Chapter 42

“Carsein has returned,”

“Yes. Just received a message from the mansion’s scorpion. The young master has safely returned…”

“Oh, has he? Everyone must be relieved.”

“Miss Arina!”

Upon hearing the news, Arina immediately turned her horse and headed towards the mansion.

Although she gave some rough instructions to the knights, she had to return right away.

It was late at night.

She had been searching for him for a long time and couldn’t find him, making that moment unforgettable.

How could she forget?

The image of her younger brother, left on the street, beaten up but still holding onto his gift, laughing, was an unimaginable shock.

It was a foolish and dull action.

Without knowing how harsh the outside world could be, he wanted to run away somewhere. Carsein lay sick in bed for days because of this foolish thought.

Sometimes, that image appears like a mirage.

Every time she saw what was in her pocket,

Every time she saw the gift Carsein managed to save from ruffians,

Every time she saw the hair tie he got for his eldest sister who suited a ponytail so well,

“…Phew. Calm down, Arina Bargrand. That was the foolish past self.”

Though she tried to calm herself, Arina couldn’t relax and tightened her grip even more.

So hurriedly, Arina arrived at the mansion.

Straightaway, she headed for Carsein’s room.

But when she actually reached Carsein’s door,

She couldn’t knock. Even though she heard from the servants that Carsein was in there.

“…”

If she ran to the night market now and bought something Carsein liked, would he feel better?

Would she feel satisfied if she said she beat up all those beggars who trampled Carsein that day?

Or maybe she needed to make up for the past with a greater reward?

Countless choices crossed Arina’s mind.

But she didn’t know.

Whether Carsein really wanted this.

All Arina knew about Carsein was that after being abandoned at 17 and returning beaten up, he wanted to give her a hair tie at the spot where the tower of stones was built.

Just like on her birthday.

She knew nothing else.

What did he like? What did he dislike?

What were his interests and hobbies? What were his preferences?

She never asked him about these things before.

But… there was one thing.

If she had to say one thing she knew about Carsein,

“He loved going to the training hall.”

He loved it so much that he stayed there for days.

“But this… isn’t a decision to be made lightly.”

Arina took a step back from Carsein’s door and rubbed her forehead.

Carsein had caused a big problem at the training hall in the past.

Not only to the Bargrand family, but also to other families who were staying here.

So this was definitely not a decision to be made lightly.

Rushing into it could lead to even bigger problems.

But…

Despite the weight of the situation, her thoughts leaned toward Carsein’s interest.

As she continued thinking, she suddenly remembered her mother’s words.

“Huhu. That child has grown up.”

She recalled the phrase she heard at the festival street several times.

Grown up.

Maybe that’s true.

If Claire was right, there was a commotion in the hall today, but Carsein handled it well.

Compared to the past, Carsein had become much more mature.

Not only did he forgive Camila generously, but he also took the time to think before reacting or raising his voice. During the Kelbia allergy incident, he would have overturned the table, but he held it in.

“Right. Carsein has become that much more mature.”

He knows how to hold back, even when feeling bad.

His reckless actions from before are no longer seen.

Therefore, it might be okay to let her disciplined younger brother enter the training hall, which was forbidden until now.

This incident might also be forgotten as an adult matter.

“The hair tie…”

Arina stared at the hair tie and raised her hand.

Her wet red hair, tangled from rushing over upon hearing Carsein was safe, was a mess.

When Arina’s hands touched her hair,

-Ssshhh.

The messy hair untied, and her red ponytail flowed down.

And then, she tied her hair again.

She didn’t want to recall that moment, so she put away the object that contained her expression from that time.

The gift Carsein gave her, saying she was lucky to keep it despite everything.

The hair tie that left only past wounds in her heart for her younger brother.

She tied her hair again to make a ponytail.

To show the strength and dignity of her family, flashy was good.

But, she felt that a simple hair tie would do.

After all, it was a gift from her younger brother.

Arina, who liked the new hair tie, kept touching it with her hands several times.

Then, remembering something, she quickly moved her feet.

Arina rushed through the stairs and corridors and arrived at her room, immediately starting to rummage through documents.

“…This should be enough for a birthday present.”

[Carsein Bargrand’s Training Hall Entry Ban]

Seeing the title of the document, Arina took out another piece of paper and wrote swiftly with her pen.

***

Opening her eyes, she saw the sun rising.

That meant a day had passed… It seemed she fell asleep immediately after entering the room yesterday, intending to rest briefly.

“Well, it makes sense.”

While Carsein’s poor stamina played a part, it was mostly due to the busy schedule for the Snowflake Festival in Episode IV.

Still, she had to get up soon.

“I need to go see Arina and get permission to use the training hall.”

Because she slept the whole day, she couldn’t meet Arina.

But she thought it would be fine. She would talk to Arina anyway, regardless of the delay.

Just like in the game, even if you’re a day late, it doesn’t change much. At most, it starts with slightly lower stats.

So, preparing now and going to see Arina would be fine.

“I guess I’ll have to take a bath first since I just slept…”

she thought, but then,

-Knock knock.

“Young Master. It’s Heron. I have something important to tell you.”

Heron came.

Though she didn’t know what it was about, given it was Heron, she assumed it wouldn’t be a big problem and let him in.

Heron bowed respectfully and handed her something.

“Young Master, please take this.”

“Is it a letter?”

“No, it’s from Miss Arina.”

“From Arina?”

She immediately started thinking about why Arina would send her something out of the blue.

“No, there hasn’t been anything like that. Not at least after finishing Episode IV.”

She hadn’t mentioned anything about sending something in the next episode.

She wasn’t sure what it was,

but she’d find out by looking.

She opened the box and checked its contents.

“What’s this?”

It shouldn’t be showing up now.

As she pondered, a status window popped up in front of her eyes.

-Ding!

▶Threat level in a specific area changes!

[Area: Training Hall]

[Threat Level: Normal]

This message usually appears later.

This was supposed to happen when she went to see Arina or Isabella to claim the right to use the training hall and chose her options, getting rewards in the process.

Yes, this was what Arina sent her.

It was a certificate to lift the ban on entering the training hall.

“What is this? What’s happening?”

Even reading both sentences together didn’t help her understand what was going on.

But piecing it together, she got a vague idea.

“If mother is like that, rewarding with compensation makes sense.”

Considering Isabella just gave a birthday present, wouldn’t Arina do the same?

Of course.

The power of the Bargrand family was obvious.

This also explained why it led to results beyond just choosing options.

Yesterday, in the hidden episode “<Narrow Escape with Stones>“, she had stabbed Arina deeply.

If they wanted to compensate for something,

Given their tendency to use money to solve problems, just like their mother,

It made sense that Arina would act similarly.

“So that’s it.”

“Young Master?”

She was already irritated by morning.

“Did something go wrong?”

“No, nothing’s wrong.”

But, this situation wasn’t bad at all.

It didn’t matter how things turned out.

Now, she didn’t need to go see Arina or Isabella.

Calculating which option had a better risk-reward ratio between Arina and Isabella ended.

Moreover, this changed the danger zone to a normal area. From her perspective, it was a huge benefit.

“But, I don’t like this.”

Since morning, she had been in a bad mood, so now it was time to upset her family.

She had a chance to use this during the stage of deciding Episode V.

Claire probably hadn’t heard this news yet,

And Florea didn’t need to be dealt with right now.

Arina seemed perfect for this.

“Heron, I’m sorry to bother you in the morning, but I have a task for you.”

“As a butler, I gladly accept your orders, Young Master.”

Heron accepted the order readily.

“Really? Okay, here it is.”

She smiled and told Heron what to do.

Heron’s face showed shock, but he didn’t refuse the order.

***

The Bargrand family.

A name that even makes people in the empire clench their jaws just by hearing it.

The pinnacle of nobility, unmistakably above all others under the royal family.

The highest-ranking nobility, in name and reality.

That is the Bargrand family.

Servants are merely there to serve their masters, but the higher the master’s status and power, the more pride they naturally have.

Emma stood as the head maid in the Bargrand household.

She found each day enjoyable.

Even though she had to do hard work, serving such admirable masters made her forget any fatigue.

She was one of the few maids in this empire who could hold her head high with pride.

But.

Recently, every day was unbearable for her.

She was scolded by the proud second young lady.

She was warned not to touch that thing, referring to the rag.

“It’s all because of that commoner!”

She had to bow her head twice to a lowly person, and now the second young lady was completely smitten by him.

The noble Bargrand family was being defiled by that man.

She had to do something.

“Florea, it’s Emma. May I come in?”

“Yeah, come in.”

Florea was hugging a bear plush toy when Emma entered.

“Such a toy is not something I’ve seen in a young lady’s room…”

Emma tilted her head in confusion, and Florea proudly said,

“This is what I got as a prize at the Snowflake Festival? You can’t get these easily.”

“You really like it, don’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s great. Did your sisters give it to you as a gift?”

“Un…”

Florea hesitated.

“It wasn’t from my sisters.”

“Then, from Lady?”

Shake shake.

“Carsein got it for me.”

“What?”

“He clearly dislikes me… Why would he give this to me?”

At that moment, Emma’s mind flashed.

“This is it.”

Due to Claire’s stern warning, she couldn’t directly harm Carsein. But she wasn’t entirely helpless. Emma had a powerful ally.

The third young lady, Florea Bargrand.

“Oh, that guy is trying to win over our Florea again!”

Emma deliberately twisted her face and appealed to Florea.

“What are you talking about?”

“Miss, this might be his scheme. We’ve seen it many times. Even Lady was fooled once.”

“Then… Could it be this?”

Florea began to doubt, looking at the bear plush.

Emma’s lips, hidden by her hand, curled up, unseen by Florea.

“I’ll check. I’ll meet him myself.”

“Do you need me to go with you?”

“No, I can do it alone.”

“Okay… Please be careful.”

“Sure.”

With a reluctant look, Emma was left behind as Florea opened the door and left.

“It was all a lie. Betraying our family again…”

*Clench*

The golden-haired girl felt betrayal, her fist tightening.

Florea, who had been enjoying the bear plush just moments ago, headed towards Carsein’s room.

“────.”

“────.”

Suddenly, she heard the voices of maids nearby.

They were in the multi-purpose room near Carsein’s room.

When she heard Carsein’s name, Florea naturally listened closer.

“The young master is sleeping, so we can’t disturb him. It’s an important item, so please deliver it when the young master wakes up.”

“Yes, sir.”

The conversation between Heron and the maids.

An important item? It was suspicious.

Florea hid and waited for Heron and the maids to leave, pretending to do something in the neighboring rooms.

Heron left soon after delivering the message, and the maids left when it was time to do laundry.

Florea took advantage of this timing and slipped into the empty multi-purpose room.

There, she confirmed that Emma’s words were correct.

“So that’s why. He was trying to win over the eldest sister.”

Florea’s hand trembled.

The document was a ban lift for the training hall use, signed and sealed by Arina herself.

It was clear it was a purposeful action.

Florea clenched the document.

She decided to tear the bear plush apart and leave it in front of Carsein’s room when she got home.

“No, this is more important.”

*Snip snip*

The document, written in a beautiful script, was torn into pieces, making it difficult to read.

She stuffed the torn pieces into a basket and left the multi-purpose room, heading somewhere.

One piece slipped and fell to the floor below.

Florea didn’t notice it at all.

An old man watching her picked up the torn piece and muttered,

“Everything went according to the young master’s wishes.”

Initially shocked, Heron finally understood the full picture.

But, he wasn’t entirely comfortable.

Certainly, this method would shock the rest of the family.

If this fact spread within the mansion and the maids started gossiping, Carsein’s position would improve even more.

Still, he wasn’t entirely at ease.

“Doesn’t the young master fear being hurt?”

A mere eighteen-year-old boy faced all sorts of storms head-on.

But, to dig deeper into the wound with his own hands instead of someone else’s, it was truly distressing.