Regina

A considerable crowd had gathered around the carriage boarding area—nobles, commoners, and even servants working at the Imperial Palace.

However, true to her reputation as a villainess, Regina didn’t seem to care about their gazes at all. No, it was more like she was emboldened by them to act even more outrageously.

“Exactly… why… do… I… have to… keep… you… around? Hmm?”

She tapped the servant’s cheek, emphasizing each syllable. It was an act far more humiliating than a forceful strike.

“……I-I’m sorry, my lady.”

“Are you crying?”

Regina leaned her face in close to the servant, who was desperately holding back tears.

The sight of her laughing while covering her mouth was that of a witch—no, a demon itself.

“Look at that……”

“Of all people, to get caught by Lady Rochend. Poor soul.”

Onlookers shook their heads in pity. Some hurried away, fearing they might be next.

Everyone knew something was wrong, but no one dared to step forward. Who in this game would dare touch Regina Rochend?

“My lady, please board. Nothing good will come of staying here.”

The coachman of the carriage I was about to board felt the same. He looked eager to leave this place before we got entangled.

“…….”

“My lady?”

But I didn’t have the luxury to care about such things. My gaze was fixed entirely on the system window before me.

‘Reputation?’

With a cheerful ding, the translucent window began to move.

◎ ‘Reputation’ is a measure of how much the people of this world love you. ◎

◎ It reacts to respect, pity, love, and friendship. ◎

‘So the one point I got during the suicide incident was because of pity?’

◎ Earn the love of the people by raising your Reputation. As your Reputation grows, new features will unlock. ◎

The system window flickered twice and vanished.

‘The fact that it’s showing me this feature right now must mean…….’

I looked back and forth between Regina and her servant. Then at the onlookers watching the situation.

She was still tormenting the servant.

‘It wants me to resolve this situation and raise my Reputation among the crowd.’

It was an obvious move.

“Kneel this instant!”

“M-my lady……”

While I was staring at the system window, the situation seemed to have spiraled toward a catastrophe. Regina was forcing the servant to kneel in the dirt.

“Won’t you kneel right now? Do you dare defy my command?”

“…….”

Just as he was reluctantly about to lower his knees.

“Sir, please wait a moment.”

“My lady?”

I gestured for the coachman to wait, then stepped forward toward them. I quickly grabbed the servant’s left arm.

“……What? Evelyn?”

“Get up.”

“Y-yes?”

“Don’t kneel. I said, get up.”

Regina furrowed her brow sharply, looking quite flustered by my sudden appearance.

I hid her servant behind my back and offered Regina a greeting.

“It’s been a while, Regina.”

“A while? Ha.”

She glared as if asking how I had the nerve to greet her.

It was our first meeting since the masquerade. She seemed quite irritated that I had declined her invitation that day.

“Move aside and drop the shameless greeting, will you? I’m in the middle of disciplining a servant.”

“Disciplining?”

At her words, I glanced around. There were at least a dozen onlookers gathered.

I let out a small ‘hmm,’ tilted my head, and asked her back.

“Is humiliating someone in front of a crowd your idea of ‘discipline’?”

“W-what did you say?”

“Oh, sorry. Was I too loud?”

Only then did Regina turn her head to check her surroundings.

She had been so blinded by punishing the servant that she hadn’t even realized a crowd had formed.

‘I thought she didn’t care about others’ opinions, but I guess that’s not the case.’

Just as I thought that, she arrogantly crossed her arms, tilted her chin up, and spoke.

“It’s only natural to punish someone for doing wrong.”

She continued.

“Oh, right. I suppose you can’t do that, being the neglected little lady.”

“…….”

She swallowed a snicker, mocking me with everything she had. Some laughter even broke out among the onlookers.

‘The world’s most famous Cinderella.’

I guess I was the only person who didn’t know Evelyn was a neglected, invisible lady—everyone else in this world knew.

‘Reputation or not, I’m starting to get pissed off.’

“M-my lady……. It was my fault. I’m sorry.”

At that moment, the servant hiding behind me bowed his head and stepped forward. He must have felt the situation was becoming too grave.

He was already preparing to kneel.

“Do you think that’s enough?”

“……Pardon?”

“What is your kneeling worth? Is it expensive? You’re just a low-life working under others.”

“…….”

Regina continued.

“Do you want forgiveness? Then……. Right, how about you crawl on all fours? That sounds fun!”

Clapping her hands and laughing like a witch, she looked like she had just had a brilliant idea.

“It would be better if we had a leash. Hey, don’t you have a leash? Go find one!”

Even the onlookers seemed to think she had gone too far, shaking their heads and beginning to leave one by one.

At that moment.

“Regina.”

Following my voice calling her name, the sound of skin hitting skin echoed through the air.

Slap!

“That’s enough.”

“……Y-you. You just….”

“What. Is it embarrassing to be hit in front of people?”

I had slapped Regina across the face.

Regina clutched her reddened right cheek, her eyes wide in disbelief at the situation.

The onlookers who had been leaving turned back, their attention once again captured by the sound of the slap.

“Act like a master within the Rochend estate. This isn’t your house; it’s the Imperial Palace.”

“You……!”

Another slap echoed.

Regina had struck my cheek with all her might. Her long nails dug into my skin, causing a minor bloody mess.

“How dare you—how dare you hit me!”

Because you deserved it.

The words rose to my throat, but I forced them down.

‘Ow, that actually hurts.’

Evelyn’s body was so frail that it didn’t feel like I hit her that hard.

But Regina, perhaps thanks to her experience tormenting servants, had incredible striking power. I felt the slap vibrate all the way into my skull.

As I was barely holding my ground, a strange voice sounded from somewhere.

“What is everyone gathered here for?”

The owner of that unfamiliar voice was a middle-aged man with a genial impression. Or rather, an old man?

Contrary to his appearance, his clothes were extraordinary. The best of the best. His hair was a platinum blonde, much like Johann’s….

As I was scrutinizing the man, one of the onlookers let out a gasp and shouted.

“H-His Imperial Majesty!”

“!”

What?

“We greet His Imperial Majesty!”

Ding.

◎ Would you like to activate character information? ◎

◎ Name: Freyr Sieten Hyperion ◎

◎ Occupation: Emperor ◎

◎ Characteristic: Genial impression ◎

Dozens of people were bowing their heads toward him. I mean, why is the Emperor wandering around the palace alone?

‘……This man is Johann’s father?’

I was momentarily flustered by how different he looked from his son. Then, he began to scan me from head to toe.

‘Is this the ending where I get executed for causing a scene in the palace?’

“Are you Lady Evelyn of the House of Louis?”

“Yes?”

He asked again, his voice filled with certainty as he noted the color of my hair and eyes.

“You are Lady Evelyn, correct?”

“Uh, yes, that’s right, but……”

“It has been far too long!”

Huh?

Emperor Freyr embraced me warmly, as if he were meeting an old classmate.

Wait, what is this?

The Emperor of the Empire—the male lead’s father—was delighted to see me.

“…….”

The silence that followed was deafening.

Regina, who had been fuming with rage just a second ago, was now frozen in a deep bow, her face pale.

Even the servant I had protected was trembling on the ground.

“Your Majesty, I……”

I tried to speak, but the Emperor merely laughed, releasing me from the hug to pat my shoulders.

“Look at you! You’ve grown into such a fine young lady. The last time I saw you, you were barely tall enough to reach my waist.”

He looked at me with genuine affection, ignoring the bloody scratch on my cheek.

“But what is this? Who dared to lay a hand on a daughter of Louis within my palace?”

His voice remained genial, but there was a sharp edge to it now.

He looked toward Regina, who seemed to shrink even further.

“It…… it was a misunderstanding, Your Majesty,” Regina stammered, her voice barely a whisper.

“A misunderstanding that involves blood?”

Freyr’s eyes narrowed.

“Lady Rochend, I believe your father and I need to have a very long conversation about your behavior.”

“……!”

Regina’s eyes filled with terror. A ‘conversation’ with the Emperor was the last thing any noble house wanted.

“Now, everyone, disperse,” the Emperor commanded, waving a hand at the crowd.

“There is nothing more to see here.”

As the onlookers scrambled away, the Emperor turned back to me.

“Come, Evelyn. Let’s get that cheek looked at. It would be a tragedy to leave a scar on such a beautiful face.”

He began to lead me toward the inner palace, leaving a stunned Regina standing in the dirt.

◎ Reputation increased by 10 points! ◎

◎ Current Reputation: 11 ◎

◎ New Feature Unlocked: ‘Favor of the High-Born’ ◎

‘Reputation really is the cheat code of this world.’

I followed the Emperor, feeling the stinging of my cheek fade slightly.

Maybe having the Emperor on my side would be the ultimate shield against the death flags ahead.

But as we walked, I couldn’t help but wonder.

Why was he so kind to an extra like me?

And what was this ‘Favor of the High-Born’ feature?

I had a feeling that surviving this game was about to get a whole lot more interesting.