Chapter 3
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 3
Ever since Marquis Frezier abandoned Tulia and left for the border, the social circles were rife with talk of the "abandoned lady." For the record, that was the phrase Tulia hated most.
And honestly, I was pretty annoyed myself.
Things were already unsettling enough, and being told I’d been discarded by my family really soured my mood.
When I silently picked up the fork beside me, Tedric flinched.
In the past, Tulia had actually used this very tool to stab the back of Tedric’s hand.
Because of that, his father, Viscount Lilius, had even placed Tulia under confinement.
Screw it, should I just stab him again? I contemplated it for a moment, but…
‘Tulia is on the verge of starving to death right now. It’s not a wise choice.’
Tedric was already brimming with an inferiority complex toward Tulia.
Even though Tulia was currently destitute, she was still a lady of a Marquis’s house recognized by Imperial Law, whereas he was merely the son of a Viscount.
Unless one achieved great merit or married a spouse of high status, it was rare for a title to rise drastically.
‘And this guy has no hope for either.’
So, Tedric periodically came to bully Tulia just to vent this inferiority complex.
Of course, being the coward he was, he never came alone. Right about now, Viscount Lilius—the man Tulia constantly borrowed money from—would likely arrive as backup.
When I remained still with the fork in my hand, the frightened Tedric belatedly let out a mocking laugh.
Thinking I was finally reading the room, he became incredibly arrogant.
“Everyone knows you’re the product of your mother’s affair with a barbarian priest. It makes no sense for a girl like you to be looking down on me—”
“Tedric Frezier!”
It was then that a roar erupted from the doorway.
“How dare you say such things to your cousin!”
Startled, Tedric spun around, but his face immediately filled with triumph.
“Father!”
Viscount Lilius Frezier.
Tedric’s father, Tulia’s uncle, and the man who held half the sovereignty over the internal affairs of this Grand Duchy, came marching in, huffing with rage.
‘Just as expected.’
“But Father! She was trying to stab me with that fork again like a savage! Mother raised me with such care, yet a mere girl dares to… Ack! F-Father?”
Smack!
Tedric froze, stunned by the blow to his mouth from Viscount Lilius.
‘Oh, now this is unexpected.’
For a young master who had grown up pampered, never having been scolded—let alone struck—by his father, it was clearly a massive shock.
Unlike his usual self, Viscount Lilius looked tense as he shouted in anger.
“Tedric Frezier!”
“Y-Yes?”
“His Grace, the Grand Duke of Frezier—your grandfather—is coming soon! If a single word of that reaches his ears, you, I, and even your mother are all dead! So watch your mouth!”
“Grandfather is coming to this dilapidated warehouse—I mean, castle?! W-Why so suddenly…?!”
Tedric, who had been acting so tough toward me, began to tremble like a leaf at the mention of the "Grand Duke of Frezier."
I was equally puzzled. Even searching through Tulia’s memories, the Grand Duke had never once visited this place.
“D-Don’t tell me he’s coming to this dump because of this year’s Frezier Banquet?!”
“Yes! So mind your tongue. Understand?!”
“But he clearly said there wouldn’t be a Frezier Banquet for the time being…”
Terrified, Tedric turned pale and fled as if running for his life. Viscount Lilius immediately turned to me, his voice softening.
“Tulia. I heard the news of His Grace’s sudden arrival as well. My, you must have been quite fright…ened? Or perhaps not? Hmm?”
Realizing my mistake, I quickly and meekly bowed my head.
According to the memories flowing in, the old me would have trembled even more than Tedric at the mention of "His Grace," but that was then.
Right now, even if it was the Grand Duke, it didn't quite feel real yet.
Still, once I played along and pretended to be scared, Viscount Lilius’s suspicion vanished, and he patted me reassuringly.
“Now, this is a gift from your uncle. Butler?”
When Viscount Lilius clapped his hands, the butler waiting outside hurried in.
For the record, this was the same man who never showed his face despite me being the lady of the house and the one he was supposed to serve.
‘Well, servants are always the quickest to sense which way the wind is blowing.’
Tulia had no income whatsoever, except for the meager living expenses sent from the main castle every quarter. And even that, she blew in a single day on luxuries.
Consequently, the servants' weekly wages were all handled as "debt."
The one who had been providing the funds for that debt until now was Tulia’s uncle, Lilius.
“Please accept this, Lady Tulia.”
“This is…”
“Viscount Lilius had this specially made at Madam Ricella’s boutique as a gift for you, My Lady,” the butler added.
I took the box from the butler and opened it to find a beautiful pale pink dress.
Beads sparkled on the bodice, and the ribbons were light and airy. It was clearly quite expensive.
Seeing me silent as I looked at the dress, Lilius seemed to think I was moved, as he spoke with a satisfied expression.
“His Grace loathes a shabby appearance. Change into this and come to the banquet. There’s no need to feel pressured. Your father will pay me back for all of this later anyway.”
The Tulia of the past had believed those words. Because she wanted to borrow money easily, because she wanted to indulge in luxury, and because she wanted to ignore her impoverished reality.
And to be honest, she probably wanted to hold onto the hope that her father "still" cared about her.
The hope that he still thought of her as his daughter.
I know now that wasn't the case.
And Lilius likely knew it well, too.
‘Marquis Frezier has absolutely no interest in Tulia.’
She’d be lucky if he didn't kill her out of loathing.
Lilius cleared his throat.
“However, your uncle isn't in the best situation either, you understand? As for the collateral… let’s see, you still have the Elleon Land Deed, don’t you? With that, I can lend you enough for another two years' budget, Tulia.”
‘You thief.’
The butler beside him quickly rubbed his palms together.
“This is wonderful, My Lady. The flour bin is empty, and there isn't even bread or cake for your breakfast. Where else would you find someone who cares for you as much as Viscount Lilius?”
‘You sycophant.’
The Tulia of the past wouldn't have known.
She wouldn't have known that if she took those land deeds Lilius was snatching as "collateral" to a pawnshop in the Imperial Capital, she could get dozens of times more for them.
‘I only know this because I played The Milk Bread so many times.’
It was something Viscount Lilius had said in passing when the family advisor was worrying about Tulia’s massive spending sprees.
—It’s a relief I already took the land deeds from Tulia Frezier. If I hadn't, I hate to think how many more misdeeds she would have committed with that money.
At the time, I didn't feel much seeing that dialogue. I just vaguely thought Lilius was being wise and moved on.
‘But in reality, he was just an adult stripping his clueless young niece of all her money.’
While acting like an angel himself!
Lilius was speaking softly now like a kind benefactor, but he was actually a villain who had been fleecing Tulia all along.
Perhaps that brat Tedric already knew? That’s why he always treated me like a shameless, incompetent sinner who only knew how to borrow money…
‘You’re dead meat.’
“Ahem. Tulia. Don’t say anything unnecessary to His Grace. You know how fiery his temperament is, don’t you? Especially since you’re under an indefinite confinement order from your grandfather… You understand what your uncle means, right, Tulia?”
I simply bowed my head politely without a word.
I still hadn't been able to close the Stat Window, and because of that, the Quest Window was still hovering translucently before my eyes.
Main Quest: Settling Karma
You are trash!
You have no money and are hated by everyone!
(Except for one person) No one loves you!
Goal: Reach A-Rank before the ‘real one’ appears!
Failure Penalty: Death
‘The first thing a person needs to raise in order to survive is…’
As expected, it was Wealth.