78 – 78. Once Again, Breakfast Gathering (2)
Eating here?
In the seat where I should be sitting?
In that moment of absurdity, I was left speechless.
Harnier, too, seemed bewildered, glancing at me.
It was as if she was asking if I knew something about this situation. That’s what it seemed like.
‘I have no idea…’
I’m most curious about why Flora, who used to dislike Carcine so much, is now insisting on eating right next to him.
“Stop this and return to your seat. Otherwise, Lady Harnier won’t have a place to sit.”
“…”
Flora, who was staring at Harnier, slowly shook her head and seemed to huddle down in her chair, gathering her two knees with her arms as if she was going to squat on the chair.
“I don’t want to! I’m eating here.”
“Flora…?”
“Stop it and come here. Let’s eat together.”
“No!”
No one in that space seemed to approve of Flora’s forced behavior in this situation.
But I think I know.
More precisely, not as Carcine but as Kim Minhyuk.
“Each of these things truly makes me feel disgusting.”
Besides the two in-game changes, there was one more alteration.
The final, third change.
Yesterday, the third one fell asleep exhausted from crying on my bed.
When I asked Heron about it, he said that it wasn’t just yesterday, but for three days, he had been lingering in front of the room several times.
Every time Isabella, Arina, and Claire persuaded and sent him back, but it was the first time he entered the room.
I tried to pass it off, but now I am convinced.
What could be different between the mother and her child?
“I’m fine, Karsein. I’ll go sit next to Miss Claire.”
“I’m not okay with that. Harnie.”
“Yes, yes?”
Passing by the flustered girl, I pulled out a chair and casually brought one from the opposite side.
“If we sit apart like this at a meal with the fiancée, what does it mean?”
“K-Karsein?”
Harnie asked in shock what I was thinking, but I naturally put a chair next to her and sat down.
Thanks to that, the seating arrangement for the meal became ambiguous.
Karsein, who should have been the center of attention next to Isabella, was lower than the guest seat instead of the main seat.
And.
Originally, the seat next to me was supposed to be Harnie’s, but I completely cleared that spot.
In other words, Flora was sitting at the main seat, but the seat next to it was empty, with Harnie and I sitting side by side below, keeping a distance from Flora.
“…”
Flora, who noticed this fact, bit her lip.
“If we do this, well, there shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
“Karsein…”
I cheekily sat close to Harnie and said.
Isabella, who aimed to have the recovered Karsein sit at today’s main seat, was in trouble due to a major change in her plan.
Arina and Claire were no exception.
They were ready to blurt out something about the inappropriate behavior at any moment.
“Flora, come sit next to Unni.”
Claire, who I thought would be the first to speak up, did not scold me.
It seemed like she chose to move Flora’s seat instead of me.
“Today is the day Karsein should sit at the main seat. You shouldn’t be there. Okay?”
From Noble mtl dot com
“…I don’t want to.”
“Flora?”
“As long as it’s not here, it’s fine, right?”
Flora got up from her seat.
And then, she took the seat right next to the main seat, which was originally supposed to be Harnie’s seat and my seat.
“Well, then… I’ll sit here.”
Flora, who would usually listen to Claire’s words, was now refusing to back down.
“Is that how you’re going to play it?”
Well, there’s no excuse like being an engaged woman at times like this.
I leaned closer to Harnie.
Just like before. As if showing off in front of the socialites.
This time, I firmly pulled her shoulder in front of the family.
“Oh my?”
“I’m fine sitting anywhere, but if it’s not next to Harnie, I’ll just get up.”
“K-Karsein…! What’s that supposed to mean…!”
“We haven’t met for a while due to circumstances. Don’t we need to fill in today?”
-Ding.
*Cough, cough!*
At that, Claire dropped the cutlery with her mouth agape, Arina clattered the glass she was trying to quench her thirst with on the table, and Flora…
“…”
Her lips pouted.
“…Next time, I should instruct to arrange separate seats for two in various places.”
“Y-Your Grace…?”
“Two people are so close, and I didn’t know until now. I feel sorry.”
“Uh, well…”
Before Harnier could say anything, two rounds of applause followed.
Isabella’s suggestion to return to the dining time was met with no objection.
Of course, Harnier’s piercing gaze was uncomfortable, but… They had agreed to help each other, so there shouldn’t be any issue, right?
Anyway, the seating discussion was over.
While Flora bowed her head and returned to her seat, I didn’t care about that.
As the formal dining time commenced, Isabella summoned all the newly hired servants to the dining hall.
It seemed like tormenting Karsein within the noble circle had reached its limit, judging by the way groups were neatly formed to prevent disruption during mealtime and the lists of new knights being presented.
“Lastly, the new ladies-in-waiting were once nobles. There won’t be any disturbances to the hierarchy in the future.”
During the introductions, the mention of them being former nobles made something click in the mind.
‘Wait. Deol, Deol… This surname…?’
When I turned my head, Tasha smiled broadly.
‘So that’s it.’
Now I understand why she mentioned receiving a great favor.
“Excuse me, Karsein?”
“Why do you ask?”
“I’m not sure if it’s just my feeling, but when I see the etiquette and elegance of that maid Camilla and the lady-in-waiting Tasha, they seem similar. What’s their relationship?”
This person was quite observant as well. To notice that the atmosphere was similar just by such a minor detail and whisper to me.
“They’re mother and daughter.”
“Mother… and daughter?”
“Yes. You can tell for sure, considering they both suffered from magical hysteria.”
Harnier vaguely sensed that they were both former nobles and covered his mouth with his hand.
“Deol… I see now. When I heard the surname during the introduction, I had a faint suspicion that it might be the surname of a family that used to be nobles.”
It was a coincidence, but I had seen the profiles of the maids presented by Arina.
Camilla Deol.
That was Camilla’s full name.
From Chapter 2, Tasha Deol, who was now included as Karsein’s ally, turned out to be Camilla’s mother. This, too, was peculiar.
“I see. The newly appointed lady-in-waiting is the mother of the head maid… That must be reassuring.”
Reassuring or not. In Chapter 2, Tasha was one of Karsein’s key supporters.
So, by looking at the intimacy box:
[Tasha Deol]
[Intimacy: 52%]
She had already filled in 50%. Seeing Isabella, who had approached the 50% mark after the incident, one could understand how favorable she was to Karsein.
The reason? Well, it seems unnecessary to think about.
***
The meal was over.
Perhaps, by attending this morning meal, their objectives had been achieved.
By presenting employment certificates for the new knights and introducing the servants, it meant that those who had carried out Emma’s request were all dismissed from here.
Apart from the reminders that there would be no such incidents in the future or inquiries about the progress of the engagement with Harnier…
“There is only one person who hasn’t achieved any goal.”
I am certain they will come looking for me. Even if it doesn’t appear in the progress window.
“Harnier. I’m sorry, but can you make up an excuse for me until I come back?”
“An excuse?”
“I have a visitor coming.”
“Hmm… I see. You want to change the subject?”
Harney, who noticed the hint, led her back to the room she had stayed in at the mansion.
She was supposed to go out right after the meal to help her, but delaying it a bit was fine.
After reading the etiquette book for about five minutes, there was a knock on the door.
– Knock, knock.
“Can I come in, Carsein?” Flora, tapping my door with her tiny hand, asked softly.
‘She came quite quickly.’
I thought she would try some kind of trick this time, but whether she would or not.
I told her to come in languidly, my chin resting on my hand.
– Click.
The door opened cautiously.
As soon as I noticed her larger frame, I realized she was holding the teddy bear I had given her during the snowflake festival for intimacy.
“…!”
When our eyes met, Flora hid her face behind the teddy bear she had received a long time ago.
Whether she would say something or not, I kept my gaze fixed on the book, turning a page as I asked.
“What’s the matter?”
Then, Flora pulled her head back from the teddy bear.
“I… I didn’t throw this away.”
“So?”
“Well, it’s just that…”
After contemplating for a while, she barely managed to say something.
This little one is still the same.
“If you came just to say that, you could have just left.”
“…”
“Or what? Are you regretting that now that Emma, Theo, the maids who used to do anything you asked, are all gone, you have no one to bother?”
Tunk.
The teddy bear fell to the floor.
“That’s impossible! I-I just wanted to ask if you were okay…”
Trying to say such words is just a lame excuse to buy time.
Everyone at the dining table saw that I was fine, so there’s no way she didn’t see it.
“Then it’s settled. Since there wasn’t even the Kelbia fruit that you used to feed me on purpose, there’s nothing left to do, right?”
“No. There’s still something I need to say.”
Tunk.
I turned another page. It was all over as Flora rambled on.
Why did she come here?
I have a rough idea.
This time, without beating around the bush, I answered directly.
“You don’t need to worry about my health. Harney helped me in the Grand Duke’s mansion where no one can be trusted anyway. Oh, and the meals will be fine too. She said she would bring them. Seeing this, it’s quite comfortable to have a fiancée who helps with everything, right?”
“…”
“You don’t have to worry about anything. Harney will take care of it all for you.”
Then, Flora protruded her lips again and watched me closely.
Silent.
Just quietly watching over me.
– Tunk.
“That’s enough. You can go now. I won’t bring up your story in the future.”
“What?”
“You came here worrying about that, right? Worried that your actions, which Emma witnessed from me, might be relayed to your family, and they might scold you, right?”
Her golden hair trembled.
Yeah. She must hate it.
Being drawn to family members was already a source of dissatisfaction, but being scolded made it even more unbearable.
“I’ve said it before, haven’t I? I’m nothing but a thorn in your side. I’ll continue to live quietly without causing any trouble.”
“I never asked you for that…!”
“Well, don’t you wish for nothing to happen? I hope that memory fades away from my mind. Even now, and in the future, I hope only the fact that you tormented me without possessing anything like you said will be forgotten.”
-Clank.
“I’ll take it to the grave as you wish. The day when the words of you tormenting me spring from my mouth will never come.”
There won’t be any need to ask for help, and I will never reach out for help myself.
Even if Karsein’s stupid words pop up as options.
But I won’t take them at face value.
“I don’t need your help either.”
With that, Flora burst into tears and shouted.
“Idiot. You fool! You’re a fool who knows nothing!!”
That’s the end of that conversation.
As anger was expressed, she would soon leave in a huff. Then, she would guide me through the second branch of CHAPTER 2 that I knew.
Closing the book, it was time to go outside.
“Huh?”
But there seemed to be a strange sensation on my hand, as if something foreign was stuck to it.
It felt like the tip of my finger was stinging.
A red liquid was seeping through the skin.
“Oh my. It seems the mark of a cut on Harney’s finger remains so vividly.”
This wasn’t the first time paper had cut me. I had cut myself countless times turning pages in my school days.
However, the paper in this world was much sharper.
Whether it was due to lack of skill or the hastily made game world, the paper in this world wasn’t well-trimmed at the edges.
Seeing blood clotting, I thought I’d have to bother applying some ointment for a while.
But.
-Ring!
Flora, who had suddenly come close, grabbed my hand abruptly.
[ Flora Vagrand ]
[ ??? : 65% ]
▶Flora’s intimacy box is changing!◀
▶Stop the bleeding on your finger!◀
▶You can’t go out until the bleeding stops!◀
A simple and seemingly meaningless progress bar appeared, instructing to stop the bleeding on the finger.
Surprisingly, this was a message I had never seen before.
But what was even more surprising was.
“Oh, please don’t hurt… Please don’t hurt…!”
She took out her handkerchief, pressed it tightly against the bleeding finger, and spoke in a trembling voice filled with fear.