Chapter 140

“Blood…! It must not hurt. It must not hurt, Carsein…”

“What kind of nonsense are you spouting all of a sudden?”

As I tried to pull my arm away and head back into the hotel, this brat grabbed my arm again.

“You’re injured! Sheiden is here. We need to call a doctor…”

I tried to shake off Florenza again, but this time he held onto my arm with his whole body and wouldn’t let go.

“Sheiden! Where are you! Hurry up and come here!”

He yelled loudly, asking where Sheiden was.

I don’t know what misunderstanding he has, but seeing my appearance made some sense. With blood all over my clothes, it’s reasonable to think I might be seriously injured. It’s hard to tell if the blood inside or outside my body is causing the issue.

This will only complicate things if left alone. It’s better to act now before any unnecessary trouble arises.

“Hey, kid. This isn’t my blood.”

“What…?”

“It’s from someone else. There’s no injury on me.”

I showed him clearly that there were no bloodstains on my undershirt by taking off my outer clothes.

“Let me make this clear again. This isn’t my blood. It splashed from outside and I have no serious injuries.”

“…”

“Alright? Now let go of my arm, you brat.”

But even after saying that, Florenza didn’t let go of my arm.

“Isn’t the blood from your mouth yours?”

Blood from my mouth?

I thought I had already cleaned it…

‘Ah.’

When I touched my fingers to my lips, I felt a hard clot near them. It seems I hadn’t cleaned it properly at the time, leaving a wound unnoticed.

“Y-You’re right! You’re injured! We need to call Sheiden…”

“It’s unnecessary.”

What’s the big deal?

“Compared to the troubles you’ve caused me, this is much lighter, isn’t it?”

“…”

“If you truly wish for my wounds to heal, then just step aside. I don’t want to spill more blood because of you.”

It’s not a lie, it’s true.

▶ Arina is getting closer. ◀

▶ Enter the building and avoid meeting Arina. ◀

If I stay like this, it looks like I’ll be found by Arina, and I’ll probably get hit again, whether it’s with an open palm or a fist.

“…”

Florenza lowered her head and slowly released her grip on my arm.

Why? I thought she would argue more and say everything she wanted to say.

‘I guess there’s no need to think too deeply about it.’

Without hesitation, I entered the hotel.

Once inside, I immediately grabbed a pen.

To escape this household a little faster.

***

It was a lively time.

A family trip in the spring with such a beautiful day.

Here, anything we eat would be enjoyable, and any conversation we have would be enriching.

After the audience with the Second Prince, Florence, my younger sister Claire left.

At that time, I thought Florenza could enjoy the spring outing without any problems.

Carcein, who was expected to miss the trip, surprisingly attended, and said he would take a walk, so I thought there wouldn’t be much of a problem. Claire would return later anyway.

However, Carcein, who went for a walk, did not return even after waiting for quite some time.

Compared to the short duration of the audience, it felt like hours had passed, and even the eldest sister had to move.

Suddenly, Heron and Sheiden arrived, and mother disappeared somewhere, making me increasingly anxious.

Only after a long time did Carcein finally show up.

Even though Carcein had returned, Florenza wasn’t happy at all.

The outfit he wore was stained and discolored everywhere.

Blood clots were stuck to his mouth.

It looked like the Carcein from my nightmare.

So, I wanted to take him to Sheiden.

Since he was with mother, showing him this would surely result in immediate treatment.

However, Carcein’s heavy rebuke choked me.

“This is much lighter compared to the troubles you’ve caused me, right?”

I thought I understood his mistake until…

“If you really want me to recover, just step aside. I don’t want to spill more blood because of you.”

The next sentence was even heavier.

With what confidence was she holding onto me? Hearing those words, I had to let him go.

I wanted to say I won’t do it again, that I’ll study hard to create medicine to prevent Kelbia allergy, but…

I had to let him go.

Just like this.

Soon, Carcein entered the hotel.

Not anywhere else, but the hotel, so he should rest well. Since it wasn’t his own blood, he should recover well.

When mother returns, I’ll just tell her he came back safely.

Florenza sat on a bench, waiting for Isabella.

Only to find out that the first to return was her youngest sister, Claire.

“Florenza? Why are you alone here…”

“Why…?”

Claire, who had come to ask why Florenza was alone and where everyone else was, guessed that Carcein had been here from seeing her crying younger sister.

Quietly, she hugged her sister.

“Tell me honestly what happened to you.”

If it were someone else, she wouldn’t have answered, but since it was Claire…

She poured out everything that happened today.

“Carcein, he…! He came back injured. My younger sister…”

Carcein returned, but he was injured. The clothes prepared for the portrait were stained with blood, and Carcein had dried blood on his lips.

In shock, she grabbed his arm to take him to Sheiden, but couldn’t go further.

There were many things she wanted to say.

Among them, she wanted to express her determination to study hard to create medicine for Carcein’s Kelbia allergy, predicting changes in the future.

But she couldn’t.

She had to let him go because he might get more injured otherwise.

Claire gently stroked Florenza’s small back as she consoled her.

Bitter as the result was, Florenza had trusted her and told her everything honestly.

“…I feel the same way, Florenza.”

She wanted to say something.

She wanted to say she shouldn’t have spoken carelessly in Rusmaier, that she couldn’t handle it properly unlike Arshien.

The issues with the Shatren Territory and House of Rilfetten were largely her fault, so she wanted to reveal the truth and help resolve misunderstandings between both parties.

She wanted to talk about everything, from the small to the big.

So, Claire also had to respond.

Today, someone had troubled Carcein.

That person had tried to frame Emma with false accusations, but she intended to refute the lies and ensure proper punishment.

She reassured Florenza that Carcein wasn’t seriously injured during the process.

As the story progressed, Florenza’s expression gradually softened.

“Lucky, but… Carcein must be very angry, right?”

“…”

“What if he leaves in anger? Then what about the portrait…”

Claire’s lips trembled at the mention of the portrait.

Yes, they needed to address this.

“Florenza, we… no, our family, did a great wrong to Carcein. So, it might be best to give up on the family portrait.”

“Why, why should we? We’ve come this far… We still have a few days. If Carcein calms down, we can still take the portrait…”

“No, that won’t be possible.”

Carcein’s anger won’t subside.

Not at all.

“Florenza… Do you remember the spring outings we took in the past?”

Claire began to speak with a sad expression, recalling memories.

Not just herself, but the entire Duke’s House.

The story of how they didn’t treat Carcein as family.

***

“Urgent news, what could it be?”

Heron and Sheiden came to deliver urgent news, and Isabella quickly moved her daughters to a safer location due to the crowd during their outing.

‘I see, Lady didn’t notice at all.’

Ironically, the two felt bitter about it.

They had come here for a spring outing before, so it was possible she might remember.

Yet, Isabella showed no signs of recognition.

Not even the other sisters noticed, making it the worst possible scenario.

If this continued, Carcein’s wounds would never heal, and his heart would remain closed.

Before an uncontrollable situation arose, they needed to awaken her to this reality.

“Madam, let’s start with what Heron brought—”

“Madam hasn’t changed at all.”

Just as Sheiden was about to continue the conversation, Heron interrupted, changing course.

“Tsk tsk.”

‘Sheidon!’

Sheidon nudged Heron’s side.

Originally, they planned to show Isabella the broken frame in front of Carcein’s room, explaining the incident.

By showing the shattered portrait frame, they intended to prove Emma’s guilt.

They would explain that Carcein was the only one to receive such a frame, and that it was hidden in a barely noticeable spot in the Duke’s House.

Their goal was to make Isabella realize the similarity to the current situation.

“Are you really considering Carseine as your son?”

Heron started off on a different track.

Enough is enough.

Given the risks involved, they couldn’t afford to mess this up.

Sheidon immediately asked Heron to retract his statement and decided to continue the conversation himself.

But,

Looking into his old friend’s eyes, he knew.

Heron was furious.

‘…He wasn’t starting off on a different track.’

From the look of it, Heron never intended to bring up the topic in the first place.

He only wanted to persuade the Lady, and he had good reason to do so.

No details were mentioned, but it seemed clear.

Sheidon decided to wait silently.

“Heron, you said you had urgent news for me.”

“Yes, Madam.”

“If you’re worried about Carseine, there’s no need. He’ll finish his walk soon and return. I understand it was urgent.”

Then Heron closed his eyes and opened them again, looking at Isabella who was about to leave.

“Although it was just a few months ago, Madam, do you remember the number of letters sent to Lord Carseine was different?”