Chapter 2
The meal before me was practically inedible.
A single, shriveled cucumber sat wedged inside a loaf of bread so stale it felt like stone. Beside it lay a smear of butter, its off-putting hue a clear warning that it had turned rancid long ago. This breakfast hadn’t just been prepared with indifference; it was downright repulsive.
Steak was never an expectation, but this was insulting. Even a cheap convenience store snack like cup noodles or a simple rice ball would have been a luxury compared to this frigid, ancient scrap.
Once I managed to force down enough to dull the hunger, I headed for the washroom, only to find a tub of water that felt like it had been drawn from a glacier. I dipped a finger in and recoiled, the chill racing through my nerves. If we were truly in the Frazier household, even a stable hand wouldn’t force a horse to bathe in such freezing conditions.
A sense of wrongness finally began to take root. Was Tulia’s situation actually this dire?
I knew her father, Marquis Frazier, was a spiteful man who refused to provide for his own child. However, Tulia was currently residing within the Grand Duke’s Castle. Even without luxury, there should have been some basic allowance to maintain the dignity of the house. A legitimate granddaughter of a Grand Duke shouldn’t be living like a street urchin.
My instincts as Han Ina—someone who had spent a lifetime navigating the neglect of a cold household—screamed that something was foul here. Even when I played as Coriko, life was never this bleak. And Coriko was an illegitimate daughter, someone the world looked down upon for her common blood.
“It’s… so cold…”
My teeth chattered violently, my frame shivering like a leaf in a gale, even though I’d only managed to splash my face. I crawled beneath the heavy blankets, desperate to reclaim some warmth, and must have drifted into a forced sleep.
A faint sound pulled me back to consciousness. Through heavy eyelids, I caught sight of a maid’s retreating back as she hurried out the door.
“Wait a moment…”
My voice was thick with sleep, but the woman didn’t even pause. The door slammed shut with finality. It was the kind of treatment reserved for a leper. She wasn’t just busy; she was actively avoiding her mistress.
If this were the version of Tulia who manipulated and sold off vulnerable servants, such treatment might make sense. But this version of Tulia was just a neglected girl who hadn’t done anything of the sort. This was pure, unadulterated contempt. They were perfectly content to let her freeze, starve, or rot in isolation.
I had no intention of letting any of those fates claim me. Throwing the covers aside, I sat up. I hadn’t spent countless hours mastering the mechanics of this world for nothing. I knew exactly who pulled the strings of the Grand Duchy’s internal affairs—a power that rivaled the Imperial throne itself.
I stood up to go find him, but a sudden sight made me lock in place.
“What is that?”
Floating in the air before me was a shimmering, translucent display.
[System: Status Window]
Tulia Frazier (15 years old)
- Coins: 1,000
Attributes:
- Character: -10
- Beauty: 8
- Ability: -10
- Wealth: -9
- Luck: -10
Overall Grade: F-
I blinked, wondering if I was hallucinating from the cold. Then, a sharp prickle of recognition hit me. I had seen this exact layout before. The foggy memories of my past life surged forward, suddenly vivid.
“The Secret Bread…?”
My heart hammered against my ribs. This was the interface from the very game I had played until my final moments. A status window. Why was it manifesting here? Was my mind finally snapping?
A terrifying thought crossed my mind. Was I expected to develop Tulia’s character the same way I had developed Coriko’s in the game?
The air suddenly filled with bold, vibrant text.
[System: Main Quest Triggered!]
Title: Atone for Your Life
Description: You are a disaster! You are penniless, cursed with misfortune, and universally despised. Only a single soul feels any affection for you.
Objective: Reach A-rank before the ’Original’ arrives.
Penalty for Failure: Death.
The final word hit me like a physical blow. I reread the hovering text, my mind racing. A-rank? Before the ’Original’ arrived?
“She means Coriko…”
In the game’s narrative, the story truly began the moment Coriko entered the household. That meant I had a ticking clock to transform this disaster of a girl into an A-rank noble before the protagonist showed up to claim the spotlight.
The difficulty felt impossible. I looked back at the stats with a sinking heart.
How was I supposed to survive, let alone thrive, with such abysmal numbers? When playing as Coriko, the path was much smoother. She started with decent stats and a C-rank average. You practically had to try to fail to see an F- rating. To reach an A-rank, I would have to navigate the complex web of the male leads, and with these stats, they’d likely step on me like a bug.
A heavy thud shook the room as the door was kicked open.
“Well, if it isn’t the beggar.”
The youth standing there, his face twisted in a sneer, was Tedrick. I hadn’t expected him to be my first visitor. He was Tulia’s cousin, the son of Viscount Lilius—the man who actually managed the castle’s logistics.
Had he sensed I was about to go looking for his father? Tedrick’s hatred for Tulia was palpable. In the game, they were constant enemies; he acted as Coriko’s shield while Tulia played the villain. But Coriko wasn’t even here yet. Why was he already so hostile? From where I was sitting, he looked like the true antagonist.
When I didn’t immediately respond, his irritation flared. “What are you staring at, you little rat?”
As Tulia’s memories merged with mine, I could practically script his next words.
First, he would insult her room. “This place looks more like a crumbling shed than a castle every time I step inside.”
Then, he’d mock her confinement. “I suppose that’s what happens when Grandfather locks you away indefinitely.”
Finally, the killing blow to her pride. “Your father threw you away, so what was the point of that pathetic tantrum you threw at the party? No wonder you’re living like a tramp. It’s pathetic.”
The script was perfect. He hadn’t changed a bit.
Back when I was just a player, I never questioned why the rest of the Frazier family were portrayed as such noble, kind souls. Did they only save their kindness for Coriko? Was there some magical aura around the protagonist that turned these bullies into saints? Because the boy standing in front of me, mocking a girl for living in a ‘warehouse,’ was anything but an angel.
“Hey! Are you deaf?” Tedrick shouted, his face reddening as he mistook my silence for defiance. “The discarded beggar actually thinks she has some dignity left!”
