The Damn Family Is Back Again

25 – 25. Belated Birthday Gift (4)

1 hour before meeting with Harnier.

The clothes worn at the coming-of-age ceremony are evening gowns worn at parties or banquet halls. For that reason, it was not suitable for the meeting with Harnier.

“Clearly, we were supposed to create a lover’s atmosphere.”

In that case, the clothes in the closet could not be used. Not to mention everyday clothes or pajamas, there were too many problems and she couldn’t even touch them.

So the only option left was the clothes that arrived as a birthday gift, but she didn’t really want to wear them. However, due to the stubborn resistance of Camilla, she had no choice but to wear them.

“Ah. I said it in a fit of anger, but… how should I explain that.”

She had many worries in many ways.

Anyway, she finished getting ready to go out like that.

Time passed, and it had been about 10 minutes since she arrived at the meeting place.

“Carcain Gongja.”

Harnier came hurriedly.

“Sorry. Did I keep you waiting?”

“The appointment time itself was adhered to, so there shouldn’t be any problem, right?”

“Oh, you might not know, but it’s customary for nobles to arrive early, considering that extra time as a courtesy. That’s why I’m apologizing.”

What kind of ridiculous courtesy is that?

If that’s the case, then Harney, who came on time, was also 10 minutes late.

It’s really a useless piece of information… but let’s remember it for now.

“Hmm.”

“Why are you like that?”

“You seem to be dressed up quite nicely today.”

No wonder his gaze was wandering around.

He was looking at my outfit.

“I can’t come dressed like I did back then. You said so yourself.”

“Oh my. Are you going to dress me properly? Thank you.”

“Well, um…”

He smiled slightly, as if he was quite satisfied.

Meanwhile, I was sweating cold sweat.

“I don’t think I’ll be laughing when I find out what kind of trouble I got into later…”

Certainly, when that time comes. No, even after about 30 minutes of starting the conversation, I’m sure I’ll regret it.

Sigh. I’ll probably regret it, but let’s not think about it later.

“So, now that we’re finally here, where should we start?”

“Hmm? Of course, we should definitely finish this process first.”

Harunie pointed to the bag and said so.

There was probably something related to the contract inside the bag.

It was meticulous yet clumsy.

“For now, it’s best to leave this place… Yes, over there.”

After briefly scanning the surroundings, I searched for a suitable place and took Harunie’s hand, moving to another seat.

“K-Karsein Gongja? Why all of a sudden…?”

“Just quietly follow along.”

Harunie seemed surprised and tried to retract her hand, but I had no intention of letting go.

***

“This seems to be enough.”

Glancing around, I found a coffee house in the city.

As soon as we opened the door, separate rooms were visible. Of course, there were still people sitting at tables in the lobby, but the existence of these rooms was important.

Approaching a staff member, I immediately asked.

“I want to drink with Yeongae in a private place. I’ll take a room for two. How much is it?”

“You’ll be charged 350 pesos in addition to the basic drink price. If you give me 350 pesos first.”

“Here.”

“Just follow me.”

As I took out the currency from my pocket and handed it over, the staff member glanced at me and Harunie’s attire.

Perhaps realizing that we were fairly well-off nobles, they guided us towards a room deeper inside rather than one nearby. And just as we were walking, I felt a sharp heel dig into my throat.

“You’re just the same as everyone else. Let go of this! If you don’t, I’ll scream and call the guards!”

Turning around, Harney said in a voice that the employee couldn’t hear. His expression had sharpened, showing clear signs of anger.

“Sigh. Just follow me for a moment. I would never do what you think.”

“Don’t make me laugh. Do you think I haven’t encountered men like you before?”

Harney snorted, spouting all sorts of names from his mouth.

Of course, they were names I had never heard before.

A man who wanted to see what he could do to me alone in a room.

A man who subtly touched his body while wearing a terrible smile and a blush.

He was describing all the actions that those men had taken.

“I only made a lot of noise with my words… I guess you’re just the same kind of beast. So this is my final warning. Let go.”

Harney seemed ready to shout at any moment, as if this was his last warning.

Judging from the atmosphere in the room and the way the customers’ clothes were being examined, it wasn’t uncommon for nobles to be in such a position. If I were to scream here…

“I would be marked as a crazy lunatic who caused an accident without hesitation.”

It was an obvious future.

Of course, I wouldn’t be the one to suffer from it.

First, let’s calm down this flustered woman.

Thud.

I let go of her hand and lightly extended it towards the wall. She became a shape that couldn’t easily push past the wall.

This should be enough to hide our sight, even if someone is watching.

But she was the one who seemed confused.

“If, if you really want to try and do something to me…!”

“Hush.”

Be quiet. It’s this woman.

Can you hear anything?

“You really have no thoughts. Like a fool.”

“What, what did you say? Have I said everything?”

“Yes. Harney Yeongae is a fool. If I only see you as a human who can touch your body, then a fool is what you are.”

As if dumbfounded, Harney let out a sigh.

“Well, then, is there another intention behind this behavior?”

She crossed her arms as if asking me to say it.

With a smirk, I threw a bowl of facts at this fool of a woman.

“You were supposed to show yourself as my fiancée through our contract! Did you forget about that?”

“You think I’m crazy? Of course…!”

“Of course, if that’s not the case, then why are you treating me like those perverts right now?”

“What?”

Stammering, Harney was truly dumbfounded and flustered.

“Think about it. Where would be the best place to start an important contract?”

“…”

Of course.

A place where the two of us can have a conversation alone.

Harnie, who recalled the reason for coming to this place, absentmindedly twisted her hair with her other hand.

“Um, Master Karsein? That…”

She wanted to continue speaking, but the employee who had been leading the way coughed loudly and turned around.

“Ahem. You two, please refrain from any affectionate behavior here.”

“What?”

She asked, as if the term “affectionate behavior” made no sense.

Then she suddenly realized that the current situation could easily be misunderstood.

The gaze of the two men and women who had become closer to each other, with the man pushing the woman against the wall.

To the employee, it must have seemed like a significant display of affection between a couple who were in the midst of it. Contrary to Harnie’s initial doubt.

Unable to bear the embarrassment, Harnie buried her reddened face in her hands.

“Let’s go. Let’s hurry before we arouse suspicion from the staff.”

“…”

Harnie, who held my hand again, silently followed along.

***

Following the employee, they entered a luxurious room.

It was a place with a large glass window that provided a view of the natural scenery and had a serene atmosphere.

The soundproofing, which was the most important aspect, seemed to be thorough.

“Um… Master Karsein?”

“What is it?”

“Well, um… I think it’s okay for you to let go of my hand now.”

Ah, I see. That makes sense.

Since the staff had gone to get drinks, they could sit at the table and have a conversation.

“Let’s sit down for now.”

Harnie sat down, a single drop of cold sweat trickling down her face.

As they sat face to face, their eyes met involuntarily. She flinched and tried to avoid my gaze.

The blinking speed of her eyes noticeably increased.

“Hmm, I guess I’ll use this as a shield.”

Harnie twisted her body uncomfortably, with a troubled expression. By now, she must want to take back the words she had thought of saying while kicking my throat.

With this, I might be able to make a good joke.

For now, let’s wait and see. This person is secretly a clumsy person who sometimes self-destructs.

“Um, well… About what you mentioned earlier.”

“That thing?”

“Yeah… Earlier, in the hallway.”

Purposely avoiding eye contact, pretending to savor the aroma and taste of the coffee, Harnie started glancing at me from time to time.

Should I tease her a little?

“About the hallway. That was quite awkward, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, yes?”

-Flinch!

“Harnie Youngae, you were in the wrong.”

As I shifted my gaze towards her, she flinched and trembled. She was trying hard to avoid eye contact, but her eyes kept blinking.

“The employee is waiting, but you don’t seem to be moving at all. Wouldn’t it raise suspicions about our relationship?”

“…”

At first, the two eyes flinched, but this time they trembled slightly. From the expression, it was clear that they were caught.

“…I’m sorry.”

“Yes?”

“I-I’m sorry! I misunderstood and thought you were a pervert, like those others who kick and lust after my face and body…”

“I’m glad the misunderstanding is cleared up.”

“Don’t make fun of me. I already apologized.”

“Are you saying that other men have teased you like this?”

“Ugh. You’re the worst!”

Blushing, they glanced at me from the corner of their eye. It would be fun to tease them a little more, but… let’s leave it at this.

“Shouldn’t we get to the point soon? It’s getting late.”

“That’s what I was trying to say!”

I thought that might be the case.

Anyway, let’s put that aside.

Harney started pulling something out of their bag.

It seems they carefully folded and brought a contract or something. That’s what I thought.

But there was one thing I overlooked.

“This is the jewel of the oath. You know what it is, right?”

“Yes.”

I wouldn’t have known if it weren’t for the item information window, but I understood it when I saw it.

◆ Oathstone

[ A magical stone used to make contracts through language, mainly used for important contracts. When used, the magical power of the stone is emitted, creating an environment for the contract to take place─ ]

In summary, after emitting the magical power of the stone, mention each party’s obligations and objectives to establish the contract.

There was no need for a contract document.

This was a world within a game where magic existed.

Harnie slowly engraved the contents of the contract and, as she told me, prepared for a one-year contract engagement with the engagement itself as the objective.

“Now, you just need to mention the purpose of Karceine-sama.”

As she mentioned, she aimed for independence from the Viscountess Theresa.

My objective. It was simple.

“───────.”

Harnie’s pupils momentarily widened.

“Why are you like that? Did something go wrong?”

“No. No, it’s nothing. Let’s proceed like this then.”

The oathstone emitted a blue light and changed from blue to crimson.

Even though it wasn’t written directly by Karceine in the game, there were scenes like this with other characters. It seemed that the contract for the one-year engagement had ended successfully.

However, even though we had done all this, Harnie couldn’t meet my gaze directly and was playing with her hair, avoiding eye contact.

“Um. Are you okay with the hit earlier?”

“You mean the one with your foot? I’m fine, why do you ask?”

“…Still, it’s a little…”

It was necessary to hit him so hard. To deal with those rough men, I had to hit him this hard. Honestly, it still feels a bit chilly.

“But if I do this, I feel like I’m becoming a bad person…”

I have no choice.

I have to offset this somehow.

“Well then, let’s pretend we’re on good terms. Well, I also made mistakes.”

“What? No, that’s not true. You were just trying to find a suitable place.”

“Not today. Actually, I did something unreasonable. To Harnie Yeong-ae.”

“To me? Not today…?”

She tilted her head as if she didn’t understand at all.

“When you came as the Duke of Bagrand. Do you remember when we met?”

“Well, of course. Since we met then, we’re meeting now.”

“Yes. I made a big mistake back then. I didn’t want to get scolded by my family.”

“…?”

“We made it known that we had a secret meeting that day. So… um. We have to show a more romantic atmosphere.”

“What?!”

Surprised, she stammered and asked again to confirm.

“A se, secret meeting? We, we just have a contract! If you say that, really, really…!”

“We have to appear like lovers. If we don’t want to be suspected.”

“Goodness.”

With a shocked expression, Harnie muttered “Goodness” repeatedly.

I understand.

Karsein is not that great of a man.

Harnier, on the other hand, has an exceptional beauty even among the nobility.

If we consider abilities, there is a sky and earth difference.

So I tried to offset my mistakes if there were any…

I wonder if this won’t work?

“Isn’t this actually better? It would be hard to suspect anything since we were close enough to have secret meetings. It’s also natural and good for setting the mood.”

As I tried to persuade her, fearing that the contract might be broken, a fire sparked in Harnier’s eyes, which were filled with frustration.

“Y-Your Highness? Why are you like this?”

As she approached me with a strange aura, cold sweat ran down my back. When I regained my senses, I realized I was also taking a step back.

-Thud.

Huh. Nowhere to go?

“Wait, just a moment!”

“That’s enou-… Ugh!”

-Smack!

It was a long time since I received a slap on the back.

***

“Ugh…”

“Hmph!”

As she brushed her back, which was heating up with anger, Harnier stepped outside the coffee house with a stern attitude, arms crossed.

“Let’s go together.”

“Don’t talk to me.”

“If you hit me, you should at least apologize.”

“I told you not to talk to me.”

“Oh, come on, we agreed to work together…”

-Sigh.

Harnie’s lively gaze turned back towards me. I felt like I would get another punch if I said something wrong.

I whispered into Harnie’s ear, being cautious.

“Ahem. If you keep doing this, people will start to suspect us.”

“…”

“You said you didn’t want other men getting involved. Teresa Viscountess.”

A strange silence fell. It was a dangerous silence, as if something should not be disturbed.

Let’s just wait silently. Harnie sighed deeply and replied.

“Harnie.”

“Yes?”

“Call me by my name. Forget about the family title.”

“Ah, I see. Understood.”

“But!”

Thud!

Harnie, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned to look at me.

“Doing something impure. I’ve tried it before. I’ll never break the oath of the contract… There are no exceptions, even for you.”

“Yes, yes.”

I don’t really understand what it means that there are no exceptions, but it seems like I can’t break the contract lightly. That’s enough.

“But shouldn’t I call you Caressin instead of you?”

“I told you not to speak!”

I adjusted my rhythm to Harneye like that. Until the sun sets.