IRFVTS 21

Chapter 21

“Ha…”

Next to the Duke, who let out a sigh that sounded half dumbfounded and half exasperated, Howell quietly continued eating. Though his face had paled slightly ever since Elysia had picked up her napkin, it was a subtle change only noticeable to someone close by.

“…Aren’t you going to interrogate her further?”

Howell asked. From what he knew, the way Elysia had exited the dining hall should have been utterly intolerable to the Duke. The fact that he had simply dismissed the maids and knights without pursuing her further was unexpected. Normally, the Duke would have been furious.

But the Duke only murmured quietly from his seat.

“When did she start doing things like that?”

His gaze was fixed on the napkin Elysia had left behind. That fluttering piece of cloth she had brandished like a warning to keep away—if it had been a blade instead, someone would have certainly been injured.

The fact that she had chosen a napkin—could that mean she had no intent to harm anyone?

Still, her expression just now had been sharp. The face that seemed impenetrable, as if trusting no one, lingered in his mind.

Something was going wrong. The Duke remained silent, deep in thought. Beside him, Howell also glanced at the napkin with a serious expression and muttered,

“…So I really didn’t imagine that fork earlier.”

Whew, that was close. Almost had my privacy completely invaded.

Elysia let out a silent sigh of relief.

Her silent departure from the mansion must’ve caused quite a shock. She hadn’t expected them to go into full alert mode like that.

But maybe because of her display at the dining table—or perhaps because the Duke had changed his orders—none of the servants had followed her back to her room.

In any case, I shouldn’t reveal exactly what my ability is just yet.

Of course, over time, everyone would find out. Rumors always spread. Eventually, word would circle the imperial palace and beyond. That was inevitable.

But she didn’t want to announce it so blatantly in front of everyone at the dining table.

Someone who poisoned me was likely there, after all.

The culprit was probably someone within. Whether from the kitchen or the dining hall, they’d need to be close to have spiked her food. Knowing that, she didn’t want to expose all her information out in the open.

So maybe it was the right call to show just that much and make a graceful exit.

Honestly, if the Duke really wanted answers, he shouldn’t have asked me in a public space like the dining room.

If he had asked quietly in his office, maybe she would’ve answered. But to ask about a confidential matter in such an open setting?

The Duke trusted his servants too much.

Maybe even more than his own daughter.

The thought left a bitter taste. Elysia shook off her thoughts and entered her room. The moment she stepped inside, a couple of maids rushed toward her.

“Young Lady! Where did you go?!”

“Do you know how worried we were?”

It was the same pair Elysia had once assigned to night watch duty.

“You were worried about me?”

“Yes! Even His Grace the Duke was—oh, dear.”

There it is.

Elysia nodded, watching the maid scrunch her eyes shut in dismay.

More scared of the Duke’s wrath than my disappearance, huh.

“…I want to be alone now. Please don’t let anyone in.”

After making her decision, Elysia reached for the door to lock it. But the maids quickly grabbed her arm.

“W-Wait! Why are you shutting yourself in again?”

“Young Lady, you’re not planning to disappear again, are you?”

“No.”

Seeing their anxious faces, Elysia shook her head. At least for today, she had no intention of sneaking out again. Still, the maids looked far from reassured and pleaded with her again.

“Y-Young Lady! If you ever plan to leave again… please tell us next time. We won’t report it to the Duke. Really, we promise!”

“If you need help, just say so! We’ll keep it a secret!”

The two maids nodded fervently, practically begging her to trust them.

…Can I really trust them?

Elysia doubted she had any deep bond with these maids. They could easily turn around and report her every move to the Duke the moment she said she was going out.

Still, she smiled reassuringly at them.

“Okay. Next time, I’ll let you know before I leave.”

When exactly that “next time” would be was up in the air.

Maybe 57 hours after she left. Or 128 hours. Either way, she’d technically be telling them.

Seeing the relieved smiles on the maids’ faces, Elysia successfully locked her door.

“Alright… dear viewers? You must’ve been frustrated not getting any updates, huh?”

Elysia finally opened her chat window again. Even during the stream, the confrontation with the Duke had taken priority, so she hadn’t paid attention to the chat at all.

Wow you’re such a newbie streamer LOL
Can’t even multitask haha

“I’ll try to do both at once from now on.”

Of course, even as she said that, it was more likely that real-life situations would take priority. After all, this wasn’t just a game or a stream for her—this was actual life-and-death reality. She couldn’t always focus on chat.

Still, reading through the comments did lift her spirits a little. Because…

What is even wrong with that household
I thought she was arrested by the imperial palace LOL
Nah they were the ones trying to arrest her at the dining table
Classic “everything looks like a nail when you’re a hammer”
Are you okay?

“…I’m okay.”

Reading the sympathetic comments, Elysia felt a bit of her frustration ease. Facing all this alone would’ve been suffocating. But having a place to vent—even just virtually—was a huge relief.

“I’m really okay, everyone. Once I escape from here, that’s all that matters.”

Elysia shrugged and smiled amiably. Whatever kind of household “Elysia” came from, however the crown prince treated her, they were people she wouldn’t have to see again once she got out.

“Of course, to escape, I need to earn some money first.”

Thinking of quitting already LOL
Nooo keep streaming T__T
How much money have you made so far? Unlock a skill please!

Right, I should check my earnings now!

The mention of money in the chat made Elysia look up.

Earth currency earned via MewTube = in-game cash!

You could buy escape items or unlock skills with it.

“I actually wanted to unlock a skill before going to the Mage Tower…”

Finally gonna look at skills??
Can’t believe you fought the crown prince without any skills LOL
At least use magic in the Mage Tower, please

Clearly, the chat had been dying for her to check her skills. Elysia agreed.

“I’d like to use some magic too. But…”

Had she earned enough to unlock one?

Elysia sighed and cautiously opened her system menu. In addition to “Skill Viewer,” there were other menus related to MewTube management.

Menus like:

Channel Overview
Edit & Upload
Watch Time & Subscriber Stats
Revenue Check
Community Posts

Some were surprisingly sophisticated.

Wait, I didn’t upload that video… Did it auto-upload?

She had left the camera on while playing but hadn’t edited or uploaded anything herself. Yet somehow, her channel had multiple neatly cut highlight videos with subtitles.

Titles like:

[Woke up inside a villainess? Yeah, that happened to me too]
[Why are you staring while I eat… Want me to squish it for you?]
[When doors don’t work, try windows]
[Lemegold Elysia vs. Leonar! Who wins in swordplay?]

“…What’s with these titles?”

The thumbnails were solid, and the clips well-edited. The comments under each video were active too.

Why did she just yeet herself out the window LOL
Title is so bland—should be “Tried running away from Lemegold: A Review”
Nah “Try the window when the door’s locked” with a thumbnail of Elysia jumping is better LOL
Nice.
Wait they actually changed it! That was fast!

So they’re using suggested titles from comments?

But who was doing that?

The more she found out, the more mysterious it became. She’d never touched any of this. Who was managing the channel?

Maybe the system auto-edited and uploaded highlights? She’d have to ask if the manager ever came back.

Still, the uploads helped. More views, more traction.

The view counts were impressive—thousands, even tens of thousands. For a brand-new streamer, that was huge.

Elysia checked another menu.

▶ Revenue Check

Right. This is what matters.

Since the streaming system was still in beta, there was no monetization via donations—only view count was converted to earnings.

And if I haven’t met the revenue threshold yet…

Just uploading videos doesn’t guarantee earnings. There were usually minimum requirements for monetization—watch hours, subscriber count, etc.

“Well, let’s take a look.”

Worst case, she could sell some family jewels or dresses. That’d be enough to unlock at least one skill.

She clicked “Revenue Check.”

Ding!

Welcome to the revenue page!
Due to policy, only Lady Elysia may view this page!

A bright UI popped up.

You’re using a beta version channel!
As this channel is company-owned, no revenue application is needed.
All view-based earnings are automatically converted into cash usable inside Lady Marigold!

“…What?”

This channel… was owned by the Lemegold company?

She knew they’d said she could use a hidden beta feature, but she hadn’t expected them to hand over an actual company-owned channel.

Still, it was good news—no complicated monetization processes. Real-time earnings. That was a huge advantage.

“So… how much do I have right now?”

She had to know. She needed a skill.

Given the video view counts, something should’ve accumulated.

Nervously, Elysia opened the final revenue panel.

Ad Revenue (Live): 12,134 won
External Ads: 0 won

“…!”

Her eyes widened.

Over 10,000 won?!

To earn that much in just two days?

It’s not like I even had that many viewers…

Even a beginner like her knew it was rare to earn anything so fast. No one clicks on random people’s videos, much less watches and subscribes. It must’ve been the buzz around “Lemegold” and her unique situation.

I’m so grateful to everyone.

That 10,000 won was worth everything to her right now. She wanted to save it up for an escape item—but now wasn’t the time to hoard cash.

She had no skills at all.

“In the early stages of a game, it’s better to invest in yourself. Level up fast and earn more later. Skill menu!”

Elysia expertly pulled up the skill list and scrolled.

“Before heading to the Mage Tower, I should unlock a magic-based skill.”

She’d considered whether becoming a registered mage was wise—but ultimately decided it was.

Mages received state privileges. And right now, Elysia’s only identity in this world was the troublesome youngest daughter of the Semperion family.

No real freedom. Nothing to her name but her family title.

This could be her chance to escape that position.

“So which magic should I pick… Meteor?”

Everyone in chat kept begging for Meteor. She clicked it.

Skill: Meteor Ex Aether
Unlock cost: 20 million won

“…”

Elysia stared blankly at the screen… and then smiled sweetly.

“Never mind! Let’s look at something else!”

Way too expensive. Who had 20 million won to blow on one skill?

“Let’s see if there’s a more cost-effective option.”

Fire Slash (Attack): 1.5 million won
Quick Leap (Movement): 2 million won
Unexpected Shot (Attack): 1.7 million won

…All of them were expensive. Were they telling her not to buy anything?

“At this rate, should I just become a ‘muscle mage’…”

LOOOOOL
What’s a muscle mage?
A mage who punches everything instead of casting spells LOL
That’s not even a mage anymore???

“Yes. I’ll just buy a magic staff and hit people with it. Most efficient plan.”

She twirled a broom from the corner of her room like a wand, jokingly.

Her voice was playful, but her heart wasn’t light.

It’s not like you can pass the mage exam without actual magic…

No matter how much she mimicked spell effects with brute force, the magical aptitude test would reveal her lack of mana. Which meant—she needed a skill.

…Was there really no other option?

Just then—

Ding!

A cheerful alert chimed by her ear.

And then again.

Ding ding!

Ding! Ding!

Dingdingding!

The screen began to brighten. Lights flickered rapidly before her.

dumplingdumpling11 has subscribed!
dfasd999 has subscribed!
chocoDonut195 has subscribed!

And more, and more.

“…Huh?”

She didn’t even have time to be shocked. The chat exploded.

Came here after seeing the post
Wait it’s true?! Elysia is streaming?!
WTF is happening
How did you even do this?
Did you hack the game???

Concurrent viewers surpassed 5,000!
All videos skyrocketing in views!
Subscribers exceeded 10,000!
Your video entered the Trending List!

“What… is happening…?”

Viewers climbing by the second. The chat was flying so fast she couldn’t read it.

As she stood frozen, newcomers flooded the room.

Rumors spread like wildfire—someone said you’re a MewTuber who leaked Lemegold
Came to see for myself and… yep, it’s real
OMG!!! You’re Ellie!!!

Elysia finally grasped the situation.

“My channel… someone must’ve spread the word.”

Not just rumors—there’s an article
“Big company stunt or real leak? The mysterious MewTuber at the center of controversy” (link)
So many international accounts here too—Lemegold really blew up overseas
Do a clarification stream!
Is this a real game leak?

Elysia let out a quiet, half-laugh.

“I’ve always been honest. I really am possessing this character.”