The Damn Family Is Back Again

344. Family (14)

Before I could question Claire’s voice, a status window popped up indicating that information had been acquired.

But the information was rather puzzling.

It was none other than Isabella’s condition.

▶Isabella is currently in the following abnormal states.◀

[ Abnormal State: Madness ＜Level 6＞ ]

[ Abnormal State: Mental Confusion ＜Level 5＞ ]

[ Status Abnormality: Separation Anxiety ＜Level 5＞ ]

…

…

It was a message that was hard to see as just a status abnormality.

On the surface, it was merely a status abnormality, but in the game, these status abnormalities had an influence that couldn’t be ignored.

Even the levels were not to be taken lightly. Even at level 3, there were numerous severe debuffs, and now it had reached levels 4, 5, and 6…

If I had been afflicted by even one of those status abnormalities, a bad ending might have been triggered immediately.

So why on earth.

Why did Isabella get afflicted with such a status abnormality?

Did something happen to the Duke’s family?

Or was there an incident I didn’t know about that caused a split in opinions within the Duke’s family?

…I don’t know.

There is not enough information.

Meanwhile, Claire was yelling at the knights.

“Hey! Because of you, my mother, who was sleeping well, might wake up annoyed! Can’t you just let her sleep comfortably?”

Naturally, I listened to their conversation.

“Miss. But since it’s the Madam’s bedroom, at least minimal security…”

“Didn’t Shayden say to leave her alone? Isn’t the sound of your footsteps wandering around more disturbing?”

“…Miss Claire. But, our duty is…”

“Ridiculous.”

“Even if you guard the outside like a fortress, not even an ant could get in, and you call this surveillance?”

At the word “surveillance,” the knights began to sweat profusely.

“Ha. You know that even if Mother wakes up, she’ll fall asleep again. You all know how to make her better, don’t you?”

The knights, sweating coldly, were horrified. They had a good reason to be.

“Miss Claire!”

“Is there anyone among the lower ranks who said such a thing? Who is it? We’ll, we’ll take care of it right away…!”

“Don’t make a fuss. Those who know, already know.”

Claire sighed and spoke candidly.

“Everyone knows it has to be Carsein.”

“…”

“…”

“Since it’s the second time, you all guessed it from the moment she collapsed. Without Carsein, Mother won’t wake up from that state.”

A sudden, quiet silence lingered. The atmosphere, which had been tense and sweaty just moments ago, cooled down and was filled with stillness.

Claire swallowed her annoyance once more and spoke to the knights.

“If you understand, just go downstairs. You’re in the way.”

The knights nodded and left their positions.

The area became quiet again. The sound of the knights’ greaves and shoes wandering inside the duke’s mansion faded away, and even Claire left the scene.

With the master who gave the order and the master who left the place, the hallway became empty.

In front of Isabella’s room, there was no one.

Even a clueless child could come and enter.

I should go in right now, not knowing when or where the remaining knights might storm in…

‘…If it’s not me, it won’t work?’

That conversation, I couldn’t understand.

How am I supposed to understand that?

It can’t be.

That conversation sounded as if only I could bring Isabella back to her senses.

So it’s strange. Someone who has nothing to do with it left, and because of that, she collapsed. And now, just because I’m here, she can come back?

Not a drop of blood was shared. At best, we were only legally bound. I had caused all sorts of blemishes in the family and even followed bad rumors. Those were actions that these people could not tolerate.

So shouldn’t they be happier if I let go of everything and left?

Shouldn’t they feel relieved that I left so cleanly?

Instead of collapsing, shouldn’t they be clapping and laughing or scolding me like Arina, calling me an ungrateful wretch?

What is this. Really.

Why are they acting like that.

After all, I’m not even real family…!

-Swish.

“…!”

Harnie cautiously took my hand. When I turned my gaze, she nodded with a pitiful expression.

I couldn’t understand. Did she understand something?

Harnie, who nodded, turned her gaze towards Isabella’s room.

Does she mean that if I go in, I might understand something?

Yeah. I have to go in anyway.

To get the next piece of information in the episode, I have to open that door.

Claire has helped people out like this twice already, so I can’t miss this opportunity.

-Click.

The Duchess of the Bagrande Duchy.

At the same time, the mother of Carsein.

…A person who reminds me of that mother, who is not related to me by blood.

That person is…

-Ding!

▶You have entered Isabella’s room.◀

She was lying on the bed with her eyes closed.

*

“…”

I seemed to have been staring at the bed for a long time.

So I could tell.

A lot has changed in just a few weeks.

She looks a bit thinner and more emaciated.

Her eyes are dark and her complexion is worse than before.

The wrinkles have deepened, and her face does not look good.

There are many others as well.

To be honest, it seemed impossible to say that Isabella’s condition was good.

So, I felt somewhat suffocated.

“…Why on earth.”

You are not my mother.

I am not your son either.

“But just because I disappeared, you end up in this state?”

I, I couldn’t understand it at all.

“…It’s not just one person.”

At that moment, someone opened the door and answered.

For a moment, Harnie was flustered, but I was not.

“It’s not someone else, it’s the young master. It’s not strange. It’s enough to make one collapse like this.”

“…Sheiden.”

Not an enemy.

A familiar appearance.

A voice quite familiar to the ears.

He was the family doctor of the duke’s household.

“Hey, Karsein?”

“Don’t worry. The author is fine.”

“…Is that so?”

Haruniae, who had been bewildered, sighed in relief at my reaction.

However, I still hadn’t received a proper answer.

I had to ask. And I had to listen.

To shake off this unpleasant sense of déjà vu.

But before I could even ask the question.

The answer came from another direction.

“Karsein… Is it Karsein…?”

In a hoarse and dried-up voice, she called out to me.

None other than Isabella.

Damn it. Things seemed to have gone awry.

Isabella waking up because of unnecessary thoughts.

I had to find Karn’s note and get out of here before the chase event started.

But…

“Ah. My son… Where have you been? How could you leave me alone and go off by yourself? Come here, won’t you? I want to hold you.”

Her eyes were not in a normal state.

There was no focus. Her pupils were also blurred.

Perhaps that’s why, although she was gesturing, she was clawing at the air, and though she was looking at me, it seemed like she was seeing something else.

At this, Shaiden sighed and explained.

“She is merely chasing an illusion. It is not an action taken with consciousness.”

“…Without consciousness?”

“As you can see, even though the young master is right in front of her, she doesn’t even recognize him. You don’t have to worry about being discovered.”

That was true. The real Carsein was here, yet she couldn’t even properly perceive him.

“This is what is called Elberne Syndrome, the madness that the madam is suffering from.”

“What?”

“It happens when one experiences too great a shock. In the past, the madam lost both the duke and young master Karn, and she would wander around looking for them. When the symptoms worsen… at some point, she can no longer see the person and starts wandering around looking for them.”

But she can never find that person.

No matter how much she searches, that person can never be there.

The lost one will never come back to life.

Trapped in an endless loop, Isabella chases after an unattainable illusion. That was the symptom of the dreadful disease known as Elberne Syndrome.

In the meantime, Shaiden picked up a large cushion and brought it to Isabella. Isabella received the cushion and hugged it tightly as if it were a child, tears streaming down her face as she pleaded.

“I was wrong, Carsein. It was my fault. I was a bad mother. I didn’t cherish you properly… right…?”

“…”

“So please, please remain as my son… Please don’t go anywhere, don’t disappear like today, please stay by my side. Carsein…”

She repeatedly called him her son and kept saying she was a bad mother. Beyond admitting her fault, she repented in a desperate voice, saying she had committed a deep sin.

Isabella’s appearance, hugging the cushion and crying, was truly pitiful and sorrowful.

…Surely, he must have thought it was strange.

He must have thought there was no need or reason for it.

Showing such feelings to someone who wasn’t even her real son must have been wrong.

…He was beginning to think he didn’t know anymore.

“The madam has always carried a sense of guilt.”

Sheiden sighed with a look of pity.

“I always felt guilty for not treating you like my own son, for not treating you like a real child. And that regret grew every time. Not knowing what to give you, I never knew what to do. So… Madam, unable to express herself properly, always gave you the worst gifts, compounded by her noble status.”

…I remember.

Isabella always tried to give something with money.

Just like my stepmother.

“But Madam was always sincere. She wanted to celebrate your coming-of-age ceremony as grandly as possible and sincerely congratulate you. She was determined not to miss this birthday, and she even resolved to make it incomparable to any previous birthdays.”

For two whole months.

Not two days, but two months of preparation.

“So, young master. I have one request. Please, show mercy to Madam.”

Sheiden handed over a pen and paper.

It probably meant to leave a few words here. If I did, it might help her let go of her regrets. If she recognized my handwriting, she might recover from her illness.

Normally, there would be no reason to write.

What does Isabella have to do with anything?

What does her illness have to do with me?

Whether she recovers or not is none of my business.

But…

Seeing her like that doesn’t make me feel any satisfaction.

“…A simple greeting should suffice, right?”

“Yes. Thank you. Truly, thank you, Young Master Carsein.”

Yes. Revenge is…

In the first place, it’s completely useless.

*

I scribbled a few words on the paper and then found Karn’s note as per the existing episode.

It didn’t take long to find it.

The mission was also quite simple this time, and there was plenty of time left.

Almost everything was wrapped up. Now that the location of the third treasure was revealed, all that was left was to get out of here.

But then.

“…Karsein, is it?”

Isabella grabbed my arm.

This time, her focus was not scattered.

She wasn’t flailing in the air trying to grab something, she was holding my arm.

Could it be, Isabella has come back to her senses…?

A sense of foreboding rises.

Tension chokes my breath.

Cold sweat runs down.

As I tried to use the sleeping herb Shayden had prepared in advance, Isabella suddenly opened a drawer and handed me something.

“I thought you might have missed one… isn’t it? I found it here a long time ago.”

“…”

I thought there were three.

There was one more.

“And, happy birthday, Karsein.”

From those words, I could vaguely tell that I hadn’t fully come to my senses.

But…

Surprisingly, the item handed over afterward was a gift.

Not an ordinary birthday gift that could be solved with money, but a real birthday gift.

What Isabella handed me for my birthday was…

A marble with constellations, something young Karsein had mentioned wanting only once at an old memorial.

I, too, had once thrown a tantrum in the past.

Jealous of the kids playing with marbles. I had once asked for it out of a childish desire.

It could be called an incredible coincidence.

Or perhaps, it could be said to be quite realistic.

…Honestly, I still don’t know what Isabella’s true feelings are.

But.

-Swoosh.

“Are you hugging your mother…? Thank you…”

“Please stay healthy, Mother.”

Once should be fine.

To call her this way.

-Ding!

▶Hidden Episode. Cleared the memory that happened only once.◀

▶Isabella has turned into a friendly character.◀

▶All abnormal conditions will gradually recover over a long period of time.◀