TPTM 03

Chapter 3

After Marquis Frezier abandoned Tulia and left for the border, the social circles often whispered, “the abandoned young lady.” Naturally, this was the phrase Tulia hated the most.

And honestly, it made me angry too.

Things were already complicated, and hearing that I had been “abandoned by my family” made me feel terrible.

I silently picked up the fork beside me, and Tedric flinched slightly.

In the past, Tulia had actually jabbed Tedric’s hand with a fork once.

Because of that, his father, Marquis Lilius, had even punished Tulia with confinement.

For a moment, I considered doing the same thing now…

“No, Tulia is starving right now. That wouldn’t be a smart choice.”

Tedric already carried a huge inferiority complex toward me. Tulia, though poor, was still officially recognized as a young lady of the Marquis family, while he was just the son of a marquis.

Unless someone achieved great accomplishments or married into a higher rank, noble titles rarely increased dramatically.

“This kid has no chance at all.”

So Tedric came regularly to relieve his inferiority by bothering me.

Of course, being cowardly, he never came alone. Soon, Marquis Lilius, from whom I often borrowed money, would likely arrive as his support.

I just stayed still with the fork in my hand. Tedric, initially scared, finally sneered, thinking I had noticed too late.

“Everyone knows your mother had an affair with a barbarian priest, so it’s ridiculous for a girl like you to be above me…”

“Tedric Frezier!”

From the doorway, a voice suddenly shouted.

“What are you saying to your cousin!”

Tedric, startled, turned around, but then quickly regained a smug expression.

“Father!”

Marquis Lilius Frezier—Tedric’s father, my uncle, and a man who controlled half the internal affairs of this grand house—strode toward us in anger.

“Just as expected.”

“But Father! She tried to stab me with a fork! My mother raised me carefully! How dare a girl—! Ah, Father?”

Smack!

Tedric froze after getting slapped by Marquis Lilius.

“Oh, this is unexpected.”

A young noble who had never been hit or scolded by his father before was clearly shocked.

Unlike usual, Marquis Lilius looked tense and furious.

“Tedric Frezier!”

“Y-Yes?”

“Soon, His Grace the Duke of Frezier—your grandfather—will arrive! If he hears such words, you, I, and your mother could all be in serious trouble. Keep your mouth shut!”

“What? The Duke is coming to this old warehouse—or rather, the castle?! Why all of a sudden?!”

Tedric, who had been loud and bold with me, now trembled like a leaf at the mention of “Duke of Frezier.”

I was confused too. From what I remembered, the Duke had never visited here before.

“Are you saying he’s coming to this shabby warehouse for the Frezier banquet this year?!”

“Yes! So watch your words, got it?!”

Tedric, terrified, paled and ran off. Marquis Lilius approached me kindly.

“Tulia, I also just heard about the Duke’s sudden visit. Hmm, you don’t seem too scared?”

I quickly bowed politely, trying to look humble.

From my past memory, I would have trembled even more than Tedric at the mention of the Duke, but that was before. Now, even hearing “Duke” didn’t scare me much.

Still, I pretended to be afraid, and Marquis Lilius immediately relaxed and comforted me.

“Here, a gift from your uncle. Butler?”

The butler, who had been waiting outside, quickly entered. This was the same servant who had never shown respect for me, the true young lady of the Frezier estate.

“Well, servants do notice things faster than their masters.”

Except for the small living allowance I received every quarter, I had no income. And I spent even that on luxuries in a day.

All the servants’ wages were counted as “debt,” and the person who covered it was my uncle, Marquis Lilius.

“Accept this, Miss Tulia.”

“What is this…?”

“This is a gift especially ordered from Madame Risella’s atelier by Marquis Lilius for you.”

I opened the box to find a beautiful pale pink dress. Beads on the chest glittered, and ribbons floated delicately. It clearly looked expensive.

Seeing me remain silent, Lilius assumed I was impressed.

“His Grace dislikes shabby appearances. Change into this and attend the banquet. Don’t worry; your father will repay it later.”

In the past, Tulia would have believed him, wanting to borrow money and indulge herself, hoping her father cared for her.

Now I knew better.

“The Marquis doesn’t care about me at all.”

At least he isn’t trying to harm me.

Marquis Lilius cleared his throat.

“But your uncle isn’t completely lucky either, you know. As collateral… let’s see, you still have the Elleon land deed, right? With that, I can lend you enough for two years’ budget, Tulia.”

“This thief.”

The butler rubbed his palms excitedly.

“Good, Miss. Now there’s no flour or bread left for breakfast or cake. Who else would care for you like Marquis Lilius?”

“This traitor.”

In the past, Tulia didn’t know that even if her uncle took her land deeds as collateral, they were worth many times more than what he lent.

“Thanks to all the times I played that game, I know this.”

When the family advisor worried about Tulia’s excessive spending, Lilius casually remarked:

“It’s good that I took her land deeds in advance. Otherwise, imagine how much more mischief she could have caused.”

At the time, I didn’t think much of it. I just assumed he was wise.

“But in reality, he was just taking the money of an inexperienced young niece. And acting like an angel while doing it!”

Now, Lilius spoke kindly like a generous patron, but he had always exploited me. Perhaps Tedric knew it too, which explained why he constantly treated me as a reckless borrower.

“You’re dead.”

“Hmm, Tulia. Don’t say anything unnecessary to the Duke. You know how fiery he is. And since you were indefinitely punished by your grandfather… you know what I mean, right?”

I silently nodded.

I still couldn’t close the status window, so the quest menu was still faintly visible before my eyes.

Main Content: Clearing Karma

• You are trash!

• You have no money and everyone hates you!

• (Except one person) No one loves you!

Objective: Achieve Rank A before the “real one” appears.
Failure: Death

“The first thing a person must gain to survive…”

Of course—it’s wealth.