137. Spring Outing (7)
The blooming cherry blossoms capture people’s attention.
If there are many people gathering, this place naturally becomes a hub for socializing.
That’s why the nobles also gather in groups, exchanging various stories.
So, a group of nobles has gathered here as well.
It was a story that could have unfolded like any other, but the discontented voices coming from their mouths were like bitter, unripe fruit that couldn’t be ignored.
“What’s going on? You’re saying the fault lies with me, the chairperson of the tea party?”
Hemnon slammed his hand on the table, his face refusing to acknowledge the accusation.
One of the young ladies, fanning herself, replied nonchalantly.
“Isn’t that the truth? You’re the one who messed up the atmosphere at Lady Pitea’s prepared table.”
“That’s ridiculous! I did my best to follow the Carsein protocol! The ones who ruined the mood were you ladies!”
“Wasn’t it all because of you that the atmosphere was ruined? You, who couldn’t even maintain the dignity of a noble, unlike the commoners?”
“A, no… that was because of that guy’s territory, where I had to deliberately…”
“And didn’t we turn the conversation around well at the Eastern Noble’s meeting? Wasn’t it your fault that the knights couldn’t even manage the situation?”
“That, that’s true, but…”
Tak.
Just as Hemnon was about to make an excuse, one of the young ladies shut him down with her fan.
“You should accept what you’ve done. Hemnon, you’re the one who made the biggest mistake. Are you not going to acknowledge it?”
“Hey, Helley lady!”
“Thanks to you, we’re all in trouble. Lady Claire is furious, and we’re suffering along with her!”
“That’s right!”
“And didn’t you say you weren’t worried because Rusmayeur would soon collapse anyway?”
The young ladies nodded in agreement, and Hemnon’s excuses began to falter.
They knew that Hemnon was the mastermind behind the corruption at the Eastern Noble’s meeting.
In other words, they were the ones who knew the entire secret.
“So, what do you want me to do?”
Hemnon’s sweat dripped as he asked, his voice trembling.
“Are you asking us what to do now?”
“There’s no way to turn back the clock. Now that Lady Claire has found out, our opponent is the Bagrand Duke’s family, and there’s nothing I can do alone!”
“Do something! You should take responsibility for your mistakes and fix it!”
“Helley lady, why are you being so unreasonable? I’m not going to die alone, being pushed around!”
“What, what are you saying?”
“It’s not just me; you all have something to hide, don’t you? The plan to feed Kelveia fruit was not only Gelgeton’s, but yours as well. And isn’t it your fault that Lady Claire found out?”
The two sides were at each other’s throats, their voices rising like a tempest.
The atmosphere had already split into Hemnon’s faction and Helley’s faction.
Just then.
The door creaked open.
Who dared to enter this place without permission?
Naturally, the nobles’ gazes turned to the uninvited guest.
It seemed like neither side could leave this place.
Someone would have blurted out something like that.
But neither of the two had a hint of hostility.
“Everyone looks like they’re having fun. Can I join in too?”
The reactions to the man walking in calmly were sharply divided into two.
“Who is that person?”
“I’ve never seen him before…”
“Who did he get an invitation from? He seems to have a noble air about him, though…”
“And what’s with that… aura?”
Some women were blushing or rolling their eyes excitedly as they looked at the man.
Helli, who had asked who the man was, was also the same.
From his attire, he looked like a noble, but nobody knew who he was.
And then there was another reaction.
“What, are you all crazy?”
“Do the young ladies not remember who that person is?”
“Get a grip, people!”
The reaction was one of disbelief that nobody knew who that person was.
“That’s Carsain!”
“What, what did you say?!”
The young ladies who had been blushing and the young men who had been puffed up regained their composure at Hemnon’s sharp rebuke.
Though he had changed a lot, his appearance was still vaguely recognizable.
His black hair, which was only slightly visible with a blue tint.
His eyes, which had become dull and ash-colored over time, were a stark contrast to the bright, piercing gaze of the aristocracy.
It was Carsain standing there.
“How did he…!”
“How did he end up here?!”
Nobody knew the reason.
Nobody there knew the reason.
But this was an opportunity, wasn’t it?
Looking around, there was nobody who had come with him.
Carsain was alone. On the other hand, there were several nobles here.
Hemnon lowered his voice, trying to convey to Helli that this wasn’t the time to fight among themselves.
“…”
But for some reason, Helli’s gaze wouldn’t leave Carsain.
He was staring at the public enemy of the nobles as if he was in a trance!
“Hey, hey!”
Hemnon pushed Helli’s shoulder, and only then did Helli come back to himself, looking puzzled.
“Ah?”
“It’s not the time to fight among ourselves right now. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“…”
“It’s all because of that guy. Let’s take care of him first, whether he’s a friend or foe. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Public opinion could be manipulated to their advantage.
This was a den of nobles, after all.
Hemnon took the initiative, trying to take control of the situation.
“What’s going on with you? I thought you didn’t like going out.”
“Ah, I came to take a family portrait at the ducal estate.”
“Ah, for the portrait? Well, it’s only fitting! The weather’s nice too.”
Heumn, with a sly smile, swiftly scanned Carsein’s attire.
A family portrait.
That meant there couldn’t be any problems with those clothes.
Realizing this, one of the young ladies ordered a new set of clothes to be brought down from the servant.
And before long…
“Oh no!”
With a loud crash, the tea spilled all over Carsein’s clothes.
The fabric was stained with the sweet scent of tea and a deep, rich color.
This was far from an ideal situation for taking a portrait.
“This, did I accidentally spill the tea? I’m sorry.”
Heumn, who had orchestrated the whole scene, put on a pitiful act.
It was a clearly insincere apology, one that Carsein saw right through.
And right next to them, a box caught his eye.
That seemed like a perfect target.
It was undoubtedly something bought to grab the attention of his family.
Heumn, with a sly smile, discreetly nudged the box with his elbow.
And…
-Crash!
He carelessly trampled on what was inside, then deliberately crushed it.
“Oh no! I did it again. I’m really sorry.”
Of course, it was no accident, but a deliberate act.
Still, Heumn smiled slyly.
This was the den of the nobility.
No matter how hard Carsein, a commoner, struggled, he couldn’t escape this place.
Even if he managed to escape, he had no allies. As the adopted son of the ducal family, Carsein was rejected by his two sisters and younger sister, a fact known to everyone present.
So, he had committed such a brazen act.
Anyway, the power of the ducal family wouldn’t reach him, so…
“Hmm, won’t he just flare up right away?”
It would be better if he didn’t flare up immediately, as that would be more suspicious.
If he was lacking, he needed to be provoked more.
How could he be provoked? Heumn began to think to himself.
“Pfft.”
Then, Carsein let out a snort of laughter.
“Huh?”
“It’s an accident. Yeah, it could happen.”
And he picked up the teapot.
Exactly at Hemnun’s crown, the remaining tea water started pouring down with a gurgling sound.
-Tinkle.
From noble mtl dot com
“Ugh…! Thud! Thud! Thud!!!”
Hemnun, who had been sitting, suddenly stood up and stumbled around.
Like a pig being boiled alive in hot water, Hemnun’s mouth was making a strange sound.
“What, what kind of ridiculousness is this?!”
“You’re saying you did that without any dignity?!”
The nobles criticized his sudden behavior, but Carsein just smiled faintly and responded briefly.
“Ah, sorry. It was a mistake.”
“What, what?!”
“A mistake? You clearly did it on purpose!”
“This is ridiculous. My actions were intentional, and Hemnun’s actions are fine?!”
“Enough!”
Hemnun shouted.
After pouring cold water on his head and calming down, his eyes were bloodshot.
“Ha, ha…! You…! Oh, I’ll make you regret this!”
Hemnun’s anger was rising, and his teeth were clenched.
The nobles, who had been watching, started to step forward one by one.
“You should have just acted properly. You’re just a commoner.”
“Are you going to let him get away with this? Does this look like your backyard?”
“Let’s teach him a lesson this time!”
Their intention was to devour him like a tiger devouring its prey.
With that confidence.
Hemnun shouted.
“Make me regret coming here!!”
The nobles launched a united attack on Carsein.
The ladies were filled with excitement, thinking they would see a spectacle.
But.
“Thud?!”
“Kkuek!”
“Euk?!”
The men were stunned by Carsein’s unexpected power, and the women’s faces turned pale as they watched the men fall one by one.
Carsein was not just someone who had changed his appearance.
***
Today feels like everything is going wrong.
We even fought with our sister before we left, and the atmosphere was ruined.
I tried to have a conversation with her in the carriage, but she suddenly rode ahead on horseback.
When we arrived at our destination, I tried to talk to her again, but things got delayed, and to make matters worse, because of the 4-person limit, Carsein was left behind, and I had to come alone.
It was a frustrating situation in every way.
But Claire had a separate, truly frustrating thing.
The conversation with Carcsein could be put off until later, but it started from today. No, to be exact, it started when the schedule for watching the cherry blossoms during the break was made.
From that time on, Claire felt a sense of unease, as if she was missing something.
‘…What’s going on? What did I miss?’
The problem was that she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was.
It was constantly turning Claire’s insides upside down.
“Claire. Claire!”
“Yes? Ah, Unnie?”
“Why are you like that? Not focusing?”
Thanks to Unnie’s shoulder tap, Claire finally came to her senses.
‘Whoa!’
Oh no, she was in the middle of an audience with the 2nd Prince!
“Hahaha. Claire seems to have a lot on her mind today.”
“I’m sorry, I apologize for my rudeness…”
“It’s not like that. I would’ve done the same if I were you.”
“Your Highness.”
“Ay, even Arina is like that. Let’s be honest. We came to have fun with family on this nice day, but instead, we’re stuck with the royal family’s audience. It’s only natural to have other thoughts, right?”
The 2nd Prince laughed it off, saying it was natural to have a lot of thoughts.
“But… it’s a shame. Because of this rigid personnel management, tsk.”
“Why is that?”
“It’s just that I can only call four people, so it’s a shame. Carcsein is left out, so I can’t give him a gift. The substitutes are also very stiff, you know?”
Huh?
Claire’s shoulder suddenly twitched.
“Your Highness, what did you just say…?”
“What? I said the substitutes are stiff, didn’t I?”
“Ah, no. Before that…”
“Ah, I see. I was going to give Carcsein a gift after a long time. It’s been a long time since we met, hasn’t it? A few years, I think?”
“…”
A gift for Carcsein, who was left out…
Her mouth slowly started to drop open.
Claire soon felt a sense of seriousness.
Why hadn’t she noticed this strange feeling until now?
It was the same as back then, but…
“…2nd Prince, I’m sorry, but may I take my leave first?”
“Claire? Why are you like that today?”
“Is something wrong?”
“I don’t care about that. Rather, your expression suggests that you’ve remembered something important, so go ahead.”
“I apologize, and thank you, Your Highness.”
Claire bowed her head and left the audience chamber.
After the prince’s gaze disappeared, she started to run hastily.
Why did I not notice this?
In the past, a similar situation had unfolded, but…
‘Perhaps… perhaps Karcein will get hurt again like that time… no, it can’t be.’
Karcein, who had become a mess, returned with a cherry blossom hairpin.
As I recalled that scene, Claire’s footsteps grew even more urgent.
Lmao. Claire developed Spider-sense
Her sense is tingling lol 😂😂