The Damn Family Is Back Again

7 – 7. Dead Trigger (1)

When I opened my eyes, it was morning.

The end of a day spent groaning with a cold was a peaceful sleep after a simple meal.

I remember Claire realizing it belatedly and Meum arriving, and I remember being annoyed while eating it. But I don’t remember anything after lying down on the bed.

So, it means that I completely wasted a day.

“Sigh. So this is what they mean by recovering from fatigue and sleep abnormality.”

If you think about it differently, is there any other realistic way to recover besides this? Well, there’s nothing as good for recovery as eating well and getting a good sleep.

It was inevitable that time had passed.

-Knock knock.

“I have brought breakfast.”

Already, breakfast has arrived like this.

Today, it was Meum again. Perhaps Claire’s urgent call to the maids to clean up my room yesterday was quite helpful, as there seemed to be no discomfort.

However.

“I will go.”

The only difference is that firstly, the maid has changed. Originally, this should have been done by Camilla, but since that incident happened, the maid has changed according to the story in the game.

The second difference is.

‘Just by looking at her expression, she seems full of complaints.’

One thing that bothers me is that the maid seems to dislike me. Karzain’s perception within the Duke’s household is well-known, but the intimacy box of the maid was slightly darker white than yesterday. It’s not a good sign, whichever way you look at it.

Camilla didn’t have the character to spread rumors or gossip, although she had to feed Karzain strange things first.

But what about that maid? She might tease me somewhere and become a threat to me. If that happens, my intimacy with the Duke’s servants will continue to diminish.

“In the end, the Duke’s residence is a place I must escape from… but I can’t do it right away.”

A strict system of social status and a harsh world that cannot even be compared to Korea await me. Maybe something is happening that I don’t even know about.

Ironically, the most dangerous place is also the optimal place to crouch and survive. That’s why I can’t even dream of escaping right away.

“For now, I have to avoid the choices that trigger dead flags as the story progresses. If I go further, I have to turn off the dead trigger itself.”

In a certain community, a user directly called the choices that lead to a bad ending “dead flags,” and the events that can activate these dead flags were called dead triggers.

That was exactly right.

The word “flag” doesn’t need any explanation.

Trigger. Literally, a trigger. The situation where dead flags pop up aims the gun at the flow of events and waits until the time is right.

That’s why everyone was confused about when, where, and for what reason this choice suddenly leads to a bad ending.

Now that I’ve entered the game, I must be facing a major dead trigger.

“…First, I have to take Camilla out.”

Even after the possession, the story hasn’t changed much. Karzain collapses due to a cold, and Camilla, the dedicated maid, becomes suspected. So Camilla is now locked up as a prime suspect.

If it continues like this, I will definitely die. Because of the tremendous dead trigger that the character Camilla possesses.

There are faint hints given. The intimacy box of the maids and their direct reactions.

Camilla is the most popular and sociable among the maids, so she is highly regarded within the Duke’s household.

Of all the maids, it had to be my maid, so the arrows of blame will surely be directed at me. Therefore, taking Camilla out of the isolation cell is not a choice but a necessity.

But before that, let’s first continue with the episode.

-Clank.

My door, which used to be knocked on when a maid came, opened on its own. Well, at least it was someone who could be trusted.

“What’s the matter, Arina?”

After all, she was the first daughter of the Bagrand Duke.

***

Arina walked briskly and looked at the meager table, as if scoffing at it, with only one dish for the meal.

“You said you wouldn’t eat any of the carefully prepared food, but you’re willing to eat something like this?”

I knew this would happen, but hearing it directly made me feel down. But I don’t need to convey the truth with my own words.

Anyway, it’s pointless to say anything.

“It’s the same food from the Duke’s table. What’s the problem?”

“The same? If the chef who served that food on your table yesterday hears this, he’ll be horrified.”

“Ha.”

“You’re laughing even in this situation. The whole family is embarrassed because of you.”

It was a hollow laughter that came out because it was so absurd.

Even though it looks pitiful, this saved my life. It wasn’t the flashy food that Claire and you prepared, it was this that saved my life.

I held back the words I wanted to say.

-Ding!

▶ Episode II – The maids’ dissatisfaction begins! ◀

▶ Answer Arina’s question! ◀

[1. Why are you so easily irritated? Don’t ruin my appetite and just calm down, okay?]

[2. Why are you bringing up Mother again? Even if I’m sick, she wouldn’t even think of coming to visit me.]

[3. It’s not stubbornness…! Ugh, forget it. What do you want to talk about? You crazy woman.]

…

…

Finally, the start of the main story.

Some really interesting choices have appeared.

As soon as the episode starts, there are multiple choices to make, ranging from something harmless to traps.

[6. Isn’t it because of that?]

“Isn’t it because of that?”

There’s no way she came all the way here for something like this. If it’s Arina Bagrand.

“You don’t really have anything to tell me, do you? You came here to show me what you’re holding in your hand, right?”

“Hmm. Yeah. I didn’t come because of your meal. Just wait a moment. I have something else to bring.”

After a while, Arina came back with another stack of documents. At a glance, it looks like there are much more than what she brought earlier.

All the documents were profiles of the servants working within the duke’s residence. It detailed what tasks they have been assigned and what they have been doing.

So why is she showing me this? That must be the main point.

“The duke is currently going through a very busy period. There’s a big event coming up, so he’s spending a lot of time preparing for it, and there are other reasons as well. But since you caused an accident here, there’s no choice but to pay more money.”

I can guess.

If all the servants are busy with such tight schedules, there’s only one thing they would have to say to me.

“So, you’re hiring a new maid?”

“Yes, you got it right. Camilla, who has been obediently working despite your misbehavior, is now being suspected because of you. I plan to find her another job, even if it’s out of pity. The suspicion will soon be cleared.”

Ariana added, as if giving me the power to choose.

But it wasn’t really giving me a choice; it was rather a criticism.

The master, Karsein, was so strict and abusive that no servant wanted to work for him. And yet, he focused on the fact that Camilla had taken on the work.

Yes, he didn’t say it explicitly.

“All this trouble has made the already busy duke even busier. It’s all because of your negligence in taking care of yourself.”

It was nothing more than a scolding.

But.

I just couldn’t understand.

“Why is it Karsein’s fault?”

He’s the victim here. He had to shower in cold water, endure the pain, and come back without even having a proper meal.

And then, he was just a victim, receiving a dessert full of malice. It’s not like he was in a position to be scolded, setting aside everything else.

“Mother must also be worried because of this. If you have a conscience, handle it in a way that she won’t hear. Don’t cause any more harm to the family.”

And that damned word, family, kept coming out of his mouth.

I felt it from the beginning, but even his personality is no different from hers.

“Kim Minhyuk, why do you always embarrass our family? I can’t hold my head up because of you. Do you understand?”

“Unlike other kids our age, Mother works hard to provide a harmonious home with the money she earns. So please, feel ashamed. Stop bringing disgrace to our family.”

It was the same as what I heard from the firstborn in that house.

-Ding!

At the moment when the irritation reached its peak, a choice appeared. I should have quickly chosen the right answer and driven her away, but I couldn’t hold back and blurted out:

“The damage is on you right now…!”

-Beep! Beep!

At that moment, my vision blurred and my speech was controlled, and a warning window appeared.

▶Warning!◀

▶Warning!◀

▶Warning!◀

The surroundings seemed to be completely lit up with red warning lights, and the sound continued to spread as if sirens were blaring in my ears.

Soon, the status window appeared.

▶Warning! You cannot take that action!◀

▶A serious error that could cause the story to collapse has been detected!◀

▶Please choose another option.◀

▶If the same action is detected again, a penalty will be imposed!◀

“Damn it.”

▶Current accumulated warnings: 1◀

▶A penalty will be imposed on the next warning.◀

▶Forced random selection 5 times.◀

Even though they call it random, this penalty is practically telling me to die.

It’s really disheartening that I can’t even say what I want.

I sighed as I looked at the timer that appeared before my eyes, indicating that the game would soon resume.

“Mother must be worried about this too. If you have a conscience, handle it in a way that won’t reach her ears. Don’t cause any more harm to the family…”

As if the line that Arina had said was being input again, it echoed in my ears.

Perhaps my voice could be heard, but there was no particular reaction. No, it felt more like it had returned to being nonexistent.

“At least intervene only within the story, is that it?”

I obtained the information.

Although I can twist the choices, I cannot refuse the fundamental choices themselves. At the very least, I should utter the important lines.

Also, there are constraints on actions other than the choices. And… a warning that next time, I will kill without hesitation.

For information that I risked my life to acquire, it was quite irrational.

“I have to stay alive, not complain right now. First, choose the correct answer… Hm?”

As I complained, I noticed an object falling from the shelf to the floor, emitting light. It was undoubtedly a memorial.

“If this is the map of Karsein’s room… it must be a carriage doll.”

The memorial reveals Karsein’s past and occasionally points out important key points in resolving episodes, although it is difficult to find.

Here, I already know the approximate content, but…

“Surely, that’s not all.”

This wasn’t just my intuition.

As soon as I reached out to the carriage doll with the choices displayed, everything in front of me flashed white.

***

On a warm sunny day, an ordinary day.

The faces of the Imperial citizens, starting their energetic day under the spring sun, were full of vitality.

Even in this slum, the spring sun had arrived. For the children who were only abandoned on the streets, not even knowing the presence of their parents, the warm spring sun that approached after the cold winter was comforting.

One day.

A woman who wandered the country with dead eyes, searching for only one child, regained her vitality.

“Oh…! Here, here you are!”

The person standing in front of the revitalized woman was none other than Karceine.