A soft and timid knock sounded on the door as if the person on the other side was terrified of being acknowledged.

For a moment, I considered ignoring them and returning to stewing in my own identity crisis. But if I didn't face this world now, how would I survive it?

​So, how do I respond as the villainous noble girl I have become?

I must have taken too long as the knock sounded again, this time with a small and nervous voice calling out, "M... my Lady." I recognised that voice as the same maid I had met when I was first dumped into this body.

I straightened up and cleared my throat before saying, "Enter."

The door creaked open as the same girl with the freckles and messy dark bun entered, her head lowered. She was holding a new silver tray and a steaming cup of tea upon it. The tray trembled in her hand, and I wondered how she hadn't spilt a drop of tea yet.

"I... I have brought your replacement tea, my Lady," she stammered as she stood nervously by the door. "And I once again apologise about before."

"Before?" I asked.

"Yes, my Lady," she said in a voice barely above a whisper. "It was my fault you got hurt. I tripped and... and..."

"Oh, that," I said, waving her off with a dismissive wave of the hand. "I'm already over it."

The girl stared at me wide-eyed as if she were looking at a monster.

Shit, did I say the wrong thing? I quickly added, "Well, bring me the tea to cover up any blunder. Are your legs too stupid to move?"

+1 V.P.

I stared at the flashing text that appeared in the corner of my eyes. So, it was that easy to gain V.P.

"Here, my Lady." The tray appeared before my eyes, startling me. I realised the girl had moved while I was focused on the V.P. I had gained. "I have brought your tea."

I reached out and took the cup. The girl flinched as I brought the cup to my lips. Now, that was an interesting reaction. It could have been due to fear, but how her lip trembled as she looked at me and how she was holding her breath made me think that this tea was definitely suspicious. Yeah, this was the tutorial phase, but there was no rule that they couldn't try to kill me before the cameras even started running.

I tested my theory. I tilted the cup, not enough to let the liquid touch my lips, but enough to get the response I expected. The moment the cup lifted, the girl took a sharp inhale of breath as she chewed on her bottom lip. She hoped that I would drink the tea.

Well, I hate to disappoint you.​

My lips curled into a smirk as, instead of taking a drink, I brought the cup up to my nose, breathed in the hot tea's aroma, and almost choked on the stench of overly sweet fruit. Shit, did teas always stink this much, or were they trying to cover up the scent of something else? This would have been better if I knew what the tea normally smelled like.

The moment I did this, the girl's expression fell. It was like a rabbit caught in a trap. She straightened up and froze, her eyes wide and her lips slightly trembling.

I lowered the cup and said, "I'm not thirsty."

"B... but my Lady," the girl squeaked. "You requested your tea."

I raised an eyebrow as I looked at the girl. Are all the servants as pushy as this one, or did I catch her on a bad day? "Are you questioning me?"

"No... no, my Lady," the servant girl said in a rushed breath. "I wouldn't dare."

​I let out a long, dramatic sigh and held the cup towards her. I smirked as I said, "You look thirsty. Why don't you have a drink?"

"I couldn't, my Lady," the girl said in a rush. "It is against—"

"I said drink." I thrust the cup towards her, brown liquid sloshing from the sides with the jerky movement.

+2 V.P.

"No... I can't," the servant screamed. Then flinched as she jumped back, lowering her head, her body visibly trembling. "I'm sorry, my Lady... I didn't mean to..."

"That is all right. I know this is against protocol, but you look thirsty," I said softly as I stepped towards the servant.

The girl stared at me, her eyes blinking as if she couldn't understand what I just said. "No, I promise you I am fine," the girl whispered. She looked like she wanted to scamper away but was frozen as I approached her.

I lifted the cup over her head and tipped it, steaming tea pouring over her head. "I insist."

+15 V.P.

She gasped, letting out a small squeak of pain. The girl squeezed her eyes shut, and her body shook, but she didn't move, not even take a step back.

I took a step forward until I was standing right in front of her.

Her gaze was locked on my feet, refusing to look me in the eye. She sucked in a breath and made herself shrink down, trying to avoid my gaze.

I bent down and whispered in her ear, "Who prepared the tea?"

Her throat bobbed. She sucked in a breath but didn't speak.

I straightened up and smirked at her as I rolled the cup in my hand, feeling the warm, smooth glass. "You should know who told you to bring me the tea," I said.

But she still refused to speak.

I gripped the glass in my hand before launching it at the wall. The cup shattered into tiny shards that rained down on the carpet.

The girl shrieked, dropping the tray, hands flying up to cover her face as she dropped to her knees. "Please don't kill me," she begged in a voice barely audible.

+25 V.P.

"I have no desire to kill you," I said in a low voice.

For a minute, she looked relieved, but I wasn't going to let her keep that relief.

​"I have no desire to kill you," I repeated. "Not if you tell me who prepared the tea."

The girl curled up into a ball, her body trembling as tears streamed down her cheeks. "I... I don't know," she sobbed. "I swear. I'm just doing what I'm told... Please... Please..."

Great. She was making me look like the villain here, which I suppose I was, but it still made me feel slightly bad. I crouched down beside her and moved my hand towards her.

The girl instantly flinched back while letting out a cry, "No."

I let out a drawn-out sigh, resting my hand on her head. She tried to flinch away from me, but I wouldn't let her. "You're not the one I'm angry at," I said, trying to make my voice sound as sweet as I possibly could, but it still came out like I was cursing the girl to hell.

The girl froze beneath my touch, and for a second, I thought she was going to pass out. But she just blinked several times before tilting her head so her eyes met mine. Her nose scrunched as a dazed and confused expression spread across her face.

I held her gaze, my hand remaining on her head. Crap, I really didn't know what to do next. Why the hell did I even put my hand on her head?

As I was panicking, the girl said in a tiny voice, "Lady Liliane, are you all right?"

I cleared my throat as I quickly removed my hand from her head. I stood up and turned towards the vanity, trying to hide my fluster. "You don't need to concern yourself with that." I picked up a brush from the vanity table and started brushing, tugging it through the dry blood that had become crusty in my hair.

Behind me, the girl hadn't moved. Even without looking at her, I could tell that she was still staring at my back.

The silence became so uncomfortable that I looked over my shoulder and said, "What is your name?"

The girl's eyes grew even wider as she chewed on her bottom lip. I didn't think she was going to answer me when she opened her mouth and said one quiet word, "Seren."

"Seren," I said, placing the brush on the vanity and turning towards her. "I will forget everything that has happened today, but I would like you to inform me if anyone orders you to serve me this sort of tea again." I didn't give her a chance to speak before I continued, "Now go and clean this mess up. Also, have someone prepare my bath."

The girl didn't move. She just continued staring at me.

"Well? I won't ask again."

With shaky movements, the girl scrambled to her feet. She gathered up what she could of the smashed tea cup and silver tray before giving a quick bow and rushing from the room, the door clicking shut behind her.

+15 V.P.

New Title Acquired: Cruel Noble

How the hell did I get V.P. from that, and what the hell was a title? I didn't argue; if that little conversation had given me some V.P., then I wouldn't fight it, but I really wished I knew how I could get more points without turning into a monster.

I turned back to my reflection and smiled. I could handle this.

I'll figure out your rules, and then I'll get out of here.​

I clenched my fists at my sides as I promised. "I'll get out of here, and when that happens, I'll kill you."