The Faded Gift (1)

"Karsein is back?"

"Yes, my lady. We received word from the estate just now. The young master has returned home safely..."

"I see. You've all worked hard."

"Lady Arina!"

Upon hearing the news, Arina wheeled her horse around and headed straight for the estate.

She had left ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠only rough instructions with the knights, but right now, she had to return.

It was late. She had searched for him so long without a trace that the past had come flooding back, vivid as the day it happened.

How could she ever forget it?

The image of her little brother, abandoned on the street, beaten black and blue — and yet smiling as he said he had managed to protect just one of his gifts — was more of a shock than she could have imagined.

It had been a foolish, senseless act.

Too young to know how cruel the world outside could be, Karsein had lain sick in bed for days over her own childish wish that he would simply disappear somewhere far away.

Even now, that image still flickered before her eyes now and then, like heat haze.

Every time she looked at the thing in her pocket.

Every time she looked at the gift Karsein had barely defended from thugs and hoodlums.

Every time she looked at the hair tie he had supposedly gotten for his big sister, the one whose ponytail suited her so well.

"...Hoo. Calm down, Arina Bagrand. That was the foolish me of the past."

Telling herself to calm down was one thing; doing it was another. Arina only gripped the reins harder as she rode.

And so she arrived at the estate in a rush.

She went straight for Karsein's room.

But when she actually reached his door—

Arina couldn't bring herself to knock. Not even though the servants had confirmed for her that Karsein was inside.

"..."

Would it help, even now, if she ran to the night market and bought back something he would like? Would that ease his mood at all?

If she told him she had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠caught the thugs who trampled him that day and strung them up, would he feel vindicated?

Or would she need to make amends with something so large it would let him bury the past entirely?

Countless forks in the road swirled through Arina's mind.

And yet — she didn't know.

She had no idea whether any of it was what Karsein actually wanted.

All Arina knew was the memory of him coming back beaten bloody after being abandoned by her seventeen-year-old self, and the fact that at the base of that stone tower, he had wanted to give her a hair tie.

It was the same with the birthday present.

She knew nothing. Nothing at all.

What he liked. What he hated.

What interested him, whether he had hobbies, what his tastes ran toward.

She had never once asked about any of it.

But... just one thing.

If there was one thing she did know about Karsein—

The training grounds... he liked going there.

He had loved it so much he would linger there for days on end.

But this is... not something I should decide on a whim.

Arina took a step back from Karsein's door and pressed a hand to her forehead.

In the past, Karsein had caused a serious incident at the training grounds.

It had been grave enough that he might have harmed not only the Bagrand Duchy's own, but also the sons and daughters of other houses who took refuge here.

So yes — it was truly not a decision to be made lightly. A hasty judgment could invite even greater harm.

And yet.

The scale, once perfectly level, tipped toward Karsein's happiness rather than the risk.

As she turned the thought over, a words her mother had once spoken drifted back to her.

"Hehe. The boy has grown up, hasn't he."

She turned that remark, overheard on the festival street, over and over in her mind.

He had grown up.

Perhaps those words were true.

According to Claire, there had been a commotion at the tournament hall today as well, and Karsein had proven his innocence with perfect composure.

He was far more mature now than he had been in the past.

He had forgiven Camilla generously, and rather than flying into a rage or raising his voice at the drop of a hat, he now took the time to think things through. During the Kelbia allergy incident, the old him would have flipped the table outright — but this time, he had held his temper.

That's right. Karsein has... grown that steady.

He could endure things now, even when they left a bad taste in his mouth.

He no longer lashed out recklessly, the way he once did.

And so—

It seemed fine, Arina thought, to let her now-level-headed little brother set foot in the training grounds that had been designated a Prohibited Area all this time.

And while she was at it, perhaps she could... put this matter behind her like an adult as well.

The hair tie...

Arina gazed down at it for a long moment, then raised her hands.

Her red hair, damp from the rain, was a complete mess — she had sprinted over the moment she heard Karsein had returned safely.

Her hands found that tangled hair.

Swish.

The tie came loose from the disheveled strands, and straight red hair cascaded down her back.

And then — she tied her hair up again.

With the keepsake of her own avoidance, the thing she had shut away in a drawer for so long because she couldn't bear to remember that day.

With the gift Karsein had pressed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠into her hands wearing an expression that said he was just glad he'd managed to protect something, anything, for his seventeen-year-old sister.

With this hair tie that had left nothing behind for her little brother but old wounds — and an ache in her own chest.

She tied it into a ponytail once more.

Flashiness was better for displaying the dignity and grace of her house, of course.

But for the hair tie alone, she found herself thinking, something plain would do just fine.

After all, it was a gift given to her directly by her own little brother, of all people.

Pleased with the new tie, Arina kept running her fingers over it again and again.

Then she caught herself and quickly picked up her pace.

She swept past the stairs and down the corridor, reached her own room, and immediately began rifling through her documents.

"...This should be enough for a birthday present."

Having confirmed the document's title, Arina drew out a fresh sheet of paper and set her pen dancing across it in a flourish.

When I opened my eyes, the sun was already up.

Which meant an entire day had slipped by... Apparently, the plan to rest for a moment, wash up, and sleep had turned into me completely conking out the instant I got to my room.

"Well, fair enough."

Karsein's trash-tier stamina played its part, but I'd also been run ragged completing the schedule for Episode IV: The Snowflower Festival.

Still, I had to get up quickly.

"I need to go to Arina and win the right to use the training grounds, after all."

I'd slept straight through the whole day, so I hadn't managed to meet her.

But I figured it would be fine. Even if a day had passed, Arina wouldn't have changed much — I wasn't planning on blaming her, after all.

And in the game, too, being a day late changed nothing. If anything changed at all, it was just starting out with slightly lower stats, maybe.

In other words, all I had to do was get ready and go find her now.

"First things first — I just crashed last night, so I should wash u—"

—is what I was thinking, when—

Knock, knock.

"Young master. It is Heron. I have come to deliver something of importance."

Heron had come.

I didn't know what it was about, but if it was Heron, I assumed there'd be no trouble, and I let him into my room.

Heron bowed with impeccable courtesy, then held something out to me.

"Young master. This is for you."

"A letter?"

"No, my lord. This was sent by Lady Arina."

"Arina did?"

I racked my brain immediately.

Was there ever a development where Arina suddenly sent me something?

No. There wasn't. Not at this point in the timeline, at least, after completing Episode IV.

As far as I knew, there was no mention of anything like this until the next episode.

I couldn't tell what it was, but...

I supposed I'd have to open it to find out.

I immediately unfolded the contents of the box to check.

Wait, this is...?

This shouldn't be popping up now?

The moment the question formed, the Status Window appeared before my eyes.

Ring!

This was not a message that was supposed to appear now.

It was the kind of reward you earned by going to Arina or Isabella, claiming my right to use the training grounds, and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠making the right choices along the way.

Which meant that what Arina had just sent me was—

The certificate formally lifting the ban on my entry to the training grounds.

What is this? What on earth happened?

Even reading the two lines together, I couldn't piece it all into place at once. But as I began fitting the puzzle pieces together bit by bit, a vague shape emerged.

If that mother-daughter pair tries to settle things with compensation, then it does make sense.

Isabella had just pulled that stunt with the birthday present, so who was to say Arina wouldn't do the same?

Heavens, no. She would almost certainly wield the full power of House Bagrand.

It also explained how I'd ended up with a result beyond what any of the choices would have granted.

Through the Hidden Episode, On a Knife's Edge at the Stone Tower, I had driven a deep blade into Arina's heart yesterday.

If she were trying to compensate for something.

If, whenever a problem arose, she had the same tendency as her — that woman I called Mother — to throw money at it.

If my eldest sister from my past life, who displayed that tendency to an extreme degree, and Arina were one and the same in that respect—

Then every puzzle piece clicked into place with ease.

"So that's how it is."

"My lord?"

And here I thought I'd get through the morning without this bile rising up.

"Is something the matter, my lord?"

"No. Nothing's wrong."

Still, in this situation, that wasn't entirely a bad thing.

After all, anything goes, in whatever way it goes.

This way, I wouldn't need to seek out Arina or Isabella at all.

It even cut off the whole calculation of which of the two — Arina or Isabella — offered the better risk-to-return ratio.

And to top it off, that zone hadn't merely dropped from Dangerous to Caution or Warning — it had become completely Normal. From my standpoint, this was a major windfall.

But things like this? I hate them.

They'd sour my mood first thing in the morning, so now it was my turn to sour this family's mood right back.

As it happened, I had just the card to play at this stage, where Episode V's branching path would be decided.

Claire most likely hadn't heard the news yet.

And Flora... well, no need to touch her for now.

However the dice fell, Arina seemed to be the perfect mark.

"Heron. I hate to task you first thing in the morning, but there's something I need you to do."

"If it is the young master's order, given in your capacity as head of this house's service, then it is my duty to carry it out gladly."

Heron accepted readily, making it clear I could command him as I pleased.

"Is that so? Then here's what I need."

With a faint smile, I told Heron what to do.

The moment he heard it, Heron's face flooded with horror — but he did not refuse the order.

House Bagrand.

In the empire, merely hearing the name was enough to make one clamp one's mouth shut.

Beneath the imperial family, a clear and undisputed summit of the nobility that no one else could approach.

The most elevated standing among nobles — in name and in fact, the greatest house of them all.

That was Bagrand.

Underlings were, by nature, merely those who served their masters — but the stronger their master's standing and power, the greater their pride grew in turn.

And Emma stood within that very House Bagrand as the Head Maid, no less.

Every single day had been a delight.

Even when the work was grueling and exhausting, serving masters so worthy of pride made the fatigue feel like nothing at all.

She was, after all, one of the few maids in all the empire who could walk with her shoulders squared and her head held high.

But now—

Every day had become unbearable.

She had been scolded by the second young lady she so admired.

Warned, no less, never to lay a hand on "that bastard."

It's all because of that commoner!

Her pride wounded, she had bowed her head to that lowborn thing not once but twice. And as if that weren't enough, the second young lady had gone and been completely bewitched by him.

The noble House Bagrand was being stained by his hands.

She had to do something. Anything.

"Lady Flora. It's Emma. May I come in?"

"Yeah. Come in."

Stepping into the room, Emma found Flora hugging a teddy bear nearly big enough to hide behind.

I've never seen anything like that in the young lady's room before...?

As Emma tilted her head at it, Flora said, almost bragging:

"This. I won it as a prize at the Snowflower Festival? They said you almost never get one of these."

"You must like it a great deal, my lady."

"Mm-hm."

"How wonderful. Was it a gift from your sisters?"

"My sis..."

Flora faltered mid-word.

"It wasn't from my sisters."

"Then from the Duchess?"

Flora shook her head.

"Karsein got it for me."

"...Pardon?"

"He clearly hates me, but... why would he get this for me?"

In that instant, a light went off in Emma's head.

That's it.

Because of Claire's chilling warning, she couldn't harm Karsein directly. But that didn't mean she had no options at all. Emma had a powerful ally.

The third young lady. Flora Bagrand.

"Oh, that wretch — after everything, now he's set his sights on our Lady Flora...!"

Emma deliberately twisted her face into an expression of outrage and appealed to Flora.

"What do you mean?"

"My lady, who knows what scheme that boy is nursing? You've seen it time and time again. Even Her Ladyship was once utterly taken in by him."

"Then... don't tell me this..."

Doubt began to creep into Flora's eyes as she stared at the teddy bear.

And where Flora couldn't see, hidden behind her hands, the corners of Emma's mouth curled into a smile.

"...I'll check. I'll go see him myself."

"Are you certain you don't need me to accompany you?"

"No. I can meet him alone."

"Y-yes, my lady... Then please, be careful."

"Mm."

Leaving behind Emma, who carefully concealed her satisfaction, Flora opened the door and stepped out of her room.

"It was all a lie, after all. Our family, again..."

Clench.

The sense of betrayal the blonde girl felt poured itself into her fist.

Only moments ago she had been happily hugging her teddy bear — now Flora was headed straight for Karsein's room.

"────"

"────"

Voices drifted over from nearby — the maids.

It was the servants' utility room near Karsein's quarters.

When she caught the name "Karsein" from that room, Flora's ears naturally turned toward it.

"Since the young master is asleep, I shall leave this in your care. It is an important document — when he wakes, be sure to deliver it to him then."

—Yes, Mr. Heron.

"The storage spot... since it's a document, the second cabinet on the near side should do. Don't forget."

It was a conversation between Heron and the maids.

An important document? She couldn't help but be suspicious.

Flora hid in a neighboring room, pretending to see to other business, and waited for the moment Heron and the maids would leave.

Heron, having only delivered his instructions, departed quickly, and the maids left on schedule to do the laundry.

Seizing that exact moment, Flora slipped into the maids' empty utility room.

And then—

The moment she saw what this "important" item was, she knew instinctively that Emma had been right.

" figures. So that's why he did it — to worm his way into Big Sister's good graces."

Flora's hands trembled.

This document was a repeal of the prohibition order, bearing both Arina's own handwriting and her seal, granting Karsein use of the training grounds.

So in the end, it hadn't been kindness at all — it had been a move with a purpose.

Clutching the document, Flora thought:

When she got back, she would tear that teddy bear to shreds — rip it apart so thoroughly it would be unrecognizable — and leave the scraps in front of Karsein's door.

"No. The document comes first."

Rip, rip—

The paper was torn to pieces — so thoroughly that the fragments could never be pieced back together, so thoroughly that the elegant handwriting could never be read again.

Gathering the shredded pieces into a basket, Flora left the utility room and headed off somewhere.

One of the scraps drifted down into the corridor below.

Flora never noticed.

An old man who had been watching the whole scene picked up the torn scrap of paper and murmured:

"Everything has proceeded exactly as the young master intended."

Heron, who had at first been appalled by the strange order he'd received, had only now come to understand the whole of the grand design.

And yet, his heart was far from easy.

Without question, this method would deliver a tremendous shock to the rest of the family.

And if the truth spread through the estate and set the maids whispering, Karsein's standing within the house would only improve further.

Even so — his heart was not at ease.

"Young master... are you not afraid of being wounded?"

A boy of barely eighteen had already taken the full brunt of every hardship the world could throw at him.

And yet — here he was, about to gouge at those wounds with his own hands, no less than another's. It was a truly agonizing thing to witness.