Translator: Nox

Chapter 5

Even though Tulia’s entire history resided within my mind, I found myself mentally separating her existence from my own.

Marquis Frazier was not my father; he was simply the man who sired Tulia. The dark reputation attached to this name belonged to a scripted villainess in a game, not to me.

Maintaining this distance was the only way to keep my sanity intact.

“Young Master Tedrick.”

The personal aide to Grand Duke Frazier spoke with the clinical, frigid tone of a man who had seen too much.

“Offer your greetings to His Grace.”

Tedrick scrambled to his feet instantly.

“I—I pray for Grandfather’s… c-continued health and well-being…”

His voice wavered and cracked, sounding like the pathetic bleating of a frightened goat.

The realization that Tulia had spent her life being tormented by such a weakling forced a heavy sigh from my lungs.

“Tulia. Tulia!”

Viscount Lilius, seated directly beside me, hissed my name in a sharp undertone.

“Just follow your cousin’s lead and ask about his health. Do you understand? Don’t let a single unnecessary word slip, or you will give His Grace a heart attack.”

I gave a stiff nod in response. Only then did the tension in Lilius’s face begin to fade.

In the past, Tulia would simply sit there shaking every year. She couldn’t even manage the clumsy sentences Tedrick just stumbled through.

But then, most of the nobility felt that same paralyzing fear in this room.

“Miss Tulia. It is your turn to pay your respects to His Grace.”

The moment my name echoed through the hall, I rose.

Every eye in the room locked onto me. At the head of the table, Grand Duke Frazier sat like a god on a mountain, staring down at my form.

His gaze held no familial warmth. It was a predatory, crushing weight that seemed to demand total submission.

The sheer pressure of his presence made the air feel thick and difficult to breathe.

Even the most powerful lords in the realm withered under that stare. It was no wonder his own grandchildren usually stammered out a few hollow pleasantries before fleeing the room in a panic.

“Miss Tulia?”

The advisor sounded confused by my silence. I forced myself to swallow against a dry throat and parted my lips.

“Grandfather.”

My plan was to beg for mercy from Assis Grand Duke Frazier.

The allowance sent from the primary estate was a joke. Despite being under house arrest, I was living in conditions that would make a common prisoner look pampered.

I intended to argue that my current state was a stain on the pride of House Frazier.

For the honor of our bloodline, I was going to ask him to end my confinement and restore my funding… that was the script I had practiced a thousand times.

But the second I tried to speak the words I had prepared, something went horribly wrong.

“Hoarding all the wealth and gluttony is the only way to live—Mmph!”

The room, already quiet, turned deathly silent. It felt as though a bucket of ice water had been dumped over the assembly. A few people actually gasped for air, as if the shock had physically choked them.

However, no one was more horrified than I was.

What had I just said?

The words had bypassed my brain entirely. Was I hallucinating? Was I still asleep?

I clapped a hand over my mouth, my fingers feeling strangely numb against my lips.

Why was this happening? Why couldn’t I control my own voice? My body felt like a machine executing a corrupted line of code, forcing me to speak words that were the exact opposite of what I needed.

My mouth had just steered me toward total disaster.

Suddenly, the Status Window I had tried so hard to ignore flared to life in my vision, displaying a new, glowing alert.

(!Warning: Due to the Personality Penalty, you are forced to speak only those words which maximize the hostility of your listener.)

I felt my heart drop.

(!Warning: Your reputation is plummeting toward a lethal threshold.)

Reputation?

A vibrant gauge materialized above Assis Grand Duke Frazier’s head. My eyes stretched wide in terror.

The bar was rapidly filling with a violent, angry crimson.

I didn’t need a manual to know that if that gauge hit the limit, my life was forfeit.

I had to break this penalty immediately. The only way out was to fix my personality stat right now.

But how could I possibly change who I was in the middle of a banquet?

[System] Stats can be increased using your current coin balance.

The message appeared like a lifeline thrown to a drowning woman.

My coins?

I recalled the details of the interface I had memorized earlier.

[System: Status Window]
Tulia Frazier (15)
-Owned Coins: 1,000

I didn’t remember these coins being part of the original game, but a thousand seemed like a fortune. I prepared to dump the entire balance into my personality stat when another warning popped up.

(!Warning: This action is permanent and cannot be reversed.)
(☆Tip: Exercise more caution than you would when considering co-signing a loan for a boyfriend.)

I froze. That was a terrifyingly specific comparison.

Never co-sign a loan, not even for your own blood. The advice of a hundred cautionary tales rang through my head.

My mind began to race.

Maybe I should just fake a fainting spell.

What if I put all these coins into the Wealth stat instead? I could become fabulously wealthy and just disappear into the night.

That brief flicker of hope was extinguished by a voice like grinding stone.

“Tulia Frazier.”

Assis Grand Duke Frazier looked at me with eyes that could dismember a person.

“So, you believe that living selfishly and eating your fill is all that matters?”

His icy, blue-green eyes narrowed. If a winter gale could be distilled into a human expression, it would look like him.

“Is that what you are telling me?”

The subtext was clear: How dare you?

I had to do it. I had to fix my personality now. I was ready to bet everything.

[System] 1 coin spent.
[System] Personality: -9!

If a single coin moved the needle that much, I could fix my reputation and still have plenty left over for wealth.

Meanwhile, the Grand Duke’s fuse was visibly burning out. I had heard rumors that the ring on his finger contained a toxin capable of dropping an elephant. He was a man who could kill with his bare hands.

[System] 5 coins spent.
[System] Personality: -8!
[System] 50 coins spent.
[System] Personality: -7!
[System] 150 coins spent.
[System] Personality: -6!
…
[System] Personality: +1 achieved!
[System] Remaining Balance: 0
[System] Personality Penalty has been deactivated.

A triumphant chime echoed in my mind as the text flashed.

“Grandfather!”

I threw myself onto the floor, my forehead hitting the marble with a sickening thud.

“The youth of today might think that selfish gluttony is the goal, but I would never subscribe to such nonsense!”

The pain in my knees brought tears to my eyes, but pain was a small price for survival. Finally, the words coming out of my mouth matched my intentions.

“The pittance I am given is so small that my entire staff is freezing and starving!”

They were all looking for any excuse to desert me and run back to the main house, and I was forced to pretend I didn’t see it.

“I have no intention of ever marrying! If you would just give me my dowry now, I could finally settle the debts I owe to Uncle Lilius—Mmph!”

“Tulia! Stop!”

Lilius lunged forward, his hand clamping over my mouth to stifle the rest of my sentence.

“How can you be so disrespectful to His Grace?”

Lilius turned to the Grand Duke, offering a strained, apologetic smile.

“Father, please, overlook this. You know she’s always been as unbridled as a wild horse…”

“Take your hands off her.”

“But…”

“Did you not hear me, Lilius?”

“Y-yes, sir! Of course!”

Lilius pulled away as if burned. I gasped for air, my eyes meeting the Grand Duke’s once more.

His expression remained as cold as a frozen grave.