Chapter 14

“…Huh?”

My eyes are sunken. It feels like I haven’t had a comfortable sleep in the House of Bargrand for these past few days, but today, it seems I couldn’t get any proper rest.

I rubbed my messy eyes after staying up all night and let out a deep sigh.

“Haa.”

Naturally, the main worry on my mind was how to skip Claire’s coming-of-age ceremony.

I thought there might be at least one plausible solution, but…

“How could it not come up?”

It seemed like something I could easily dismiss as pretending to be sick. If it meant catching a cold by taking a shower with cold water, I’d gladly do it.

However, the problem arose from yesterday when I met Claire and drank honey water. She confirmed that I was fine and told me to not come if I claimed to be sick.

I guarantee you, there’s no way such an excuse would work now.

Thanks to this, I’m forced to attend Claire’s coming-of-age ceremony.

“This is the most reasonable method.”

-Kreeek-

As soon as I opened the wardrobe, I saw Carsein’s clothes that were already there before I possessed him. Despite being nobles, the clothes looked expensive and lined up neatly.

It’s the coming-of-age ceremony of the young lady of the House of Bargrand. This must be quite an event in the social circles of the nobility.

If I show up at such a significant event wearing unsuitable clothes, the person involved would surely be displeased.

Therefore, I plan to argue that I didn’t participate because I have no suitable clothes to wear, without ruining the ceremony. While I can’t avoid criticism entirely, it’ll give me a decent excuse to dodge some blame.

“First, I need to take a bath.”

While thinking about what to do with those clothes, I headed towards the bathroom.

“Carstein, it’s Camila. May I come in?”

What timing for Camila to arrive.

Surely, she came here because she was worried and wanted to help with cleaning or something.

“Hmm.”

I responded indifferently.

But unexpectedly, when the door opened, more than one face appeared.

“…What? You guys? I never called for you?”

“That’s… Miss Claire sent us.”

“What?”

Sent by Claire?

No way.

I stared at Camila, silently urging her to explain.

Come on, say something! Just like you did before, these maids might do something to me. Right?!

Camila looked troubled and replied,

“Miss Claire insisted that Lord Carstein must be washed thoroughly with hot water, and if you’re not presented to her in a satisfactory condition, everyone will receive a hundred lashes.”

Damn it. At that moment, I was sure.

There’s no way out of this.

No matter what she says, they have no other choice but to present a well-washed Carstein to Claire.

Even if these maids hate me, Claire would put so much pressure on them that they wouldn’t dare do anything to me.

My forehead pressed against my palm as I felt dizzy.

“Ah, that crazy girl. She wasn’t joking.”

I should have noticed this since yesterday.

I needed to prepare for Claire’s meticulous plan to prevent me from faking illness and attending the ceremony.

-Ding!

▶Servants arrived upon Claire’s order to assist with your bath. How would you like to respond?

[1. Whether you go or not is none of my business, so please all leave. (Recognition -200, Claire’s affinity -30%)]

[2. Okay, I’ll take a bath.]

Wow, the choices are so straightforward.

If I refuse, my recognition drops drastically, and Claire’s affinity will plummet. This is practically asking me to die.

Still, I tried to find a loophole.

“Uhm… Can’t I bathe alone?”

Camila sighed deeply and replied,

“I’m sorry. If you catch a cold, we’ll be scolded by Miss Claire.”

Ah, right! Of course, it won’t work!

“Haaa… Fine.”

***

The maids, terrified by Claire’s pressure, seemed to have no time to do any mischief to me.

“Close-up, it’s tragic; from afar, it’s a comedy. They say it’s not for nothing.”

If someone saw me with the eyes of a game player, they might see me like this too.

They have to present a well-groomed Lord Carstein, and the maids’ movements looked like they were struggling to survive.

Gradually, their eyes, which had been filled with determination to survive, returned to normal, and I judged that my bath was complete.

After smelling dozens of fragrances in the bathroom, my sense of smell felt numb.

“Now it’s over? Then I’ll go back and tell Claire…”

“No, Sir. We said it’s over, but dressing up is still left.”

“…Huh?”

“I told you, Miss Claire wants you presented in a satisfactory state.”

“No, wait. Satisfactory state means…”

“It means preparing your appearance for the coming-of-age ceremony.”

My vision blurred as I pressed my forehead again.

During this, a cart rolled into my room with a creaky sound.

When I turned to look, the cart, which rolled in with a creak, had flashy men’s clothing prepared on it.

“Th-These… Could they be for me to wear…?”

Nodding.

“I heard they directly invited a famous designer to the House of Bargrand.”

Ah… Damn it.

Now, even if I scream that I don’t have any clothes, it won’t do any good.

After finishing my bath, I had to endure the maids’ touch.

After a while,

The maids whispered among themselves, saying it was enough.

Since they never really liked Carstein anyway, they left the room quickly.

Now, it’s just me and Camila alone.

I can finally ask.

“Why did you do such a thing, Camila?”

Camila flinched at this question.

***

Except for Carstein, the others would already have their outfits prepared for the coming-of-age ceremony.

Claire, as the host of the event, would put in the most effort, and the other two sisters, including Mother Isabella, would not neglect their preparations either.

Therefore, there’s no need to call a designer. If the four people who visited the costume shop earlier had their outfits ready, there would be only one reason for the House of Bargrand to call in a designer.

“The clothes here are inappropriate for the banquet. But I never reported that fact.”

These are my clothes.

Even though news of the coming-of-age ceremony spread, no one knows that all the clothes in my wardrobe don’t fit, are outdated, or are in poor condition due to lack of maintenance.

In other words, unless she personally reports it to a superior, a designer wouldn’t have come.

Camila did not deny it.

“As your dedicated maid, I judged that the outfit you’re going to wear to Miss Claire’s coming-of-age ceremony is inappropriate.”

“So, you acted on your own discretion?”

“Yes.”

When she pinpointed the core issue, Camila’s eyes widened.

“Why did you act on your own discretion?”

“To make sure you, as a member of the House of Bargrand, would not hear the words ‘not of the House of Bargrand.'”

“…?”

This answer was far beyond my expectations. I thought she would prepare more excuses. I even imagined she might use formal reasons to defy me.

But me, Carstein, not hearing the words ‘not of the House of Bargrand’?

I almost laughed, but swallowed the words. Given the consequences of Carstein’s actions, I had to be careful with even this.

“Sir, I—”

“Enough. Don’t talk about that. Explain the process of how you acted on your own discretion.”

Then, Camila began to explain with a relieved expression.

“It was when you were in the bathroom that I checked the wardrobe. As soon as the coming-of-age ceremony was discussed among the maids, I quickly went to find Mr. Heron.”

“Such a crazy pink…”

Damn it. I almost blurted out my true feelings.

“No, did you report that there are no clothes for the coming-of-age ceremony?”

“Yes. Then Mr. Heron said he would inform the Duchess, and we received a report that the designer would come that morning.”

So that’s how things got tangled up.

No, even if it weren’t Camila, my plans might have been thwarted.

Even if it wasn’t Camila, if Claire acted like this, she would likely have checked the attire, and Arina might have been involved to check. Or perhaps, while Florra was causing a commotion, Heron might have relayed the message.

Anyway, if it reached Mother’s ears, there’s nothing I can do. With proper clothes prepared for a healthy body, I have no grounds to escape.

Even if Carstein ruined Arina’s coming-of-age ceremony three years ago.

“There’s no choice. I’ll have to hide like a dead mouse.”

Choices appear regardless of where you are, even at banquets. Whether it’s the House of Bargrand or not, wherever Carstein goes, unexpected situations can arise.

I’ll have to bide my time and seize the opportunity to act. In the process, I might find a valid reason through the emerging choices.

“Okay, go ahead. Breakfast time is approaching, right?”

Despite this, Camila hesitated.

“Uhm…”

“Do you still have something to say?”

“Well, the Duchess summoned us for breakfast this morning, saying she wanted to eat with the family.”

“…What?”

***

No matter how I think about it, it feels suspicious.

Breakfast together? The rejected child, Carstein, and his three sisters born to her?

“No, this is also because of Claire.”

She doesn’t mean forcing me to come, but checking during the mealtime. Seriously, she’s relentless.

“Sir, here.”

It’s not like I’m going to eat breakfast in casual clothes.

This scene shouldn’t exist in the game.

But it has become reality. Because it’s a game, I have to accept this scene as reality.

Late or not, they’ll surely have something to say. Especially the second sister, who always looks for trouble.

I hurriedly moved and arrived at the restaurant following Camila’s guidance.

Oh. I knew it would be bad, but I’m definitely going to get scolded. Everyone else was already seated except for me.

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

But why do their faces look so strange?