Elise sat in Etiquette Class, but the instructor's words about teacups were a distant buzz. Inside her mind, a different system was booting up.
Status Screen, she commanded.
A blue, transparent menu shimmered before her eyes.
Name: Elise von Brandt
Title: Villainess
Level: 1
Health: 100/100
The numbers were simple, but the knowledge behind them was vast. It was all there—a perfect, complete strategy guide to this world, tucked inside her head. She could recall every hidden item location, every secret stat, every trigger for a hidden quest.
And one quest was screaming for her attention. Today. Right now.
In the game, a merchant named Old Man Finn always set up his stall near the academy on the first day. His cart was full of junk, but buried within it was a single, seemingly worthless item: a Tarnished Locket. Most players scrolled right past it. But if you bought it and solved its puzzle, it unlocked the "Dwarven Trade Empire" questline—a path to legendary wealth and power.
The instructor's sharp voice sliced through her thoughts. "Lady Elise! A lady's mind does not wander. What is the proper angle for a luncheon knife?"
Elise didn't hesitate. "The proper angle, Professor, is the one that gets the food from the plate to my mouth. Efficiency over tradition, I always say."
A wave of nervous laughter rippled through the classroom. The professor's face flushed with anger. "That is impertinent!"
"My apologies," Elise said, rising gracefully. "A sudden, critical investment opportunity requires my immediate presence. A true lady manages her portfolio, does she not?"
Without waiting for a dismissal, she swept out of the room, leaving a stunned silence in her wake.
She moved through the hallways not as a student, but as a player navigating a familiar map. She burst out into the main square, and there he was: Old Man Finn, just as promised, his cart piled high with dusty, forgotten things.
Her eyes, sharpened by gamer's insight, scanned the clutter. There. Between a cracked mug and a bundle of faded feathers, was the locket. Small, silver, and badly tarnished.
But just as she took a step, another figure arrived at the cart. A man in dark, impeccably tailored robes. He moved with a quiet, efficient grace, his observant eyes missing nothing. Elise's internal database supplied his name: Lord Kaelen Vance, the Royal Treasurer. A man known for a mind as sharp as a newly minted coin.
"Finn," Lord Kaelen said, his voice calm and even. "Your vendor's permit is due. I trust your earnings will be sufficient?"
The old merchant wrung his cap in his hands. "Business is bad, my lord! Look at this old rubbish. No one wants any of it."
Lord Kaelen's gaze drifted over the cart, appearing indifferent. But Elise saw the telltale flicker—his eyes paused for a heartbeat on the tarnished locket. He didn't know its full secret, but he sensed it was different. He sensed it was important.
This is a complication, Elise thought. This character isn't part of this quest line.
She had to move. Now.
"Oh, what an absolutely fascinating collection!" Elise declared, sweeping forward with a dazzling, practiced smile. She pointed directly at a large, garishly painted brooch shaped like a peacock. "I must have this! It's so… bold."
Lord Kaelen turned, a single eyebrow lifting in mild surprise. "Lady Elise. I did not picture you as a collector of… bold statements."
"A lady must have layers, Lord Treasurer," she chirped, picking up the ugly brooch. "It prevents one from being predictable."
"Indeed," he replied, his mouth offering a faint smile that his watchful eyes did not share.
Elise turned to the merchant. "I'll take this magnificent piece. And…" she added, waving a hand dismissively, "that little locket there, too. It will make a charming contrast. A pair!"
Old Man Finn's face lit up with relief. "A brilliant idea, my lady! A true set!"
But Lord Kaelen spoke before the transaction could be completed. "An interesting combination, Lady Elise. A loud, new trinket and a silent, old one. What is the theme?"
Elise met his gaze, her smile unwavering. "Potential, Lord Vance. This brooch shouts its value, but has none. This locket whispers, but it holds stories. I've always found that the quietest investments yield the highest returns."
A spark of genuine interest ignited in his eyes. She had him now.
"Whispers can be lies," he countered smoothly. "And old stories can be tragedies."
"Only for those who don't know how to edit the narrative," Elise fired back. "I specialize in rewriting tragedies into success stories."
She turned back to Finn, placing a gold coin on his cart—an absurd overpayment. "The brooch and the locket, please."
The merchant snatched the coin and handed over the items. The moment her fingers closed around the cool, tarnished metal of the locket, a notification glowed in her vision.
[ Key Item Acquired: Tarnished Locket ]
[ Quest Updated: The Dwarven Legacy ]
[ Objective: Locate the 'Lonesome Smith' in the Old City. ]
Yes. She had it.
She turned to leave, but Lord Kaelen's voice, now lower and more personal, stopped her.
"You shopped with the focus of a military campaign, Lady Elise," he observed. "It was as if you had a specific target in mind from the start."
Elise glanced back over her shoulder, letting the full force of Elise von Brandt's inherited arrogance show on her face.
"Tutorials are for the weak, Lord Vance. Some of us start the game on the hardest difficulty."
She walked away, the weight of the locket solid in her palm. She could feel his gaze lingering on her, not confused or angry, but deeply, intensely curious.
She had secured her foundational asset. But in doing so, she had potentially attracted the attention of the one man in the kingdom who could see the player behind the character.