episode_0032

“Everyone, this kid hit me, hit me!!”

The chairman’s exclamation immediately drew everyone’s attention.

And all eyes turned to Carcyn.

“Goodness. Blood from Vitos Youngsik’s nose…!”

“How hard did you hit him for blood to… Maybe we should call a doctor.”

“Look at his bright red nose! Isn’t that a bit too much ill will?”

Soon, the gossip spread. As fans exaggerated the incident, the entire gathering erupted in voices.

“I thought this year might be quieter, but once again… It never fails to disappoint.”

“A leopard can’t change its spots. Nothing ever changes.”

“How does he keep causing trouble like this? Tsk, how uncouth.”

“At this point, shouldn’t he be on the list of banned participants?”

Someone accused him of bringing disgrace to the chairman.

Unintentionally, the voice reached Claire nearby, who promptly made her way over to Carcyn.

Passing by Carcyn, Claire sat down next to the crying noble and asked with composure.

“What happened? Carcyn hit you?”

The three of them exchanged glances, then put on a convincing act.

“Sob, I just… I just asked him to play with us.”

“That’s right. Carcyn is our peer, so instead of being bored with the adults, we asked him to play with us…”

“But then he suddenly started tormenting us!”

…”

Claire’s smile faded.

Meanwhile, the noble with a bloody nose began to sob, and the other nobles gathered with amusement.

“Sob. I don’t know what I did wrong to deserve being hit.”

“We tried to stop him at first. If he didn’t want to play, he could have said so, but he resorted to violence.”

“We tried to stop him as much as we could, but… it was too much…”

The meaning behind their efforts to prepare a solid birthday gift for the long-awaited festival vanished in an instant, all because of this one misdeed.

Claire’s anger flared up as she immediately turned around to glare at Karsein. Her cold gaze seemed capable of shooting out a beam of blue light.

“Hey, didn’t you hear me, Unni? I told you not to cause trouble. I said if you wait a bit, we can enjoy the festival together. But here you are again, acting like this.”

Karsein faced Claire with an expressionless look, as always, offering no response. This only irritated Claire more, prompting her to grab Karsein’s wrist.

“I was foolish to expect anything from you. Come with me, you jerk.”

But Karsein swiftly freed her hand from Claire’s grip and retorted, “You still suspect me like that? Nothing has changed, has it?”

“You…!”

“I haven’t done anything. Want me to prove it?”

Defiantly folding his arms, Karsein pushed back against Claire.

[4. Proving Innocence]

The choice had been made. With over 10% approval, Claire wouldn’t be blamed in this episode. All that remained for me was to choose the consecutive correct answers. That’s too easy.

-Ding!

“Hey, you! You said I hit you, right?”

“Yeah! You suddenly hit me!”

He continued arrogantly, “All my friends saw it. Are you going to lie? Everyone here saw it!”

“Oh, really? Then do they know all three of you attacked me?”

“What are you talking about? We were just holding you back!”

“We didn’t attack you together!”

Though they all flinched simultaneously, this was easily countered. The one who could lie was the other person. But there were clearly some things that shouldn’t be said.

“Even if you held me back, you repeatedly hit his face several times! That’s why his nose is bleeding.”

Game over.

You idiot.

Swoosh. Swoosh.

Two thin white gloves were removed, revealing their contents.

“If you hit him multiple times, his nose would definitely be bloody. So, care to explain why these gloves are clean?”

“Uh, uh?”

“T-That’s…!”

To firmly establish this fact, I shouted right away.

“This has nothing to do with anything, but Claire here knows best about these gloves.”

“…”

At my words, all eyes turned to Claire.

Looking quite taken aback, she bit her lip.

Yeah. You know best, don’t you?

Since when have I been wearing these gloves?

And why is it crucial evidence?

“Please tell us the answer, Lady Claire.”

“Second Princess, please discern the falsehood from the truth!”

The expectant crowd awaited Claire’s response.

No, perhaps they were hoping for Karsane’s condemnation.

Finally, her tightly pressed lips parted.

But what they wanted to hear wasn’t what came out.

“These gloves… were worn by Karsane even before boarding the carriage at the Duke’s residence.”

The chairman was filled with astonishment, and the real culprits hastily tried to refute.

“Well, wait a minute! She could have taken them off and hit someone!”

“It could have been put on later. How can you believe that?”

“Ha… Shut your mouth, will you?”

Impressive excuses, but those are tales of ordinary gloves.

This is no different from taking another shot at suicide, especially since the opponent is not Arianna or Isabella, but Claire.

“You should lie more convincingly. Who are you trying to deceive now?”

“C-Claire, Lady? What’s this about…”

“These gloves are enchanted to prevent static electricity. The material is fragile, so even a slight impact can shatter it. Do you think I wouldn’t notice such a simple trace?!”

Wearing something like this, how could it escape anyone’s notice?

In a way, receiving criticism was part of the plan.

Yes.

These gloves were the ones Claire had been criticized for wearing while going out.

She acted openly to receive criticism and, by doing so, created witnesses who saw her wearing these gloves.

As they are white, it solidified the alibi without bloodstains, and with the testimony of the witness, it incriminated those who committed perjury.

Ultimately, these gloves themselves are the key.

During the time when I was riding the outing branch, Welten’s anti-power outage gloves, prepared to allow me to skip this episode with the Retry skill, are used as the most important evidence. In short, it means a special item to obtain additional choices before the Snowflake Festival.

“Wait, could it be…”

“Welten’s discharge gloves…”

“I’ve tried using them too. The durability is so poor that if you punched something, the crystal would break right away…”

“The crystal is intact. No bloodstains either. Even eyewitnesses. This… is beyond doubt.”

The atmosphere in the meeting room changed rapidly.

The three who had tried to frame me quickly changed their stance, but…

“We have our conclusion. Royal Guards.”

“Yes!”

“Immediately remove those scoundrels who caused trouble here.”

This scene was intriguingly observed by a woman who stepped forward.

The third princess of the royal family, Arsien.

“Inform the family directly. They dared to falsely accuse Grandmaster Bagrand, so they will be placed on the prohibition list and never set foot here again.”

“Yes!”

“Wait a moment! No, that’s not it! It’s a misunderstanding!”

“We were wrong! Please, please show us mercy just once!”

“That’s not what happened! Please, at least for the sake of our family…!”

The three nobles were immediately dragged out from the spot, and their voices seemed to echo for a moment, then there was a thud, and even that sound was no longer heard.

Arsien did not hesitate to speak ill of those who were taken away for committing a crime.

“It’s laughable that even such people from the Hanmihan family, who don’t know their names or titles, are considered nobles. Don’t you think so?”

“Yes?”

“That’s my personal opinion based on what I just witnessed.”

…She’s clearly making these remarks consciously about me.

After flashing a satisfied smile, she approached Claire, who bowed her head.

“I know there’s a lot I want to say to you, Claire. However, I intended to talk to this friend first. Will you permit it?”

To be honest, I was a little surprised.

I hadn’t missed this scene, but Arsien’s attitude was clearly seeking permission from me.

“Of course.”

“I appreciate your understanding. From now on, if anything happens, I’ve instructed the palace guards to report to me immediately. Don’t worry.”

Princess Arsien flashed a faint smile and led Claire away.

▶Successfully thwarted the threat from the nobles.◀

▶Moving forward without causing any disturbance. Festival episode continues.◀

▶Successfully brought about results beyond the given choices.◀

■Rewards

[Under Arsien’s protection, the guards’ attention shifts. They are no longer threatened by the nobles at this location.]

[Claire’s intimacy increases.]

[17% -> 21%]

Satisfactory results.

But.

[Arsien’s intimacy increases.]

[Current intimacy level: 3%]

‘Seems higher than it was before…’

Doesn’t seem right.

It must be because she effectively handled the danger with the gloves she had prepared in advance.

***

In the past years, and even the year before that, there was always commotion during the snowflake festival. It was customary. Whether it was Carcyn hitting someone again or spreading rumors, the nobles would raise their voices. Moreover, there were constant disturbances due to feeling wronged.

‘Every time, it was Claire’s job to calm things down.’

Still vivid in my mind.

-How many times do they have to insult our family name like this! That stubborn person never changes!

-As a noble, my mother attached such significance to having a governess for manners. But what use is it when it ends up like this?

-Even if I earnestly ask them not to harm others, they don’t listen. What else can I do!

After restraining Carcyn and isolating him, Claire constantly complained in the reception room while sipping cold water.

And this year, as expected, there was commotion in the hall.

However, unlike before, the current atmosphere, public opinion, and reactions had completely reversed.

With her head bowed in silence, Arsien repeated the words she had said every year to Claire.

“I told you so. At least listen to Carcyn for once.”

Arsien knows.

The depravity of the nobles and their treachery through deceit and poison.

Unfamiliar with noble society, those who were not even commoners like Karsen were undoubtedly subjected to even worse treatment. So, every time, Arsien tried to dissuade Claire. He attempted to investigate the anger towards Karsen, but each time, it was Claire, his family, who intervened. “I’ve been there too. It felt like I had gone for a long time when I argued with my brothers.” Claire’s slumped shoulders momentarily reminded Arsien of his past self. “Claire, even now, if you were to…” “I… This isn’t the first time,” she interrupted. “Huh?” Instead of the usual responses: “If you had told me earlier, I wouldn’t have acted this way,” or “You should have had a few accidents! Stirring up trouble everywhere, without suspicion and indulgence?” Almost deterministic answers that suspicion is natural were expected. However, “Today… no, the day before, and a few other times, I suspected only Karsen.” Honest words flowed from her mouth. Arsien sensed some change in Claire. It was necessary to continue this conversation. “What did you suspect?” “…Karsen collapsed with a cold once, but the physician said it wasn’t just a cold; he had been unable to eat well before that.” “Go on.” “So, I asked the chef to prepare a hearty meal for him… but he didn’t eat it.” Claire clenched her fist. “Why won’t you eat this? If you don’t want to eat, throw it away… The physician said he’s too weak to digest it due to poor health. Eating it… would make it more dangerous.” “I see. Karsen went through that…” “Of course, I immediately ordered the chef to feed him something light.” Arsien smiled as if understanding without needing an explanation. In the case of very sick patients, it was so. Although the nobles of the palace generally did not know, they usually knew when questioned by commoners.

Exhausted to the point of being unable to digest, I’m feeding death itself. It’s even riskier to eat greasy food. That’s why there are more cases of sudden deaths among nobles than commoners.

Arsien learned this fact after it was conveyed to him by the Hwangung of Arsiendo.

“Hmm. This is a story you probably wouldn’t know about.”

“…But that’s not the end of it.”

“Hmm?”

Kellvia allergy.

Birthday present.

She had caused such trouble twice in a row.

It was a matter with potential issues if she were to answer that she only doubted because she didn’t know.

And then, the disturbance at this banquet.

Claire was honestly confessing all her faults.

“…This isn’t something to just let go.”

The more one listened to the story, the more one could understand how strained the relationship between Karsein and Claire had become. However, the words that should have come out first toward Karsein were not coming from her mouth.

Arsien spoke with a more serious expression.

“Do you have to doubt your sister like that? It’s your fault for not believing her at least once.”

“I didn’t want to doubt her either! But, because she has been causing so much trouble until now, I…!”

“That’s prejudice, Claire.”

“…Huh?”

Claire’s eyes widened.

“You’re pointing out her mistakes without asking or investigating why she did what she did. You don’t trust your sister. You keep doubting her. Can you guarantee that you won’t do the same next time?”

“…”

Pay more attention to your sister. Try changing your perspective. Think about why she acted that way.”

Claire pondered Arsien’s words.

Never.

Not even once.

She had never thought about how Karsein might have felt.

Not this time.

Not before.

She had never thought even once that there might be some reason behind Karsein’s actions.

So, she realized late the reason he wasn’t eating, and she only found out the truth about the maid Camilla after directly speaking about it.

Kellvia allergy.

Birthday present.

Banquet disturbance.

All of it.

But…

“If only he had asked for help, I would have helped him anytime.”

The problem lies with Claire’s personality.

High pride might play a part, but the first barrier is her quick temper, and the unexpected embarrassment of not being able to hold back words that make her uncomfortable is the second. In other words, it’s difficult for Claire to bring herself to say sorry due to her personality. “Even if I say this, it won’t crumble.” If that’s the case, she had to take at least some action. “Just try saying sorry for doubting this time. You might really drive a wedge between you and Carcyn.” “Fine, I got it. Stop nagging.” Just then, news arrived that the Duke of Bargrand had finished his audience with the Emperor. Claire immediately got up from the sofa and left the reception room. Today, she hadn’t laid a hand on Carcyn, but as Arsien, she was truly worried about her closest friend. “She really needs to suppress that temper a bit,” Arsien sighed.