Chapter 32

“Everyone, this child hit me!!”

The hall was instantly drawn to the chubby man’s exclamation.

And all their gazes were directed at Carsein.

“Oh my God. There’s blood coming from Viscount Buteus’ nose…”

“How badly did he hit him? We should call a council member first.”

“Look at that red nose! Isn’t there too much malice?”

Rumors started spreading immediately.

With noble ladies exaggerating the story, their voices quickly echoed throughout the hall.

“This year was supposed to be quiet, but… as expected, you never disappoint.”

“A lowborn is still a lowborn. Nothing has changed.”

“How can they keep causing accidents one after another? Tsk, how vulgar.”

“Shouldn’t we add them to the list of participants to ban?”

A guard suspected an unwholesome person had entered the hall.

Naturally, this voice reached Claire nearby, and she walked steadily towards Carsein’s back.

Passing by Carsein, Claire asked someone who was sobbing while sitting down, trying to maintain her composure.

“What happened? They say Carsein hit you?”

The three people’s eyes narrowed and then they put on a full act.

“Sob, sob, I didn’t do anything. I just said let’s play.”

“Yeah, Carsein is our age, so we wanted him to stop being boring and join us, but…”

“But then he suddenly attacked us!”

“…”

Claire’s teeth gritted.

In the meantime, the bleeding nobleman began crying uncontrollably, and other nobles laughed gleefully.

“Wah, wah. I don’t know what I did wrong to deserve this beating.”

“At first, we tried to stop it. Why did you keep hitting? If you didn’t want to play, you could have just said no, instead of resorting to violence.”

“We tried to stop it as much as possible, but… it was too much for us…”

This single act of malevolence ruined the meaning behind bringing a birthday present to this rare festival.

Claire, whose anger flared up, turned around immediately and glared at Carsein.

Her eyes were cold, like blue laser beams ready to shoot out.

“You. Didn’t you hear your older sister? She told you not to cause trouble. She said if you waited a moment, you could enjoy the festival. But why are you doing this again?”

Carsein met Claire’s gaze with an expressionless face, just like always. He didn’t react at all.

This lack of reaction made Claire even angrier, so she grabbed Carsein’s wrist.

“You’re the one who disappointed me. Come on, you little brat.”

*Thud.*

But Carsein immediately shook off Claire’s hand. Then,

“You’re always doubting me first. Has anything really changed?”

“You…!”

“I didn’t do anything. Want to prove it?”

Instead, he confidently crossed his arms and confronted Claire.

***

[Chapter 4: Proving Innocence]

The choice has been made.

Claire, who has already surpassed 10%, will no longer blame herself in this episode.

All that’s left for me is to pick the correct choices in a row.

That’s incredibly easy.

*Ding!*

“There, you. You said I hit you?”

“Yes! You suddenly hit me!”

The guy continued the conversation with a confident tone.

“My friends saw it all. Are you going to lie? Everyone here saw it too!”

“Is that so? Then you also know that the three of you attacked me?”

“What are you talking about! We were trying to stop you!”

“The three of you never attacked me!”

The three of them flinched simultaneously, but this was easily countered. They had lied.

But there are definitely some things that shouldn’t be said.

“Even though you tried to stop us, you kept hitting his face several times! That’s why his nose is bleeding.”

Game over.

You stupid kid.

*Slide slide.*

Two thin white gloves were taken off.

Then, they were openly shown.

“If you hit him several times, there would surely be blood on the gloves. So, can you explain why these gloves are clean?”

“Huh, huh?”

“That’s because…!”

To firmly establish this fact, I shouted immediately.

“Surely, Claire here knows best about these gloves.”

“…”

Everyone’s gaze shifted to Claire due to my words.

Seemingly shocked, she bit her lip tightly.

Yes, you know best.

Since when have I been wearing these gloves?

Why are they such crucial evidence?

“Please answer, Lady Claire.”

“Princess Second needs to judge between truth and falsehood!”

The crowd waited eagerly for Claire’s response.

Or maybe they wanted Carsein’s punishment.

Finally, her lips opened.

However, what she said wasn’t what they wanted to hear.

“These gloves… Carsein had them on since before he got into the carriage at the duke’s mansion.”

The hall was filled with shock, and the three true perpetrators hurriedly rebutted.

“Wait! Maybe he took them off and hit him!”

“It could have been later, how can we believe that?”

“Shut up!”

Although their excuses were quite good, it was only for a normal glove.

This move was like adding insult to injury, especially since it wasn’t Arina or Isabella but Claire.

“Even if you lie, do it properly. Who are you trying to fool now?”

“Wh, What? Princess Claire? What does this mean…”

“These gloves are magic-proof gloves designed to prevent static electricity. They’re not very durable, so even a slight impact can break the enchantment. Do you think I couldn’t find such a simple trace?!”

It’s impossible not to notice something like this.

Being pointed out was almost inevitable.

Yes.

These gloves were the ones Claire criticized for being unnecessary when Carsein went out to play.

By acting in such a way, she created a witness who saw him wearing the gloves.

The white gloves meant no bloodstains, and with the testimony of witnesses, the perjurers were cornered.

Lastly, the gloves themselves were the key.

Weltin’s anti-static gloves, prepared beforehand with a special technique, became the most important evidence. In short, they were custom-made to be used before the snow festival, to gain additional choices.

“Y, You don’t mean…”

“Weltin’s anti-static gloves…”

“I know them. Their durability is so poor that if you punched, the enchantment would break immediately…”

“The enchantment is intact. No bloodstains. And witnesses. This is… undeniable.”

The atmosphere in the hall changed rapidly.

The three perpetrators who tried to frame Carsein quickly changed their stance, but…

“The conclusion is clear. Guards.”

“Yes!”

“Immediately remove those who caused trouble from this place.”

A woman who had been watching the scene curiously stepped forward.

She was Arshien, the third daughter of the royal family.

“Notify the family directly. They dared to frame Prince Bargrand, so they shall never set foot here again and be added to the list of prohibited participants.”

“Yes!”

“Wait! That’s not it! It’s a misunderstanding!”

“I’m sorry! Please, please show mercy just once!”

“That’s not what happened! At least don’t tell the family!”

The three young lords were immediately dragged away, and their voices were muffled by a loud thump.

Arshien, without hesitation, criticized the three who had been dragged away.

“They are from an unknown family, but even they call themselves nobles. Isn’t that laughable? Don’t you think so?”

“Huh?”

“That’s my impression after seeing the situation just now.”

…This clearly targets me.

After giving a satisfied smile, she approached Claire, who had lowered her head.

“I know you have a lot to say to Claire. But, I wanted to talk to her first. Can I?”

Honestly, I was a bit surprised.

Though I hadn’t seen this scene, Arshien’s attitude clearly indicated she wanted my permission.

“Go ahead.”

“Thank you for understanding. From now on, if anything happens, I’ve ordered the royal guards to report to me immediately. Don’t worry.”

Princess Arshien smiled faintly and led Claire away.

▶ Successfully deflected threats from the nobles. ◀

▶ Proceeds without causing a commotion. The festival continues. ◀

▶ Successfully achieved results beyond mere choice selection. ◶

■ Rewards

[Thanks to Arshien’s protection, the guards’ attention is on the hall. No more threats from the nobles.]

[Claire’s affinity increases.]

[17% -> 21%]

Satisfactory results.

But.

[Affinity with Arshien increases.]

[Current affinity level: 3%]

“…Was this already increased?”

It doesn’t seem so.

Probably because the pre-purchased gloves successfully eliminated the danger.

***

Last year, the year before, and even further back, the snow festival always had its share of disturbances.

Carsein was always the reason, whether it was hitting someone or spreading rumors, causing the nobles to raise their voices.

‘Every time, it was Claire’s job to calm things down.’

It’s still vivid in my mind.

-How can you ruin our family name like this! This boy hasn’t changed!

-Mom hired a tutor to teach him proper behavior as a noble, but what use is it if he ends up like this?

-I begged him not to cause trouble for others, but he wouldn’t listen. What am I supposed to do?

Claire, who isolated Carsein after hitting him, always complained in the reception room, drinking cold water.

And this year, the hall was once again filled with disturbances.

But unlike last time, the atmosphere, public opinion, and reactions were completely different.

Arshien, who had been silently observing Claire’s lowered head, repeated her usual words.

“I told you to listen to Carsein’s side once in a while.”

Arshien understands.

The underhandedness and treachery of the nobility.

Those unfamiliar with the nobility often get ostracized, but Carsein, a commoner, would undoubtedly suffer even worse treatment.

So, every time she tried to stop Claire and investigate Carsein’s side, but…

Every time, the one blocking her path was none other than her own family, Claire.

‘I remember. There were times when I argued with my older brothers and it lasted a long time.’

Claire’s slumped shoulders seemed to remind her of her past self.

“Claire. Even now, you could talk to Carsein—”

“It’s not the first time for me.”

“Huh?”

Interrupting her, Claire’s unusual response puzzled Arshien.

If it were usual,

-If you had told me earlier, I wouldn’t have done it.

-He should have caused accidents a couple of times! With incidents happening everywhere, how could you not suspect him?

Such responses should have come naturally.

But,

“On several occasions, I only suspected Carsein.”

“Why?”

Claire clenched her fist.

“He was sick and collapsed. The doctor said he couldn’t eat well for a while, not just because of the cold.”

“Go on.”

“So, I told the chef to prepare a lavish meal, but he didn’t eat it.”

Claire squeezed her fist tightly.

“When I asked why, the doctor said his health was bad and he lacked the strength to digest food. Eating would make it worse.”

“I see. Something like that happened to Carsein…”

“Of course, I immediately told him to drink porridge. I personally instructed the chef.”

Arshien smiled, as if she already knew.

For patients with very poor health, it’s common knowledge, even if the palace rarely reveals it.

-When they lack the energy to digest, feeding them soup is better. Greasy food is dangerous. That’s why more deaths from choking occur among nobles than commoners.

Arshien only learned this fact after hearing it from the palace.

“Hmm. This is something you wouldn’t know.”

“But it’s not over yet.”

“Huh?”

Kelbia allergy. Birthday present.

He committed similar acts twice in a row.

Doubting him just because he didn’t know was problematic.

And then,

This incident in the hall.

Claire was honestly confessing to her mistakes.

‘This isn’t something to just let go.’

The more she talked, the clearer it became how strained her relationship with Carsein was.

But the first thing she should say to Carsein wasn’t coming out.

Arshien said with a serious expression.

“Doubting your younger brother like that, is it right? It’s your fault for not believing in him even once.”

“I didn’t want to doubt him either! But, he’s done so many things, I couldn’t help it!”

“That’s prejudice, Claire.”

“Huh?”

Claire’s eyes widened.

“Without asking why, you criticized him for being wrong. Not trusting your younger brother, and continuing to doubt him, how can you guarantee he won’t do it again?”

“…”

“Try paying more attention to your younger brother. Try thinking from his perspective. Why did he act that way.”

Hearing Arshien, Claire pondered deeply.

Never.

She never once thought about how Carsein felt.

Not this time.

Not before.

She never considered that Carsein might have a reason.

That’s why she only realized later why he didn’t eat.

And she only found out about Camila, the maid, after he mentioned it.

Kelbia allergy. Birthday present. Hall disturbance.

All of it.

But,

“…If he had only asked for help, I would have helped anytime.”

The problem lies in Claire’s personality.

Her high pride plays a part, but her hot temper is the first barrier, and her unexpected shyness is the second.

In other words, it’s difficult for Claire to express regret.

‘This is something that won’t change no matter what I say.’

Therefore, the minimum action needed was to take some steps.

“Apologize for doubting him this time. Otherwise, you’ll really damage your relationship with Carsein.”

“Huh, okay. Stop nagging.”

Just then, a report came that the Duke House of Bargrand had finished their audience with the emperor. Claire immediately stood up from the sofa and headed to the reception room.

Today, she didn’t hit Carsein, but as Arshien, her closest friend, she was worried.

“I need to tame that personality.”