LIEWB 61

Chapter : 61

“Market prices?”

Summer naturally comes with high temperature and humidity, making it the season when food spoils quickly. That’s why, even in Ark, food prices typically rose by 20–30% during the period from May until the Harvest Festival in September.

But that wasn’t all.

‘There was also that random event, right?’

Occasionally, droughts occurred between July and August. When that happened, food prices would skyrocket, and not only would my daughter suffer, but the entire finances of the Ulmer Duchy would collapse…

Of course, droughts weren’t a fixed occurrence—they were random events in each playthrough. But every time they happened, there were signs beforehand.

‘I’d better keep a close eye from now on.’

With my thoughts organized, I nodded toward Madam Beer, who was waiting for my answer.

“Alright. Then, as the head maid, just fulfill your role properly.”

“…Pardon? My role?”

“Why that confused look? You’re supposed to manage the household well.”

Apparently, she hadn’t expected me to say that. Her mouth even hung open in shock.

Pretending not to notice, I continued speaking.

“As the weather gets hotter, prices will rise. So make sure you place orders in advance.”

“Y-yes, my lady.”

Madam Beer left, repeatedly tilting her head as if she couldn’t believe what she’d just heard.

Watching her, I briefly wondered if I’d said something too out of character… but this was seriously important.

If you failed to prepare for a poor harvest caused by drought, there would be a rush to fire employees in the already impoverished Ulmer Duchy.

And once you fired employees, your dignity and charm stats would take a massive hit—almost halved.

And that wasn’t all. Perhaps because a beggar villainess is even more pathetic than a regular villainess, your notoriety would plummet too if you failed to prepare for famine.

‘A regular villainess might be scary, but a beggar villainess? Not at all…’

The consequences of such events were painfully realistic.

Anyway… in a game, you can play twice, three times, or even more—but right now, I had to see the ending through. So I had to account for every possible variable.

“Hmm.”

Honestly, if the household’s foundation were strong, external issues like this wouldn’t shake it so easily… that thought left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Now that I think about it—how much more notoriety do I need to defy the Duke of Ulmer?

Being able to move freely was important, but for the sake of my overall quality of life, I figured it was best to reclaim the initiative.

‘My notoriety is currently at 285.’

To ignore the Duke’s words, I needed it at least 300. Just 15 more points, and I could fully ignore that annoying scarecrow of a man.

But it was too early to celebrate. I also needed persuasion points to talk to the Duke as an equal. And even if I reached that point, it didn’t mean I could eliminate him entirely.

Now that I thought about it…

‘My persuasion stat—is this for real?’

After all that effort, it was still only 15.

Persuasion was just as important a stat as notoriety in Ark, and yet it was so low.

Sigh… Even in the game, it wasn’t easy to raise this stat. I guess even after being possessed, it’s no different.

Sure, it could be boosted with gear to some extent, but that alone wasn’t enough. The only time I could rely on gear was when I was dressed to the nines as a noble lady.

Which meant, if a situation requiring persuasion arose outside of social events, I’d be totally at a disadvantage.

‘I really need to get my base persuasion up to at least 50.’

Hmm, there were some ways to do that… but for now, I needed to focus on tonight’s social gathering.

One of the girls from Countess Helene Müller’s circle was holding a birthday party there.

Ah, right. Lately, Paula had been acting all cute, maybe because she felt indebted to me.

Invitation from: Alisa Heiner

— Close childhood friend of Countess Müller’s daughter, very familiar with her.

— Only active during the spring social season; otherwise, remains at the Academy, making her a poor investment target.

— Rumor has it that none of the Marchioness Nesselrode’s circle was invited to Heiner’s party.

She’d started annotating my invitations with notes like this, organizing all the information she knew.

She probably hated the idea of being in my debt.

Her sudden shift from sneakily spying on me to this kind of helpful behavior was a bit surprising, but this kind of flexibility was what one needed to survive in high society.

‘Well, works for me.’

I shrugged and called for Sophie.

“Sophie, we need to leave soon.”

“Ah, I was just waiting for you, my lady. Sh-should we begin preparations?”

“Yeah. Let’s head to the dressing room.”

Some say the outfit that makes you look your best is your battle gear—but in my case, these expensive dresses and dangling accessories were literally battle gear.

“Let’s go.”

And so, I began preparing for the fierce “battle” of the evening—by choosing the right outfit.

***

The precious only daughter of Viscount Heiner, Alisa Heiner.

Her birthday party was scheduled to begin in the evening, but three men had already settled in the men’s lounge prepared for guests.

Some might say showing up early showed manners and diligence, but…

“When’s the pretty girl getting here?!”

…these three had other motives.

Everyone knew that at noble birthday parties, the “congratulations” were just for show. These guys had no interest in that—they were only after the scraps that might fall their way.

“Exactly, man. Ugh, if I knew it’d take this long, I’d have gone to Flower Street to see Mariana first.”

These three were infamous both in society and among the Ark player community.

First, there was Pig Brown, the only son of Baron Brown—he was already thirty and still under his mother’s thumb.

Then there was Henry Wolf, known for spreading gossip like a parrot and switching sides like a chameleon—utterly untrustworthy.

And finally… the hopeless womanizer Karl Meyer, who’d drop his friends in a heartbeat if it meant holding a woman’s hand.

Because of Pig Brown’s name, their similar pig-like appearances, and their overall reputation, the Ark community dubbed them the “Piglet Trio.”

“Hey Henry, why are you so quiet today?”

At Pig’s question, Henry adjusted his brooch with his chubby fingers and answered,

“Don’t you know, bro? I’ve been putting a lot of effort into winning Lady Heiner’s favor. Today, I’m gonna be reborn as a calm and modest gentleman.”

“…Didn’t you say just recently that the only one for you was the Marchioness Nesselrode’s daughter?”

“Pfft! Bro, do you really think that stuck-up Nesselrode girl would even glance at Henry?”

Karl chuckled, poking fun at Henry, which instantly lit a fire in Henry’s eyes.

“What? You punk…! Weren’t you the one chasing after her the whole time?”

“Hah! Shows how little you know. She’s the one who smiled at me first and tried to seduce me.”

“What did you say? She smiled at me, that’s why I fell for her. I just changed my mind once I realized she was a sly and shallow woman!”

As their argument grew heated, Pig, the eldest of the trio, tried to restore order.

“Come on, you guys! Don’t fight over one woman!”

But his dignity didn’t last long.

He checked the clock with a troubled expression and muttered regretfully,

“Ugh, this is bad. Mom told me to eat lunch no matter what… and I came early today… Crap, she’s gonna scold me!”

Naturally, none of them were married.

Henry, giving Pig a disdainful glance for trying to act like the boss despite being a mama’s boy who couldn’t even get married, turned his head with a huff.

‘Tch, pathetic worm. I’m outta here, loser.’

For the record, he believed he was the most eligible bachelor among the three.

Compared to the mama’s boy Pig and the woman-obsessed Karl, he figured he was far superior.

In truth, he hung out with these bottom-feeders because he didn’t want to deal with other noble sons who would be jealous of him.

‘I’m on another level. Ahem.’

That was Henry’s true feeling.

Anyway, he had come today determined to seal the deal with Alisa.

It might be a bit rushed, but if he didn’t get married soon, he feared he’d end up treated like Pig—just another loser.

He sincerely believed this: in a world where people outsource their lives like those two clowns, he had to be the first to marry and set things right.

That’s why today, he was ready to stake everything.