Why did I say that?

  What kind of confidence compelled me to claim I would keep us all safe?

  Maybe I was some protagonist-like person, like that guy in the tutorial, I might have the arrogance to say such a thing. Or if I was capable like Jesse.

  Jesse would probably be able to get us all out of here safe.

  Poppy had left to prepare for the festival, and I stood alone between the pillars in the courtyard. Raising my hands, I clapped them together.

  With my face between them.

  It actually hurt more than I expected and gave me a shock that jolted me out of my pity. I had to remember what happened next in the story.

  The main character in the story is left behind as her stepmother and stepsister go to the festival, or the party, depending on the version. After crying to her magical guardian, the girl is given a beautiful disguise.

  It seemed I had time to kill. I considered returning to the pond to check on Wai Meng, but I had waited too long. A hand shot out and seized me by the ear, dragging me painfully down the corridor.

  “Did you think you could get away with being lazy today, hm? Thought we weren’t paying attention?” The woman who was twisting my ear had the hands of someone who had done years of physical labour, hands that had wrung cloths and scrubbed bowls in hot water, and now those fingers had gripped the soft skin and cartilage of my ear.

  So this was what it felt like to be pulled along bodily by the ear. This hurt worse than when I slapped my own face. I stumbled along after her, trying to relieve the pressure on my ear as my brain worked to keep up. This woman must be one of the higher members of the household staff.

  My eyes were watering by the time she hauled me into the servant’s courtyard, but at least the torture was over. I tripped on a jutting flagstone as I entered, bruising my knees. As I slowly tried to climb to my feet, wincing, I heard the woman call out, “Bring me the bamboo cane!”

  Before I could right myself, two sets of hands grabbed my shoulders and pushed me completely to the floor. More hands reached for my legs, pulling up the cuffs of my pants to my knees.

  Slapping my face had hurt. Having my ear twisted and pulled had hurt.

  Being whipped with a bamboo cane across my bare calves was excruciating.

  I screamed aloud in shock. My mind immediately turned hazy; unable to think, I began to struggle. A memory surfaced suddenly; I was five years old and a hand was gripping the back of my neck with a rage that made me feel faint. Something was hitting my back and thighs repeatedly, someone was screaming and I was screaming too, hysterical sobs of fear.

  I’m going to die.

  I was screaming now, in the present moment. I tried to escape, but my strength was too low. The ones who held me were servants with muscles from years of hard labour.

  What’s the point of this shitty game if my stats are too low to fight off NPCs?

  When the beating stopped, I lay breathless, coughing and gasping. My face was smeared with tears and dirt. Dimly, I heard the woman say something, but it was muffled by the rushing sound of my own pulse in my ears.

  Get up.

  I pushed awkwardly at the ground, shaking. My hand slipped, and I nearly landed on my face, but managed to catch myself in time. As I fumbled into a kneeling position, I noticed something odd. My legs didn’t hurt as much as I thought they would.

  They throbbed a little, but the lashing with the cane surely should have drawn blood. Heart pounding, I twisted to look at my calves.

  They were raw and pink, with a few stripes of blood, but not the amount I had expected from such a beating. How…?

  Ah. My Endurance stat was 8. Of course.

  The whipping had done more to shake my sense of security than actually physically harm me. As I stumbled to my feet, I tried to return some moisture to my dry mouth, swallowing, but nothing happened and I almost gagged instead.

  That childhood memory… I’d forgotten all about it, but in those moments as the cane lashed my legs I was back there, feeling viscerally the blows my mother had laid on me.

  At her orders, I limped after the woman who had just hit me, trying to shake the tremors and nausea gripping my body.

  Come on, stop it. You’re not a child anymore.

  The day passed in a blur of chores. I scrubbed plates and cleaned the kitchen in a fugue state until the trembles slowly, finally subsided, but my breath remained high in my chest, shallow, tight. As the sun began to set, I was jolted from my haze by the realisation that the scenario was moving on and I was still reeling from what had happened.

  My legs had almost recovered as I ran from the kitchen. I almost wished they hurt more – maybe I wouldn’t have sat stupidly cleaning the floor for several hours. Fucking idiot. If I thought it would be helpful, I would have slapped myself again. Harder, this time.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  As I rushed for the pond, I caught sight of Poppy and Madam Jin departing. It was only a momentary glimpse, but amidst the brilliant fabric, the glint of gold and shimmer of hair ornaments, Poppy’s face was alive with fear and excitement. She looked radiant, and terrified.

  I couldn’t stay. The pond was ahead of me and unable to stop myself in time, I fell into the water. Surfacing, I scrubbed my face quickly of water, lilypads scattering.

  The water surface broke and Lee Wai Meng burst from the pond with a noisy yell. He wiggled a finger in his ear, the newly lit lanterns of the household flashing on the ring in his earlobe. “What took you so long? That crazy bitch almost had the pond drained! Are you even going to get there on time?”

  “I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. Everything’s fine. Can you help me get ready to go?”

  “Hm, sure…” Lee Wai Meng folded his arms and looked me up and down. “Are you sure you’re supposed to be the heroine? I can try to dress you up, but Poppy’s going to beat you, no matter what.”

  “We just have to follow the storyline,” I snapped. “Hurry up, Wai Meng, I’m already late!”

  “Fine, fine. Geez, yelling at me when you were the late one…” He drew a finger through the air. I assumed he was fiddling with a game window and stayed still until he was done.

  “How’s that?”

  “Lee Wai Meng, you’ve just made me stupid!”

  “Does it matter?” he said airily, waving a hand. “You don’t need Intelligence in this storyline. The prince falls for the MC’s appearance, right?”

  I looked down at my reflection in the water. Maria blinked back at me.

  It was jarring to be reminded that I was inhabiting an avatar. Furthermore, although she looked beautiful, it wasn’t the kind of outfit I would have chosen.

  Unsurprisingly, the robes were a sea blue, similar in colour to Lee Wai Meng’s current hair. He was obsessed with the colour. It was a good match for Maria’s blonde hair, however, so I let it be. Gold ornaments dripped from my ears, hair and neck. I lifted my hands and examined the rings and bracelets. “You’ve gone overboard, like usual. This is too much.”

  “More is always better.” Wai Meng waved his hand again. “You’ll have to do something to catch everyone’s attention, so pile on the gold.”

  “I don’t think it suits me.”

  “Oh that’s because you can only see your avatar. It suits the character.”

  “Wait, you can see the character?”

  “Oh course,” he scoffed. “I’m an Administrator.”

  I wanted to ask him what else an Administrator could do, but the light in the sky had dwindled almost to nothing, and all the household lanterns were lit. I had to go.

  “Thanks, Wai Meng. I’ll see you later.”

  “Hang on, how are you getting there?”

  “I’ll… run? It’s cold, so that should be okay.”

  Lee Wai Meng’s expression told me exactly what he thought of that idea. “Maybe nerfing your Intelligence wasn’t a good idea after all. I’ll send you. Aren’t you lucky you have an Administrator as a friend?”

  “Yes, yes. All hail the God Lee Wai Meng.”

  “Oh good, you understand.” He snapped his fingers. “See you later!”

  “Amazing…”

  The town streets were packed. Rows of glowing lanterns hung in vibrant lines as far as I could see, brilliant red in the growing darkness. Every stall was open, overflowing with the scent and sight of foods. Even though I didn’t need to eat, I could feel my mouth begin to water.

  A light snow was falling, but I was no longer as cold as I had been in the pond, talking to Lee Wai Meng. I realised I was now wearing a cloak that appeared to be made of feathers.

  Five seconds at maximum strength with a cooldown of twenty-four hours? I pinched the bridge of my nose. At this level, this was an item that had to be used very carefully.

  As my eyes refocused on the street, I realised with a jolt that all of the people nearby were staring at me. I was dripping in gold and shining feathers, with my Charisma stat maxed, so this wasn’t surprising, but it did make me feel intensely uncomfortable.

  Lifting the skirt of my robe, I began to make my way through the crowd, catching glimpses of the golden shoes on my feet.

  It’s okay. My Luck is maxed out. I’ll find the prince soon.

  “Maria?”

  That was quick.

  I raised my eyes from the mesmerising glitter of my shoes to find around ten people stood in a group before me. The person in the lead was dressed in a smart soldier’s uniform, a sword by her hip and a bright grin on her face.

  “Jesse!” I had to admit that a sense of relief washed over me at the sight of her. If she were a man, I would have fallen for her.

  “Hey! I thought I saw your name come up. Good to see you again!”

  “Are you… a guard?”

  “Sure am. All of the prince’s guards are players. And of course, their royal highnesses are too.” She bowed elegantly to the two people just behind her.

  One was a young girl I had never seen before, perhaps thirteen or fourteen years of age, dressed in richly embroidered robes. I automatically checked her player details.

  Huh? Why is her health so low?

  She looked a little pale, but otherwise, her avatar was beautifully aesthetic, with black hair and blue eyes that looked familiar…

  I finally turned my eyes at the cold-faced man next to her. He too was impeccably dressed, the lines of his clothing emphasising his height and broad shoulders.

  The jerk from the tutorial was back.