Chapter 112
I forced a wry smile.
“The roles have been reversed. It’s more accurate to say that Lady Brentano dislikes me.”
At my words, Karin’s face twisted once more.
It wasn’t just that I was simply a villain and clashed with Karin’s moral nature that made her dislike me. The Brentano Dukes and the Albrecht Counts had long been enemies, holding completely opposite political views.
“In my previous life, I never understood why she always glared at me.”
Now I knew. Fifteen years ago, when the Emperor tried to annihilate the Brentano family, Count Albrecht had assisted actively—standing at the forefront, slandering the Duke of Brentano as a traitor. That scheming was orchestrated by my father.
In return, he even claimed half of the Brentano domain. Of course, the count, whose business sense was disastrous, squandered it long ago.
In other words, it was my father who reduced the Brentano Dukes to the poverty they faced now.
“I… haven’t done anything wrong,” Karin said.
“I know. From your perspective, it’s natural to dislike me. It’s only fair, so I don’t blame you.”
It left a slight bitter taste. In the game, I had actually liked her character quite a lot.
“It’s not that… sigh…”
Lady Brentano looked utterly lost, as if she didn’t know where to even begin.
Silence fell between us again.
“….”
Thankfully, Karin seemed to calm down slightly.
“Still… at least I should give her some advice, right?”
“Still, don’t team up with Dolly. To be frank, she’s not someone you should count as an ally.”
“…What?”
Lady Brentano looked at me with wide eyes, slightly dazed.
“I understand you dislike me… but you’re not the only one who dislikes me, right? Even if someone wants to make things difficult for me, it would be far better to find an ally superior to Dolly. That girl is cunning and devious.”
At Odette’s words, Karin bit her lip, her face turning pale.
“…Why… give me such advice…”
“I quite like you, Lady,” I said.
“Lady Odette likes me? Don’t lie. If you liked me, you couldn’t do this.”
“…Excuse me?”
“How can you say I teamed up with that Dolly girl if you actually liked me?!”
‘Why… why is her voice so agitated?’
“Wait, Karin. Calm down just a little—”
“No, Lady Odette hates me! My life is ruined!”
She started crying again, tears streaming like tiny pearls.
‘…What… is this?’
I liked Karin. But my words had no effect, so it was better to tell her objective facts rather than my feelings.
“Lady Brentano, you are praised as one of the most outstanding ladies in society. I am the worst villain. So even if I dislike you, it won’t affect your reputation at all.”
“….”
“On the contrary, your reputation may even rise. So saying your life is ruined is quite an exaggeration—”
I continued calmly, but Lady Brentano glared at me for a moment before bursting into tears again.
It was maddening.
‘Was Karin always this type of character?’
In Dan Guwon, she was mature and cool—a lady who gracefully handed over the title of society’s top lady to Charlotte and exited the stage elegantly. A rival who remained unshakable no matter how hard Charlotte tried to surpass her.
…But now… only a girl crying like a child remained.
I watched Lady Brentano wail as if her life were over, utterly bewildered.
‘I want to cry more than she does…’
“Um, Lady Brentano. Being disliked by me is actually an advantage. I’m a terrible villain, and you’re one of society’s top ladies.”
Even if my reputation improved on Athena Island, the salon would still consider me a villain due to confidentiality. Moreover, Karin was a pillar of high society—no matter how much I improved my reputation, I couldn’t reach her.
“Who cares about that reputation… I… I didn’t want to seem pathetic to you.”
“…Huh?”
My goodness. “You”?
Karin had apparently abandoned even the minimum formality.
“I just want to disappear…”
Lady Brentano tried to rub her tearful eyes, and I immediately grabbed her hands.
“Karin!”
Panicked, I called her instinctively, just like I used to when I was skilled at handling situations. I had to stop this.
Rubbing her eyes would make the puffiness worse, which would ruin my reputation entirely.
“Don’t rub; it’ll show that you’ve been crying.”
Lady Brentano froze, startled.
“Let me touch your face for a moment.”
I gently lifted her chin and opened the window. The cold breeze would reduce her swelling.
“Karin, I have never once thought you were pathetic.”
“Sniff… really?”
“Of course. You are recognized as a pillar of society. That’s far cooler than any ‘flower-like’ praise I could hear.”
“Not the praise… Lady Odette’s thoughts…”
‘Why does she care what I think if she dislikes me…?!’
I could not grasp Karin’s feelings.
…Could it be a trick…? Acting…?
Since my reincarnation, this was the first time I felt so flustered.
“I think so too. I know better than anyone how remarkable you are, Karin.”
Through the game, I had learned it.
“And I know how much effort it took. Knowledge, refinement—being born into a good family doesn’t make it easy. Even now, though you have no money, you reduce the taxes of the villagers who suffered from disasters.”
I fanned her face carefully to prevent swelling while speaking.
“I think you’re remarkable, Karin.”
And at that moment…
[ Conditions met! Would you like to check ‘Karin’ from your previous life?
YES / NO ]
[ Confirming will grant a reward! ]
[ Reward: Invisible Truth (Dagger) ]
Once again, a notification appeared that didn’t exist in Dan Guwon.
‘After Karl, now showing another character’s past? And this time, it’s from a previous life?’
How could it show events that never even happened? It was strange. Furthermore, this status window seemed to evolve with each use.
‘After seeing Karl’s past, the window’s functionality diversified remarkably.’
I was about to press NO when another message appeared.
[ This is a choice you will regret in 4 months. Please choose carefully. ]
I froze. Four months later? That was the day Charlotte was scheduled to reappear—the day I intended to complete my revenge.
Clearly, the status window must have the ability to see the future to issue such a warning. It even stated, “a choice you will regret”—which meant it understood my intentions, emotions, and goals.
At that moment, the letters “NO” on the status window cracked with a chi-chi-jik sound and changed to:
[ YES / YES ]
It seemed I had to cancel my hypothesis that this necklace was just like the Dan Guwon status window.
‘If it can even gauge emotions in the future, this isn’t just a game status window—it’s something far beyond.’
While I was lost in thought, the status window beeped impatiently.
‘You gave me two YES options, so which one should I choose?’
I had no choice.
I pressed YES, and at that moment, my surroundings changed.
All education in the empire begins at Brentano.
From the moment she was born into the castle, Karin had to be a pillar of society. A girl who had to be flawless and exemplary from her debut.
“Never lose to Albrecht. Under no circumstances!”
The Duke of Brentano, having lost family property due to Albrecht’s schemes, raised Karin very strictly.
Adding the fact that the count doted on his daughter, the Duke made defeating Odette Karin’s goal—partly to hurt the count.
“Yes, Father. I will do so.”
Fortunately, Karin had both ambition and talent for etiquette. Though she had no money, the Brentano family still had abundant talent.
She was more than capable of winning—after all, the daughter of an uncultured Albrecht was no match.
Then, she saw her—Albrecht, from head to toe, always slightly more perfect than her.
