KFBRV Ch 128
- Mar 17
- 7 min read
The Count was holed up in his office. He was busy trying to cover up his own scandal with the story of "Mad Witch Doly."
He contacted every newspaper to spread more sensational news about her. He persuaded them to pull articles about the Invisible Count.
He co-opted Doly's lawyer so that her testimony of the actual situation would be useless. He sent a separate letter to the judge to ensure a private trial. He would have needed ten bodies to handle it all.
During that time, Odette's status underwent quite a few changes.
Above all, her room changed. She was moved from the small room next to Ferdinand's to the largest room on the second floor.
The biggest and most luxurious room, traditionally given to the eldest daughter of the Albrecht Count family.
[Ulrich] "While staying at the estate, Karl will reside in the room closest to Odette. If he is used for any other purpose, I will willingly pay the price of my arm."
It was thanks to the Count keeping his vow, unwilling to lose an arm.
Furthermore, after Doly's downfall, Malea temporarily took over as head maid. Thanks to that, Odette was receiving much better treatment. The maids' disregard for her had completely vanished.
Since Karl is always by my side, being dragged to the attic is no longer an issue.
However, while her status had improved, her freedom was paradoxically restricted. Because the Count had sternly instructed Ferdinand to personally watch over her, Ferdinand stuck to her throughout her waking hours.
Utterly annoying.
Because of this, Odette, forced back into corsets and lace dresses, was irritated.
How is that lazy and selfish bastard managing to watch me for an entire week? He must be itching to go mad.
It was just when she desperately wanted to get rid of him. Ding—, a quest notification window appeared before her eyes.
[♡ Quest Generated ♡]
[Quest Content: Receive 'Overwhelming Support' from Capital Citizens]
[Duration: 7 days]
[Reward: Restoration of Status Window's 'Shop' Function]
[Penalty: Viktor's Loathing increases by 20]
[Quest is automatically accepted.]
Finally... the shop is a reward.
As it was the quest reward she had been waiting for, she focused and read the contents of the status window. This was another quest related to her reputation.
But isn't the phrase 'Overwhelming Support' too abstract? How will success be determined?
She furrowed her brow. As if responding to her thoughts, the status window displayed a new window.
[Overwhelming Support: Signifies Reputation of 500 or more]
[Calculating Odette's Reputation for Capital Citizens...]
[Current Reputation: 8]
A-Are you crazy?
Her current reputation is only 8, so how on earth is she supposed to accumulate 500 reputation? And in just 7 days?
[Various parts of the capital have been devastated by unexpected calamities!]
[Try to build your reputation by taking advantage of the situation ♥]
[Recommended Location: Hospital in front of Rothbart River]
If she had known this, she would have chosen 20 reputation as a reward back then.
She bit her lip, regretting belatedly.
I don't know how I'm going to accumulate 500 reputation... but first, I need to get rid of Ferdinand to do anything.
That damned penalty of increasing Viktor's Loathing by 20. Avoiding that was a given, and the restoration of the shop's function was even more important than the penalty.
Especially with the female protagonist being in a suspicious situation.
If it's the same shop as in <The Only Savior>, I absolutely must retrieve that function.
The reason she had waited for the shop function to be restored was that she knew what items the "Shop" sold. And that there was a very special item within it.
That "item" that could turn the tide, even in the worst-case scenario, such as if her Loathing couldn't be sufficiently lowered before Charlotte's appearance, or if her identity as a fake purifier was discovered.
Seven days means I can't waste even a single day. I must get rid of him today.
Ugh, it's stifling. I'm going mad with impatience!
Ferdinand was utterly fed up with guarding Odette.
If he could have played various doll-like games with her, he wouldn't have gotten tired of it so quickly. But now, he was not in a position to order her to bring him a cup of tea.
It was due to an incident that occurred on the day they returned from Athena Island.
[Ferdinand] "Odette, brew me a delicious cup of tea."
[Karl] "Master should rest comfortably. I will brew it instead. May I, Lord Ferdinand?"
The incident where Karl, who had brought the teapot instead of Odetter, tried to pour boiling water directly into Ferdinand's mouth.
[Ferdinand] "A-Are you crazy? Do you intend to scald my mouth off? You slave bastard?"
When he, who barely dodged the hot water, protested, Karl whispered in his ear.
[Karl] "If you order her around again, you will drink this through your nose next time."
Seeing those red eyes, Ferdinand realized. Those words were by no means an empty threat.
That bastard means it. He genuinely intends to boil my nose.
He was not the type of person to tolerate verbal abuse from a slave, but he couldn't stand against him. Because in that moment, he was crushed by an unpleasant, nauseating pressure.
The slave didn't seem to tire, guarding Odette's side all day without a single twitch, so there was no joy in surveillance for Ferdinand.
I'm bored to death, seriously!
He slammed the Brentano Press he was reading shut with a swish. At this point, he even resented his father, who had given the order to personally guard her.
If Father is so anxious, why doesn't he guard her himself? He has nothing else to do anyway.
Hadn't all his outside engagements been canceled due to becoming a public laughingstock?
His father seemed to be trying all sorts of things to completely cover up his own scandal with Doly's rumors, but in Ferdinand's eyes, that was nothing but a waste of time.
Even the Brentano Press, which claims to be the Empire's orthodox newspaper, seems to have no intention of letting go of the Invisible Count story.
The Brentano Press today again filled its first two pages with the dirty story of the Invisible Count and his lover. As if it had decided to become a gossip rag surpassing Secret Leak.
Moreover, the conclusion was even more absurd. Because it ended with the sentence, "Therefore, how noble is Odette, who grew up properly under such circumstances?"
Her name didn't appear for two entire pages, so why is it suddenly praising her in the last sentence?
To him, who didn't know that Lady Brentano's influence was at play, it was utterly bizarre.
Anyway, from Father to the newspaper, there's nothing I like.
The moment he muttered inwardly, Odette spoke to him.
[Odette] "Brother, shall I pour you some tea?"
At that, he glanced at Karl. The slave who silently looked at his nose.
[Ferdinand] "No, I'll pour it myself."
He, unwilling to have his nose boiled, replied reluctantly.
[Odette] "How unfortunate that you haven't been able to go out at all lately, taking care of me? You haven't been able to meet your friends either."
[Ferdinand] "Are you trying to provoke me? I'd go out if someone called me. Because of Father's huge humiliation—no, forget it. What's the point of talking about this? I don't have any money, even if I wanted to go out anyway."
[Odette] "Why do you not have money?"
She asked, her eyes wide.
[Ferdinand] "Father hasn't been giving me any allowance lately. Saying he has to spend it all on bribing reporters and entertainment."
[Odette] "That is too much. No matter what, you are the minor Count, so he should at least save your minimum dignity."
Ferdinand empathized with those words. That much more he resented his father.
[Odette] "Hmm... are casinos not to your liking? I heard a rumor that someone won 3,000 times their bet there."
He had heard that rumor, too. How much that Köndel guy boasted at every banquet. To the point where all his friends on Athena Island talked only about the Wolfgang Casino.
But no matter how trivial the rumor, Odette should not have known about it without permission.
He narrowed his eyes and asked.
[Ferdinand] "How do you know that? Did you talk to someone without permission?"
[Odette] "I apologize, Brother. Doly told me the story, so I thought it was something I was allowed to know."
That traitorous wench... She's even spouting nonsense.
He frowned. That woman was the one who made him, a D-class Transcendent, a mere babysitter for Odette 24/7. Because the backstabbed Count had developed an absurd victim complex, telling him to "be wary of Odette."
[Odette] "Brother, why do you not try going there and earning some money?"
[Ferdinand] "Foolish. Don't you know it is Father's rival establishment? How much would he dislike it?"
He, who inwardly yearned to go, strongly denied it instead.
[Odette] "Precisely because it is a rival establishment, you should go. I hear it appeared directly opposite the Ulrich Casino without any business ethics. Wouldn't it be right to go and inspect it once?"
She smiled beautifully and spoke softly.
[Ferdinand] "That is—"
She's right, isn't she?
As he desperately wanted to go to the casino, he was easily swayed.
[Odette] "You will also need a lot of money in the future. Marquis Kleist suddenly withdrew talk of a royal son-in-law, didn't he? If you are to arrange a meeting with the Princess yourself, do you not need bribes to win over the Princess' lady-in-waiting?"
He nodded at her gentle voice.
Right. I do need money for my future too.
Marquis Kleist, who had persistently summoned Ferdinand about becoming a royal son-in-law, had cut off contact as soon as he returned to the capital.
While Zion had merely been playing with him and lost interest, Ferdinand misunderstood it.
[Odette] "It would be such a waste if the talk of a royal son-in-law, which was practically confirmed, were to be withdrawn because of Father's scandal. It was almost a done deal."
She instigated him. Picking only words that he would believe were true, even though they were entirely false.
[Odette] "Are you not feeling unfairly treated? In truth, Father had a mistress, not you. To talk to a royal son-in-law, which was as good as confirmed, was withdrawn because of Father—."
At her words, something squirmed in his heart.
It was as she thought. A clearly almost-done deal was ruined because of the Count's scandal.
Ferdinand, too, had inwardly suspected as much, but hearing it from her, he confirmed it as a fact.
I can't lose the position of royal son-in-law because of Father, can I? Then I need money.
He made his decision.
[Ferdinand] "Then, it would be good to go. To inspect it as well."
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