Chapter 5
Was it just my imagination, or was the status window mocking me?
But before I could even dwell on that thought, Duke Ulmer’s thunderous voice slammed into my ears.
“Kalamari? That mine has already ruined several noble families! Have you lost your mind?”
No, Your Grace. I, Adelheid Ulmer, your adopted daughter, am perfectly sane.
The information I received came through a confidential channel—but that mine contains magic stones.
If you could just lend me 10,000 Darlings, I promise you won’t regret it.
It’s the cost of a single dress. Can’t you think of it as buying me an outfit?
I meant to say that in a calm and composed tone…
[SYSTEM] Due to insufficient stats, logical persuasion is not possible.
“N-No, the mine… magic stones… uh, uhh—!”
It was as if the system forced me to stutter. The carefully structured argument in my mind came out a mess.
Even I could tell how idiotic I sounded, and the Duke, his face stiff with disgust, declared coldly with finality:
“Get out.”
Yay.
The system didn’t even need to forcibly eject me—I was thrown out without a single chance to defend myself.
As I stumbled out, I was greeted by Sophie’s terrified expression.
“U-Um, M-Milady…”
She must’ve heard the entire shouting match. She looked like she feared I’d lash out in rage.
But I wasn’t even in the mood to fake a kind smile to reassure her—let alone terrify her on purpose.
Even someone like me, the human doormat, was burning with fury.
Seriously?
I mean, my stats were garbage, sure—but shouldn’t I at least get a chance to speak?
What kind of messed-up possession game doesn’t give the player any buffs?
[SYSTEM] Stress has increased. Stress +30
Stress level has exceeded 80! Until recovery, all stats except Doormat Power and Karma will temporarily decrease by 10.
It was like the system was mocking me: “Go ahead, get mad. It’s your loss.”
As if that weren’t enough, I felt all the strength drain from my body.
Even my measly 5 points of Core Strength had apparently been holding me upright in this corset-tightened body—because I nearly collapsed.
“Milady!”
Crash!
Trying to move, I accidentally knocked over a vase in the hallway.
The expensive-looking vase shattered into a thousand pieces on the marble floor.
‘Crap…’
If the Duke hears about this, he’ll explode again.
Just thinking of that terrifying scowl and his tantrums was enough to spike my—
[SYSTEM] Servants are afraid of the infamous villainess who breaks things when angry. Infamy +5
Stress has decreased. Stress –10
Partial stat recovery. Overall stats +1
Huh?
Suddenly, my body felt noticeably lighter.
‘Wait… what’s this?’
This didn’t happen in the game. But this was real life. And knowing how twisted this system was—it wasn’t entirely impossible.
Curious, I knocked over another glass decoration beside me.
Crash!
The elegant porcelain shattered miserably, but the system message that popped up didn’t scold me. Instead, it rewarded me.
[SYSTEM] Critical Hit! Servants are watching you with fear. Infamy +10
Stress has decreased. Stress –10
Karma has increased. Karma +5
Oh ho?
Another boost message popped up. My headache instantly vanished.
That’s when I realized something I had completely overlooked, despite being a veteran pay-to-win gamer suddenly thrown into this bizarre situation.
This game was called “Villainess Raising Simulator.”
Back in the real world, I was a total pushover. But in this game, I found joy watching my in-game daughter raise hell and serve justice in the most vicious ways.
What was the game’s catchphrase again?
“Good things happen when you act like a terrible person.”
So really… what’s the harm?
For the first time, I felt a rush of courage—enough to do something my real-world self would never dare.
“You filthy piece of crap! I’ll rip you to shreds, you worthless scum! Anyone crosses me gets 100 lashes and a face full of slaps—!”
My voice echoed down the corridor with enough rage to wake the dead. Immediately, the system chimed in again.
[SYSTEM] Infamy has increased. Stress has decreased.
…It really worked. And shockingly—it felt amazing.
‘This is it!’
I ranted and cursed all the way back to my room, and by the time I arrived, my stress level had dropped to zero.
I felt physically lighter. In fact, this might be a great time to complete my daily quest.
I had noticed this morning that today’s daily challenge was a bit more difficult than yesterday’s.
[SYSTEM] Daily Quest Arrived! As the top villainess in the Bregenz Empire, you must subdue your opponents with absolute authority.
Complete today’s goal to improve ‘Core Strength’ and ‘Persuasion’.
· Practice insulting your reflection while slapping yourself (0/100)
I had been putting it off because it sounded ridiculous—but in this mood, I could do it.
Sophie was nowhere in sight. Perfect.
I stood in front of the mirror, glaring at my disheveled face—still stained with ink the Duke had thrown.
“You rotten piece of trash!”
“You psychotic freak!”
“I oughta rip out every strand of your hair, you—!”
With newfound core strength, I supported my torso and slapped my own cheeks with fervor.
Around the 60th slap, when my arms were beginning to go numb—
“Ah, A-Adelheid M-Milady. A-Are you okay? M-May I… clean the room?”
I didn’t even hear her come in. Sophie stood frozen, clearly horrified, her eyes meeting mine in disbelief.
Another message popped up, naturally.
[SYSTEM] ‘Maid Sophie’ believes you are the incarnation of a demon. Infamy +5
“Do whatever you want.”
Would a true villainess be embarrassed at a time like this?
Of course I wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear, but I stood tall, pretending everything was normal as I watched her clean.
She flinched every time my eyes landed on her.
But then—something caught my eye.
“Wait.”
“Eeeek! I-I’m sorry! I’ll leave immediately!”
Ignoring her terrified shriek, I walked over to the vanity. Behind a decorative veil was a jewelry box.
“Ooooh…”
Even to an amateur’s eyes, it was packed with expensive-looking gems. My eyes sparkled.
‘Yes—this is it!’
I remembered now—in the game, if Adelheid was low on funds, she sold her starter items for Darlings.
No need to beg that psycho Duke for help. I could take the magic stone mine myself.
In the middle of this hellish situation, I finally saw a ray of hope.
