episode_0011

Camilla, confined to a solitary cell.

Her punishment was lighter than she had anticipated. Originally, the place should have been dark, with barely any sunlight, a wretched space where she couldn’t even stretch her body. However, due to the pleas of other maids and servants, she was moved to a slightly less harsh location.

It was a space where, if she crouched a bit, she could lie down on the cold bare floor and close her eyes. Even meals were brought in secret by the other maids, and though the overseeing knight knew about it, he didn’t intervene.

In other words, for a solitary cell, they were surprisingly accommodating.

However, convenience was just that—convenience. Even if her popularity within the mansion was strong, as Claire Baugrande claimed, she remained a prime suspect in the eyes of the culprit.

Even if the servants were helping, Carsein would never forgive her, so it was clear she would be driven out of the mansion.

Thinking it was a case of reaping what she sowed, she took out a small bottle left from her peddling goods. It was a supplement used by noble young ladies to induce calorie consumption and break down nutrients to maintain their figures.

However, as it broke down nutrients, if one did not consume food within a certain time after taking it, symptoms similar to faintness or exhaustion would appear.

If she were to drink this and feign death from overexertion in her cell, it could potentially prompt her mother to invest more money into her situation.

Just then, an unexpected figure came to see her.

*Creak!*

“Master, sir?”

“Return to your place, Camilla.”

“…Pardon?”

“It means you are still to return as a maid to Lord Carsein, your master.”

And so, Camilla left the solitary cell.

No, that wasn’t all; she wasn’t even driven out of the mansion.

Without any guilt.

Without any punishment.

She returned once again as Carsein’s exclusive maid.

But at the same time, she was no longer able to do anything. More accurately, she was not allowed to.

“Oh. Did I tell you to come today? There’s nothing for you to do in the morning. Just go back.”

“I have nothing to command you. Just go back and rest.”

“I was going to read a book. There’s nothing to command you. Go back.”

It wasn’t just that day when she was told to come tomorrow.

Morning. Noon. Evening.

At any given time, there was nothing to be done.

Tidying the bedding. Cleaning the room. Managing belongings. Laundering clothes.

All the tasks that should have been done by the maid, Camilla, within the room had already been taken care of.

It had been the same for two days now.

“Today too. The young master hasn’t asked for anything…”

Carsein hadn’t asked for anything. As the dedicated maid, all the tasks she needed to do had been completed.

At most, bringing meals and clearing the dishes left in the hallway were the only things she had to do, but even regular maids could handle these tasks.

Initially, it stopped at mere curiosity, but slowly, she began to feel uneasy. This situation couldn’t continue to repeat itself.

Tomorrow, she resolved, tomorrow she would come 30 minutes earlier. She would make sure to do everything before the young master asked her to.

With that determination, Camilla carried the tray of dishes and walked down the hallway.

Then,

A young lady with flowing pink silk-like hair blocked her path.

“Claire, miss…”

“I think we need to talk.”

Claire gestured toward an empty room with her thumb.

She wanted to talk there.

After swallowing hard, Camilla replied obediently.

***

One day. Two days. And now three.

Except for when the servant brought meals, no one came in, not even family members.

Thanks to this, I lived alone in the room without any trouble.

The clothes were unfamiliar, but they were noble enough. It was much better than a drafty space, being a spacious mansion. Since the food was brought to me, there was no problem.

I didn’t need to eat more than cup noodles for a meal each day. After working a few part-time jobs in a row and coming home, there was no one to watch over me.

At most, I just did some cleaning and laundry, like I used to do in my daily routine.

But I shouldn’t get too comfortable here.

▶CHAPTER 1 – Episode III is in progress!◀

It popped up this morning.

The status bar announcing the start of the episode.

It seems that the episode number is displayed, but the title isn’t, so it appears that a branch has not been selected. Therefore, this signifies the beginning of the next episode.

“How should I handle this?”

Isabella recently informed Claire that Heron, the butler, would be allowed to attend Claire’s coming-of-age ceremony. Furthermore, the mental restraint on Karceine has been lifted. From the start of the game, Karceine had been under mental restraint due to some incident. Therefore, with the lifting of the mental restraint, not only would activities in the Marquisate become unrestricted, but also the upper floor map, which was previously inaccessible until the episode was cleared, would now be open.

This was evidence of the natural flow of the main story caused by Camilla’s rescue, a condition for clearing Episode II, and the seamless transition to the next episode upon successfully clearing Episode II.

And quite skillfully…

“Claire’s coming-of-age ceremony is tomorrow.”

It was truly an exasperating matter.

Last night, I found a memorial in this room. It was a memorial reflecting on Ariana’s coming-of-age day, which I hadn’t found when playing the game three years ago.

What happened there? What was Karceine’s reaction? Contemplating these made it late into the night before I could fall asleep.

“That darn coming-of-age ceremony. It must have been pure hell for Karceine.”

Ariana’s coming-of-age day. Starting from her family, dignitaries gathered in numbers befitting the Bartrand name to celebrate her. The banquet hall was filled with nobles, and no one doubted that the girl would be designated as Bartrand’s successor.

The rest of the daughters were the same. As members of the Marquisate, they were seen as talents who would confidently lead noble society in the future.

However, one person faced relentless rejection.

“Oh my, oh my. That uncouth…!”

“Though she’s a Bartrand, she lacks refinement.”

“After all, a commoner is just a commoner.”

While the Bartrand Marquisate was surrounded by endlessly friendly nobles, he was nothing more than a pariah in the slums, receiving only disdain and disgust.

Still, the reason Karceine could set foot in the banquet hall was solely because the Lady of Bartrand brought him, acknowledging him as her child.

However, they were meticulous.

The nobles used the children of Karcein’s peers to banish him from the banquet hall, undermining the viscount’s gaze through the company of the children.

Forced outside under the pretense of playing together, Karcein was thrown to the ground and callously trampled upon by other noble offspring.

“Why are you acting this way? Even if you rebel, what will change?”

“Well, because you’re not a Vagrand, are you?”

“Just because a clueless commoner like you is in the same place as us nobles, did you think you have the same rights as us?”

It was nothing but cruel ostracism, treating him as a commoner, or rather, even lower than that.

Unable to endure it any longer, Karcein resisted, lashing out. Having survived in a harsh slum, he could bring down one of the noble offspring, even if it meant resorting to violence.

But that became his downfall, binding Karcein’s feet.

“Ariana, those guys started it first…”

-Smack!

“Don’t call me ‘nuna.’ Someone like you isn’t my sibling or family.”

Having caused a commotion, displaying all sorts of misconduct, Karcein received a month of discipline as the perpetrator who tarnished Ariana’s coming-of-age ceremony.

Since then, Karcein couldn’t address her as “nuna.” As his mother was no exception, he couldn’t call his brother “hyung,” nor could he address his father as “father,” reminding him of Hong Gildong.

Looking back now, it’s truly repulsive. Although he wasn’t even a drop of blood, unjustly driven away was Karcein, and it was also Karcein who suffered abuse for not being Vagrand.

Having been abandoned and mistreated even by the only existence he could rely on, his family, Karcein, who had nothing, felt a deep ache inside.

“It hurts so much.”

The reason why the past stored in the memorial pains me, despite it not being my own, is because I, too, have had such an experience.

I’ve been bullied at school and fought back with gritted teeth. Even when taking a beating, there came a point where I couldn’t bear it anymore, and I made an example out of someone, turning them into a sorry sight.

So, the first one said I’m not even a real sibling and just a disgrace to the family. Ever since I got slapped just like him, I’ve had the same thought.

Anyway, this happened three years ago?

“Not going is the right choice. Yeah. No matter how I think about it, not going is better.”

The prejudice that this time would be different was bound to be shattered. I really don’t want to participate in the coming-of-age ceremony tomorrow.

If I can avoid it, avoiding it would be best.

If the option doesn’t appear, there’s no need to go there and endure insults or draw attention from others. They wouldn’t welcome me anyway.

How can I avoid leaving this room?

Should I pretend to fall ill after taking a cold shower and lie down?

I was contemplating all sorts of tricks when it happened.

“Young master, it’s Camilla. May I come in?”

Camilla?

Why is she here at this hour?

Even though the situation seems favorable, my dead trigger isn’t completely off yet. I couldn’t let my guard down until I reached a specific episode and cleared it.

Reluctantly, I opened the door.

“Please excuse me, young master. Um…”

“Just come in.”

Camilla, who was waiting with a somewhat uneasy posture, appeared. I was about to ask what was wrong, but I just told her to come in.

Because something might be said in the corridor that shouldn’t be heard by anyone.

“Yes, yes, young master…”

Camilla entered my room showing a somewhat anxious look. Her voice was trembling a bit, as if something was indeed wrong.

But as soon as she entered my room, Camilla’s lips parted and her eyes began to shake.

“What’s wrong, what is it?”

If she’s anxious, then I get anxious too. I could also be in trouble, damn it!

What did she see in my room exactly?

Following Camilla’s gaze, my eyes rolled along with hers.

But…

“…My hand?”

Oddly enough, Camilla’s gaze was fixed on my hand.

It’s just a mop I was holding after cleaning.

No one gets anxious over a mop. I thought I might have seen it wrong, so I looked again, but I had indeed seen it correctly.

In the midst of this absurd situation, Camilla suddenly seized the mop I had. “Please leave this to me, Master. It’s not something you should be doing!”

Huh? A question mark popped up in my mind.

*Ding!*

[1. You’re early by 30 minutes today. What are you up to this time?]

[2. I’m in the middle of cleaning. Why did you take that? Here, give it back.]

[3. Why the sudden strange talk?]

“Oh, right. I remember now. I entered the route where I don’t hire maids.” Seeing the choices, a vague memory seemed to surface. Originally, option 2 was correct and 3 led to a dead end. But now, the content had completely changed.

As the protagonist’s perception improves, so do the choices. This rule seemed to apply well here too.

“Oh, but since I used this branch before finding a better one, my memory is a bit hazy…”

First, let’s answer and gather some information, shall we?

I chose option 3.

“Why the sudden strange talk?”

“I’m your exclusive maid. Please leave these kinds of tasks to me,” Camilla said, holding the mop, her tone pleading.

Only then did scenes from this branch come to mind.

“Oh, right. Claire must have influenced Camilla before this.” That’s why she seemed so anxious. It all made sense now. In the game, activating the dead trigger caused by Camilla was best done by that pink-haired lunatic.

If the story had continued in that direction, things had actually worked out better than expected.

[1. What were you planning to do in my room?]

[2. I’m sorry, but I don’t have anything for you to do.]

A perfect choice.

Just as I remembered.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t have anything for you to do.”

This was a chance to increase Claire’s intimacy.

***

Once the two disappeared, the hallway became deserted. The left corridor, where Karceine’s room was located, was generally avoided by the maids.

The courtyard was deserted, devoid of both the scholars and workers from other professions, making it an unusually quiet day. Silence had to prevail. Naturally.

Tick, tock. Thud.

However, the sound of footsteps replaced the silence, quietly echoing. “Wh-what? How did Camilla escape from her cell?” The blonde girl witnessed Camilla, who should have been in solitary confinement, walking into Carcine’s room unharmed. Furthermore, Carcine even politely ushered Camilla into the room after she knocked on the door. It was unsettling.

It was none other than Flora herself who had ordered the addition of stimulants and enhancers to Carcine’s morning meal. If this detail were to be revealed, everything that had happened so far could reach her mother’s ears, from start to finish.

Thud, thud, thud—Flora’s hurried steps led her to the bedroom. Closing the door firmly and burying herself under the covers, she began to toss and turn. “No. There’s no need to worry. Even if the plan failed, if I deny it, that should be the end of it, right?”

In Vagrand, there was no one left to lend an ear to Carcine’s words. Not even the one person who had once listened to him, not even his own mother seemed to be coming to her senses now.

It was regrettable that the plan had failed, but there was no need to be afraid. However, why? Why was this so terrifying?