Chapter 200

“…”

“Harnier, looking gloomily down from the carriage.”

“Phew. How did I end up like this again?”

Putting her hand on her chest, she briefly recalled what had happened moments ago.

“Where could Carsein be?”

“What should I ask him when I see him?”

Perhaps he hadn’t eaten properly, or maybe he didn’t sleep well. She was conflicted.

Attending the birthday party with mixed feelings, Harnier walked towards the party hall as Minna had told her.

However, once she spotted Carsein and saw what was happening right then, her heart began to ache.

Carsein came for his younger sister’s birthday, not his own. He came here to brighten the occasion as family.

But…

She had seen something cruel here.

Carsein was being suspected of running away because he didn’t even prepare gifts for his family.

Their relationship wasn’t great, she knew. She had heard stories a few times, but it was nothing like this.

Harnier herself had similar experiences before. At birthday parties, she had been mocked by the social circle and nobles.

So, after the party, she planned to check if he was okay. She figured he might be troubled too.

But…

That reaction… It was impossible to overlook.

How could someone be so calm?

Humans have emotions, but Carsein’s face showed an unrecognizable smirk.

Yes, he was smiling as coldly as ice.

Laughing in that situation was definitely not normal.

Without any change in expression, Carsein left the scene, clearly broken.

So, she tried to persuade him to stay and not leave alone for Shatren.

“If you’re hurt, say so. If you’re struggling, express it.”

“It’s wrong to move without your emotions.”

She said this as if pouring her voice into him.

Then—

“Swoosh.”

“Carsein?”

Carsein’s body, which had been buried in her chest, suddenly tilted towards her.

“Wait a moment. If you lean like this, it’ll be heavy…”

Her tightly held arms grew heavy as Carsein leaned completely against her.

Their bodies were pressed together. Skin touched, curves pressing against each other.

It was quite a startling situation.

If the man in front of her was a lecherous fellow, she would have immediately used the power of the gem she wore daily to cast a spell. But no, this was Carsein.

The problem was something else.

Right now, she couldn’t sort out her feelings toward Carsein, who had unexpectedly come closer.

Harnier tried to push him away, unsure how to react.

Just as she was about to step back, she felt something and panicked.

“Why is he… so cold?”

What came from Carsein wasn’t playful behavior to avoid the situation or forceful pushing to escape. It was a chilling coldness.

Could it be?

“Carsein, Carsein?”

“…”

Shaking his shoulder while holding his heavy body, he wouldn’t wake up.

There was no playful behavior. He didn’t speak in his usual teasing manner, nor did he seem to be trying to escape forcefully.

That meant…

Something was wrong with his body.

Releasing her grip, she looked at his face and saw his eyes were closed.

“Wake up! Carsein!”

“…”

“You can’t fall asleep here!”

Even in her worried state, she clearly remembered what needed to be done.

She had noticed before that Carsein’s body suddenly became cold. Pollux said it was due to a sudden chill brought on by the awakening of mana, and Carsein had Defeshan Syndrome.

Though she didn’t know why, the disease had recurred.

This coldness led her to that conclusion.

The only thing to do now was to somehow raise his dropping body temperature.

“Position…”

But they were not inside a building but far outside.

She needed to find a place to keep his body temperature stable.

Looking around, Harnier spotted a carriage and moved towards it.

‘If we go there…!’

There were no blankets, but she could cover him with her dress and share her body heat directly.

“Gruh…”

Holding Carsein’s body, she struggled to carry him.

With her slender arms, it was impossible to carry a strong man to the carriage, but thinking he might die made her grit her teeth and succeed in reaching the carriage.

And then…

“You really…”

—Ssssh—

With her face flushed, she opened her collar.

After sharing their body heat, Carsein’s body temperature returned to normal.

Just as Mina came back and asked, “Young Lady, are you back?” she jumped in surprise, dressed Carsein, and put his head on her thigh, saying it was time to return to Shatren.

Returning to the present, Harnier blushed again, recalling the incident.

“Really, how many times will you make me experience such embarrassing things?”

Pinching Carsein’s cheek lightly while he slept, she complained.

But her heart was still racing from worry.

“What a worry. Why do you make me so anxious?”

Speaking with a voice full of concern, Harnier overlapped her fingers on top of Carsein’s hand.

Pollux was right. From now on, they should stick together closely and monitor him.

If she had been there when he collapsed…

She couldn’t even imagine it.

“I’m ready. I’ll nag a lot.”

As she squeezed Harnier’s white hand, a little strength was added.

***

“…”

At that moment, Carsein completely left the birthday party.

A man silently watched the carriage depart.

The man reclaimed the magic of the artifact.

His neat suit and noble appearance instantly transformed into a rugged physique.

He looked like a typical Westerner.

Given that this was a birthday party for the Peselros Empire nobles, he shouldn’t have been there.

If anyone noticed, they might rush over and demand he leave.

But he was invited by Claire.

As a result of the desperate plea of a woman and the persistent persuasion of a friend, he ended up here and gained one piece of information.

“…So he was a discarded child.”

Even if he only observed the incident with his eyes, he could tell.

Carsein, the first princess of the House of Bargrand, was suspected by Ariana.

That meant Carsein wasn’t on equal footing with them.

If he thought of Carsein as family, he wouldn’t doubt him for not bringing a birthday gift.

Therefore, a discarded child.

A child with no blood ties.

Only such circumstances could lead to this kind of situation.

Proving this theory, the nobles viciously criticized Carsein.

From calling him a commoner to an unworthy half-breed noble and a stain on the House of Bargrand, all sorts of insults and finger-pointing were aimed at him.

No one stood up for him.

Not even his family supported him; instead, they doubted him.

In this place,

In this birthday party,

Carsein was an uninvited guest no matter what action he took.

Considering this,

“Indeed, that woman might be right. Carsein might be framed.”

“Huh? Chief, what did you just say?”

“Nothing. Let’s go back.”

He turned around, changing his mind after watching the carriage pass.

The sound of footsteps reminded him of his conversation with Claire.

“—Did you blame yourself for your younger brother?”

“—Yes. Everything is my fault.”

“—Funny. So a brother who cares so much about his sibling gets his reputation tarnished even in the west?”

When he mocked her,

Claire didn’t deny it.

“—You’re not denying it?”

“—Yes. It’s true. That’s why…”

And she bowed her head earnestly, pleading.

“—Please. Just once, meet Carsein and judge him.”

Tsk.

“Chief?”

“I’m going to stop by one place before heading back to Rilfetten. You go ahead.”

—Ding!

▶Affinity with specific characters has increased.◀

[ Talpon ]

[ Affinity: -15% ]

***

“Ey.”

“Be careful, be careful. This way!”

“Checked, Uncle!”

Piles of grain sacks were stacking up.

At the same time, well-maintained farming tools were transferred from the carriage to the cart.

The ones handing over the items were the merchants from Rusmaier.

The recipients were the carts from the Shatren Territory.

“Really, thank you. How can I ever repay you…”

The residents of Shatren folded their hands to express gratitude.

Currently, the food issue was somewhat resolved, but most of the farming tools were in poor condition.

Shatren Strawberries and Shatren Grapes were delicate crops.

In ordinary soil, even slight changes in environment or growth conditions could prevent sprouting, and these crops weakened farming tools easily.

This harvest season, farming tools broke down unusually often.

They never imagined needing more farming tools.

With funds depleted from buying fertilizer, they couldn’t afford better-grade farming tools either.

Like a ray of light, support arrived from Rusmaier.

“The lord didn’t even know our situation and went to a birthday party.”

“Hey, why bring this up here?”

“Will talking about it change anything? Anyway, Rusmaier helped us just before our territory fell apart.”

Maf, the team leader, spoke disdainfully.

He continued criticizing Carsein.

“Just recently, he limited our farming methods claiming they were wrong. And now, he went off to a party without realizing we lacked farming tools. What did he expect?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“We’re on the brink of starvation.”

“He’s an aristocrat, damn it!”

The residents agreed with Maf.

Seeing this, Kian from Rusmaier clenched his teeth and prepared to intervene.

“Swoosh.”

“…Uncle Barak?”

Barak shook his head silently.

Whispering quietly in Kian’s ear, he said:

“If we get involved, it will only trouble Lord Carsein, the young master. Kian.”

“…But.”

“We must endure. We misunderstood him too. These people did the same.”

Stressing that they should endure until the misunderstanding was cleared, Kian managed to suppress his anger.

“I’ll be going now.”

“Thank you!”

“Really, thank you.”

“We’ll repay this debt with interest when the time comes!”

Amidst the enthusiastic encouragement from Shatren, the Rusmaier residents left.

But their mood was downcast.

‘Are they really talking so harshly about our lord?’

‘This was probably arranged by the young master beforehand.’

‘They’re only holding back because the village chief apologized at the end. Otherwise, they’d have shouted.’

Carsein was practically a savior for Rusmaier.

For such a Rusmaier, insulting him was hard to bear.

If Carsein hadn’t ordered them not to respond, anyone would have shouted back.

“Everyone, calm down. Let’s vent our frustrations today. Got it?”

“Yes, Chief Barak.”

▶Trigger activated upon meeting conditions.◀

▶Rusmaier residents will soon realize the reality of Shatren!