The Damn Family Is Back Again

393. CHAPTER 6. ■■■■(2)

‘Attend the Imperial Court-hosted banquet… with Harnier?’

A sigh escaped me at the sudden, nonsensical order.

‘Looking at Harnier’s current state, there’s no way that’s going to work, is there?’

Just now, I tried to put an arm around her because I was worried she might be cold, and she bolted away like that.

“But, to attend a banquet? Together, you say?”

*Would that even work? Huh? Would it? You gotta be kidding me. This stupid system.*

I mentally unleashed a torrent of curses, and the status window reacted as if it had heard it all.

– *Ding!*

▶Just who do you think you are &@%@%$^@&&$%#? @^@#&^&%#^!!◀

Huh?

This crazy status window.

I didn’t quite understand what it was saying, but I knew one thing.

It was swearing. It screamed ‘curse words’ all over it.

As I glared, snarling at the status window, Harnier, who had been avoiding my gaze nearby, suddenly spoke up.

“U-Um, Karsein?”

“Yes?”

“I think I’d like to… rest for a bit. I’ll head back and come find you later!”

“Uh, wait. Harnier!”

Harnier left those words behind, and then she dashed out of the hospital room.

“…This, this is bad.”

A trickle of cold sweat ran down my cheek.

*

In the old days, tension might have sharpened me like a knife.

The start of Chapter 6. And the beginning of a new episode.

That was always a gauntlet I had to run.

It wouldn’t have been strange for my life to be snuffed out in any way, shape, or form, and it wouldn’t have been weird if a dead trigger suddenly activated and death loomed before my eyes.

So that phrase was always something to be wary of. It meant my life was in danger.

But… not anymore.

▶From Chapter 6 onwards, there are no dead triggers.◀

▶Choices will also not appear, and bad endings due to the intimacy of the characters will also not be set to occur.◀

It was such an odd message that one might tilt their head in confusion, and look again to make sure they read it right.

It essentially said there was no dead trigger so I could not die.

“It’s a message that’s hard to believe… but it’s also not that surprising anymore.”

There was a reason it had been showing me warning messages so many times. It was a message sent to keep me from turning down the path to corruption, a path of no return.

There was a reason, unnervingly so, that I was connecting myself to the Bagrand Ducal family and its kin. The Duke’s aid was indispensable, after all.

Furthermore, perhaps my restraint was for naught; maybe the price for action would have been a cruel, bitter end. Indeed, several omens pointed in just that direction.

Decisive, really, was that phrase from back then, the one that desperately tried to stop me from returning to reality.

After realizing that Harnier held the Author’s soul, I came to understand that the Status Window was never truly hostile to me.

“…It’s just a guess, but you know, seeing these changes, it’s like someone else is in charge.”

It’s a system, so should I say the system’s owner has changed?

Well, whatever.

That phrase, it must be the truth.

Now that that’s settled, let’s set it aside for a moment.

▶CHAPTER 6. ■■■■ is in progress.◀

▶Harnier has entered a state of abnormality for some reason.◀

▶The reason is because of you!◀

Even now, looking at the Status Window, it’s quite a sight.

“It’s like they’re saying I actually did something wrong, putting up messages like that.”

…First, let’s be clear about this situation: I am innocent.

I have no idea why Harnier has entered some state of abnormality, and furthermore, I absolutely cannot accept that I am the reason.

Logically, what did I even do?

All I did was help Harnier slowly recover her health.

I’ve done nothing wrong. Or rather, I question whether this even constitutes a wrong.

“However, I absolutely do not like this atmosphere.”

Weren’t all the incidents resolved at long last?

Yes. It’s all over. There is nothing left to worry about.

The time I so futilely spent in the past, the time has come to spend it meaningfully.

If so, then I must change from the past.

I must never again coldly let the people around me drift away like a fool.

Even though they don’t share my memories, the time has come to spend happy days.

To her, who has remained unchanged despite so much changing.

To the one who anxiously wracked her brain, worried, and ran to my side, only looking at me.

To the woman I absolutely do not want to lose in my life.

To the Author.

To Harnier.

I, too, had to approach.

But, this awkward atmosphere… would it truly persist?

“I, too, dislike such things.”

Absolutely. I would absolutely not desire such a thing.

Becoming all the more earnest, I shifted my gaze to the status window.

▶Harnier has been afflicted with a status ailment, for reasons unknown.◀

[Status Ailment: ???]

Status ailment. Though I do not know what it is, the change she has shown recently must surely be connected.

Then, ultimately, I must resolve it.

Whatever this status ailment that has befallen her, I must undo it with my own hands.

“The time… is rather ample.”

▶Attend the banquet hosted by the Imperial Household.◀

▶Time Remaining◀

[3 hours 29 minutes]

“Let us think slowly. The cause, it said, lies with me.”

I clutched my head.

Not simply thinking of the external, but what, internally, has gone wrong?

I endlessly reviewed the time that had passed.

What words had Harnier spoken while by my side?

What expressions had Harnier worn while spending time with me?

What were Harnier’s reactions? Was there anything noticeable in her actions?

I began to overlay the reasons for Harnier’s recent change. I recalled every detail, ensuring I missed nothing in her demeanor.

I compared and contrasted each aspect with the past, one by one.

I pondered thus, taking my time.

Until the moment to head to the banquet hall drew near.

*

Meanwhile. Harnier, lying in bed, clutched a blameless pillow.

In truth, the pillow was a wreck, crumpled in every direction.

At times, it was pounded with resounding thuds, at times, pressed down with force.

And so it had come to this. The pillow, crumpled to the point of almost losing all its cushioning.

“Ugh… why did I do that. Really…”

A wave of profound regret washes over him.

He can’t understand it. Not at all.

Why he acted that way. What made him do such a thing. He was such a fool.

The target of his foolishness… ironically, it was himself.

“In the hospital room, Karsein wanted to hold me because I looked cold… All I had to do was let him…”

As he just said, all he had to do was let him.

It wouldn’t be strange.

Nothing odd about it.

It was perhaps even commonplace. Something he’d grown used to.

…And yet.

He brushed that hand aside with his own.

For no other reason than embarrassment.

Again, the poor pillow is pummeled.

“Ughhh…! Why is that so embarrassing…!”

Anyone watching would likely wonder what there was to be embarrassed about now, of all times.

It had reached a point where not being able to greet Karsein, not being able to hold a normal conversation with him, would seem strange.

Holding hands? That was even in the realm of the expected. They had even grown accustomed to things like linking arms, escorts, leaning on each other’s shoulders, and comfortable embraces that had blended so naturally into their lives.

And so, everyone around them recognized them as a couple. In fact, they’d been playing the part of lovers so convincingly that no one suspected a thing.

If he were to be truly honest, they had done even more. Back hugs, sleeping in the same bed, even sharing a kiss.

Simply pressing their sides together would now qualify as relatively light physical contact.

And yet. Now, his feelings have changed, strangely so.

Even the slightest touch of a finger makes him tremble.

He can’t say a single word properly, can’t even meet his gaze.

Ironically, that was why he had consciously avoided the outstretched hand.

Harnein, who had been burying his face in the pillow out of embarrassment, was now overcome with regret, followed by a wave of longing.

“…I wanted to be held.”

He knew better than anyone how good it felt to be held in those arms.

That arm reaching out, calling his name, would surely have wrapped around his back, encompassing his shoulders.

Their body heat would have mingled where their sides touched.

Karsein embraces with a gentle strength, just enough not to hurt.

Even so, he pulls her in with such considerate care that she could lean fully into his embrace.

That warmth, enveloping her whole body despite being held by a single arm, is a sensation beyond words. Immersed in the rising warmth of his body temperature, leaning into him, she could almost wish that time would simply stop.

It would have been wonderful to be held in those arms.

Perhaps she could have been a little more greedy, burrowed in a little deeper.

Just as she used to, only not long ago. Harnia would constantly approach Karsein, eager to keep the embers of his emotions from dying out.

But now, she could do nothing but flee, stuck in a dreadful limbo.

“…What to do?”

Lost in deep contemplation, that was when Mina opened the door and stepped inside.

“I heard such a loud noise, I had to come see what happened. Goodness, the pillow is in tatters!”

“M-Mina? What brings you here…”

“Aish, milady. ‘What brings me here’ you ask? I’ve been holding back, but I can’t take it anymore.”

Mina stated plainly.

“Alright. Tell me. What’s going on? Tell me everything.”

“Oh, nothing happened… uh.”

“If you keep that up, I might just go ask Master Karsein directly, you know? I know about everything since you’ve been seeing Master Karsein, remember?”

“Ugh…”

Overwhelmed by Mina’s fiery spirit, Harnia felt as if their roles had somehow been reversed, and she was compelled to confess everything.

Having heard the full story, Mina turned serious.

‘Hmm. I think I understand. Milady just happened to overhear, but it hit her like a runaway carriage barreling at full speed. And on top of that, Master has crashed into her with that same carriage several times now, completely unaware. Because he was just honestly expressing his feelings. That’s what makes the effect so much stronger. Milady simply isn’t immune to this sort of thing.’

That’s why Harnia couldn’t withstand Karsein’s repeated onslaughts, and shyness settled upon her like a physical weight.

Probably, even things that wouldn’t normally be embarrassing are now making her blush.

Actions that felt natural before will now feel foreign.

Now that there’s nothing in the way, the overwhelming closeness is drawing out these feelings of embarrassment.

Hmm hmm. That, too, is a sign of budding love.

‘In that case!’

Mina, renowned as a top-tier instructor in all matters of romance, quickly came to a conclusion.

“Milady. You are aware that there’s a banquet at the Imperial Palace today, aren’t you?”

“Hmm? Is that so…?”

“Shall we start with your adornment, then?”

Likely, he’ll be coming to find her himself.

*

In the end, she couldn’t arrive at an answer.

She’d racked her brain for a good long while, but nothing even remotely sharp surfaced.

Why Harnié had become like this.

If there was something wrong with her.

That… remained beyond the scope of her reasoning.

However.

There was one thing, just one, she had figured out.

It was the first time.

For both her and Harnié.

“Young Master Karsein~ Our young lady is here!”

“M, Mina!”

Harnié was still flustered and scatterbrained, but behind her, Mina could be seen sending signals.

‘Such a quick-witted maid.’

To think she’d made preparations like this.

It seems the rumors about her being knowledgeable in matters of the heart were true.

Well, there’s no reason to refuse what’s been prepared.

“The dress is lovely. Even after all this time wearing it.”

“All… this time?”

“Yes. Isn’t this the one you wore when we first met?”

“…You remembered that?”

Harnié’s trembling voice morphed into one of surprise.

Her pretty eyes stared at me with newfound clarity.

Just like when we first met, back then.

‘Yes. This is all I need.’

I extended my hand to her.

Just like back then, awkwardly.

To escort with a hand – an improper courtesy.

Harnier had corrected that stance countless times, and it was a stance I, too, knew was incorrect.

“Aha-ha, what’s this? Did you forget because it’s been so long?”

But seeing that awkward hand, Harnier instead seemed to relax, her complexion improving.

And so.

Showing the wrong posture was deliberate.

“Seems so. Shall we go, then?”

“Yes. Karsein.”

Let’s approach slowly, step by step.

From the very beginning.