Chapter 13
What the hell is she doing here?
The moment I saw who had entered the room, I instinctively frowned.
So the strange feeling I had earlier… was right.
“What’s with that look? Acting like I don’t belong here?”
It was Paula Ulmer—my legal sister and inevitable in-game rival.
Players of Ark often had a special nickname for her:
“The lunatic in my house…”
With a dramatic toss of her long golden hair, Paula strutted confidently into the training room.
“Long time no see, Adel. What’s with that pathetic heap of a body?”
I’m collapsed on the floor because I’m dying, obviously.
Maybe I’d gotten used to this body by now, but the moment I saw her smug little smirk and those insufferable emerald eyes, I couldn’t help but reply with my usual hostility.
“What brings you here this time? No warning, as usual…”
Back when I first possessed this game character, I was still a pushover with sky-high Sucker Score, and I’d gotten forced into a matchmaking meeting with Marquis Vente on her behalf.
Just thinking about that made me want to punch her—never mind how players used to rate her.
“What’s this about warning? I just thought you were being awfully cold to your one and only sister. I was hurt, you know.”
“…Hurt?”
Was she laying groundwork for some new nonsense?
Her exaggerated tone only made me more suspicious, and she scowled at my blank stare.
“Fine. I’ll cut to the chase. I heard you’ve been working hard at dance lessons lately.”
Then, she suddenly bristled like a peacock.
“You barely paid attention during Lady Doringer’s last class. So what’s gotten into you?”
“What I do—whether it’s dancing or singing—what’s it got to do with you?”
“What? Adel, you’ve really lost your manners, huh? I’m the first daughter of House Ulmer. It’s my duty to correct your mistakes.”
She tossed her hair again, speaking with smug superiority.
I tried to ignore her, but the system chose the perfect time to pop up.
[SYSTEM] ‘Paula Ulmer’ is recognized as the First Daughter of House Ulmer.
As First Daughter, she has authority to discipline other members of the ducal household.
Wait a second.
This looked familiar—just like the time I got forced into that awful meeting.
“Adel, Father wants you to attend the engagement meeting with the Marquis. I trust you understand what that means.”
[SYSTEM] ‘Paula Ulmer’ is recognized as the First Daughter of House Ulmer.
Due to your high Sucker Score, Paula’s disciplinary authority is enhanced!
“So, you’re going to the meeting in my place. Hohoho. Understood?”
“I’m… not sure I do… but okay. Got it.”
Yeah, that happened.
Thankfully, I’d managed to reduce my Sucker Score quite a bit since then, so this time Paula’s authority hadn’t been boosted—but that didn’t mean I could let my guard down.
A creeping sense of dread tightened in my gut, so I responded carefully.
“I’m just… trying to make up for last time. I felt bad about how I treated Lady Doringer.”
“You?”
She narrowed her eyes, clearly unconvinced.
Ugh, I was so damn tired. I hadn’t slept properly in days thanks to the cringe-inducing memory loop from the mine, and my head throbbed with exhaustion.
I wanted her gone, but honestly? I didn’t know enough about Paula to handle her well.
Paula Ulmer…
In the Ark player community, she was infamously called the “Newbie Killer”—a nightmare rival character.
But I’d always skipped the social routes and buried myself in map exploration and hidden events, so I never got entangled with her much.
That meant I had no idea how to handle her.
“Of course I’m serious. I felt guilty about how I treated Lady Doringer. It’s been bothering me.”
I tried to bluff my way through it, but predictably…
“…Hah! So you really do take me for a fool, don’t you, Adelheid Ulmer?!”
Yep. This was going downhill fast.
“You expect me to believe you, the heartless demon who specializes in cruelty, is trying to make amends?”
“…What?”
“Let’s be real! You’re the kind of monster who would enslave a demon lord if he showed up. And now you’re saying you feel bad about mistreating someone?”
“……”
“It’d be more believable if you said a naïve, dumb girl’s soul had possessed your body.”
…How did she figure me out?
This must be what they call “catching a rat by accident.”
While I sat there stunned, Paula crossed her arms, as if she’d come to some grand conclusion.
“Adelheid. You think I don’t know you’re trying to use your debut at the Spring Ball to attract attention?”
…Okay, she wasn’t entirely wrong.
I was hoping to draw the interest of rich nobles who could afford my mana stones, and to do that, I needed to debut properly in high society.
Even the system had been nudging me to improve my dancing.
Just when I started thinking Paula was actually right for once, something about her behavior made me pause.
Wait a second.
Why is she talking so much?
In Ark, when an NPC starts spouting off like this, it always means something’s coming.
“You, who disgraced our family’s name and spent your life in luxury and idleness, now suddenly practicing to debut in society? How laughable.”
“W-Wait, hold on—”
But of course, by the time I sensed the danger, it was too late.
“Enough with the excuses! I’ll challenge you to a fair and proper competition!”
The word “challenge” lit up the screen in an ominous flash.
[SYSTEM] A surprise quest has arrived! As the Bregenz Empire’s top villainess, your debut into high society must be marked by seizing the First Daughter’s position and making a bold entrance.
Quest Requirements (Time Limit: 168:00 hours)
-
Master 10 basic society dances
-
Master the etiquette textbook “Noble Virtue”
Rewards
-
Authority of the First Daughter
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+5 to Core Power, Grace, and Intelligence
-
Secret Reward
[SYSTEM] Failure will permanently block official debut into society and greatly increase your Sucker Score.
…Excuse me?
I wanted to pretend I hadn’t seen that—but Paula helpfully clarified.
“If you manage to fully prepare for your debut in a week, I’ll give up my First Daughter rights. But if you don’t, you forfeit your right to debut. Deal?”
“Wait, hold on—”
What is this First Daughter authority, anyway?
I’d seen that it gave her power over family members, but the exact scope wasn’t clear.
You couldn’t just blindly accept every quest thrown at you, so I cautiously tapped on the [First Daughter Authority] info.
[SYSTEM] ‘First Daughter Authority’ unlocks upon quest completion.
What?! They won’t even tell me what the reward is unless I accept the quest?
And failure means I lose my shot at a formal debut and my Sucker Score skyrockets?
This is totally skewed against me!
Plus—why do I only get a week when the Spring Ball isn’t for another month?
Forget this.
No matter how good it looks, I didn’t have to accept every shiny quest. This one could be a total trap.
“I’m goi—”
Suddenly, it felt like something had lodged in my throat. The system window zoomed in—blindingly fast.
[SYSTEM] As the Bregenz Empire’s top villainess, this is your first surprise quest! Due to your enormous pride, refusal is not permitted.
Quest has been auto-accepted.
Wait, WHAT?!
Before I could even process the situation, my mouth blurted it out on its own.
“I should check the mirror. Fine, I accept your challenge. Satisfied?”
You’ve GOT to be kidding me, you cursed system!
This is bad. Really bad.
I’d never followed this quest line before, so I had no clue how to clear it.
But if a quest came with this much force, the penalties were just as dangerous.
And not knowing what I was dealing with only made my head hurt worse.
That’s when—
“Ah.”
A very old memory stirred in the back of my mind—something I’d forgotten completely until now.
