Chapter 198

“Tell me in detail. A box? What kind of box was there?”

“There were… two boxes, I think. One was filled with coins… and the other was empty.”

“Huh. Just those two boxes were damaged in that room? What on earth… No, let’s find the culprit first. The security should have been enough. Was there any specific situation?”

“I’m sorry, Young Master Carsein came to us drenched in sweat and told us to take some rest… I didn’t expect this timing… Please show mercy!”

“…Sigh. At the moment you suggested a good rest, right when we barged in.”

Arina furrowed her brows in anger.

That completes the condition.

Upon arriving at the party hall, three conditions were met:

1. Lower Arina’s or Claire’s affinity twice in a row. ☑

2. Ignore the fact that someone secretly entered Carsein’s room until the staff noticed. ☑

3. A specific object was stolen and can no longer be found. ☑

Flora’s birthday episode is best handled by smoothly completing the birthday party without issues.

Minimizing attention and maximizing achievements through emergency missions and event gimmicks will allow you to complete the episode within about a day without much trouble.

However, it’s not mandatory to follow these steps.

If you don’t want to enter this party hall and feel it’s a waste of time, there is a way out, albeit with some risk.

Additional choices become available upon completing conditions.

These choices can be selected during the episode at your convenience.

The theft incident of the gift.

This incident requires choosing quite a tricky route, and satisfying the conditions isn’t easy.

But after entering the game, it wasn’t as hard as it seemed.

Skillfully dealing with the staff and nobles sneaking in, avoiding them while hiding in a safe spot, was easier than in the game.

Since this situation began, three additional choices became available, granting legal authority to act.

“This risk is considerable, but I don’t even have the time to be swayed by such choices.”

Actually, I wanted to leave this place as quickly as possible.

“Carsein, did you have anything important in that room?”

-Beep!

A choice appears!

“There was something very important.”

“…What?”

[Solution. It was the birthday present.] ☑

“It was the birthday present for Flora.”

“Birthday… present?”

Arina narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

“Are you sure? Did you really put the birthday present box in your room?”

-Beep!

“The birthday presents of the House of Bargrand are all gathered on the third floor. The staff are supposed to bring them when the time comes. But why is your birthday present in your second-floor room?”

Arina is suspicious. Choose an option:

1. “I moved it to air out earlier.”

2. “You have a fish brain? Can’t you remember I went out?”

3. “The staff were taking a break as per my order, so they left it in my room.”

The original correct answer is either 1 or 3. The difference is in the attention and achievement levels.

But I chose another additional option.

[Solution. It seems you want to say I didn’t prepare a gift, judging from your suspicion?] ☑

“It seems you want to say I didn’t prepare a gift, judging from your suspicion?”

For a moment, Arina’s eyes twitched.

Although it’s clearly not suspicion, it works perfectly from my perspective.

So this choice becomes a valid one to leave the party hall differently.

“I didn’t say that. Don’t overinterpret.”

[Solution. If you weren’t overinterpreting, you would have searched where the item went. In that case, it’s better to be considered trash who didn’t prepare a gift.] ☑

“If you weren’t overinterpreting, you would have searched where the item went. In that case, it’s better to be considered trash who didn’t prepare a gift.”

“Carsein. I repeat, shut up and stop talking nonsense.”

Arina’s veins bulged.

If I say one more word, my affinity will drop.

But it doesn’t matter.

Because I’m aiming for that.

[Solution. Sorry. Flora? It seems I’m trash who didn’t prepare family gifts.] ☑

“Sorry. Flora? It seems I’m trash who didn’t prepare family gifts.”

“…”

“Carsein!”

[Solution. (Standing up and leaving the party hall) Trash who doesn’t deserve to attend the party shouldn’t ruin this fun party. So I’ll leave. Have fun.] ☑

-Door slam.

“Trash who doesn’t deserve to attend the party shouldn’t ruin this fun party. So I’ll leave. Have fun.”

“What a brat!”

Immediately behind, Arina yelled for him to stand still.

“What? What?”

“A loud noise came from over there… Oh?”

“Princess Arina and her side…”

“It feels like I understand the situation. Maybe it’s just my imagination?”

Instantly, the nobles’ eyes turned toward the commotion.

“Big sister? What happened? Why the loud noise?”

Isabella and Claire also looked in this direction.

And finally,

“Oh, no… I… I…”

Flora, crying, couldn’t speak properly.

Everyone in the party hall focused on me.

“That’s why attention is high now.”

There aren’t many choices, but it’s okay to say this much. The key scenes are already over, so it’s probably a skip scene now.

“No, what do you mean? Isn’t this the gift you’ve always wanted?”

Carsein had nothing left.

With the suspicion of not bringing a gift, he was destined to get scolded by his family.

Now, he wouldn’t even appear in the party hall.

It’s all because of what you wanted, right?

Flora.

Just like in the game, I left without looking back.

-Beep!

You took a different route, <Early Departure>.

Attention and achievement levels are fixed.

[Attention: 85%]

[Achievement: 60%]

Achievement over 60% means the episode is cleared.

Episode VII: Cleared Flora’s Birthday.

Successfully escaped from the party hall.

High attention leads to penalties.

[Penalty: Due to this incident, the range of territories where you can trade with Shahtren has decreased.]

This penalty reduces the methods to investigate Shahtren through trading goods with other territories, making it somewhat strict.

“But, this is hardly a penalty.”

I’m not following the usual route in the game.

Originally, the plan was to solve the problem of Shahtren myself, so strictly speaking, escaping here without penalty is almost the same.

Outside the building, a cool breeze blew pleasantly.

***

In the end, I couldn’t choose a gift for Carsein.

I had no idea which to bring, nor which would be appropriate.

I thought about asking others, but even my sisters and mother seemed clueless.

Maybe Camila, who served Carsein for a long time, could help, but…

Her voice still echoes vividly.

“That sin cannot be washed away. You’ll carry it for life. You’ve already shown mercy several times to Miss.”

Recalling the cold-hearted response from Carsein’s dedicated maid, Camila, Flora couldn’t muster the courage to find her.

As a result, information about Carsein was very limited.

All I knew was one thing:

Never take the Kelbia fruit under any circumstances.

Let’s gather something.

Pack it nicely in the box.

Thus, an awkward gift box was completed.

Time passed.

At the birthday celebration, I had to give a speech about the debut dance.

I memorized the summary prepared by my eldest sister and mother. There were no mistakes, and I finished smoothly.

Suddenly, I realized something.

Even now, Carsein’s reputation among the nobles was extremely bad.

“There you are.”

After finishing her speech, Flora immediately went to find Carsein.

“Hey, Carsein.”

“What?”

“Would you dance the first dance with me? I have something to tell you…”

Considering that the debut dance is customary among nobles, dancing with Carsein might work.

This moment could declare his status as a noble and reveal that he was chosen as the first dance partner.

Moreover, it could naturally lead to questions about the birthday gift.

It seemed helpful to approach him, but…

“Rejected.”

He rejected it bluntly.

Later, there was a brief argument between Carsein and his eldest sister. He hastily intervened when she suggested something.

Though initially disheartened, I thought it was fine since I still had a gift to give Carsein.

…But.

“Someone touched Carsein’s belongings? What does that mean?”

“I’m not sure, but… there were signs of someone entering Carsein’s room and destroying everything.”

“There was a box…”

“A box?”

“…”

A sudden conversation between a servant and my eldest sister made me turn my head involuntarily.

‘A box…?’

The word ‘box’ made me feel breathless.

Vaguely remembering,

On the day of my birthday party,

When Carsein secretly took out two boxes from under his bed in his room.

“One was filled with coins…”

One box was full of coins.

“…and the other was empty.”

The other was empty because I had taken items from the box and sold them.

Everything vividly came back to me.

That day, Carsein was greatly panicked and messed up his room.

When he returned, he was scolded by both his sisters and his mother, not just scolded…

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t prepare it.”

Unable to find a birthday present, I received severe reprimands and was placed under house arrest.

All these pieces fit together like a puzzle.

Past and present overlapped seamlessly.

Could it be… again?

“Are you sure? Did you really put the birthday present box in your room?”

…Huh?

By the time I snapped out of it, my eldest sister and Carsein were already arguing.

“The birthday presents of the House of Bargrand are all gathered on the third floor. The staff are supposed to bring them when the time comes. But why is your birthday present in your second-floor room?”

Eldest sister!

If you say that…

Driven by anxiety, I glanced at Carsein.

But it was too late.

His face, chillingly cold and expressionless, was staring at me.

“Judging from your suspicion, you want to say I didn’t prepare a gift, right?”

“I didn’t say that. Don’t overinterpret.”

No, eldest sister.

That’s not it.

“If you weren’t overinterpreting, you would have searched where the item went. In that case, it’s better to be considered trash who didn’t prepare a gift.”

“Carsein. I repeat, shut up and stop talking nonsense.”

I’m the one who’s wrong.

I did something wrong in the past!

“Sorry. Flora? It seems I’m trash who didn’t prepare family gifts.”

“…”

“Carsein!”

The past overlaying reality hit me straight in the heart, leaving me breathless.

-Door slam.

“Trash who doesn’t deserve to attend the party shouldn’t ruin this fun party. So I’ll leave. Have fun.”

“You brat!”

My heavy chest sank instantly.

Air wouldn’t flow inside my lungs.

I tried to squeeze out a voice,

“No, I… I…”

“No, what do you mean? Isn’t this the gift you’ve always wanted?”

He left without a care, just like before.

All plans were ruined.

I couldn’t deliver the gift I wanted to give Carsein.

The birthday I wanted to share with him ended in the worst possible way.

The past karma had come back to haunt me like a boomerang.