Damn Family

The eyes of Arina Bargrand swelled up dramatically at Prince Albert’s words that seemed to push her back.

Arina slightly parted her lips in surprise at the sudden mention of last year’s story.

“Excuse me… What do you mean by that, Your Highness, Crown Prince?”

“If your fiancée is trying to kill Prince Carsein now, shouldn’t I stop it?”

“Kill him? Why would I…!”

“No, if you had stopped Lady Harnier’s actions then, Prince Carsein would surely have died due to your lack of knowledge.”

Carsein coughed loudly with a “cough!”

“…!”

“It’s not uncommon on the battlefield to cut open your comrade to remove debris inside. It might look crazy, but if you don’t do this, complications like sepsis and gangrene will follow.”

Albert chuckled and continued.

“Your actions have also thwarted Carsein’s plans several times.”

“Plans?”

“Just watch this.”

Albert picked up the skeleton-like structure still made of bones.

“These collapsed structures here are mostly mixed with rubble, which supports the building’s framework. In other words, these are the strongest parts of the building, perfect for making ceilings and creating more space.”

*Thud.*

“But if you look over there, it’s different. Even though they’re the same stone, a mana-infused sword can easily cut through them. These are actually the most dangerous. They could crush someone’s head or body.”

*Thud thud.*

Albert smashed the building stone infused with mana.

“But you pulled out your sword to save Carsein, and what did you intend to destroy?”

Arina remained silent.

She had intended to destroy the rubble, including the bones.

Arina clenched her fist and replied.

“I was wrong about the buildings. I lacked knowledge. But isn’t it possible that Carsein survived because of luck?”

“Haha! Luck? Really?”

Prince Albert laughed while grabbing his forehead.

“Don’t you feel odd about the building collapsing, yet find no oddity in Carsein surviving under such extreme conditions?”

“Excuse me?”

“The rocks on the other side were sliced neatly as if cut by an oyster knife. The weight balance even created enough space so no one could get crushed. Is this luck?”

Most people would say it was luck.

In such a situation where the ground caved in and debris piled up, it would be considered lucky that there was any space left.

But Albert didn’t miss this point.

“Even if you dodge, you’ll still be injured. If hit properly, it’s a serious injury. If it hits a vital spot like the head, it could be fatal. Yet, despite all this, he managed to create space, disrupt the balance, and use the rubble to make a ceiling, thereby surviving.”

*Crunch!*

He stepped on the broken stone and continued speaking.

“This was meticulously calculated and planned. It was a plan set up in a short moment to survive.”

At the Prince’s explanation, Arina swallowed hard and looked around again.

‘Is this… really a plan?’

Unbelievable as it was, Arina bit her lip.

If things went as he said, she had almost killed Carsein several times.

When she carelessly destroyed debris, she didn’t distinguish between rubble and fragments.

Her disregard for the lower space and weight center led to Carsein’s potential death.

Moreover, she had even stopped Harnier from removing the foreign object embedded in his back.

Each action was leading to Carsein’s demise.

‘…This is impossible.’

It couldn’t be possible.

“The act of your fiancée pulling out the object from Carsein’s back makes sense, but Your Highness’s interpretation is incorrect.”

“Oh? Why?”

“Because Carsein, who hasn’t even mastered the etiquette of nobility, wouldn’t have been capable of such thorough planning.”

Indeed, the opponent was none other than Carsein.

“Even if I were to cite all his past misdeeds, it’s unnecessary. Just look at the incident on my birthday.”

The rumor that Carsein ruined Arina’s birthday party was widespread.

“Can’t prepare a birthday gift? I can understand that. And even forcibly taking my hair tie, I can overlook that too. But it’s pitiful how he brought it back and lied about it.”

The atmosphere that day was chaotic.

“So, are you saying that common sense prevents someone from doing such acts, therefore Carsein couldn’t have devised such a clever plan?”

“Yes.”

There was no way he planned it.

Such a plan couldn’t have come from his mind.

If there was any possibility, it would be from his fiancée. As always.

Arina gave a brief answer, causing the Prince’s expression to darken.

“I’ve felt sorry for Arshien. I’ve been harsh and strict with her. But it was necessary. To prevent others from harming her when competing for the throne.”

Albert approached Arina confidently.

“True, it might be a petty excuse, but I consider it an act for my younger sister. At least, that’s how I see it. However.”

Finally, the Prince approached, his eyes gleaming as he grabbed Arina’s collar tightly.

“Why do you not consider Carsein as your brother?”

“…Your Highness, even if Carsein caused many accidents, it wasn’t—”

“Are you saying you didn’t think his actions at the birthday party were part of a conspiracy to gain the position of heir?”

“Heir… position…?”

Arina was puzzled by the word ‘heir’. Albert seized the opportunity and struck sharply.

“Why didn’t you question his actions? It doesn’t seem right. Even thinking about it, it’s strange. Asking why she couldn’t prepare a gift.”

“…”

“A rumor was spreading at the time. Are you going to dismiss it as a coincidence?”

After the symposium and martial arts tournament,

Carsein, who displayed impressive performances and results, was rumored among the nobles to be fit for the position of heir.

Isn’t this a coincidence?

“You haven’t changed, regardless of last year or this year. You repeatedly tried to kill Carsein.”

“No…! I didn’t…!”

“At that time, your sword could have stopped. Or at least, you could have protected your brother by forfeiting in this martial arts tournament. But you didn’t. Now, I understand the reason.”

Albert turned around.

“It’s disappointing. Feeling inferior to your own brother. The future of the Bargrand family looks bleak.”

Albert walked away, mentioning the family name, leaving the back of his head visible.

Meanwhile, Harnier had removed both pillars embedded in Carsein’s back. Due to prior emergency treatment, he was quickly carried to the royal palace for treatment.

Arina stood there, staring blankly at the scene.

She repeated it several times and thought deeply.

“Inferiority… this feeling of inferiority…”

-**Ding!**

**Hidden Episode Cleared. Cut by a Sword.**

**Change in Arina Bargrand’s emotions detected.**

[Arina Bargrand]

[Inferiority → ???]

[Current Value: 80%]

**Unlocked Arina’s Character Exclusive Hidden Episode.**

**Character Affinity Changes upon meeting all conditions.**

**Condition Met: 1/1!**

[1. Criticized by Crown Prince Albert Shehenian Peselos regarding issues related to Carsein.]

***

-**Ding!**

With a familiar alarm sound, her eyes opened.

“Ugh!”

However, the first thing that came to her was not the status window but pain.

**Status Abnormalities Not Fully Recovered.**

**Full rest is required to recover all status abnormalities.**

The pain snapped her out of it.

Yes, she was the madman who threw herself into the falling debris. It would be strange if she wasn’t hurt.

Just like when she threw herself to save Ji-eun.

‘To experience this twice…’

Still, she had no regrets.

Looking around, she saw an empty bed next to her. The blanket was thrown haphazardly on the bed.

Seeing her hair tangled in the blanket, she must have gotten up and gone somewhere.

And turning her head, she saw the owner of the hair sleeping uncomfortably on the bed.

“This feels like I’m going to hear a lot of nagging when I wake up.”

Harnier is just as nagging as Ji-eun.

After a brief sigh, she shifted her gaze to the status window.

**Status Abnormality: Stage 5 Bleeding Cleared.**

**Status Abnormality: Stage 3 Gangrene Cleared.**

**Status Abnormality: Stage 4 Abrasion Healing.**

**Status Abnormality: Stage 4 Fracture Healing.**

…

…

Looking at her current state, she saw various status abnormalities gradually disappearing or recovering.

Her stats had also temporarily decreased due to injuries, and a warning message popped up.

And at the end:

**Avoided Bad Ending.**

The text read that she hadn’t met death.

For now, she seemed to have survived despite her insane actions.

“…What’s this?”

**Hidden Episode Clear Reward.**

[You can attend the after-party at the Bargrand Duke’s house.]

Attend the after-party?

“Huh. Really.”

A spontaneous laugh escaped her.

After the Yellow Dragon Martial Arts Tournament, attending the after-party was a given, and it was part of the story progression.

But participating in it wouldn’t be beneficial. The after-party hall was filled with traps, and there were plenty of nobles ready to provoke Carsein.

“But, is being allowed to enter there a reward?”

I couldn’t understand why this was considered a reward.

It was unbelievable.

Damn game.

“Maybe it’ll be fine if I go with Harnier?”

It had always been like this.

Their goals often overlapped…

“…”

Looking at the sleeping Harnier, she thought.

“They’re so similar. Like Ji-eun.”

Their sleeping positions, their closed eyes, their similar weights, and even their heights. Including specific body parts where nutrition seemed to concentrate.

“Actually, their backgrounds are similar too. Ji-eun also has a stepbrother…”

Furthermore, she was falsely accused of being a flower snake at school, earning a bad nickname from girls.

Expanding further, today’s events also had that kind of feeling—

*Kachak.*

“Already awake? Your recovery rate is quite good. No, looking at that body, it should be natural.”

“…”

Silver hair, golden eyes.

A common appearance of the royal family.

But this appearance was different from the two siblings she had seen before.

“Oh, you don’t need to worry about formalities. Just stay lying down.”

Prince.

Albert Shehenian Peselos.

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