episode_0195

Carcein, unable to understand the situation, began searching the room with a puzzled expression.

At this, Flora sticks out her head and laughs humorously and mutters.

“Collecting coins is okay because it suits you, a beggar. But, I don’t think I’d ever see a duke’s house hoarding something like that, right?”

One day.

Flora had seen Carcein hiding something from outside.

As a beggar, I wondered if he was doing that because he wanted to have something, but when I confirmed that he was not seeing such behavior once or twice, I immediately became suspicious.

In the first place, I wondered what that low-class person would bring while receiving the duke’s favor, but it was clear that there must be a reason for collecting this.

And soon I found it.

Under the bed in Karssein’s room, two boxes.

A collection of coins that wouldn’t even amount to a penny.

The other items were items that appeared to have been secretly brought in from outside.

If you look at things hidden like this, they must be important, right?

So, why not break this?

From that moment on, Flora smiled like a devil.

After selling all the miscellaneous items one by one, I made a small amount of money this time, but the money is still good.

I was just happy that I picked Karssein.

I wanted to see you realize this fact someday and be embarrassed.

“Whoa. Cool.”

Carcein was so embarrassed that he was sweating profusely. There was a rattling sound in the room, and also the sound of something falling.

Those were such important items?

I don’t know why they collected it, but it was clear that something had gone terribly wrong.

“Mmm~ Refreshing.”

Flora stretched out refreshed and walked to the other side of the hallway with a tired, satisfied expression.

***

Even if you search and find. Even though I searched the whole room like that.

It doesn’t come out.

Even though the entire room was searched, not a single item contained in Karssein’s second box was found.

Without it, Mielle’s magic doll cannot be purchased.

This is because there is no way for Karsein to make up for the lack of money.

I stop by the store again, wondering what it would be like if I gave my family name…

“Sorry, but you came too late and the doll has been sold.”

As the one remaining doll was sold, there was no more use for it.

In the end, Carcein had to give up and let go of the doll he had planned as a birthday present for Flora.

Still, I did not return empty-handed.

I could buy anything with the money I had.

But the bad news started now.

“Ugh…!”

“Okay, that’s it. Run away!”

“Fuhahaha!”

Because I had come out secretly, the way back without an escort was not smooth. On the way back, he was beaten up by other nobles who were secretly waiting for him.

“Hey. How dare you go around like that on Flora’s birthday?”

The time that Karssein went out and bought gifts was also the time that the duke’s family spent together.

Maybe that’s why I was harshly criticized by Claire as soon as I returned.

“Carsein. Does this guy like you have thoughts? You can’t believe you made a mess of your room like this. Are you saying you don’t know that Flora’s birthday party will be disrupted if the maids make a mess of the rooms they worked so hard to clean? Also, why do you look so crappy? You are doing nothing but disturbing things from start to finish!”

Arina started by making a mess of her room and then went outside. And even though he was dressed in neat clothes, he had to be criticized for looking like a beggar.

The explanation was enough to make me cry.

He said he wanted to buy Flora a gift.

So, I wanted to say that I deliberately went out to buy gifts using the money I had saved instead of relying on the dukedom.

But, that wasn’t possible.

“Puhuhuh.”

With Flora smiling and watching him being scolded behind the two people, he could never talk about the box.

As the person you are planning to surprise with a birthday gift is listening to, the voice of explanation that should have come out of your mouth crawls back into your throat and disappears.

“I’m sorry…”

And instead, I had to bow my head and apologize.

As always, he had to admit that it was his fault.

Karssein’s two older sisters got very irritated after that, but they left, saying that they were busy and didn’t have time to worry about you right now.

However, only one person received a stinging whip.

“What…? Now that means… it sounds like you shouldn’t do anything at the birthday party…”

I guess not.

On this beautiful day, you just have to be quiet.

That can’t be possible.

Karssein laughed and asked again.

However, a cold voice deeply pierced Karssein’s ears.

“I think I understood it well.”

The body doesn’t hurt. He was hit by Claire’s hand, which pushed his shoulder to make him come to his senses, and Arina’s hand, which slapped his cheek, but this time nothing touched his body.

However, my mind went blank and my chest felt oppressively tight.

Isabella. Not Arina or Claire, but the person in this family who was supposed to be most friendly to Karssein was holding the heaviest cane.

“It’s Flora’s birthday. On days like this, I wish you could just stay still.”

He gave an order to not engage in any major activities at this birthday party and to sit only in the main seat of the Vagrand Duke’s House, which was probably the same as being isolated or quarantined from the party.

An order to celebrate the birthday party is issued along with the warning that no more accidents will occur at the birthday party.

An explanation was not possible.

Karssein bites his lip and holds back his sorrowful heart.

I wanted to say it was all because of Flora’s birthday present, but I couldn’t. Emma was listening right behind him.

however.

“Ah- I’m sorry. Why is he so tough?”

As I was returning home with an empty heart, I happened to hear a familiar voice in the place I had wandered to.

It’s definitely Flora’s voice.

The conversation partners seemed to be other nobles.

Since it is a birthday party, you will be able to talk with your peers. I tried to move on like that, but…

I hear a conversation that I cannot ignore.

“Carcein was secretly collecting something?”

“Of course! There was everything in that box, right?”

…what? What did I just hear?

Karssein pricked up his ears and concentrated on the conversation.

“At some point, he started carrying something in his arms, and it wasn’t just once or twice. I was collecting it day by day.”

“Oh my. So?”

“I watched it carefully, but it didn’t seem like I carried it with me every day, so I wondered if there was a place I could hide it somewhere…”

“while…?!”

“There is a meaningful box found under the bed in Karssein’s room. What is it?”

At that moment, something that had been blocked opened up and I began to feel filled with something else.

“Can’t a beggar’s grit be thrown away?”

“You pick up all that stuff on the street.”

“So what happened to that box?”

“Hehe. What happened?”

I felt like the corners of my mouth were rising like a small devil.

“Carcein hid it under the bed. My sisters and mother, as well as the other maids, had no idea. Well, aren’t these very important items?”

I guess not.

It’s probably just that Flora found the box in my room, right?

There’s no way he would have bothered to touch that box…

“Just looking at them, I thought they were important, so I sold them all to an antique dealer!”

Flora said, spreading her arms as if bragging.

Not long after, the corners of his mouth almost twitched as he started talking about what his expression looked like when he checked the box.

happily. With a truly satisfied face.

My little sister was smiling so brightly.

Praise from nobles continued.

He even praises him, saying that he will definitely be in trouble since he secretly sold important items.

And Flora…

“I think so too. Did you even see that today, my birthday? I think that’s the biggest gift for my birthday!”

It’s a birthday present.

It was expressed like that.

Karssein’s eyes became dead, as if he had lost his soul.

The corners of my eyes were filled with emptiness and despondency as I wandered between the anticipation of surprising my entire family, including my younger brother, and the injustice of not being able to even provide a clear explanation.

I kept denying it until I heard it to the end, saying it could never be like that.

“That’s what you did…?”

The undeniable reality came like a typhoon and swept away my entire body.

Meanwhile, the nobles’ conversation could be heard.

I wonder if I might hear a different story. I was hoping that there would be at least one clue that this was in fact nothing more than a ridiculous prank.

however…

With this, Carcein’s expectations are completely shattered.

“You were holding something like a gift box?”

“Yes. Karssein just ran into us today.”

“A gift to me…? Ugh. It’s creepy. Why are you trying to give me a birthday present? The gift he gives me disappears at my birthday party!”

Expectations are filled with deep emptiness and despondency. The emptiness and despondency soon turned into a ray of sadness and flowed away.

The story behind it was that the box was crushed, that it would be difficult to deliver as a birthday present, and that it was not a proper birthday present, but that it was an excuse to scold the family for swearing and feeding.

For Flora, who even chimed in, a true birthday gift was that kind of gift.

I endured it.

Because it’s a birthday party. Still, I held back because I wanted to surprise my younger brother.

I went out because I had no doubt that he would definitely like it if I brought him a gift.

Even though I heard harsh words, even when swords flew at me, and even though I had to protect the gift box while being trampled in the mud by scheming nobles.

Still, I did it because I wanted to give Flora a birthday present.

But I couldn’t bear this lonely feeling of betrayal.

-bang!

Karcein returned to the room.

The door closed with a very loud sound.

The feeling of betrayal was once again reflected in the box in front of me.

“I… I tried so hard to get you a birthday present…!”

Flora’s voice is unforgettable and penetrates my mind. There were constant sounds of laughter and voices of contempt.

Carcein, who was shedding tears, ended up tearing up the new gift box she had made with new packaging with her own hands.

“Aaaah, aaah!!”

The packaging ribbon is being torn off violently.

The wrapping paper was broken into pieces and lying around, as if a ravenous animal had torn them with its teeth.

When a teddy bear with pure white fur finally appeared…

“Cee… something like this… something like this…!”

In his hands buried in sadness. It was trampled so badly that the footprints were all engraved.

“Flora, for you…! I will never give you a gift again!”

-bang!

The trampled teddy bear was buried in a dark closet and never saw the light of day.