Chapter 195

In this situation, Carsein, not understanding what was happening, started rummaging through the room with a bewildered expression.

Flora peeked her head out and chuckled mischievously, mumbling to herself.

“Collecting coins suits you as a pauper, but I can’t bear to see someone from the Duke’s House collecting such things.”

One day, Flora had seen Carsein secretly hiding something from outside.

At first, she thought he was doing so because he wanted something, but when his actions became frequent, she began to suspect him.

Even though she knew the commoner had received the Duke’s kindness, she figured there must be a reason for him to collect these items.

Soon after, she discovered two boxes under Carsein’s bed in his room.

One was a collection of nearly worthless coins.

The other contained items that seemed to be brought in secretly from outside.

If he hid such important items, then wouldn’t it be okay to mess them up?

From that moment, Flora wore a devilish smile.

Although she made pennies selling all sorts of trinkets, money didn’t matter much.

She was just happy to torment Carsein and look forward to seeing his flustered reaction when he realized.

“Ah, refreshing.”

Carsein was so flustered that he was sweating profusely. The room echoed with clattering sounds and the sound of something falling.

So, those were important items.

Though she didn’t know why he collected them, something was clearly off.

“Hmm, refreshing.”

Flora stretched out comfortably, her face satisfied, and walked away towards the opposite hallway.

***

Searching and searching, even after thoroughly checking the room, nothing came out.

The items in Carsein’s second box were not found, despite tearing the whole room apart.

Without those, Mielle’s magic doll couldn’t be purchased.

Because Carsein had no way to make up for the shortfall in money.

He considered asking the family name in hopes of getting help from the shop again, but…

“I’m sorry, but we sold that doll because you came so late.”

With the last doll sold, there was nothing more he could do.

In the end, Carsein had to give up on the doll he had picked as a birthday present for Flora.

But he didn’t return empty-handed.

He managed to buy something with his money.

However, bad luck was just beginning.

“Ugh!”

“Hey, run away!”

“Ha ha ha!”

Because he left secretly, the journey back home without guards was rough. On the way back, he was beaten by other nobles who were waiting for him.

“Hey, why did you wander around so much on Flora’s birthday?”

Since Carsein went out to buy gifts, the entire family spent time together.

Therefore, when he returned, Claire scolded him harshly.

“Carsein, do you have any sense? How can you leave your room in such disarray? You messed up the room the maids cleaned. Don’t you realize this will cause problems for Flora’s birthday party? And your appearance? Why are you looking like a beggar? You’re ruining everything!”

Ariana also got a strict lecture, starting from the messy room to going outside and ending up looking like a beggar despite wearing neat clothes.

He tried to explain.

He wanted to buy a gift for Flora.

He had saved money without relying on the Duke’s House to buy a gift.

But he couldn’t say that.

“Pfft.”

Watching his own scolding from behind, with Flora smiling, he couldn’t bring himself to talk about the box.

Knowing that Flora heard everything, his words of explanation faded away.

“I’m… sorry.”

And he had to bow his head and apologize.

As always, he had to admit his mistake.

His sisters complained loudly, but being busy, they didn’t have time to deal with him immediately.

But one person received a severe reprimand.

“What… did you say? This means you won’t participate in the birthday party at all…?”

Surely not.

On such a good day, he couldn’t just sit still.

That couldn’t be right.

Carsein laughed bitterly and asked again.

But a cold voice pierced deeply into his ears.

“You seem to understand well.”

Physical pain wasn’t the issue. Even if Claire pushed his shoulder or Ariana slapped his cheek, nothing touched him this time.

Only his mind felt numb, his heart tightening.

Isabella, the most supportive family member to Carsein, held the harshest reprimand.

“On Flora’s birthday, it would be nice if you stayed quietly.”

She ordered him to sit in the main seat of the Bargrand Duke’s house during the birthday party, effectively isolating him.

He couldn’t defend himself.

Carsein clenched his lips, holding onto his despair.

He wanted to say it was all for Flora’s birthday gift, but he couldn’t. Emma was listening right behind him.

Then,

“Aah, what a nuisance. Why is she so persistent?”

With a heart full of disappointment, he wandered and accidentally heard a familiar voice.

It was surely Flora’s voice.

The conversation seemed to be with other nobles.

Thinking they were just chatting with friends, he tried to let it go, but…

He couldn’t ignore the conversation.

“Carsein was secretly collecting something!”

“Yes! There were all kinds of things in that box!”

“What? What did I just hear?”

Carsein perked up his ears and focused on the conversation.

“He’s been carrying something in his pocket for a while. It wasn’t just once or twice. He’s been collecting them every day.”

“Oh my. So what happened?”

“Upon closer inspection, it seemed he wasn’t carrying it every day, so I wondered if he had hidden it somewhere…”

“Hidden…?!”

“A mysterious box appeared under Carsein’s bed!”

Suddenly, something blocked off in his mind cleared up, and he felt a different kind of emptiness.

“Can’t he get rid of his beggar habits?”

“He picks up things from the streets.”

“So, what happened to that box?”

“Hehe. What happened to it?”

Feeling a heavy mood from Flora’s smirking smile, he felt uneasy.

“Carsein hid it under his bed. Not even his sisters or mother, let alone the maids, knew about it. So, weren’t those important items?”

Surely not.

Flora must have found the box in his room, but…

She didn’t need to touch it.

“Took them all to an antique dealer as if they were treasures!”

Flora said as if boasting, spreading her arms wide.

She claimed she couldn’t wait to show her expression when she saw the box, her smile almost reaching her ears.

Happily, she looked truly satisfied.

The nobles praised her.

They commended her for selling important items secretly, making her situation difficult.

And Flora…

“I agree. Finding that today, on my birthday, feels like the best gift ever!”

She called it a birthday gift.

Carsein felt like his soul had been sucked out.

Between the expectation of surprising his family, including his younger sister, and the injustice of not being able to explain properly, his eyes filled with emptiness and disappointment.

He kept denying it until the very end, before hearing the undeniable truth.

“That was… your doing…?”

The reality hit him like a typhoon, sweeping over his body.

Still, he heard the nobles’ conversation.

Maybe there might be some clue that this was just a ridiculous prank.

But…

This completely shattered Carsein’s hope.

“A gift box like that?”

“Yes. Carsein ran into us today.”

“Me giving you a gift…? Ugh. Creepy. Who does he think he is, trying to give me a birthday gift? Anything he gives me disappears at my birthday party!”

Hope turned into hollow disappointment, which quickly turned into a trickle of sorrow.

They talked about how the box was crushed, how it couldn’t be a proper gift, and how it led to punishment by his family.

For Flora, the true birthday gift was something that led to such consequences.

He endured, endured because it was Flora’s birthday.

He believed she would love the gift, so he went out to buy one.

Even if he faced harsh words, physical attacks, or was dragged through mud protecting the gift box.

He did it for Flora, wanting to give her a birthday.

But this bitter betrayal was too much to bear.

-Crash!

Carsein returned to the room.

The door slammed shut with a loud bang.

The box in front of him felt like another betrayal.

“I tried so hard to find your birthday gift…!”

Flora’s voice echoed in his mind, laughter and contempt mingling.

Tears streaming down his face, Carsein tore apart the new gift box he had wrapped himself.

“Ah, ah!”

The ribbon was roughly torn off.

The wrapping paper scattered like it was shredded by a beast.

When the white-furred teddy bear finally appeared…

“Damn… this… this…”

His tear-soaked hand, stamped with footprints, crushed it.

“For you, Flora! I’ll never give you a gift again!”

-Crash!

The crushed teddy bear was buried deep in the dark closet, never to see the light of day.