Chapter 1
“Nice and firm.”
The moment he laid eyes on me, that was the first thing Marquis Bente — a man in his sixties and the owner of the Goldring Trading Company, one of the top three in the Bregenz Empire — said.
After divorcing his third wife, he shamelessly announced his return to the marriage market, proudly searching for a young noblewoman to wed. His greedy gaze swept over me without a shred of shame.
“Excellent. Absolutely delightful. Perfect bride material, I must say. Heh heh.”
“…Sophie, can you double-check? Are we at the right meeting place?”
Knowing my maid Sophie was easily intimidated, I tried to speak gently, but my voice came out sharper than intended.
As expected, her face turned pale as if I were some kind of demon.
“Y-Yes, My Lady. T-This is the correct matchmaking venue…”
Her voice trembled pitifully, and I couldn’t hide the grimace twisting my face.
No matter how much I tried to stay positive, there was no silver lining here.
A sixty-something-year-old geezer as a marriage candidate for my character, a supposed nineteen-year-old noblewoman, according to the game setting? And he even had the nerve to call me “nice and firm”?
This was a textbook case of a perverted old man.
‘Living up to your reputation, I see.’
I folded my arms and glared at Marquis Bente.
Instead of getting the hint, the old man chuckled lecherously, as if my disgusted stare was some kind of coy invitation.
“Heh heh, so proud and feisty. I like that.”
Ugh. I couldn’t take any more.
“There must’ve been a mistake, Marquis. I’ll be leaving now. Sophie, come.”
There was no way I was going to apologize.
I turned to leave without hesitation, but Marquis Bente wasn’t ready to let me go.
“Wait! Stop right there!”
With surprising speed for someone so heavyset, he lumbered after me, trying to block my escape.
“There’s no mistake! You are destined to marry me! This is a sacred agreement!”
Sacred, my foot.
I turned to face him properly, and my disgust deepened.
His toothless mouth gleamed with a garish, full set of golden dentures.
“…”
I could feel reality hitting me harder than ever.
I could only curse the system for forcing me into this wretched arranged meeting.
Focus. Stay calm. They say even if you’re thrown into a tiger’s den, you’ll survive if you keep your wits.
I took a few steps back to keep my distance.
But the pervert — no, the Marquis — slithered toward me and grabbed my arm, trying to pull me into his embrace.
“Come now, my sweet little lady! Where do you think you’re going?”
Like some cheap imitation of a charming K-drama hero.
“Ugh…”
‘AAARGH!’
A scream almost burst out of me, but it got stuck in my throat.
Of course — thanks to the system’s constraints.
[SYSTEM] Your dignity stat restricts uncouth behavior.
In this situation, the system seriously cared about dignity?
Ridiculous. Still, my voice, twisted by the system’s settings, turned into a dainty squeal.
“Oh my…!”
I couldn’t even scream properly!
Even worse, the system did nothing to dull the disgusting feeling crawling over my skin from the Marquis’s touch.
Goosebumps erupted all over me as if a bug had brushed past.
“Heh heh, pretending to be shy now? Such a juicy little fruit must be ripe for the picking.”
What the hell are you talking about?
No system in the world could stop the sheer absurdity from rendering me speechless.
Still, Marquis Bente kept yapping.
“Listen, dear girl, men age like fine wine. We only get better over time.”
If the grapes are rotten, no amount of aging will make good wine.
I had a thousand snarky comebacks, but thanks to the damn “dignity” stat, I couldn’t say a single one aloud.
“In time, you’ll come to appreciate me. I’m a man of depth, you see.”
“I-I don’t want to.”
[SYSTEM] You have rejected the proposal. Gullibility stat –5.
Was it a glitch or a rare mercy? For once, my rejection came out properly.
Though, of course, the system wasn’t about to let me off easy.
[SYSTEM] This person does not accept your rejection. Your rejection is nullified. Gullibility stat +5.
“Heh, playing hard to get, are we? That makes it all the sweeter! Heh heh.”
Looking at his wrinkled, drooling face, my patience finally snapped.
I need to get out of here.
I tried to wrench free from his clammy grip.
In the struggle, my elbow accidentally struck his jaw — completely by accident.
Thunk!
A sickeningly satisfying sound filled the air as Marquis Bente shrieked.
“Aaargh!”
Clutching his jaw, the bulky man crashed to the ground with a resounding thud.
The noise instantly drew attention like a magnet.
“W-What was that?!”
“Oh my God, that’s Marquis Bente! And… that’s the infamous Lady of House Ulmer!”
“It looks like the Marquis got attacked! That terrible girl must’ve gone too far!”
The murmuring crowd’s words pierced my ears like needles.
And naturally, none of it was in my favor.
After all, I — Adelheid Ulmer — was notorious for all the wrong reasons.
“What kind of monster beats up an old man…?”
Expecting the backlash didn’t make it any easier.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
I’d tried so hard to avoid making a scene — and now I was the scandal of the day.
Just as I was trembling in frustration—
[SYSTEM] You have drawn the attention of many. Infamy +10.
You assaulted an elderly man in public! Special reward: Title [Elder Abuser] granted! Karma +5.
…Huh?
The collapsed Marquis struggled to get up… only to catch sight of me and freeze in terror.
“Gahhh!”
[SYSTEM] Title effect activated! Elderly individuals (60+) will feel instinctive fear toward you!
Even without the system prompt, the sight was absurd.
Confused, I spotted something nearby — a glint of gold lying abandoned on the floor.
It was his shiny, full-gold dentures.
“Ah…”
It really wasn’t intentional.
But judging from the stifled giggles erupting around the room, I wasn’t the only one who noticed.
[SYSTEM] You have successfully inflicted public shame upon your opponent. Infamy +10.
All I wanted was to escape a lecherous geezer, not to utterly humiliate him.
But things had spiraled way, way out of control.
Wobbling backward on shaky legs, I edged away, hiding my steps beneath the folds of my dress.
Helping the disgusting old man wouldn’t fix anything — and honestly, I had no desire to touch him again.
In the end, glancing once between the gleaming dentures and the fallen Marquis, I spun on my heel and bolted.
The next day, as if mocking me, the scandal dominated the social pages:
“The Infamous Lady A Strikes Again — Assaults Noble Marquis B in Broad Daylight!
“Witnesses say Marquis B was terrified while Lady A cackled with glee!”
More testimonies pour in, painting Lady A as a notorious villainess…”
