The Count was locked in his office, busy covering up his own story with the story of 'Dolly the Witch'.
Contact each newspaper and spread more sensational news about Dolly. Try to persuade them to take down the article about the Count of Invisibility.
Even if Dolly had stated the situation at the time, he would have hired a lawyer for Dolly and sent a separate letter to the judge to have a closed trial... He felt like ten bodies would not be enough.
In the meantime, Odette's status has changed quite a bit.
First of all, the room she was staying in had changed. She had been moved from a small room next to Ferdinand's room to the largest room on the second floor.
The largest and most luxurious room, given to the eldest daughter of the Count Albrecht family for generations.
“During my stay at the Count’s residence, Karl will stay in the room closest to Odette. If he uses it for any other purpose, I will gladly pay for the bracelet.”
It was thanks to the Count, who did not want to lose his arm, that he kept his oath.
Moreover, after Dolly became like that, Maleah was the one who took over as the temporary headmaid. Thanks to her, Odette was treated much better. The maids stopped ignoring her completely.
'Since Karl is always by my side, I never have to worry about being dragged to the attic again.'
But while her status improved, her freedom was restricted. The Count had insisted that Ferdinand personally watch over Odette, so Ferdinand was always with her during her waking hours.
'It's so annoying.'
Odette was annoyed at having to wear her corset and lace dress again.
'How can you, with that lazy and selfish personality, keep watching me for a week? It must be driving you crazy.'
It was at that moment when she was desperately trying to throw Ferdinand away.
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Contact each newspaper and spread more sensational news about Dolly. Try to persuade them to take down the article about the Count of Invisibility.
Even if Dolly had stated the situation at the time, he would have hired a lawyer for Dolly and sent a separate letter to the judge to have a closed trial... He felt like ten bodies would not be enough.
In the meantime, Odette's status has changed quite a bit.
First of all, the room she was staying in had changed. She had been moved from a small room next to Ferdinand's room to the largest room on the second floor.
The largest and most luxurious room, given to the eldest daughter of the Count Albrecht family for generations.
“During my stay at the Count’s residence, Karl will stay in the room closest to Odette. If he uses it for any other purpose, I will gladly pay for the bracelet.”
It was thanks to the Count, who did not want to lose his arm, that he kept his oath.
Moreover, after Dolly became like that, Maleah was the one who took over as the temporary headmaid. Thanks to her, Odette was treated much better. The maids stopped ignoring her completely.
'Since Karl is always by my side, I never have to worry about being dragged to the attic again.'
But while her status improved, her freedom was restricted. The Count had insisted that Ferdinand personally watch over Odette, so Ferdinand was always with her during her waking hours.
'It's so annoying.'
Odette was annoyed at having to wear her corset and lace dress again.
'How can you, with that lazy and selfish personality, keep watching me for a week? It must be driving you crazy.'
It was at that moment when she was desperately trying to throw Ferdinand away.
Tiring-
The quest notification window appeared before her eyes.
[ ♡ Quest occurs ♡ ]
[ Quest Content: Receive 'overwhelming support' from the citizens of the capital city ]
[ Duration: 7 days ]
[Reward: Restore the 'Shop' function in the status window]
[ Penalty: Victor's disgust increases by 20 ]
[ Quest is automatically accepted ]
'Finally... the store was given a reward.'
Since it was a quest reward she had been waiting for, she read the status window carefully.
This time, it was a quest related to her reputation.
'But isn't the term 'overwhelming support' too abstract? How do you determine success?'
Odette frowned. As if responding to her thoughts, the status window opened a new window.
[Overwhelming Support: Means fame 500 or more]
[ Calculating Odette's reputation among the citizens of the capital... ]
[ Current reputation: 8 ]
'Hey, are you crazy?'
My reputation is only 8 right now. How on earth do I get to 500 reputations? And in just 7 days?
[ Parts of the capital were devastated by an unexpected disaster! ]
[ Take advantage of the situation to build your reputation ♥ ]
[ Recommended place: Hospital in front of the Rothbart River ]
If I had known this would happen, I would have chosen 20 fame as a reward...
Odette bit her lip with belated regret.
'I don't know how to get 500 fame, but... For now, I have to shake off Ferdinand before I can do anything.'
A fucking penalty that increases Victor's disgust by 20.
It goes without saying that she should avoid that... Restoring the store’s functions was more important than the penalty.
Even more so because the female protagonist is in a suspicious situation.
'If it's a store like <Redemption>, it must at least regain its function.'
The reason she waited for the store function to be restored was because she knew what the 'store' sold. And that there were some very special items inside.
If she hasn't lowered her disgust level enough by the time Charlotte appears, or if she's been caught as a fake Purifier...
In any case, where things are going from bad to worse, there is 'that thing' that can turn the tables.
'I can't waste a single day out of seven days. I have to get rid of Ferdinand by today, no matter what.'
'Ouch, it's so stuffy. I'm going to go crazy!'
Ferdinand was completely fed up with spying on Odette.
If he had been able to play with Odette in various doll games, he wouldn't have gotten bored so quickly. But now he was in no position to ask her to make him a cup of tea.
It was because of an incident that happened on the day he returned from Athena Island.
“Odette, come and have a nice cup of tea.”
“Master, please rest in peace. I will take your place. Is that okay, Ferdinand?”
The incident where Karl, who brought a teapot instead of her, tried to pour the boiling water directly into Ferdinand's mouth.
“Hey, are you crazy? Are you planning on ripping my mouth off and eating it? You slave?”
As Ferdinand protested, barely avoiding the hot water, Karl whispered in his ear.
“Next time you order this for me, Master, you’ll be drinking it through your nose.”
Ferdinand realized when he saw those red eyes. Those words were by no means intended as a threat.
'That kid is serious. He's really trying to boil my nose off.'
Ferdinand was a man who could not stand to hear the abuse from his slave, but he could not stand up to him. At that moment, he was crushed by an unpleasant feeling of oppression that made him feel like vomiting.
The slave boy stayed by Odette's side all day without moving an inch as if he was tired, so there was no way he could enjoy watching her.
'I'm so bored, seriously!'
Ferdinand closed the Brentano newspaper he was reading with a slap. At this point, he was even resentful of his father, who had given the order to keep an eye on Odette himself.
'If you're that anxious, why don't you just watch over him yourself? You don't have anything to do anyway.'
Didn't all your outside schedules get canceled because you became a public laughingstock?
It seemed like his father was trying his best to completely cover up his own rumors with Dolly's rumors, but in Ferdinand's eyes, it was a waste of time.
'It seems that even the Brentano newspaper, the Empire's official newspaper, has no intention of letting go of the story about the Count of Invisibility.'
The Brentano newspaper is again filling its front and second pages with the sordid tale of the Count of Invisibility and his lover. It seems as if it has decided to become a gossip magazine that surpasses "Breaking Secrets."
Moreover, the conclusion was even more absurd. It ended with the sentence, “So how noble is Odette who grew up properly under him?”
'The name Odette doesn't appear in two pages, so why is she praised in the last sentence?'
Ferdinand, who was unaware that Brentano's influence was at work, saw something bizarre in his eyes.
'Anyway, there's nothing I like, from my father to the newspaper.'
As he was muttering to himself, Odette spoke to Ferdinand.
“Brother, would you like some tea?”
At those words, Ferdinand glanced at Karl. The slave who was silently casting his gaze towards his nose.
“Okay. I’ll take care of it.”
Ferdinand, who didn't want to get his nose boiled, answered tremblingly.
“What should I do since you haven’t been able to go out lately because you’re taking care of me? You can’t even meet your friends.”
“Are you going to get medicine? Someone has to call you to go out. Because of that shameful father. No, stop it. What’s the point of talking about this? Even if I were to go out, I don’t have any money.”
“Why don’t you have money?”
Odette asked with wide eyes.
“My father doesn’t give me any allowance these days. He says I have to use it all to silence reporters and for entertainment expenses.”
“That’s too much. No matter what, my brother is a Count, so you should at least save some face.”
Ferdinand sympathized with those words. It made him resent his father even more.
“Um... Are you not a fan of casinos? I heard a rumor that someone won 3,000 times their bet.”
Ferdinand had heard that rumor too.
That old man Kwendell bragged about it so much at every dinner party. Even Ferdinand's friends on Athena Island only talked about Wolfgang's casino.
But even the most trivial rumor was something Odette could not have known without permission. Ferdinand asked with narrowed eyes.
“How do you know that? Did you talk to anyone without permission?”
“I’m sorry, brother. Since it was Dolly who told me the story, I thought it was something I could know.”
'That traitorous woman... even started talking nonsense.'
Ferdinand frowned. It was that woman who made him, a D-class Transcendent, have to watch Odette around the clock.
Because the Count, who was hit in the back of the head, made him feel a sense of victimization by saying, 'Beware of Odette.'
“How about you go there and make some money, Brother?”
“You’re stupid. Don’t you know that that’s your father’s competitive karma? How much would your father hate that?”
Ferdinand, who secretly wanted to go, strongly denied it.
“Since it’s a competing business, you should go and see it. I heard it was built right across from Ulrich Casino, with no business ethics. Wouldn’t it be right to go and inspect it?”
Odette spoke softly with a beautiful smile.
"That-"
'Is that so?'
As much as he was eager to go to the casino, he was easily swayed.
“You will need a lot of money in the future, right? I heard that Marquis Kleist suddenly withdrew from the story about the Prince. If you want to make an appointment to meet the Princess yourself, don’t you need a bribe to capture the Princess’s maid?”
Ferdinand nodded at Odette's soft voice.
'That's right. I need money, at least for my future.'
Marquis Kleist, who had been calling Ferdinand about his marriage, stopped contacting him as soon as he returned to the capital.
Sion just lost interest in playing with Ferdinand, but Ferdinand misunderstood.
“It’s a shame to bring up the subject of your marriage just because of my father’s scandal. It was already a long story.”
Odette egged Ferdinand on. She chose only the words that were not true, but Ferdinand believed were true.
“Don’t you feel wronged? In fact, it was my father who had a government, not my brother who had a government. And because of my father, even the story of the marriage, which was practically confirmed, was withdrawn.”
Odette's words stirred something in Ferdinand's heart.
'That's what happened. Anyone could see that it was a story that had already been told, but it was ruined because of my father's rumors.'
Ferdinand had guessed so too, but when he heard it from Odette's mouth, he was convinced that it was a done deal.
'I can't lose my position as a son-in-law because of my father, right? Then I need money.'
Ferdinand made a decision.
“Then, I guess I should go and inspect it.”
***
[ ♡ Quest occurs ♡ ]
[ Quest Content: Receive 'overwhelming support' from the citizens of the capital city ]
[ Duration: 7 days ]
[Reward: Restore the 'Shop' function in the status window]
[ Penalty: Victor's disgust increases by 20 ]
[ Quest is automatically accepted ]
'Finally... the store was given a reward.'
Since it was a quest reward she had been waiting for, she read the status window carefully.
This time, it was a quest related to her reputation.
'But isn't the term 'overwhelming support' too abstract? How do you determine success?'
Odette frowned. As if responding to her thoughts, the status window opened a new window.
[Overwhelming Support: Means fame 500 or more]
[ Calculating Odette's reputation among the citizens of the capital... ]
[ Current reputation: 8 ]
'Hey, are you crazy?'
My reputation is only 8 right now. How on earth do I get to 500 reputations? And in just 7 days?
[ Parts of the capital were devastated by an unexpected disaster! ]
[ Take advantage of the situation to build your reputation ♥ ]
[ Recommended place: Hospital in front of the Rothbart River ]
If I had known this would happen, I would have chosen 20 fame as a reward...
Odette bit her lip with belated regret.
'I don't know how to get 500 fame, but... For now, I have to shake off Ferdinand before I can do anything.'
A fucking penalty that increases Victor's disgust by 20.
It goes without saying that she should avoid that... Restoring the store’s functions was more important than the penalty.
Even more so because the female protagonist is in a suspicious situation.
'If it's a store like <Redemption>, it must at least regain its function.'
The reason she waited for the store function to be restored was because she knew what the 'store' sold. And that there were some very special items inside.
If she hasn't lowered her disgust level enough by the time Charlotte appears, or if she's been caught as a fake Purifier...
In any case, where things are going from bad to worse, there is 'that thing' that can turn the tables.
'I can't waste a single day out of seven days. I have to get rid of Ferdinand by today, no matter what.'
***
'Ouch, it's so stuffy. I'm going to go crazy!'
Ferdinand was completely fed up with spying on Odette.
If he had been able to play with Odette in various doll games, he wouldn't have gotten bored so quickly. But now he was in no position to ask her to make him a cup of tea.
It was because of an incident that happened on the day he returned from Athena Island.
“Odette, come and have a nice cup of tea.”
“Master, please rest in peace. I will take your place. Is that okay, Ferdinand?”
The incident where Karl, who brought a teapot instead of her, tried to pour the boiling water directly into Ferdinand's mouth.
“Hey, are you crazy? Are you planning on ripping my mouth off and eating it? You slave?”
As Ferdinand protested, barely avoiding the hot water, Karl whispered in his ear.
“Next time you order this for me, Master, you’ll be drinking it through your nose.”
Ferdinand realized when he saw those red eyes. Those words were by no means intended as a threat.
'That kid is serious. He's really trying to boil my nose off.'
Ferdinand was a man who could not stand to hear the abuse from his slave, but he could not stand up to him. At that moment, he was crushed by an unpleasant feeling of oppression that made him feel like vomiting.
The slave boy stayed by Odette's side all day without moving an inch as if he was tired, so there was no way he could enjoy watching her.
'I'm so bored, seriously!'
Ferdinand closed the Brentano newspaper he was reading with a slap. At this point, he was even resentful of his father, who had given the order to keep an eye on Odette himself.
'If you're that anxious, why don't you just watch over him yourself? You don't have anything to do anyway.'
Didn't all your outside schedules get canceled because you became a public laughingstock?
It seemed like his father was trying his best to completely cover up his own rumors with Dolly's rumors, but in Ferdinand's eyes, it was a waste of time.
'It seems that even the Brentano newspaper, the Empire's official newspaper, has no intention of letting go of the story about the Count of Invisibility.'
The Brentano newspaper is again filling its front and second pages with the sordid tale of the Count of Invisibility and his lover. It seems as if it has decided to become a gossip magazine that surpasses "Breaking Secrets."
Moreover, the conclusion was even more absurd. It ended with the sentence, “So how noble is Odette who grew up properly under him?”
'The name Odette doesn't appear in two pages, so why is she praised in the last sentence?'
Ferdinand, who was unaware that Brentano's influence was at work, saw something bizarre in his eyes.
'Anyway, there's nothing I like, from my father to the newspaper.'
As he was muttering to himself, Odette spoke to Ferdinand.
“Brother, would you like some tea?”
At those words, Ferdinand glanced at Karl. The slave who was silently casting his gaze towards his nose.
“Okay. I’ll take care of it.”
Ferdinand, who didn't want to get his nose boiled, answered tremblingly.
“What should I do since you haven’t been able to go out lately because you’re taking care of me? You can’t even meet your friends.”
“Are you going to get medicine? Someone has to call you to go out. Because of that shameful father. No, stop it. What’s the point of talking about this? Even if I were to go out, I don’t have any money.”
“Why don’t you have money?”
Odette asked with wide eyes.
“My father doesn’t give me any allowance these days. He says I have to use it all to silence reporters and for entertainment expenses.”
“That’s too much. No matter what, my brother is a Count, so you should at least save some face.”
Ferdinand sympathized with those words. It made him resent his father even more.
“Um... Are you not a fan of casinos? I heard a rumor that someone won 3,000 times their bet.”
Ferdinand had heard that rumor too.
That old man Kwendell bragged about it so much at every dinner party. Even Ferdinand's friends on Athena Island only talked about Wolfgang's casino.
But even the most trivial rumor was something Odette could not have known without permission. Ferdinand asked with narrowed eyes.
“How do you know that? Did you talk to anyone without permission?”
“I’m sorry, brother. Since it was Dolly who told me the story, I thought it was something I could know.”
'That traitorous woman... even started talking nonsense.'
Ferdinand frowned. It was that woman who made him, a D-class Transcendent, have to watch Odette around the clock.
Because the Count, who was hit in the back of the head, made him feel a sense of victimization by saying, 'Beware of Odette.'
“How about you go there and make some money, Brother?”
“You’re stupid. Don’t you know that that’s your father’s competitive karma? How much would your father hate that?”
Ferdinand, who secretly wanted to go, strongly denied it.
“Since it’s a competing business, you should go and see it. I heard it was built right across from Ulrich Casino, with no business ethics. Wouldn’t it be right to go and inspect it?”
Odette spoke softly with a beautiful smile.
"That-"
'Is that so?'
As much as he was eager to go to the casino, he was easily swayed.
“You will need a lot of money in the future, right? I heard that Marquis Kleist suddenly withdrew from the story about the Prince. If you want to make an appointment to meet the Princess yourself, don’t you need a bribe to capture the Princess’s maid?”
Ferdinand nodded at Odette's soft voice.
'That's right. I need money, at least for my future.'
Marquis Kleist, who had been calling Ferdinand about his marriage, stopped contacting him as soon as he returned to the capital.
Sion just lost interest in playing with Ferdinand, but Ferdinand misunderstood.
“It’s a shame to bring up the subject of your marriage just because of my father’s scandal. It was already a long story.”
Odette egged Ferdinand on. She chose only the words that were not true, but Ferdinand believed were true.
“Don’t you feel wronged? In fact, it was my father who had a government, not my brother who had a government. And because of my father, even the story of the marriage, which was practically confirmed, was withdrawn.”
Odette's words stirred something in Ferdinand's heart.
'That's what happened. Anyone could see that it was a story that had already been told, but it was ruined because of my father's rumors.'
Ferdinand had guessed so too, but when he heard it from Odette's mouth, he was convinced that it was a done deal.
'I can't lose my position as a son-in-law because of my father, right? Then I need money.'
Ferdinand made a decision.
“Then, I guess I should go and inspect it.”
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