Chapter 8
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 8
In his position as Grand Duke, he had received more than his fill of petitions and bribes.
However, never in his history had he received such a small, dainty basket.
What on earth is this? Grand Duke Asis Frezier found himself lifting the cloth covering it before he even realized what he was doing.
A rare, amused smile played around the eyes of Luc Kelposher, who stood nearby wearing his monocle.
“It is said to be jam she made herself.”
* * *
Would the great Grand Duke Asis Frezier have ever received something like ‘homemade jam’ as a bribe?
I shook my head slowly.
Probably not.
But I had nothing. And was I particularly gifted at cooking?
Not at all.
With a flick of my eyes, I summoned the status window.
After a whole ordeal of trial and error the day before yesterday, I had finally found the on/off function.
[System: Status Window]
Tulia Frezier (15 years old)
Overall Rating: F
Wait, isn’t the status window supposed to disappear when you press ‘off’?
Unlike in the game, the status window didn't vanish completely even after I turned it off. Instead, it transformed into a translucent, winged star shape that followed me around.
Don’t tell me I have to use coins to activate the ‘completely disappear’ function or something.
…No way.
Surely not.
After shuddering for a moment at the potential cruelty of the system, I looked back into the mirror in front of me.
Right.
That wasn’t what was important right now.
What mattered were the five extra coins I’d gained!
And the reason why both my arms are currently aching and limp!
I didn't have to look far to find the reason for the coin increase.
The reason was the face of Tulia reflected in this very mirror.
“…….”
Inside the mirror was a total disaster—no, an abyss.
There stood Tulia, her hair so severely bloated and tangled it looked like a heap of fluffy sheep’s wool!
To understand how I ended up in this state, we have to go back five hours.
* * *
At first, my only thought was that I should try to look a bit more human.
Of course, I failed.
An axe-shaped comb, which I hadn't managed to untangle from my swollen hair, hung there, dangling precariously. It gave me goosebumps for no reason. It was because it reminded me of Corico.
Corico literally hacks off Tulia’s head with an axe.
Perhaps because it was a scene depicting the "blackening" of the usually angelic heroine, that specific illustration remained vividly etched in my mind. The moment I saw it, I remember getting full-body chills.
Splattering blood.
A severed neck.
Tulia dying with her eyes wide open.
My stomach churned again.
“I have to survive. I have to survive.”
I muttered it like a mantra as I cautiously tried to remove the axe-shaped comb, but it wasn't easy.
“Whew.”
For the record, it’s not like I ruined my hair on purpose.
It was all because of that damn penalty.
I ground my teeth.
“Stupid Skill penalty.”
When my Personality was -10, I couldn't speak properly. Now that my Skill was -10, a mysterious magic unfolded from my fingertips where the more I brushed my hair, the more it turned into a frizzy mess of a bird’s nest.
Seriously, with this level of difficulty, how am I supposed to reach A-Rank and survive?
My feelings of injustice and helplessness lasted only a moment.
After pulling out several clumps of my pink, cloud-like hair, I wore a troubled expression.
“……What do I do about this hair?”
Should I raise my Skill stat even a little?
I do have a decent amount of coins… but I need to save them no matter what.
After some deliberation, I ultimately decided to save the coins.
Get it together. I’m Tulia, not Corico.
I had to save as many coins as possible. I never knew what might happen next.
I stared blankly into the mirror, waiting for a maid to come and do something about my hair.
Still…
…She really is pretty.
Life sure was full of ironies.
Even though she was a villainess who died at the drop of a hat, her beauty was enough to make heads turn.
Wasn't her name Tulia, derived from the word ‘Tulip’?
Her hair, which shimmered with a sweet pink hue, and her eyes, the color of pale young sprouts, matched her name exquisitely.
Whether it was due to her upbringing or just a naturally rotten disposition, her gaze was strangely sharp like a kumiho’s, but even that could be interpreted as a ‘cool beauty’ vibe.
However, no matter how great her looks were, she couldn't pull off hair that was unraveled like a ghost’s.
Ah, come to think of it, in the game…
Tulia Frezier was an incredibly extravagant noble, to the point where even other aristocrats would click their tongues.
There was a line of dialogue mentioning that she had never brushed her own hair or tied a ribbon with her own hands.
At the time, I thought it was just a setting to emphasize her spoiled personality, but thinking about it now, I realized that wasn't it.
“If your hair turns into this mess every time you brush it, how could you possibly do it yourself?”
Even as I thought this, the image of Tulia in the mirror kept overlapping with the illustration of her being beheaded by an axe, causing my mood to sink.
In the end, unable to wait for a maid, I tried to pull the comb that was dangling from my hair.
Snap!
At the same time, the comb broke.
I was only trying to pull it out…
My bewilderment was brief, as I suddenly heard the cheerful sound of rolling coins. Simultaneously, a message appeared before my eyes.
[System] 2 Coins acquired!
- Currently Owned Coins: 1,002
“Huh?”
* * *
And so, after half a day of struggling, I discovered a fact.
The effort I put into trying to brush and groom my hair was converted into a type of experience points and returned as coins.
The system wasn't like this in the original ‘The Milk Bread’.
In the game, as soon as Corico entered the Frezier household as a prospective daughter-in-law, she took various etiquette lessons. Her stats would increase based on how well she performed in the exams for those lessons.
In the first place, the concept of ‘coins’ didn't even exist in ‘The Milk Bread’.
I couldn't tell why the system here was different from the game I had been possessed into.
What mattered was the reality before my eyes.
Specifically, the massive amount of hair that had been pulled out.
“…….”
Acquiring coins was good, but…
I’m going to go bald at this rate.
Was it okay to turn the greatest ‘cool beauty’ in the game’s world into a bald woman?
“Ah…!”
As I was worrying, something flashed through my mind.
It was the private kitchen.
The room assigned to Tulia was equipped with a living room, a dressing room, and a bathroom, as well as a private kitchen.
I had been amazed that an entire house was being treated as just a ‘room,’ and I had secretly enjoyed the taste of the noble life.
I hurried to the kitchen.
A resident chef? Servants?
Of course there were none.
But right now, that was better.
I quickly rummaged through the counters and found a reasonably sized paring knife.
Gulping down dry saliva, I moved the knife hurriedly.
After some time had passed.
Clink!
The cheerful sound of rolling coins rang out again.
My eyes snapped open.
[System] 2 Coins acquired!
- Currently Owned Coins: 1,004
“Wow, this actually works?”
In front of me was a pile of finely minced apples.
“Wow. Uncle Lilius. Aunt Aubrey.”
Thank you so damn much!
Naturally, not a single piece of good fruit was sent to my private kitchen. Even the apples I had just frantically minced were covered in bruises.
And it wasn't just bruises.
There was a fair amount of rotting flesh as well.
The fact that several crates of these cheap apples were piled up in my kitchen was undoubtedly a way for Viscount Lilius and his wife, Aubrey, to vent their frustrations on me.
But thanks to that, I’m getting coins.
If they had been expensive apples, I would have felt too guilty to waste them, but since the kitchen was full of enough trashy apples to keep me mincing all day, it was actually better.
I spent some time acquiring coins like a madwoman.
Once the number of jars filled with minced apples exceeded ten, I finally began to come to my senses.
What am I going to do with all of these?
In my own way of making jam, I had also shoved sugar into the jars with the apples.
Normally, you’re supposed to simmer it and do all sorts of things…
Skill: -10
“…….”
Just look at my penalty.
If I tried to simmer apples, I’d surely set the castle on fire and make everyone ‘simmer’ for eternity.
I had intended to put in only one spoonful of sugar, but perhaps because of the penalty, my hand slipped and I ended up pouring it in.
Let’s just say it’s extra sweet.
As I pondered for a moment, the plot of The Milk Bread suddenly crossed my mind.
…Come to think of it.
To win the Grand Duke’s favor as Corico…
You had to gift him something handmade at least once.
Only then would his favorability skyrocket.
Perhaps it was because he was a man of power who was sick of seeing flashy jewels and rare treasures. Grand Duke Asis tended to look more favorably upon modest, handmade items that showed sincerity.
“Then, maybe I…”
…Could try gifting him these jams?