claire pondered over Arsien’s words.

There was none.

Never once.

I have never thought about how Karsein felt.

Not this time.

Not before.

I have never thought that there might be something going on with Karsein.

That’s why I realized late why he wasn’t eating.

And I only found out about the facts regarding the maid Camilla when he told me directly.

Kelvia allergy.

Birthday present.

The commotion at the party.

Everything was like that.

But.

“…If he had just asked for help, I would have helped him anytime.”

The problem is Claire’s personality.

Her high pride is definitely a major barrier, but her impulsive nature and unexpected embarrassment of not being able to say awkward things are the second barrier.

In other words, it’s difficult for Claire to say sorry because of her personality.

“No matter how much I say it, it won’t break.”

If that’s the case, I had to take at least some action.

“Even if it’s just once, try saying sorry because you suspect something this time. You might really ruin your relationship with Karsein.”

“Ugh, I got it. Stop nagging.”

Just as news arrived that the Grand Duke of Bagrand had finished his audience with the Emperor, Claire immediately got up from the sofa and left the reception room.

Although she hadn’t raised her hand against Carsein today, as Arscien, her closest friend, she was truly worried.

“She really needs to control her temper a bit.”

Arscien sighed.