23 – 23. Belated Birthday Gift (2)
The weapon following the Kelvia allergy.
The effect of the handkerchief was clear.
The blood-stained handkerchief caught Isabella’s eyes.
Her stiff expression turned to surprise, then quickly flushed with confusion.
“This handkerchief…”
The fact that it was stained with blood meant that it had soaked from Carseine’s still unhealed cheek wound, proving that there had been an encounter with the owner of the handkerchief.
“Why were you late,” she asked. “I met Harnie on the terrace. His wound reopened in the morning, causing the blood to flow again, so I borrowed his handkerchief.”
“…Is that what happened?”
“But that alone won’t explain why you were late, will it?”
Nod.
Of course not.
That’s why I came prepared.
“So, I’ll ask you one thing. Have you received any letters recently?”
“No. There haven’t been any.”
“What if those letters were being filtered out, even if they did arrive? What would you do?”
“…What do you mean?”
Not with a conventional weapon.
With a bomb.
“Harnie was curious. He said he sent me letters several times, but never received a reply. Then where do you think those letters might have gone?”
Clatter.
The teacup Isabella was holding tilted and spilled onto the table.
She widened her eyes and finally felt the seriousness of the situation.
“What are you talking about? Explain in detail.”
The bomb effect, quite impressive.
“I heard that last month alone, more than twenty letters were sent. But none of them arrived, so I came to ask for an explanation in person.”
“Twenty… you say. That can’t be true. Who would dare to tamper with your correspondence at the Bagrande Estate…”
“By the way, I can’t even remember when the last letter arrived. I was just trying to figure out the truth.”
With this, all three problems were resolved.
Punctuality, improper attire, and even lies were all cleared up in one fell swoop, proving my innocence.
It no longer mattered whether I showed the appropriate attitude as a noble or as a member of the Bagrande Estate.
Even if there were some lies mixed in with my claims, what’s the problem?
“For now, summon Heron for an investigation.”
Once again, I delivered a blow to Isabella, who still had doubts.
“No, it’s not necessary.”
“Carsein?”
“I’ll just take the blame myself. If I’m suspected to this extent, it means I’ve been treated that way.”
“Why are you speaking like that? I understand that you’re upset, but choose your words carefully, Carsein.”
“I’ll take my leave. I don’t want to talk anymore.”
I don’t even want to hear an apology from you. It’s not something that can be resolved by coming out and saying sorry.
Even if such words were to slip out, would this guy really appreciate it?
I’m quite certain.
You’ll find it disgusting instead.
So, without even giving me a chance to speak, I quickly stood up and tried to leave.
Right at that moment.
An object on the shelf began to shine brightly.
“Is this the memorial that appears in this branch?”
Yeah. I don’t know what kind of sh*tty thing it is, but…
Let’s take a look at it.
As I placed my hand on the letter, everything in front of me flickered.
“What? There’s no change at all?”
Just as I thought that.
I could see not only Isabella but also Arina sitting here.
Isabella’s office.
This place itself was the place where the memorial was reflected.
The two of them were having a very simple conversation.
“We can’t just leave Karstein like this, Mother.”
With just one line, you can guess the content. It was because of Karstein, who had caused a lot of accidents.
But the next line was something I couldn’t have guessed.
With this short conversation, the memorial sent me back to my original place.
“Ah, damn it.”
Swear words come out involuntarily.
This was not just a lack of interest.
In the meantime, Isabella’s hand touched my shoulder.
“Carsen, please sit for a moment. That attitude just now—”
Thunk.
I roughly swatted her hand away in disgust.
“You…!”
For some reason, I can imagine the expression I’m making right now.
I also had a strong intuition that I should never show this expression to Isabella.
Stay calm. Stay composed.
Even if I had words I wanted to say boiling up in my throat, I had to hold them back.
But in the end, one word slipped out of my mouth.
“No one should dare to say anything about the secret rendezvous I had with my fiancée.”
***
The office door, which had closed with a loud noise, was soon opened again, and after some time, the door opened once more.
“You have brought what I ordered to investigate.”
“How did it go?”
“That… “
Heron, who had been contemplating how to deliver the news, handed me the report as if there was no other choice.
“The quantity of the letters was different. The ones that arrived for the other ladies and the mistress were all fine, but…”
“Are you saying that Carsen’s letters… didn’t match in quantity?”
Nodding.
“It seems highly likely that it was leaked or discarded during the process of passing through the maidservants’ hands. Since Lord Carsein has never received a letter directly.”
“What is the estimated timeframe?”
From Noble mtl dot com
“Just by briefly looking at it, it seems to span several months. If we expand the scope beyond Viscountess Theresia, it is estimated that it could have disappeared even on a yearly basis.”
“Ah, why again… I would have preferred it to be a lie.”
Isabella sighed deeply, touching her forehead.
“We have already conducted a thorough investigation. However, there is a possibility that the situation could be concealed with internal resources alone, so we have hired external help.”
“Alright. Thank you.”
To Isabella, who was sighing in frustration, Heron spoke up.
“Madam, if I may speak beyond the subject, this is not something you should hope to be a lie.”
“Heron?”
“You are the one who was indifferent towards Lord Carsein. As I mentioned before, there is a wall between you and Lord Carsein.”
“Why is this suddenly being brought up?”
“Hasn’t it happened more than once?”
Even though there had been clear precedents where Isabella had ignored and turned away from Calsein’s allergies, she made the same mistake again.
Why did Carsein come late?
Why did Carsein lie and come in the disguise of a servant?
Not asking for the reasons became a burden.
It was no different from the restaurant.
If only she had asked once. If only she had asked if there was a problem.
Isabella was not like that.
It was because she still had that judgmental gaze.
Heron had to break this prejudice, no matter what.
To prevent the situation from getting worse and becoming uncontrollable.
“I understand what you mean. You want me to investigate more thoroughly to clear Carsein of any wrongdoing, right?”
“No, madam.”
“That’s not it? Then… should I offer an appropriate reward?”
Heron trembled as he shook his head.
“You should have apologized. Madam.”
“I had to apologize…?”
“If other young ladies were in the same situation, would you have scolded them like you did to the Duke?”
“It’s a given. I would have pointed out their mistakes sharply.”
“Madam…”
Heron, with a bitter expression, brought out and unfolded a calendar from the previous month. It was the calendar Isabella used last year.
Pointing to a date with his finger, he asked again.
“Do you remember what day this is? Do you remember?”
The calendar that Heron’s finger pointed to had only a circled mark and no content.
When Isabella seemed unsure, Heron showed her the calendar he was currently using, right next to it.
“Even like this, you still don’t know, madam.”
This time, his voice carried a sense of pressure. It was a sharp reprimand from a mere butler to the acting Duke.
It wouldn’t be right for anyone else, not even Bagrand’s loyalist, to speak so casually.
Isabella, who had been alternating between two calendars, finally covered her mouth with both hands and fell silent.
“Now do you understand, madam? When I said that it feels like there is a wall because you didn’t receive the same affection, it means that you don’t see the young master as an equal to the other girls.”
A perfectly drawn circle with a special pen used only for marking important dates, indicating Claire’s birthday on January 1st.
A circle drawn with a second-rate pen and no content written on December 31st.
Even though the treatment of the two days differed, it was distinctly wrong.
He said the words, but his gaze had already shifted. Heron clearly pointed out this difference.
“Me… like that…?”
Only then did Isabella’s eyes widen.
If it were her daughters in the same situation, she would have asked first. If there was a reason. Why did they behave that way?
But it was because of Carsein.
Because he was not her biological child, but one she picked up.
Because only a slight sense of guilt remained, not affection.
That’s why she had already been looking at him with blurred eyes.
“Heron. Where is Carsein now… Ah.”
Suddenly, Isabella remembered the words Carsein had said before leaving the room.
He clearly said that he didn’t want to talk anymore because he felt bad.
“…”
Inevitably, she chose to hold the pen.
Heron, who had been watching her, let out a deep sigh inwardly.
Perhaps, it would be difficult for the relationship to improve.
***
“Of all things, why did I have to see that?”
As soon as I returned to my room, I went straight to the bathroom to cool off my anger. I couldn’t bear the heat rising inside me, so I had to wash my face with cold water.
As the cold water rippled and gradually cooled down the heat, I felt like my mind was finally coming back to me.
That last word was definitely a mistake.
“Ugh. Why did I snap like that just because I saw the name ‘Jeongnyakhon’?”
The scene from the memorial that I saw came to mind.
The conversation between mother and daughter went back and forth, suggesting that it might be better to marry Jeongnyakhon, who was like a beast that couldn’t be tamed no matter how much they tried.
So I blurted it out in anger.
That I was having an affair with my fiancée.
Spilled water cannot be recovered.
“Phew. Let’s calm down. It’s about time to start getting ready.”
I sent a letter through Camilla, whom I had a conversation with that day.
The letter contained a message that I would like to meet today, so I needed to prepare quickly.
After finishing washing up, I called for Camilla.
“Did you call for me, my lord?”
Camilla glanced at me, then moved towards the laundry basket. She examined my hand, as if wondering if I was holding a cloth.
And above her head.
[Camilla]
[Intimacy: 17%]
The intimacy level, which had been steadily rising for three days, had now surpassed 15%.
“Why is it increasing so much?”
Even though Camilla had recently left the management of the Dead Trigger to me, I didn’t expect it to rise this much.
I don’t really know.
Anyway, I should tell her now.
“Stop being so nosy. I won’t be like this anymore, so don’t come so early.”
“But…”
“I’ve already told you twice. Do you want me to say it a third time?”
“Oh, no! I understand perfectly. I’ll be careful.”
It’s even more annoying to see her trying to hinder my work by watching me every time she enters my room. If that’s the case, I’d rather give her some tasks and be more at ease.
“Anyway, Camilla. Get ready to go out immediately.”
“Go out?”
The first scheduled meeting is approaching. It seems that a natural encounter is the first step to continue our engagement.
“I have to meet someone. The other party is a noble. And quite a prestigious one at that.”
“Yes. I’ll inform Marbu right away.”
Just as Camilla was about to open the door and leave again.
“Housekeeper Heron?”
“I apologize. My lord.”
Heron respectfully bowed his head.
Behind, the maids and servants were gathered together.
As soon as I saw them, I felt a surge of anger.
“f*ck.”
Isabella noticed it.
Carsein’s birthday.
Even the fact that she noticed the birthday itself might be a miracle, but it would have been better if she didn’t know.
My mother’s appearance, mentioning the birthday that she realized a day late, seemed to be exactly the same.
No, not even mentioning it.
“Although it’s late, Madam said she would grant any wish you have. If you want a birthday party, she will throw one for you. If you want clothes, she will call a famous boutique. And if you want jewelry with lots of gems, she said she would call a jeweler.”
Doing this without coming in person, but calling others to deliver the message.
And even spending money to give me something, trying to alleviate that guilt even a little.
A birthday party? A famous boutique? A jeweler?
I don’t need any of that. It’s ridiculous to impose the tastes of the three sisters on me without even knowing what Carsein wants.
How is it possible for everything to be so disgustingly the same?
I don’t need it.
No matter how late I realize this fact and try to apologize, it’s useless.
But.
-Ding!
▶Your birthday gift has arrived! How would you like to react?
As expected.
The options won’t leave me alone.
So, I’ve made up my mind here.
“That’s enough about the rest. I’ll only take what’s here. But hey, I heard the maids and servants have been really busy lately, right?”
“…Yes. We’ve had a lot of work recently.”
“If that’s the case, there should be performance bonuses, right? Isn’t that right?”
They chose not to accept everything.