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I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 140
🕑 Added 2024-09-30 13:56:57 +0000 UTCChapter 140: The Broken Picture Frame (1)
“Blood… Blood…! Don't be hurt, Carsein! Please don't be hurt…!”
Flora, clutching my arm, her voice trembling, spouted those nonsensical words, her eyes wide with panic.
“What are you talking about?”
I tried to pull away, to enter the hotel, but she tightened her grip on my arm, her expression filled with concern.
“Y-You’re injured! We need to call Shaiden! He’s here, we need a doctor…!”
I tried to shake her off again, but this time, she clung to me with all her might, refusing to let go.
“Shaiden! Where are you?! Help!”
She screamed, her voice echoing through the street, summoning the Duchy physician.
I didn't understand what she was so worked up about, but her reaction, seeing my bloodstained clothes, wasn’t entirely unexpected. It was difficult to tell whether it was my own blood or someone else’s.
This could get messy.
I had to stop this before it got out of hand.
“Hey, brat. This isn’t my blood.”
“W-What…?”
“It’s from those other guys. I’m not hurt.”
I pulled off my jacket, revealing the pristine white shirt underneath.
“I’m telling you, this isn't my blood. It splattered on me during the fight. I’m fine.”
“…”
“There, you see? Now let go of my arm.”
But she didn’t let go.
“What about your lip? Is that not your blood?”
My lip?
I had wiped it clean…
‘Ah.’
I touched my lips, and felt a dried flake of blood.
I hadn't cleaned it properly. There must have been a cut I hadn't noticed.
“See, you’re injured! We need to call Shaiden…!”
“I don’t need a doctor.”
It was just a scratch.
“This is nothing compared to what you used to do to me.”
“…!”
“If you really want me to heal, then get out of my way. I don’t need any more bloodshed, especially not because of you.”
I wasn’t lying.
▶ Arina approaching. ◀
▶ Enter the hotel and avoid contact with Arina. ◀
If I stayed here any longer, I would run into Arina and face another round of punishment.
“…”
Flora, her head bowed, slowly released her grip on my arm.
That was strange. I had expected her to argue, to protest, to insist on summoning a doctor.
‘Well, it doesn't matter.’
I stepped into the hotel, eager to escape this awkward encounter.
I grabbed a pen the moment I reached my room.
I had a plan, a strategy to escape this place as quickly as possible.
***
She had been excited.
A spring outing with her family, a chance to enjoy the warm weather and the beautiful scenery.
After Claire left the audience with the Second Prince…
Flora had been confident that the outing would be a success.
Carsein, who had initially refused to join them, had changed his mind, and he was only taking a walk, so everything was fine. Claire would be back soon.
But Carsein’s walk had stretched on for far too long.
The audience had ended quickly, but time passed, and even Claire had left to search for him.
And then, Heron and Shaiden had arrived, whispering urgently to their mother before she, too, disappeared.
Flora’s anxiety grew with each passing moment.
And then, finally, he had returned.
But instead of relief, a wave of fear washed over her.
He wasn't the same Carsein she had seen earlier.
His clothes were stained, torn in several places.
And there was a dried flake of blood on his lip.
He looked like the Carsein from her dreams, the one who had been hurt, abandoned.
She had wanted to take him to Shaiden, who was with their mother. He would treat his wounds, ensure he received the care he needed.
But then…
His words, sharp and cold, had stopped her.
-This is nothing compared to what you used to do to me.
She had accepted that accusation, acknowledged her past cruelty.
But then…
-If you really want me to heal, then get out of my way. I don’t need any more bloodshed, especially not because of you.
Those words cut deep.
What right did she have to hold him back? She had to let him go.
She wanted to apologize, to promise she wouldn’t hurt him anymore, to tell him she would study hard and learn how to create a potion that would protect him from the Kelbia Fruit…
But the words wouldn’t come.
She felt a lump forming in her throat, tears stinging her eyes.
She had to let him go.
And so…
Carsein had disappeared into the hotel.
He would be safe there. He said it wasn’t his blood, so he would be fine.
She would tell Mother he was back, once she returned.
Flora sat on a bench, waiting for Isabella.
But it was Claire who returned first.
“Flora? Why are you here alone…?”
“Sister…”
Claire, about to ask where everyone else was, saw the tears streaming down Flora's face and realized what had happened.
She sat down next to her sister, wrapping her arms around her in a comforting embrace.
“Can you tell me what happened?”
Flora, unable to speak, simply nodded, burying her face in Claire’s shoulder.
She would have stayed silent, if it had been anyone else.
She would have simply said Carsein had returned to the hotel.
But it was Claire.
And so, she confessed everything, her voice trembling, her words punctuated by sobs.
“Carsein… he… he was hurt, Sister…”
She had waited for him, and he had returned, but he was injured. His clothes were stained with blood, and there was a dried flake of blood on his lip.
She had been shocked, and she had tried to take him to Shaiden, but he had stopped her.
She had wanted to say so many things, to apologize, to promise she would change, to tell him she would study hard and learn how to create a potion that would protect him from the Kelbia Fruit.
But she hadn’t.
She had let him go.
“I see.”
Claire stroked her back gently, offering comfort and understanding.
It was a bitter truth, but she was grateful that Flora had confided in her.
‘…I feel the same way, Flora.’
She wanted to say something, to apologize, to tell her about her own mistakes, about the harsh words she had spoken, about her inability to see past her own biases, unlike Arsienne.
She wanted to tell her about Shatrain, about Count Lilpet, about how her actions had made things worse, how she had been the one to trigger this chain of events.
She wanted to reveal everything, to confess her sins.
But she had to be strong, for Flora’s sake.
So instead, she told her about the nobles who had attacked Carsein.
She told her about Hemnon, about his lies, about his attempts to frame her brother. She assured her that he would be punished, that she would make him pay for his cruelty.
And she told her that Carsein wasn’t seriously injured.
Her words, her assurances, seemed to calm Flora down.
“That’s good to hear… but Carsein… he must be really angry, right?”
“…”
“What if he’s so angry that he leaves? What about the portrait?”
Claire’s lips trembled at the mention of the portrait.
Right, she had to tell her.
She couldn’t hide this from her.
“Flora, I… No, our family… We’ve wronged Carsein. So… I think we should forget about the family portrait.”
“W-Why? We came all this way… and we still have a few days. We can wait until he calms down…!”
“No, I don’t think he’ll… forgive us.”
Not this time.
“Flora, do you remember… our last spring outing?”
Claire, her voice laced with sadness, began to tell her about that day.
About how their entire family…
Had refused to accept Carsein as one of their own.
***
“Urgent news? What is it?”
Heron and Shaiden had arrived, their faces grim, claiming to have urgent news.
Isabella, worried, had excused herself, leaving her daughters to explore the festival. But due to the large crowds, it had taken her a while to find a secluded spot where they could speak privately.
‘She still hasn’t realized, has she?’
They shared a look, a silent acknowledgment of their shared concern.
They had hoped that this year’s outing, to the same location as their previous disastrous one, would trigger her memories, that she would finally understand what had happened, what they had done.
But there was no recognition in her eyes.
And the other sisters were oblivious as well.
This was a disaster.
If this continued, Carsein’s wounds would never heal. He would close himself off, retreating further into that cold, empty shell.
They had to intervene, to make her see the truth before it was too late.
“My Lady, perhaps you should…”
“You haven’t changed at all, have you, My Lady?”
Shaiden was about to speak, to guide the conversation as they had planned, but Heron interrupted him, his words sharp, his tone accusatory.
-Nudge. Nudge.
‘What are you doing?!’
Shaiden nudged him, his eyes pleading.
They had planned this. They were supposed to present her with the broken picture frame, to remind her of that day, to show her the crack, the division that separated Carsein from the rest of the family.
They were supposed to explain how Emma, the culprit, had deliberately given him that broken portrait, how it had been hidden, discarded.
They were supposed to guide her, to help her understand that the same thing was happening again.
But Heron was changing the plan, throwing away their carefully constructed script.
He couldn't let this happen.
Shaiden tried to intervene, to steer the conversation back on track, but then…
He saw the anger, the grief, in his old friend’s eyes.
‘…We were supposed to work together, weren't we?’
It seemed like Heron had his own agenda, his own reasons for confronting their mistress.
He had chosen to stay silent, to observe.
“Heron, you said you had urgent news,” Isabella said, her voice calm, her expression neutral.
“Yes, My Lady.”
“If you’re concerned about Carsein, don’t worry. He’s just taking a walk. He’ll be back soon. I’ll overlook your dramatic entrance.”
Heron closed his eyes, his jaw clenching, and then, as she turned to leave, he spoke.
“Do you remember, My Lady, a few months ago, the discrepancy in the number of letters addressed to Young Master Carsein?”
“…Why are you bringing that up?”
She stopped, her brow furrowed, but didn’t turn around.
And Heron, defying his mistress, his voice steady, delivered his accusation.
“Because the situation now is no different, My Lady.”
Comments
Chuck Wiles
Great as always. Man what a cliffhanger
