episode_0005

The two sisters, who had intended to reproach their mother for leaving so quickly, found their words slipping away the moment they entered Karsen’s room.

“Hey! Karsen, are you okay… cough!”

As Claire checked on Karsen’s condition and shook his shoulders, she was taken aback by the heat she felt.

“Why is he burning up? What’s happening?”

“…This is insane. He was fine just this morning.”

Ariana, who also reached out to feel his temperature, scowled deeply. His body temperature had surpassed that of an average person. The intense heat made her involuntarily swallow dryly.

“It’ll take some time for Shaden to arrive. Leaving him on this cold floor won’t do.”

“Alright. I’ll take this side, so you grab the other.”

“If he signals… No, there’s no need for that.”

It was effortless. Despite being a 17-year-old boy, lifting his emaciated body didn’t require much effort at all. There was no need for a signal; his slender frame was so light that transferring him to the bed didn’t demand much exertion.

“Ugh. Seriously, what on earth happened…!”

As Claire grumbled while moving Karsen onto the bed, Shaden hurriedly arrived and immediately began his diagnosis.

“This is…”

“Have you figured something out?”

Ariana narrowed her eyes and asked the attending physician, Shaden.

“First, my lord has caught a cold.”

“A cold?”

“Yes. I don’t know what you did, but… it’s a cold.”

At the mention of a cold, Ariana immediately furrowed her brow.

“Playing around, huh? Couldn’t manage your health, and this is how you end up collapsing?”

As if reproaching the prone Karsen, Shaden promptly added,

“Of course, that’s not all. While the main symptom is a cold, there are several other symptoms mixed in, exacerbating the condition.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well… he has recently consumed a significant amount of salt. It seems to be quite excessive.”

“How much did he eat?”

“It appears he has ingested several times the usual amount. This level of consumption would have made the food taste excessively salty… even during a regular meal.”

How many times. Even if one has a habit of eating sparingly, they wouldn’t eat that little.

Claire asked this question directly.

“Then the sodium, naturally, would have been consumed through food, right?”

“Yes, I think so too.”

Shayden replied, glancing at the food in the room.

It’s normal to be suspicious of what you’ve put in your mouth when someone mentions excessive sodium.

Immediately, her pink hair turned and faced the dessert. She was suspicious of this side because she mentioned consuming sodium from food.

She cut a piece of the remaining pudding with her utensil and took a bite, but there was no problem with the taste itself. Then, how about the drink?

Thinking so, she took a sip of the beverage.

“…!”

Claire immediately grabbed a tissue and spat out everything in her mouth.

“What the hell. How dare someone do such a thing…!”

“What’s wrong?”

“Rigomos hypersensitivity disorder. It’s a crude method that was once used in social circles to tarnish someone’s image. It makes the nerves sensitive by feeding them foods containing secretions and extracts.”

“No way. Was it in there?”

“Yes, it was. And that reaction is also showing up in Lord Carcyn’s body.”

“I don’t know what’s going on, but we have to catch them. They dared to pull such a stunt in Vagrond, so they must be severely punished.”

Just thinking that such a thing happened with the dessert she brought made her blood boil.

To spit out the foreign substances in her mouth, Claire grabbed the teapot and poured water directly into her mouth. As a result, she immediately spat out the water and opened the teapot lid to check.

“Cough, cough! Damn it…!”

“Claire?”

Ariana turned her gaze again, wondering what was happening.

Claire’s already distorted expression became even more fierce.

“Shayden. List all the symptoms. Excessive sodium intake, Rigomos hypersensitivity disorder. Anything else?”

“Well… overall nutritional deficiency and a cold.”

“A cold. Right, a cold.”

Nutritional deficiency may be for the same reason as food, but a cold is a different story.

No matter how much she was Carcyn, she always dressed neatly. There was no sign of a cold, not even a runny nose.

Today was no different. Even on the day Isabella returned as a duchess, she managed to dress impeccably.

So, how did she catch a cold?

There’s only one answer.

*Creak!*

Claire, filled with rage, forcefully swung open the bathroom door. Noticing there was no steam inside, she confirmed her suspicion by testing the water temperature in the tub herself.

“Get Camilla this instant and lock her up in solitary confinement!”

Such behavior could only be expected from a maid serving her mistress directly.

***

“Get Camilla this instant and lock her up in solitary confinement!”

Flora covered her mouth with both hands and clutched her shawl, hunching her shoulders at Claire’s outburst in Karsen’s room.

‘How… How did this happen? If this gets out, I’ll be in trouble…!’

She couldn’t even remember how many times she had asked Camilla for favors. Camilla, who had met Emma, a fellow maid on their side, to torment Karsen, had always granted her requests, no matter what Emma might have said or if it was her own request.

But now, things had taken a turn. All of these actions were secrets she couldn’t tell her mother or her two sisters. Once caught, she began to worry that her name might be dragged into it.

Meanwhile, the angry voice continued from inside the room.

“Who else would most easily do such things as salting the food or tampering with medicine that the master consumes?”

“Calm down and talk. What did you see to make you say that?”

Then, the teapot lid hit the floor with a clang.

“Look at this, sis. Someone messed with the drinking water, so I spat it out.”

“No, this is… sand?”

The water in the teapot had turned undrinkable due to the sand filling it.

“I understand what you’re saying, Claire. But this doesn’t necessarily point to Camilla. Any other maid could have done this, even though these things were found in Karsen’s room.”

That was true. It couldn’t be solely attributed to Camilla. Although everything found in Karsen’s room could be done by another maid, there was one thing: no other maids could enter Karsen’s room so freely.

That’s why Claire’s opinion carries more weight.

“Other maids might have put sand in the water Karsain drinks. But going into cold water in this winter?”

“What?”

“The bathtub was filled with cold water. There was no steam covered by hot water! If she wanted to gain her mother’s favor, she should have pretended to be pitiful and not bathed, coming out dirty! But, how was she today!”

She came out clean.

She bathed her whole body in that cold water and came out.

A few days ago, it wouldn’t even have been visible. She washed herself so thoroughly that not a speck of dust could be seen.

“Come to think of it, did Karsain say anything to her mother today?”

“Don’t you have a hunch yet, Unnie? This is deliberate torment. Unless she’s as close as a clinging maid, these things can’t happen consecutively!”

The logic was flawless.

So, Ariana couldn’t retort. With the increased possibility of Camilla being pointed out as the culprit, they couldn’t just overlook it.

“You there, find Camilla and lock her up in solitary confinement.”

In the end, the order was carried out.

“Just a moment! I, I…!”

Camilla, who was working nearby, was mercilessly dragged away by the other maids. In the midst of it, she tried to make eye contact with Flora to explain, but…

“…!”

“Flora, Miss…!”

“What are you doing? Move the criminal straight to solitary confinement!”

Seeing the desperate look in Flora’s eyes, for a moment, the maid hesitated, but then turned away. The other maids also reacted cynically, showing an attitude as if it wasn’t their concern.

With lifeless eyes, the struggling maid fought until the end, but ultimately, she was taken away by others.

The only lifeline that could salvage this situation was Flora. Unfortunately, this matter was beyond her control.

Except for the imperial family of Pesselos Empire, this place was the most prestigious family under the sky. It was the Bagrand Duchy. When the fact that a mere maid tried to feed such a thing to the master here spreads, an ominous future might already be looming.

“Miss, remember. This isn’t your fault. Do you understand?”

“…Mm?”

“If you keep quiet, it will end with the maid’s punishment. Don’t worry too much.”

Flora nodded at Emma’s remark, feeling flustered.

It shouldn’t have been her fault, not Carcine collapsing, nor the maid who ordered the harassment being taken away. None of it should have been Flora Bagrand’s fault.

***

-Ding!

It feels like my consciousness is returning, and immediately the familiar signal rings in my head.

Of course, when I open my eyes, the status window will be there. I’d prefer an ending where I wake up at home instead of the status window.

The dizziness has subsided, and my body, which felt like a lump of lead, can move somewhat. It seemed that almost all abnormal conditions had been recovered.

But my mood worsened.

“Damn it.”

It’s not because I deliberately caught a cold and felt every pain and rise in temperature, or experienced dizziness.

It’s not because I was forced to eat bland soup at mealtime.

It’s not even due to the major abnormal statuses coming from the status window, nor Carcine’s condition. It’s just that my bad mood feels too terrible.

“Damn it. Why does this feel so familiar?”

This unpleasant feeling doesn’t go away because Carcine’s appearance was exactly like my past self.

In reality, such a thing happened. Because of my younger sister’s actions, trying to create trouble, I ended up bedridden.

Moreover, the rest of the process was all the same.

Mother’s reaction upon returning from a business trip, the scene at the dining table, and even the sensation that I shouldn’t be present there, all felt vividly real.

Two elder sisters and one younger sister.

Living with them in the same house, despite being unrelated by blood, felt too similar to those days.

They didn’t treat me as family. I was just someone their mother picked up from outside, a stranger.

That’s exactly why it felt so much like my past self, making me feel bad.

“…No. Perhaps, on the contrary, it might be for the better.”

Isn’t this a bit too much to be mere coincidence?

No matter what, it was reasonable to complain about having to go through this experience twice.

But strangely, it turned out well. That’s what I thought.

Because I had previous experience, I could handle it.

I am not family to them. They don’t treat me as family either, and even if I suffer all sorts of unfair treatment, I won’t collapse.

Yes. Just as they said, not being family allowed me to be more alert than before.

To the fact that I have to escape from this house.

“Huh. Right. First, I need to strategize and prioritize escape.”

-Ding!

▶CHAPTER 1. Episode I Clear!◀

▶Responded well without framing Florra for malice!◀

▶Karsein is able to continue living in the Marquis’s residence without being driven out!◀

The status window I was about to check appeared on its own.

“Okay. This should be enough.”

It was a strange coincidence. That this game had such a setting, that I ended up playing it, and…

That I would dream of escaping again by being reincarnated into Karsein in this game.

There’s only one choice given to me anyway.

Clear this game and return to my old studio apartment.

■Reward

[ Recognition +3 ]

[ Recognition within the Marquis of Vagrond’s residence will be partially improved. ]

Subsequent reward windows appeared, but they didn’t hold much meaning. It was just a phrase that appeared every time during the game.

“Other than that… it’s pretty useless.”

Although I already knew, I looked to see if there was anything to gain, but it remained the same.

It only goes as far as identifying branching choices or checking Karsein’s status. There’s a stat window where you can raise stats, but even that has a fatal flaw.

“If the stats increase, at least I won’t die due to health, but raising levels and giving 0.05 points per stat doesn’t make much difference.”

When the level goes up, you invest points to increase related stats. The basic element that might be found in an RPG is also present in this game, but the figures are too minimal.

Increasing my strength by investing 0.05 into the stat window wouldn’t bring as much improvement as exercising would… I won’t feel much of a difference.

It’s better to reserve this for use in dangerous situations.

As I continued to examine the status window, a progress bar appeared unexpectedly, contrary to my will.

-Ding!

▶ The remaining rewards will arrive shortly! ◀

I had a feeling that the time was approaching.

After clearing it with the Retry Divine Art, I became familiar enough with Tutorial and Episode I.

Once I clear this, most of my abnormal statuses will be restored, and I’ll receive additional rewards. That’s what’s supposed to happen when I open that door and emerge.

-Clack.

“You’ve finally woken up. Anyway.”

“Get everyone moving.”

As the door opened, Claire grumbled about waking up late. Ariana was right beside her, instructing the maids to move each item to the table one by one.

This was the reward written at the very bottom of the status window and another reward for clearing Episode I. It was a meal.

“Hah. This is considered a reward?”

It was beyond belief.

First, I murmured the same lines as Carcine did.

“Why are you here?”

The question seemed to displease the sisters, as their expressions soured.

“The attending physician diagnosed you with a lack of nutrition and excessive salt intake. But since such an incident occurred today, someone could have tampered with your food, so we brought it ourselves.”

“We thoroughly inspected not only the food you’ll eat but also the water you’ll drink. So you can eat without worry.”

Just like the dialogue in the game, Carcine had various problems due to neglecting his meals properly. Therefore, through this episode, they intended to confirm the issue and personally visit the restaurant to observe the entire cooking process and then eat.

But that’s just the story within the game. Instead, I felt even worse looking at the sumptuous feast laid out before me.

“You want me to eat this? Are you kidding me?”

That was a genuine outcry from me.