Chapter 65

After having that nightmare, she appropriately prepared herself and headed to the training hall.

She couldn’t even think about going back to sleep.

To be precise, she couldn’t sleep at all, but she wanted to confirm just one thing with Carsein.

That yesterday’s incident wasn’t caused by her.

That it was just an event that happened in the training hall, completely unrelated to Flora Bargrand.

Arriving at the training hall where she had come to, and even appeared in her dreams, the day before.

“Oh, right. My younger sister asked me to give this gift to Carsein…”

Startled by that thought, she stood firm and shook her head, then entered the training hall.

“—!”

Upon entering, nothing seemed different.

Knights were earnestly stretching early in the morning.

Waiting a bit, a proper knight came to fetch her, and just like her sisters, she watched the knights’ training for a while.

As morning jogging began, Flora naturally started watching Carsein.

But it didn’t last long.

The scenes from her dream were still vivid.

Even though it was reality, she felt like she would hear his voice again.

Like in the dream, she imagined seeing Carsein collapse.

And hearing him say it was her fault.

She couldn’t bring herself to look at him.

Time passed, and Carsein was running alone on the field.

In other words, the other knights had finished their activities and were taking a break.

More bluntly put, this was the time when something like yesterday could happen again.

‘It won’t… It can’t. How could such a thing happen not once, but twice?’

At that moment, Flora clenched her lips, feeling as if her foot was stolen.

When she asked the knight who took over Carsein’s morning training if he thought it would take 20 minutes for Carsein to finish,

“He said, ‘It will surely take at least 20 minutes.'”

With 20 minutes, she could go and return without much trouble.

“I’ll meet Theo for a moment. Stay here.”

“Yes, Miss Flora.”

The maids replied without much concern when she mentioned meeting Theo alone. After all, Theo Lamstair was a knight whom the lady often met.

They didn’t suspect anything significant might happen.

Flora shared the same thought.

If Theo was reliable, asking him would be best.

Yesterday, someone tore up Carsein’s pouch, and she wondered how many times such incidents happened in the training hall.

That level of questioning should suffice.

—Shush.

As Flora headed towards the faucet, she glanced around.

If she went straight, she’d reach the faucet quickly. Theo was likely there.

There was still time until Carsein arrived, so she could briefly ask a question and return.

But why did she hesitate?

This place, where she saw Carsein in her dream.

It felt oddly unsettling.

It was just a dream after all.

A sound heard in a dream, a scene seen in a dream.

She hesitated to take this path.

So she rationalized it.

“It doesn’t matter. Even if I turn back… Nothing would change. It’s just a strange feeling.”

She rationalized turning away from the path she saw in her dream.

Thus, Flora chose a roundabout way.

Not a path visible to Carsein or the other knights.

“Stay close. Huh?”

“Kikiki. Can’t you even do this?”

Gradually, the voices of the knights grew louder.

Among the resting knights, Theo’s voice could also be heard.

But another voice mixed in.

-Hwak!

‘Fire…?’

Fire in the training hall.

How often would they burn something here?

Incinerating trash?

…Incineration?

-Dadadak!

Her footsteps quickened due to the sound of something clattering.

An indescribable unease grew stronger.

No way.

It couldn’t be.

Even though some knights had torn up Carsein’s pouch yesterday, there were so many people here.

They wouldn’t openly light a fire like this.

-Dak! Dadadak!

Each time sparks flew, Flora’s steps quickened.

Rushing out from the side path, she finally saw what was happening at the faucet.

“Wow, it burns well!”

“Huh? This is mine, kid.”

“Give me some of this, you jerk.”

Bright flames.

Knights holding various objects.

And…

A pouch that had been repaired with thread and needle despite being torn into pieces.

Currently, it was tattered, with its contents spilled out.

One knight picked up one of the items and threw it into the fire.

A notebook transformed into kindling burned fiercely.

It was Carsein’s notebook she had seen before.

The dream had come true.

‘It couldn’t have…’

Carsein’s voice pierced her heart again.

-It’s your fault. You made me a target of disdain from everyone in the Duke’s mansion. And you thought I wouldn’t be ignored in the training hall because of it?

-You, who were ignored in the Duke’s mansion, wouldn’t be treated normally in the training hall either. You know it too. Why act like this?

-You caused this situation, yet deny it constantly. You always made me take the blame.

-You orchestrated everything from the beginning. You made me suspicious, and now I can’t get anything. That’s why I’m like this now.

-You took my sword. You took away my life’s joy. Just because you don’t like me, everything fell apart.

-It’s your fault. This is all because of you.

As the sparks flew, Carsein’s voice faded away.

‘Did it really… all come true…?’

Because he tried to ruin our family from outside.

He tried to take the place of my elder brother Kan.

I didn’t like that.

Was this little game I started, which started as a harmless prank, now this serious?

Under normal circumstances, I would have denied it.

But I can’t deny it anymore.

There’s only one reason this happened.

Flora Bargrand was the one who nailed the coffin shut in the trial that prevented Carsein from using the training hall.

“Guh, guh…”

With a complex mix of emotions, she sought advice.

Theo said it wasn’t her fault.

He said it was a justified action.

And he added,

“Whenever you visit the training hall, I’ll arrange a scene you’d enjoy.”

And this is the result.

Because she gave notice, Theo Lamstair showed her this.

The scene of a badly repaired pouch being ripped open and its contents taken and burned.

All because of Flora Bargrand.

-Hwak!

Another item from Carsein disappeared into the flames.

In the flames, Carsein’s figure from the dream spread like mist.

Seeing him burn and disappear.

Her eyes rolled back involuntarily.

-Dadadak!

Flora, breathless, threw off her glove.

-Pak!

“Teo!”

“Glove? What kind of punk threw this at my face…”

“What…?”

“Could it be…?”

Amidst the confused knights, Flora shouted.

“What are you doing right now!!!”

I didn’t expect this.

I didn’t want things to escalate this far!

“Why are you doing this? Why!!!”

“Miss Flora? When did you arrive? You should have let us know.”

Amidst the flustered knights, Theo stepped forward.

“You arrived just in time. We were just starting…”

-Pak!

The other glove hit Theo’s face.

“Gloves…? The same as before? Could it be, Miss?”

“I never asked Sir Theo to do this to Carsein. Why are you treating him like this?”

“Miss?”

“Why… Why are you doing this…! I’m asking!”

When Flora suddenly expressed her anger, Theo looked bewildered.

“If you’re not satisfied, I can do it another way. There are plenty of ways. Should we have a duel to crush that guy? Or shall I show you a group trampling? Those guys will help torment Carsein if you ask. Just tell me what you want.”

“Just tell me what you want?

If you tell me what you want, I can immediately show you a satisfactory result.

No.

I didn’t ask for this.

I didn’t come to meet you for this.

I never asked you to torment Carsein!

Then why are you telling me you’re going to do worse to Carsein…?

…Could it be because of me?

At that moment, Flora realized.

Everything happening around Carsein stemmed from her.

It started with a petty hatred.

She trembled with anxiety over the fear of losing her family.

She took something from someone who didn’t want anything, and later made it so they couldn’t have anything.

Kelvia allergy, forgotten birthdays, snow festival.

Even the training hall, which she used as a refuge, was all under her control.

All of these events happened through her hands.

She needed to stop it.

Before the dream-like events turned into reality, she needed to stop it herself.

But it was already too late.

-Pak!

Another glove hit Theo’s face.

She recognized it instantly.

It was the glove that she didn’t change, even though her sisters had brought her replacements.

-Suung!

Immediately, a sword was drawn and pressed against a man’s neck.

“Carsein, what is this?”

“How dare a trainee point a sword at a senior like the sky?”

“Put down that sword now!”

Theo Lamstair.

His neck was in danger.

When Flora turned around in shock, Carsein was already standing there.

***

Flora’s affinity with Carsein is quite hard to raise.

The reason is simple: as shown in Episode V, Carsein dislikes receiving anything.

He doesn’t like accepting things.

He avoids spending time with his family.

He thinks they should love him without him having to accept it.

Therefore, the best action for me, who became Carsein, is to have nothing.

To show that I have nothing, that I am stripped of everything, leaving me empty.

Because I am a childish fool.

Because my mind is like a flower garden.

Only when Flora saw Carsein become nothing, unable to wield any influence, did she feel guilt for the first time.

The two ointments in the torn pouch yesterday were just a taste. Today’s main event was to make Flora feel guilt.

That’s how the plot was set up.

‘But this guy stepped forward and scolded Theo first.’

In the game, it was just meant to make her feel guilty and return.

‘Is this why?’

[ Guilt: 100% ]

The usual satisfaction value is 70%.

Like when Radiel happened, whenever the affinity box changes, it usually goes above this number.

By slowly filling it beyond the choice options, this scene occurred.

‘Meh, it doesn’t really matter.’

Despite Flora unexpectedly stepping in, the situation didn’t seem to worsen.

Regardless of what happens, all conditions are met.

It’s time to choose.

[ 3. Throw a glove at Theo’s face. ]

Following the choice, she threw the glove at the guy’s face.

-Pak!

Then, she immediately drew the sword returned by Mark and aimed it at him.

“Carsein, what is this?”

“How dare a trainee point a sword at a senior like the sky?”

“Do you want to die? Put down that sword!”

Warning! The threat level of the knights is rising!

A warning message that the Dead Flag might appear.

She knew.

But she didn’t stop.

She had a valid reason.

She was fully prepared not to follow this choice.

When the guy got hit in the face with someone else’s glove, his expression changed instantly.

“So, it was you? This time, instead of fixing your makeup, you want to cut my throat?”

Theo Lamstair muttered with a sneer.

“Trying to trick innocent Miss Flora and punish me somehow. Wretched child…”

-Ting!

Theo Lamstair is trying to frame someone!

Finally, it appeared.

[ 3. Don’t be mistaken. Your punishment is justified. ]

“Don’t tell me you’re mistaken. I am not the Carsein trainee, but Carsein Bargrand, and I am questioning you.”

“…What?”

Theo laughed as if it was ridiculous.

No, it was a laugh filled with confidence.

“Indeed, Young Master is executing me. What exactly did I do wrong? Can you prove it?”

-Ting!

Choose the method to prove Theo Lamstair’s punishment!

[ 1. Flora’s testimony ]

[ 2. Testimony from the knights ]

[ 3. Burning objects ]

[ 4. Torn pouch again ]

[ 5. Objects stolen by the knights ]

The evidence I choose is.

-Suung.

“This.”

[ 5. Objects stolen by the knights ]

One of them.

Hearing this, Theo confidently shrugged his shoulders and spoke.

“It came from my pocket. What, are you saying I forcefully took it?”

“I’m glad you know my mistake.”

“This proves my crime. What are you talking about? It may be expensive for the knights, but I can buy something like this with my salary. Besides, where’s the proof that it belongs to Young Master?”

Theo rebutted boldly, showing no intention of backing down.

Yes.

That’s how you should respond.

That’s how you make him a criminal who can’t escape.

Without hesitation, I pressed the blade to Theo’s neck, leaving a wound.

-Shuu.

“What is this!!!”

“There’s a cut on Theo’s neck…! This is a crime! A crime!”

“Even if you are Young Master, you wouldn’t have received such execution authority!”

“I will report this fact directly to the ladies, and even to the mistress!”

Seeing a trickle of blood, Theo warned them.

Other knights started booing.

But.

“This is my fiancée’s handkerchief. I think it’s enough to punish him.”

My one sentence froze the faucet.