The bathroom looked like it had been ripped from a noblewoman’s fever dream and dipped in gold for good measure.

Every surface gleamed with surgical intent—white marble veined in silver from ceiling to floor, polished so bright it dared you to breathe. The ground beneath my feet steamed slick as sweat, humming with heat. Rows of gold-flecked basins lined the wall, flanked by shelves crammed with crystal vials and velvet-wrapped boxes.

Oils. Soaps. Scents so thick I could taste them.

First came rosewater. Then bergamot. Then something heavier—jasmine, maybe. Or embalming fluid dressed in florals.

Someone had tried to weaponise a garden party.

At the room’s centre, sunken into the floor like a holy offering, sat the bath. Oval. Deep. Big enough to drown a bloodline or baptise a corpse, depending on the mood.

Three servants stood beside it.

Still. Blank-eyed. One reached for the laces on my bodice, hands moving like they’d forgotten the concept of choice.

“No,” I snapped, sharper than the sting blooming across my palm.

They froze. One of them opened her mouth.

“Out.”

They hesitated—just long enough for me to memorise their faces—then vanished, soundless as a curse. The door clicked shut like it couldn’t get away fast enough.

Silence, finally. I let it settle like fog.

Undressing wasn’t about reclaiming power. It was about protection. I didn’t trust their eyes. I didn’t trust their hands. And I sure as hell wasn’t trusting what passed for soap in this place.

The gown peeled off in wet clumps. Silk tugged at scabbed-over cuts. Dried blood crackled where it clung to fabric. The corset left angry grooves etched across my ribs—like it’d tried to carve out obedience, one breath at a time.

By the time I was bare, I looked like I’d lost a fight to a meat grinder. And come back for round two.

Candlelight caught on bruises. Highlighted the split at my hip. The trail of blood running down my thigh. I didn’t flinch. Just stepped toward the bath.

The water didn’t hiss.

But I did.

My whole body flared as the heat touched raw skin. I forced myself lower, inch by inch, until only my shoulders broke the surface. Blood drifted in soft, curling ribbons—thin as ink, dark as spite. It swirled around me like a signature at the bottom of a kill contract.

I leaned back against the curved edge of the bath, shoulders sagging as steam curled past my lips. My muscles ached. My skin stung. But at least now my thoughts weren’t screaming louder than the rest of me.

Alright. Enough self-pity.

Time to figure out how this hellscape works.

“Status.”

The system flared to life behind my eyes—clean, clinical, and colder than the water around me.

[VILLAIN REHABILITATION INTERFACE v3.91]
Name: Liliane Viermont
Title: Cruel Noble
Alignment: Corrupted Noble
Villainy Points (V.P.): +30
Disposition: 25% Redemption / 75% Irredeemable
Karma Forecast: Grim
Reputation (Local): Hated / Feared

STATS
HP: 64 / 120 (Minor blood loss)
MP: 25 / 25
Strength: 6
Dexterity: 9
Constitution: 4
Intelligence: 14
Charisma: 5
Magic Affinity: 16
Cruelty Potential: 75%
Compliance Rating: 50%

Skills: [+]
Status Effects: Minor Blood Loss

My gaze landed on the title. Cruel Noble.

It shimmered faintly. Like it knew I was watching.

I focused.
[TITLE: CRUEL NOBLE]
You are feared. And in fear, there is power.
Passive Bonus: +1 Intimidation
Minor boost to servant obedience
Access to cruelty-based skill tree unlocked
Increased V.P. gain from verbal or psychological domination

“Cute,” I muttered, flicking water from my fingers.

Subtle as a knife to the gut. But it tracked. The system didn’t want repentance.

It wanted performance.

Wanted me clever, dangerous, and just charismatic enough to smile while I sharpened the blade.

The water rippled softly around my arms. The pink had deepened to a muted rust-red now.

I leaned back against the tub and let my head tilt just far enough to feel the weight of it. The bathwater rippled gently. My arms floated like deadweight. Blood had turned the clear water a soft pink now.

The [Skills] tab pulsed again.

Persistent little thing. Like a system dog begging to be petted. I exhaled and let it open.

The interface flared in my vision—neat, categorised, obsessively orderly. Sanitised the way only something designed for mass consumption could be. It reminded me of all the trees I used to code—same branching logic, same sugar-coated UI. Just with one small difference:

[AVAILABLE SKILLS – UNLOCK TIER I]

Current Villainy Points: 30

Note: Some skills are locked by Title, Elemental Affinity, or Tier Level.
Weapon-based skills require item possession before activation. Magic requires elemental affinity purchase first.

[Select a skill to view details.]
COMBAT SKILLS

Direct offensive and physical techniques

• [10 V.P.] Quick Strike – Boosts speed for initial attack.

• [20 V.P.] Counterstep – Auto-evade chance after successful parry.

• [30 V.P.] Blade Temper – Minor increase to sword damage output.

• [50 V.P.] Unarmed Combat I – Basic hand-to-hand combat proficiency.

• [75 V.P.] Weapon Mastery: Daggers I – Unlocks dagger-based skill tree.

• [75 V.P.] Weapon Mastery: Swords I – Unlocks sword-based skill tree.

• [75 V.P.] Weapon Mastery: Axes I – Unlocks axe-based skill tree.

• [75 V.P.] Weapon Mastery: Spears I – Unlocks spear-based skill tree.

• [75 V.P.] Weapon Mastery: Bows I – Unlocks bow-based skill tree.

• [75 V.P.] Weapon Mastery: Whips I – Unlocks whip-based skill tree.

• [75 V.P.] Weapon Mastery: Shields I – Enables shield-based counter skills.

• [100 V.P.] Duelist’s Rhythm – Boosts precision in one-on-one encounters.

• [150 V.P.] Vital Point Training – High crit chance on weak points.

MAGIC SKILLS

Requires elemental affinity purchase

• [Elemental Affinities – 50 V.P. each]:

  • Dark Affinity

  • Fire Affinity

  • Water Affinity

  • Wind Affinity

  • Earth Affinity

  • Light Affinity (Tier II Locked)

  • Void Affinity (Tier III Locked)

DEFENCE & UTILITY SKILLS

Survivability, perception, and information control

• [15 V.P.] Pain Resistance I – Reduces pain impact from damage.

• [30 V.P.] Analysis I – Scan objects/ingredients for basic traits.

• [60 V.P.] Focused Hearing – Temporarily enhances audio perception.

• [75 V.P.] Reflex Guard – Auto-block chance against minor attacks.

• [300 V.P.] Combat Awareness – Highlights danger zones mid-fight.

• [500 V.P.] True Sight (Temporary) – Reveal illusions, traps, enchantments.

CRUELTY TREE (Title: CRUEL NOBLE)

Psychological warfare, social dominance, fear manipulation

• [5 V.P.] Stare Down – +Minor intimidation boost.

• [10 V.P.] Sharp Tongue – +Success chance on verbal insults.

• [20 V.P.] Commanding Voice – Slightly increases servant obedience.

• [30 V.P.] Spite-Fuelled – Minor stat boost when provoked.

• [50 V.P.] Cold Read – Glimpse target's emotional state (10s).

• [100 V.P.] False Grace – Increases effectiveness of lies.

• [300 V.P.] Social Dismantle – Shatter a noble’s standing temporarily.

STAT BOOST TREE

Permanent passive increases to core stats

• [40 V.P.] Fortified Constitution I – +2 Constitution

• [40 V.P.] Mind Over Matter I – +2 Intelligence

• [40 V.P.] Sly Dexterity I – +2 Dexterity

• [40 V.P.] Grim Charisma I – +2 Charisma

• [40 V.P.] Sorcerer’s Bone I – +2 Magic Affinity

• [40 V.P.] Brute Strength I – +2 Strength

MISCELLANEOUS / ABSURDITIES

Pointless but tempting

• [1 V.P.] Dramatic Cape Flourish – Your cloak flaps dramatically. Always.

• [2 V.P.] Heroic Hair Toss – Wind lifts your hair at key dramatic moments.

• [3 V.P.] Moisturise – Skin glows with healthy sheen. No combat value.

• [5 V.P.] Sass Multiplier – Increases sarcasm by 20%.

• [8 V.P.] Obnoxious Laughter – Laugh briefly stuns weak NPCs.

• [10 V.P.] Pocket Sand – Throw dirt in someone’s eyes. Limited uses.

• [15 V.P.] Passive Judgement Face – Increases NPC discomfort by 10%.

• [20 V.P.] Curse of Itch – Induces mild, persistent itchiness.

• [25 V.P.] Evil Monologue – Dramatically increases intimidation during speeches.

Thirty points.

Not enough to burn the system down. But enough to set a few things alight and see what caught fire first.

Most of the good stuff was still out of reach—elemental affinities I couldn’t afford, weapons I didn’t own, skills that came with the price tag of permanent commitment. And I wasn’t ready to sell my soul. Not yet.

But one caught my eye.

[Analysis I – 30 V.P.]

No sparkles. No flames. No dramatic flair. Just data. Just facts. Boring, essential, sharp-edged truth. The kind of skill you overlook right up until it saves your life.

It could’ve saved hers. Hell, it could’ve saved me ten minutes ago.

I focused. The system chimed.

[Skill Acquired: ANALYSIS I]
Scan unlocked. Focus on object or ingredient to identify basic properties.
Cannot identify enchanted, encrypted, or high-tier items without upgrades.
Level up to enhance results.

The interface blinked out. My mouth curled, just a little.

Alright, let’s see what you’re hiding.

I stared down at the water—still pink, with thin, lazy swirls of copper dragging through the steam like blood trying to pretend it wasn’t blood.

Analysis.

The system responded instantly. A translucent readout floated over the surface like a ghost reflection.

COMPOSITION: Rosewater. Lavender oil. Traces of salt. Blood.
Properties: Fragrant. Antibacterial. Slightly sedative.
Contaminated with human bodily fluid (fresh).

Charming.

I snorted. "Luxury with a side of haemorrhage. Spa day of the damned."

Still—nothing poisonous. No hidden curse. Just what it looked like: a bath built for nobles, ruined by a girl bleeding out quietly beneath the petals.

My fingers traced the water’s surface. Calm now. Lukewarm. The ache in my bones had faded into background noise, the sting of cuts dulled under the heat.

For a moment, I let myself slide deeper. Fully under. Steam closed over my scalp like a lid. The world muted.

I screamed.

Underwater, it didn’t matter. The sound went nowhere—just bubbles and pressure and the warm, strange feel of it vibrating through my teeth. The heat curled around me like silence with claws. I stayed there until my lungs clenched.

Then I burst back up, gasping.

Coughing.

Spitting out bathwater with a ragged laugh. My hands dragged down my face, smearing blood and rosewater across skin that still didn’t feel like mine.

Better.

Not good. But better.

Now it was time to understand the system.

And start rewriting the story.

One blood-soaked entry at a time.