The Damn Family Is Back Again

164 – 164. Legal Rights (4)

Reading the books and documents was tedious, but watching the festival with its fireworks and magical lights illuminating the sky was never boring, no matter how many hours I watched.

I’d rather think about how to have fun outside than attend classes and learn this and that.

Studying is boring.

Playing is fun.

Flora had always been like that.

With her personality, when she first attended the Eastern Noble Assembly, she found it tedious and hated it.

She’d rather spend time thinking about the people in her territory, chatting with friends, or exploring the market with her family.

But.

Now, things were a bit different.

“Hmm… these territory people produce a lot of grains, but they lack money, so they pay their taxes in grains instead?”

“That’s right. Our youngest, you’re listening well?”

“Hehe.”

In the past, I would have dodged the question, saying I didn’t understand or forgot, and then quickly suggested going out to play. But now, I didn’t.

There were limits, after all.

“Is this conversation too difficult?”

“Yes. As you said, it’s too hard.”

I had heard some explanations about the territory from Arina, but it wasn’t enough to fill the gaps in my knowledge.

“Don’t get discouraged if you don’t understand. You’re still young, Flora. You can learn slowly by my side.”

You’re still young, so you can learn slowly.

I had heard those words before. Not just from Arina, but also from Claire and Isabella.

But now, those words felt different.

“My sisters and mom were doing such complicated things… “

I can do it too when the time comes.

It’s not that hard to talk to the territory people, is it?

If I can govern the territory like my sisters, I can earn mom’s praise!

It’s ridiculous, but in the past, I thought it was that easy.

However, when I came to my senses, I realized it wasn’t something to be taken lightly.

I’ve been listening to the situation in Yeongji for two days, but I still don’t know much.

I’ve been listening for a while, and I’ve seen it, but I’ve only managed to squeeze out a few answers, and in reality, nothing has been organized in my head.

I heard from Unnie that it’s okay to take a break, but Florea wants to follow through to the end and keep an eye on things, so she’s making a fuss.

Then, Ariana smiled and extended her hand, and Florea grasped her big sister’s hand tightly and continued to inspect the remaining areas of Yeongji. Even then, she didn’t forget to ask questions and learn.

Someday, when I’m older, I’ll have to take care of Yeongji on my own.

“So, this time, we’re going to proceed with the expansion plan that we couldn’t do last year. What do you think?”

“There’s no problem with what Ariana-nim says!”

“Is there anyone who opposes?! If there is, I’ll shut them up!”

—Hahaha!

The people who cheered when Ariana revealed herself as the temporary lord two days ago still didn’t have a single doubt today and accepted the plan.

Even though not a single word had been spoken, the applause was immense.

As Ariana held her hand and moved around, inspecting the territory, it felt like the people of Yeongji were following Unnie well.

Ariana smiled and patted the youngest’s head.

“Florea, things don’t always go smoothly like this.”

“What do you mean, Unnie?”

“The position of lord is someone who has all the authority over this territory, so the weight of that responsibility is enormous. That’s why the image we show is extremely important.”

“Image…?”

“From the perspective of the people of Yeongji, they want their lives to be more prosperous and comfortable. If that’s the case, they’ll want a better lord. If the lord lacks capability or has a bad reputation, they might refuse, thinking it could harm their land.”

Ariana added that she wouldn’t want to hand over the territory to someone like that.

At that moment, a thought flashed through Florea’s mind.

Someone who is untrustworthy from the people’s perspective.

That word had stuck in her head.

“Uh, then… if someone like you or me, from a high-ranking family like the Bagrande dukes…?”

Florea asked in a clearly different tone.

“Those people are all commoners. If we, the nobles, say something, they’ll listen, right?”

If you’re of high status, can’t you somehow solve the problem?

Even if they don’t want to accept the lord, won’t their status solve it?

But Ariana firmly shook her head.

“If I were a great liar or a despicable swindler, those people wouldn’t have accepted this plan either.”

The burning anxiety that arose in Florea’s mind pierced her past once again, filling her chest with a suffocating feeling.

As the anxiety overwhelmed her, Florea turned around and rushed into the carriage without looking back.

And then, she hastily ordered the coachman to head to another territory.

A great liar.

A despicable swindler.

Someone with an image like that cannot become a lord.

And yet, there is someone who has become the lord of a territory.

Similarly, it was Kalcein, who had received the Shatren territory and become its lord.

In the past, I had said something like that to the people of Shatren.

—Kalcein is a liar!

“-Our unnies and mom were also deceived and entered the ducal family, right? Are you going to believe that liar?

-He even lied in the ducal family, and because of him, the maids and servants suffered greatly!

I just can’t stand seeing him do well because of this land.

I can’t stand seeing him being recognized by the people of the territory.

Maybe he’ll receive praise from my family because of this, and I’ll make up a story that’s not even true.

In fact, I wish all the commoners in the territory would distrust him and add to the rumors.

-Check if he’s trying to pull off some trick or not! It’s clear he’s come to cause trouble!

Whatever happens, it’ll be his fault.

If he gives any orders, it’ll be a lie.

He cleverly deceived people.

And…

As soon as he was appointed as the temporary lord of Shatren, he issued an order and created a mess that couldn’t be compared, and the land was ruined.

So, Carsain became a legendary liar who deceived the people of Shatren and was sent back to the ducal family.

Then… what would happen if Carsain, who deceived the entire territory, were to set foot in that territory again?

Perhaps it would be as I expected.

‘Please, please… don’t let anything happen…!’

Flora begged and begged.

She prayed that nothing would happen.

She prayed that Carsain wouldn’t be accused of spreading false rumors in that place until the carriage arrived at Shatren.

She was praying for a wish that was almost like a curse.

‘Where, where is it?!”

After arriving at Shatren, she wandered around for a while.

She looked for Carsain, but she didn’t know anything about this place.

If it was such a famous place, it wouldn’t be strange to know the geography, but…

It was another regretful moment for herself, who hadn’t studied anything.

Luckily…

“────!!”

There was a voice from the surroundings.

However…

“If you don’t follow my policy, that’s fine. I won’t give you any orders except for this one.”

What she saw after coming to this place was the seed of evil that she had sown in the past.

The moisture in her chest, which had been stuffy, began to fill, and soon tears started to well up in Flora’s eyes.

***

Carsain’s appointment as the temporary lord was a disaster.

The people of the territory were already filled with suspicion, and they were ready to expel him, thinking he had come to deceive them again.

Although he managed to find a way to stay active in this territory…

It was as if he had given up his authority as a lord.

“Heh…!”

Flora cried and wandered around Shatren, her eyes red.

Once again, he was covered in scars.

It wasn’t just the imperial family that couldn’t tolerate anything.

Even outside the imperial family, it was already a mess.

Like the Carcsein I saw in my dreams.

“Hmph!”

Florence, who recalled the Carcsein burning to ashes in her dreams, was startled and took a deep breath.

“No, it can’t be… it’s because of me that it turned out like this…”

She wanted to deny it.

She wanted to believe that it wasn’t because of her.

She wanted to argue that it was absurd to be treated like this just because of a few words.

Yes, she could argue.

She could directly ask Carcsein and assert that she had no such intention.

Let’s go ask him.

Let’s go confirm it.

To where Carcsein is.

To where Carcsein went.

She took a small step to meet him.

“Why did you come again?”

Florence felt like her breath was caught in her throat as she saw him asking in a blunt tone.

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But she forced herself to open her mouth.

“No…? Carcsein, you’re saying I’m the culprit here too…? No way. That’s not it…”

Please tell me it’s not my fault.

Please tell me it was just an accident that happened to overlap…

The Shatren territory was destroyed because of your mistake, not mine…

“Isn’t this the situation you wanted?”

As she was making all sorts of excuses in her mind and avoiding reality, she felt a cold chill run down her spine.

Florence reflexively stopped wiping her tears and stared at Carcsein.

“Oh no, I made a mistake. Yeah, it wasn’t what you wanted, but just a rumor that spread from somewhere?”

Perhaps.

It can’t be.

“It can’t be. It can’t be…!”

But.

A cold smile was already spreading across his lips.

Again, that feeling.

Endlessly cold, endlessly chilling.

It was a suffocating feeling, as if a large boundary line was being drawn silently.

Only when she felt this suffocation did Florence come to her senses.

“What was I thinking!!”

I knew it from the start.

It wasn’t Carcsein’s fault, but mine.

If I had tormented Carcsein again with the flames of lies I fabricated, I should have acknowledged it from the beginning!

I hated myself for trying to turn a blind eye to reality once again.

But this wasn’t the time to be complacent and blame myself.

I had to say something.

I couldn’t just stand by and let all the blame fall on him like before.

“Wow, how did those words hit the nail on the head? Did I really think I could ruin Shatren? It seemed like a rumor, but it was almost like a prophecy.”

But the words wouldn’t come out.

What could I say to deny it?

How could I reveal my own mistakes?

“No, I should’ve listened to those words. If I had just received the news a little faster, I wouldn’t have done anything, and Shatren wouldn’t have been ruined. This is all my fault. It still bothers me to this day.”

No.

That’s not it.

Where did those words come from?

If you say that, then what I did was…

“So, I didn’t take the fall for nothing. It’s my own doing. As a commoner, I didn’t have the ability, but I still tried to revive the territory. So, this time, I’ll just take the punishment quietly and wait. Maybe another opportunity from heaven will come along.”

At that moment, Flora realized.

She had missed the timing again.

If she had just been honest from the start, it would’ve been over.

If she had acknowledged that everything was her fault from the beginning, it would’ve been fine.

But because she turned a blind eye to reality again, she missed her chance.

“Idiot, fool…”

Tears began to fall from Flora’s cheeks as she muttered those words to herself.