Damn Family

Isabella saw Carsein reading a book calmly on the bed.

She felt relieved, thinking there was no longer anything to worry about.

He said he was recovering, and seeing him with her own eyes left no room for doubt.

Thus, Isabella began to harbor a slight expectation.

After all, wasn’t Carsein also her child? She hoped he would complain or throw a tantrum, saying how much he had hurt or how scary it was being in a dark place, or how boring it was in the hospital.

Although she had felt something while riding in the carriage, she hadn’t been able to do anything for Carsein.

But… Apologies?

Taking up his time?

That wasn’t what she came for.

“What happened, Carsein?”

Isabella approached Carsein’s bedroom and held his hands.

“Did someone come looking for you and breathe some weird air into you? Or did someone threaten you or try to frame you?”

It didn’t matter that he wasn’t complaining or throwing a tantrum when she entered the sickroom. This child had grown up so much.

But there was no reason for him to apologize.

“Who told you such nonsense? Who said wasting my time?”

The most important thing was that Carsein was injured.

The most important thing was that Carsein was okay.

Wasting her time?

Stealing her time as a duchess?

And even bowing his head and apologizing?

Absolutely not.

What fault could Carsein possibly have? It was obvious that someone must have influenced him. She needed to catch that person and punish them.

“Was there any trace of that incompetent butler left behind? Or were any of those arrogant knights talking recklessly? Who? Who dared speak such words to my son, a member of the Bargrand family? I will tear out every last hair of whoever did this.”

Isabella urged Carsein to answer quickly.

However.

The answer, regrettably, was:

“I’m sorry, but that was my decision.”

“…”

“It wasn’t anyone who said that to me. No one threatened me, and no one tried to frame me. It was purely my own thought, made with my own mind.”

Carsein had decided on his own.

Isabella blinked her eyes in surprise.

“Why… did you think that?”

Carsein replied without changing his expression.

“You remember how I kept interrupting during morning greetings?”

“What…?”

Isabella’s pupils trembled.

“Multiple times. I always interrupted. Even during important state affairs and right before meetings with retainers, I came to interrupt. And.”

Carsein showed his injuries. These scars were different from the new ones; they were fully healed, meaning they were from the past.

“At last year’s martial arts tournament, I forced myself to participate despite my stubbornness, and I stole your time like this. So, isn’t it natural that I would feel the same way again this time?”

Isabella covered her mouth with trembling hands.

Yes.

It was because of just one person.

Why did he apologize?

Why did he feel that his time was being stolen?

Why did he bow his head?

Because of just one person.

“From now on, don’t get hurt. If you come looking for me, it’ll affect the work of the duke’s house. Carsein.”

Not anyone else, but himself.

Because Isabella herself seemed to be the one whose time was being taken.

“I should go. I don’t want to take up more of your time. I don’t want to be scolded by Arina or nagged at by Claire either. I should look after the youngest, Flora, first.”

She was punishing herself.

***

Click.

…

Isabella walked out with a gloomy expression.

When she entered Carsein’s sickroom and saw him calmly reading a book, she felt relief and a hint of strange expectation.

Such a lively face.

Now, it was filled with a heavy shadow.

“I… said such a crazy thing to that child…”

Her eyes shut tightly.

When Carsein needed his parents’ touch more than anything, she had called it a waste of time.

And after forgetting the incident and spending a year, she made him experience something similar to last year.

How could she be so ignorant?

How could she be so indifferent?

How could she forget something she had done to her own child?

This time, the serious advice of the old butler had hit the mark once again.

The more she thought about it, the clearer her memories of the past became.

Bang. Bang.

Isabella pounded her chest in pain.

“I’ve always relied on you… How could you be so careless…!”

Even though it was just a memory of the past, back then, Isabella had blindly relied on that child to sustain the rest of her life.

She was overwhelmed by grief over losing her husband, and when her only son disappeared along with him, she was left deaf.

To Isabella, who was blinded by grief as both a wife and a mother, the news was an indescribable despair.

So, she denied it.

While everyone was saying that Karn was just missing and not dead, she flatly denied the reality.

It wasn’t death. It was disappearance.

The absence of a body meant there was still hope of survival.

She denied it repeatedly and traveled across the empire.

But as time passed, and despite her travels, Isabella’s spirit deteriorated because she couldn’t find Karn.

At some point, she could see no one but Karn.

She wandered everywhere, searching only for Karn.

Her husband’s final wish, left behind in a message she never received, echoed endlessly in her mind.

Yes.

She was going mad.

Unaware of this fact, she searched everywhere. The duke’s house fell into a slump.

Then, like a ray of sunlight, that child appeared.

“Who… is it?”

Blue-black hair and purple eyes.

A beautiful hand holding a carriage doll.

Though it was worn, that child was undoubtedly her lost son to Isabella.

Of course.

My child couldn’t have died.

Only then did a sense of calm fill her heart.

Day by day, she could live again because of Karn.

Food, clothes, even her home—everything returned to color from her monochrome world.

Gradually, her health improved.

She reclaimed the duties she had let Arina take on.

As the duchess, she took on her work and even her late husband’s responsibilities, working tirelessly every day.

Then, one day, she started seeing Karn differently.

When he recovered, she realized the harsh reality she had been avoiding.

The child she had cradled and cared for was not Karn.

She understood why the other children had shouted that he wasn’t Karn.

Hair color, eye color, facial features, mannerisms, habits—everything was different.

Once she could see the real world, Isabella realized she had brought a completely different child.

She had mistaken a stranger for Karn.

Since then, an awkward atmosphere flowed.

She stopped cuddling him as usual and hesitated to reach out her hand.

Moreover, she didn’t speak properly. Of course, the child wasn’t her biological son.

Yet, Isabella did not drive this child away from the duke’s house.

Instead, she gave him the name Carsein and officially adopted him into the house.

She even allowed him to use the Bargrand family name freely.

The reason was…

She had risen again from a world filled with despair because of this child.

That child, whom she had clung to, had given her the strength to carry on after losing her husband and son.

Despite being a complete stranger, accepting everything had given her the strength to endure hardships and face reality.

Isabella Bargrand was saved.

By none other than Carsein.

“But, I… as a mother, couldn’t properly take care of you…”

A wave of intense sorrow soaked Isabella’s entire body.

*Thud!*

“Haa, haa…”

“Mom? What’s wrong? Why are you like this?”

“Mommaa…”

Flora and Claire ran over with worried eyes.

Their mother’s legs gave out, and the two daughters supported her with concern.

“It’s fine. I’m fine.”

“You’re getting older, Mom. You should rely on us now.”

“That’s right! We’re old enough to help you now.”

Seeing her daughters rush to help, Isabella’s heart ached even more.

Because…

He had reached out his hand of salvation since he was only 10 years old.

“Mom? Why are you crying?”

“Don’t cry, Mom. Why are you upset?”

She couldn’t hold back her tears.

*Ring!*

▶ Completed the hidden episode for Isabella’s character: “Miraculously Erased Mental Illness.” ◀

▶ Changes have occurred in Isabella’s affinity settings. ◀

[■ ■ ■■ ■Even if I ■■■■ ■■■ : 80%]

***

Isabella finally stopped crying.

As her breathing calmed down, Claire cautiously asked.

“Mom. Are you better now?”

“Yes. There’s nothing wrong, so you don’t need to look at me with those worried eyes.”

Nodding, Isabella agreed.

“But you can go now. Shouldn’t you go see Carsein?”

“But…”

“It’s fine, Flora. I was just thinking about old times. I couldn’t help but think of your father.”

“You were thinking about Dad and that’s why you cried.”

Although Flora didn’t notice, Claire caught on vaguely.

‘Mom won’t cry anymore when talking about Dad.’

It was probably not long after her mental illness was cured.

She had heard from Heron that she needed to become stronger and not break down, showing her children a weak side.

So, that was clearly a lie.

Then, why did she cry even after lying?

Probably, it was related to Carsein. That would easily fit the puzzle pieces together.

‘I see. Mom…’

She must have done something wrong to Carsein too.

Quick-witted, Claire urged Flora to move.

“Flora. Let’s go. Otherwise, Mom will feel even more troubled.”

“But why would Mom feel troubled if I’m here?”

“Mom might want to rest alone sometimes. If our youngest is around, she can’t rest.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yes. As your little sister said, we’ll rest for a bit and then come back. Otherwise, Carsein will be waiting.”

“Ugh, uh. Okay.”

Finally, Flora let go of her worries.

Just as they were about to leave,

Isabella, with a trembling voice, stopped Claire.

“Could I ask you one favor, Claire?”

“Yeah? What is it?”

“…I have a gift for Carsein.”

At the mention of a gift, both sighed softly.

They had rushed over empty-handed upon hearing the news.

“When you were young, you remember taking tests? Every birthday and when you were praised, you received gifts, right?”

“Yeah. That…”

“When I opened a new boutique, I received support funds, right?”

“I got delicious chocolate and a dress.”

Though she remembered studying hard, receiving a gift from her mother always felt wonderful.

“Yes. Just like that time. Since Carsein came second in the martial arts tournament this time, I wanted to tell him I would give him a reward. You can call it a gift. That should be fine.”

The sisters, who had been sweating nervously over their visit, brightened up.

‘That’s right. Carsein deserves praise from Mom too.’

‘If he came second in the martial arts tournament, he deserves a reward!’

With a happy heart, they hurried off.

But the answer they received was not as bright or hopeful.

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