Chapter 44

Ultimately, everything was fake.

Every time I felt that injustice back then.

What happens when thrown outside, I had mentioned that too.

Even the things mentioned in the carriage.

It was all just a deception to sow discord and separate our family.

With nothing but a facade of lies, Carsein had tried to deceive our family once again.

So Flora plans to thoroughly punish Carsein.

I don’t know how he managed to win over the eldest sister Arina, but breaking her favor was surprisingly easy.

By personally tearing the document that should have been given to Carsein and placing it in the eldest sister’s room, their relationship was easily severed.

Soon enough, it was expected that the eldest sister’s anger would reach Carsein.

Unable to hold back her rage at the sight of the torn scraps of paper, the eldest sister clenched a fistful from the basket and headed somewhere.

Just in case, Flora followed her.

“Where is Carsein?”

There was no maybe.

The eldest sister was fully intent on passing judgment on Carsein.

It was a scene that was heartening.

But at the same time, it made her look forward to it.

How would he be punished this time?

How would all his efforts to win favor be trampled?

She couldn’t quite imagine.

But she wanted to watch the fate of the commoner who dared to join the House of Bargrand without knowing his place.

And if she could stir up some trouble, it would be even more satisfying.

Flora smiled mischievously as she followed Arina.

However, it took quite some time.

When she went to find the room, she puffed out her cheeks not knowing where he went.

Following a maid’s hint, when she went to the mother’s room, it turned out he had already left long ago.

As she secretly followed the eldest sister while asking servants about Carsein’s whereabouts, his figure appeared close by.

“Carsein. There you were.”

Arina glared at Carsein with a voice filled with fury.

While she didn’t need to see more to guess what would happen next, Flora eagerly anticipated teasing Carsein, so she hid behind the railing to watch them.

In a moment, Arina’s hand would rise.

Flora could almost feel the exhilarating rush as if she were flying toward the sky.

-Splat!

The palm of Arina’s hand rubbed harshly against Carsein’s cheek.

Carsein’s cheek turned red.

Feeling the weight of the long-held grudge finally lifting, Flora smiled contentedly.

“Oh no. I can’t let my guard down! Who knows what kind of lies he’ll use to fool the eldest sister again!”

Nodding her head a couple of times, Flora peeked out from behind the railing to eavesdrop on their conversation.

“Even if it’s a sad and frustrating matter, seeing you ignore someone’s sincerity like this shows you haven’t changed at all, Carsein.”

“What’s your problem?”

“Ha. Ignoring me. That excuse coming from your crude and dull mind is still ridiculous.”

Scraps of paper crumpled in Arina’s fist flew into the air.

The papers she herself had torn now solidified as evidence of Carsein’s complete deceit.

“I’ve admitted to the wrongs I’ve committed. But you betrayed the goodwill I sent. Why, did you not even want to use the release certificate I gave you? Are you going to deny even receiving the training hall permit in your hand?”

Unconsciously, Flora covered her mouth.

At the cold, indifferent tone of the enraged eldest sister.

Her breath trembled as her anger reached its peak.

It was hard to believe this dignified eldest sister was ever capable of such a reaction.

Though a little scared, Flora still wanted to sneak a peek at Carsein’s reaction.

“He must be furious. He’ll surely shout soon.”

But Carsein showed no sign of anger.

He didn’t yell out in protest.

“What… why? Why isn’t he reacting at all?”

Without a single twitch.

His expression unchanged, staring straight ahead.

No, it was even worse.

As if nothing had happened.

That cold eldest sister was even more composed than when dealing with nobles.

“You never change. Even after experiencing such things several times, you still doubt me first.”

“Given all the evidence points to you taking such actions, is it any wonder such words come out?”

Flora, unable to understand, moved closer to listen more intently to their conversation.

Then,

“When did you send it?”

“What?”

“When did you send that to me?”

“In the morning. I ordered Heron to deliver it directly to your room.”

“Then we can ask Heron. Whether that thing arrived in your room or not.”

A chill ran down her spine.

“…”

For a moment, Carsein glanced in her direction, and Flora clearly met his eyes.

That gaze.

The one from the dining hall, as if he saw through her being the culprit.

Just a glance.

Just a slight shift of his eyes.

She couldn’t bear to look at it.

Flora quickly pulled her face away, as if fleeing.

“What… what was that look? What does it mean…”

Carsein was smirking at her, as if he knew everything, in a chilling manner.

Her heart pounded wildly.

“Flora? What are you doing here?”

“Little sister…”

Clare, who had just arrived, bent down to Flora’s eye level.

Just then, their voices reached her ears.

“Is that the eldest sister and Carsein’s voice…?”

Puzzled, Clare hurriedly descended the railing.

And what she saw…

“What’s going on? Why are they…”

Carsein, with a fresh injury on one cheek, and Arina glaring at him with blazing eyes.

Clare immediately called for a maid nearby.

“Go get Sheiden and Mother right away!”

With Clare’s intrusion, another family meeting was imminent in the House of Bargrand.

***

After Arina slapped Carsein, the entire household’s attention was instantly drawn to the commotion.

The ruckus in the hallway quickly drew the attention of maids and attendants, and the number of onlookers only increased.

“How did this happen…”

Claire, with a troubled heart, pressed her forehead.

She knew it too.

Quickly trying to contain the situation and guide them to their rooms to prevent it from escalating further, it was only a temporary measure.

Though the situation seemed to calm down momentarily, if either of them looked away even for a moment, they might start arguing again.

But Isabella cannot be here.

She had left for territory management earlier.

“Mother. Please, please come as soon as possible…! This could lead to a disaster!”

Claire ordered a servant to inform their mother as soon as possible, but it was uncertain when she would arrive.

Never did she think she would end up mediating between her older sister and younger brother, so Claire paced anxiously.

Just as she was pacing anxiously, the door opened.

Claire turned around joyfully, but unfortunately, it wasn’t Isabella who had arrived.

“The call was heard,” said Dr. Sheiden, rushing over with his medical bag.

Still, she wasn’t entirely disappointed. There was still blood on Carsein’s lips.

Claire immediately asked Sheiden to tend to Carsein.

“The injured person is Carsein. When I arrived, he had blood on his lips. Though I’m not sure since I came late, it looks like he was hit by your sister.”

“Hmm. There are no visible wounds outside, so it seems like an internal injury. Understood.”

But Carsein refused treatment.

“It’s not necessary.”

“Carsein, don’t be stubborn.”

“What’s the big deal about a cut lip?”

Right now, what he needed was someone to prove his innocence, not a trivial lip injury.

Carsein’s eyes shifted towards the door.

Isabella hadn’t arrived yet, but there was still one more person in the room.

The old butler of the House of Bargrand.

Carsein dismissed Sheiden’s offer of help and stepped forward to confront Arina head-on.

“Heron is here too. Let’s talk things out properly.”

“Carsein, stop. Okay? Why do you keep fighting with your sister!”

“Stop what? Without any reason, you suddenly suspect me and demand proof of my innocence. Is that wrong?”

Claire, who had experienced similar situations before, couldn’t bring herself to respond to Carsein’s rebuttal.

“Don’t worry. I won’t resort to violence like others.”

“Don’t be presumptuous. We’re waiting for Mother to arrive.”

“Why wait? It can be confirmed right now.”

“Ha.”

Carsein sneered and looked at Heron.

Arina also snorted disdainfully.

Since it came to this, they intended to see it through to the end.

“Heron, I have a few questions. You just need to answer. Alright?”

“…Young Lady.”

“I can’t hold back anymore, seeing him act like this.”

With opposing arguments clashing and threatening to cause discord within the family, Arina firmly stated her intention to resolve this issue once and for all. It was irreversible.

“Proceed with questioning.”

The heavy-hearted voice of Heron.

Facing the inevitable future, he answered heavily.

***

“First, let me ask. It’d be quicker to explain the context of why I came here.”

Arina, who had no reservations, requested to speak first.

Seeing Carsein nod in agreement, she began her questions.

“Heron, this morning, I handed you a document. Do you remember?”

“Yes, I remember.”

“What command did you give when handing over the document?”

“You told me to pass it on to Lord Carsein.”

And that was it.

This morning, Arina handed a document to Heron, instructing him to give it to Carsein.

Confirming this fact, Arina immediately questioned Carsein.

“Will you still deny it, Carsein? You ignored my goodwill. Although I may have wronged you, I tried to make amends. And that document.”

Arina pointed to the document Carsein held.

“That’s Mother’s training hall permit. Given you received the release certificate from Heron, why did you refuse to accept this and instead request it from Mother? Did you find it irritating?”

-Tock, Tock.

Pieces of paper fell from Arina’s hand.

“You completely trampled and deceived my goodwill by tearing this up. This is crossing the line, isn’t it?”

Her eyes, filled with anger, trembled.

“I’ll forgive you if you apologize now, Carsein.”

Arina gave him one last chance.

If he didn’t beg for forgiveness even in this situation, she warned sternly that she would impose punishment.

But Carsein did not apologize and maintained his stance.

“As I’ve said repeatedly, I did nothing wrong.”

“Ha. So you still don’t show any remorse.”

Considering the events of the previous day, she thought if he apologized here, she might let it slide, but Carsein’s stubbornness remained.

She would not grant any more mercy.

“Then prove it. Show me how you destroyed the goodwill I tried to convey by tearing up this document and why it was justified.”

She thought he had grown more mature recently.

Not causing trouble in the Duke’s mansion and even in external activities indicated he had truly matured.

But nothing had changed.

Thus, Arina vowed.

To correct Carsein right here and now, even if the punishment was severe, she would strictly enforce it without any compromise.

“Are you done?”

Carsein said sarcastically, uncrossing his arms.

“Now it’s my turn to ask questions.”

It was a foregone conclusion anyway.

Carsein would appeal to Heron for sympathy.

‘I gave you a chance, Carsein. It was your choice not to take it.’

But contrary to her thoughts, Carsein’s question was not directed at Heron.

“I want to verify your claim. Arina. You sent that document to me and used the snow festival incident as an excuse to deceive and trample my goodwill. The evidence is clear based on the fact that you received the training hall permit and tore up my document. Is that right?”

Carsein asked clearly and unflinchingly.

“…Yes.”

First, she affirmed it.

She didn’t know why he was making such a statement, but his claim was accurate.

Then, Carsein said something strange.

“One more thing. Have you ever seen any letters sent to me directly from the Duke’s mansion?”

“What?”

The nature of the question was odd.

It didn’t seem like a logical follow-up to his claim and evidence.

“What does that have to do with anything? It seems like you’re straying from the topic.”

“No, I haven’t strayed from the topic. Things that should have reached me directly through others are supposed to arrive intact, right?”

“…What are you saying, Carsein?”

“Heron, I’m ordering you now.”

Looking straight into Arina’s eyes, Carsein asked Heron.

“Reveal the truth known only by Mother and you right here.”

At the word ‘truth,’ everyone’s eyes focused on Heron.

Heron closed and reopened his eyes.

“Lord Carsein has never received any letters meant for him directly.”

“What… what do you mean? Not receiving letters?”

Arina, thinking she misunderstood, replied.

“Just as stated. Letters meant for Lord Carsein were disappearing somewhere in the Duke’s mansion.”

“That’s nonsense!”

Arina slammed the table and stood up.

“Who dares to do such petty acts in the House of Bargrand unless they underestimate us!”

But her shouting was brief.

Recent events involving Carsein began to surface one by one.

The cold water in the bathtub. The stimulant and excitation drug. The sand-filled teapot.

And…

Kelbia Allergy.

Significant incidents surfaced rapidly.

Arina swallowed hard and asked.

“Heron. Was my document delivered directly to Carsein?”

A moment of silence passed.

Heron reluctantly spoke.

“Lord Carsein was sleeping, so it was impossible to deliver the document directly.”

“Then, what happened to the document? How did it end up like this? You didn’t tear it, right?!”

Claire asked about the whereabouts of the document, but the response was that she knew nothing about it.

“I instructed the maids in the utility room to deliver it when Lord Carsein woke up.”