Chapter 215

▶ Arina’s affinity has dropped!◀

[Current Value: 31%]

“Huh. The matter with Flora’s birthday was somehow swept under the rug because of my other younger siblings. I should have guessed when I tried to avoid making a fool of myself in front of Mother during her announcement. To think I respected you. I messed up again with this foolish act.”

Arina covered her eyes with one hand.

She chuckled and wiped away the laughter, warning me sternly.

“You should have prepared yourself for the consequences of speaking out of turn. Carsein.”

Here it comes.

What I couldn’t see before, I can now.

-Thud!

I caught her wrist aimed at my cheek.

“!”

“Don’t assume I’d stay put in the same spot forever. Arina Bargrand.”

Even though her hand was infused with mana, I no longer give way.

Unlike before, my body has grown evenly, nourished and strengthened through training. My muscles, honed by practice, and awakened mana mean I no longer back down against Arina.

“Watch closely until the end. And if I fail miserably as you predict,”

I pushed her wrist away roughly and continued,

“Then do whatever you want. Lock me in an isolation room, assign me only what you wish in the mansion, or strip me of the dukedom. I won’t care either way.”

Of course, that situation will never happen.

“Oh, you still prefer to get rid of me without anyone knowing?”

“Carsein Bargrand!”

-Tap tap.

Having said my piece, I descended downstairs without looking back.

“Don’t worry. Even if I’m not disposed of in secret, I’ll vanish on my own accord.”

***

Thud.

Harnier kicked a random pebble lightly.

Today was certainly perfect.

Not taking a rest week during the fourth week’s midterm report could’ve been criticized as cowardly, avoiding even the nobles and damaging my own family.

But such criticism did not come.

Thanks to Carsein’s efforts, Harnier managed to divert the Merchant Guild of Plesia towards Rusmaier, bringing her territory under her influence, and gradually solving the problem of mining outfit.

Harnier had managed to avoid criticism and even achieved some success. But Carsein had gone beyond that, excelling further.

He produced high-quality fruits that made the nobles salivate and earned major bonuses from the royal family through successful contacts in the West.

This made him feel great.

Solving his own problems was already a joyous thing, but imagining the nobles receiving demerits instead of praise made it seem as though he could taste victory with every bite.

However…

Her cheeks were slightly puffed up.

“Why are you so late?”

Because Carsein hadn’t come out yet.

He had said he had some unfinished business and asked me to go first, but he hasn’t appeared after an hour since he left.

It’s not like it’s such a big deal.

Carsein must have a reason to be there. It makes sense to understand and move on.

But today, for some reason, she wanted to return with him quickly.

-“Isn’t it strange how rumors don’t really affect things?”

-“Yes. Unlike taking a rest week during the fourth week’s evaluation, your capabilities are so outstanding that you don’t receive any criticism.”

-“Indeed, your abilities are impressive. But recently, something else stands out more… Hmm.”

-“Mm~ That’s true. You’ve changed in appearance, noticeably.”

Voices came from behind the conference hall, from the noble ladies.

Clearly, they were praising Carsein.

Rumors were subsiding, and people were beginning to recognize his abilities.

Whether it was about his improved physique or his striking looks, these were all positive changes.

But strangely, Harnier felt irritated by these comments.

That’s why she wanted to leave immediately.

“…”

With slightly swollen cheeks, Harnier kicked another random pebble with her shoe.

The pebble rolled further than before, and Harnier’s gaze didn’t leave it.

Suddenly, the pebble stopped as it hit something.

At that moment, the air seemed to escape from Harnier’s cheeks.

Ah, it’s Carsein’s shoe. It’s time to go.

“Really, do you know how long it’s been since you said ‘a moment’? I’ve been waiting a while.”

As she was about to suggest cheerfully that they go back together, Harnier suddenly felt a sense of unease.

“I’m sorry for keeping you waiting. Let’s go back.”

“…”

His reaction was similar to usual.

His voice and tone were the same as always, not much different from usual.

But there was a subtle change.

Why?

Even though it wasn’t a different season, he felt as cold as if a chill was blowing.

No, it’s not just her mood, she was sure of it.

“Carsein.”

Harnier grabbed Carsein’s arm, which was leading ahead.

“What happened? Did something make you upset?”

“Upset? No, nothing happened.”

“Don’t lie. How else could you—”

“Nothing happened.”

“…”

A slight crease formed between Harnier’s eyebrows.

‘Nothing happened?’

To her, it clearly looked like something had happened.

Without saying a word, Harnier stared at Carsein.

She hadn’t always been this sure.

But lately, she had learned to read his expressions.

By spending time with him and understanding who he was, she could catch the slightest changes.

Carsein was usually someone who remained unperturbed.

He was meticulous and attentive, someone who kept everything in order.

But that didn’t mean he was rigid.

When faced with difficulties, he would show his distress.

When he suspected he had done something wrong, he would sweat profusely.

When embarrassed, he would scratch the back of his head and look around.

Even when seemingly indifferent, he would smile faintly or raise the corners of his mouth when happy.

Like any person, he experienced emotional changes.

But sometimes, his expression completely vanished.

He would look like a cold, emotionless doll.

Just like now.

Something must have happened.

And the sad part was…

For some reason, she felt she knew the reason.

She had seen this many times before.

She didn’t want to let Carsein lie to her.

“…Harnier?”

Like before, Harnier stood on tiptoe and stretched out both arms, pulling Carsein into a hug.

“I told you before. When you’re troubled, you should express it. When you’re in pain, you should say it. It’s not natural to endure everything.”

“That’s not it. Harnier, you seem to misunderstand something.”

“Are your family members saying something again? Isn’t that right?”

“…”

“Look. It’s clear something happened.”

What excuse could he offer now?

Carsein couldn’t even find words to deny it.

“I won’t ask further because you’re upset. But since you were caught lying today, I won’t let it slide.”

Finally, Carsein’s face emerged from her chest.

While caressing Carsein’s cheeks with both hands, Harnier whispered.

“Let’s spend the rest of the day together.”

Today, she needed a change of scenery.

***

The rest of the day, she wanted to spend with me, holding my hand and urging me to get into the carriage.

Afterwards, the carriage began to move somewhere.

I didn’t know where because only Harnier had whispered the destination to the coachman.

And…

“Do we have to go through this?”

“Yes, we definitely have to.”

“…”

She even blindfolded my eyes and wouldn’t let me look out the window.

So I couldn’t guess where we were going.

“Young Master, Miss! We’ve arrived!”

We somehow reached our destination. I thought I could take off the blindfold now, but Harnier insisted we wait a bit more.

“There’s a reason for this. I’ll hold your hand, so walk slowly.”

“Mm… Alright.”

I don’t know what the reason is, but it must be important.

But not knowing what it is is the problem.

I had to rely on Harnier to walk ahead. If I used mana to enhance my senses, I could walk steadily without swaying.

But I didn’t want to. For some reason, I felt Harnier might get angry if I did.

Gradually walking, finally, Harnier allowed me to take off the blindfold.

When I removed the blindfold, we were at a lake.

The bridge we stood on split the lake into two.

“Hmm. The stars are still dim.”

Harnier lit the lake with a light spell, making the transparent water clearly visible.

“Look, the fish in the lake.”

“Yes, I see them.”

“In fact, those fish can’t survive in this lake.”

“…?”

What does she mean?

Fish that can’t survive in this lake are living here?

“Doesn’t that sound impossible?”

“…Yes.”

With a shaky nod, Harnier smiled beautifully.

“But it’s true. This lake has water plants that consume most of the nutrients, making it impossible for those fish to survive.”

This didn’t make sense to me, but it seems the game’s setting created this environment.

Anyway, the fish are alive.

They are surviving in a harsh environment.

But their lives probably won’t last long.

“They barely survive without proper nutrition in limited space. They could die any time. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes, but they don’t die.”

-Ssshhh.

Water started rising with Harnier’s voice.

The water rose because the water plants on the opposite side grew rapidly, pushing water over.

The fish approached the rising water, opening their mouths.

I see.

That’s why the water looked different.

“When night falls, the water plants on the opposite side grow, providing food for the fish. So the fish try to escape from this lake.”

-Splash splash.

As Harnier said, the fish jumped, trying to leap over the high wall.

A tiny cry came from the lake behind the wall.

“Could those fish in the other lake be females?”

“You noticed correctly.”

Females crying as males tried to jump over.

It looked almost like they were cheering.

Although they seemed like a group, one male fish leaped desperately and landed in the neighboring lake.

“If they manage to jump over, the hungry male will eat and find a mate. He’ll live happily in that lake. They even gave him a special name… I don’t know much about that.”

“…”

“Do you understand now why I wanted to show you this?”

Harnier held my hands tightly.

“Just like the fish saw the light, not everything is hard. Like how happiness comes after hardship, I wanted to tell you that a happy day will surely come for you too.”

“So, it’s okay to be hurt. Don’t think that being hurt or having a hard time is normal.”

“Even if it’s hard now, Carsein, you will definitely be happy. Definitely.”

Harnier said firmly, holding my hand tightly.

“…Somehow, it doesn’t feel unfamiliar.”

Maybe because someone had held my hands tightly and said the same thing before I entered the game.

But then and now, I shouldn’t be swayed.

Now, no matter how hurt or tired I am, it doesn’t matter.

I’ll advance resolutely toward my goal.

“The night is falling. Let’s go back now.”

“Alright. Will you escort me when we go down?”

“That’s fine.”

Our hands met again.

Returning was easy. It seemed this place turned into a tourist spot at night, with lanterns guiding the way.

Suddenly, Harnier coughed.

“Hem. Carsein.”

“Yes?”

“Um… Can I ask something?”

“What is it?”

“Um… What do you plan to do after leaving the dukedom?”

It didn’t seem like a difficult question.

“Um… If you have no plans, would you consider working for my merchant guild?”

Harnier asked again, coughing slightly.

“Right. If you don’t work, it’s hard to make a living… Also…”

“It’s not really appealing.”

I didn’t hesitate to refuse this.

“If there’s even a speck of chance that I might return to that house, it’s not a safe place for me.”

“…Is that so?”

“I want to completely cut ties with the Bargrand family. It’d be safer to live in seclusion in some unknown mountain.”

“I see. In that case…”

Harnier seemed to ponder deeply.

I didn’t ask what she was thinking.

In the meantime,

Step by step,

Hand in hand, we returned to the carriage.

“Let’s go in.”

“Oh, yes! Alright.”

But why am I so tired?

Even with harder work, I never felt this exhausted before.

Today, fatigue seemed to overwhelm me all at once.

I might need to take a nap in the carriage.

***

The fifth-week report meeting ended a while ago, but the carriage only arrived deep into the night.

But for some reason, no one got out of the carriage.

Camila, standing a few steps away, ready to welcome the master and his fiancée, approached the carriage out of curiosity.

The curtains were drawn, but there was a small gap.

It seemed the curtains were hastily drawn.

Without hearing any sounds, Camila peeked through the gap and couldn’t help smiling at the unexpected sight.

“Excuse me… Miss Camila? The Young Master…”

“Hush.”

At the residents’ worried voices, Camila raised a finger to her lips, urging them to keep quiet.

“They are sleeping. Tired from the day. Please, let us talk tomorrow.”

At the mention of sleep, the residents quietly dispersed.

“Together, they fell asleep. Such a scene is truly like something out of a romance novel.”

And the intertwined hands that didn’t fall apart…

Thinking about it again, it was truly a scene that brought a smile to her face.