At that moment, the crowd finally got a clear look at her, and their hearts were roiling with shock. Some even failed to control their mouths, gasping in surprise before immediately realizing how impolite their behavior was. Their faces instantly turned pale as they buried their heads even lower.
Fortunately, the new Countess did not seem to mind their reactions—or rather, she completely ignored the people around her. She only looked at Greg and asked, “I rushed back as soon as I received the letter. How is my uncle doing?”
Her expression was calm yet tinged with concern, as if she was genuinely worried about the health of this uncle she had never met. There was no trace of excitement or joy at the prospect of inheriting a noble family.
Of course, Greg believed the reason this fortunate young lady could remain so composed was simply because she did not yet know she had become the new Countess of Golden.
When Count Golden wrote to his niece, he was already too ill to rise from his bed, unable even to hold a pen himself. Thus, the letter that was sent out was dictated by the Count and transcribed by someone else. Although it was not the butler who wrote it, he was present and listened to the entire content of the letter.
Due to certain considerations of the Count himself, he did not explicitly state in the letter that his only son had unexpectedly passed away and that his niece was needed to inherit the family and title.
Instead, in the capacity of a gravely ill elder, he expressed his wish to see his only niece before his passing. Greg, who knew his old master well, understood that Count Golden intended to observe his niece’s reaction to gauge her character. He planned to guide her further once she arrived.
Unfortunately, not long after the letter was sent, the Count’s condition worsened once more. He had to abandon his original plan of taking things slowly and submitted the inheritance application ahead of schedule, completing the transfer of the title before Miss Theresa even arrived.
The Count understood all too well that if he did not do this, after his passing and if Theresa did not return in time, the Golden family’s assets would likely be seized by other nobles. In the end, Theresa would be left with nothing but an empty title, devoid of any wealth.
Greg truly understood the Count’s reasoning. When it became known that the Gorden Family had only a young girl left, everyone began to worry about the family’s future. At the same time, many began to harbor ulterior motives.
Even though the new inheritance laws spared the Gorden Family from being reclaimed by the state, there were still far too many ways to wrest this estate from the hands of a weak and helpless orphan girl.
Before this, Greg had thought the same way. As the butler, many had privately approached him, and Greg had indeed been tempted.
But after meeting the new Countess, Greg knew that “weak” was likely the last word anyone would associate with her.
“I regret to inform you, Miss Theresa, that your uncle passed into the Lord’s embrace nine days ago.”
Under her gaze of shock and sorrow, Greg continued, “Before his passing, the Count left everything of the Gorden Family to you. Therefore, you are now the new Countess of Golden.”
The new Countess on the other side was grieving for the passing of her uncle just a moment ago, but the next second, she wore a bewildered expression at Greg’s following words.
“What?”
She looked as if she hadn’t understood.
Greg patiently repeated his previous words once more, and at the end, he informed her that the original heir—her cousin—had unfortunately passed away three months ago.
“And Her Majesty the Queen has amended the inheritance law, so you are now the new Count Golden.”
Greg had expected Theresa to show a delighted expression after his explanation. He thought that anyone would be overjoyed upon being struck by such a huge stroke of luck.
But all he saw was Theresa, who showed no sign of happiness at all.
She simply fell silent for a moment before saying, “I would like to see them.”
It took Greg a moment to realize whom she wanted to see.
Her uncle and cousin.
Theresa got back into the carriage, while the steward took the driver’s seat and directed the coachman to the cemetery.
This Manor, along with the vast surrounding land, had been the territory of the Gorden Family for centuries. Members of the Gorden Family were buried in the cemetery behind the church within the Manor after their deaths.
Theresa stood before two gravestones not far apart and placed the wildflowers she had picked by the roadside after getting off the carriage in front of the tombstones.
“I’m sorry our meeting was so rushed this time. Next time, I will bring better flowers.”
After saying this, she stood silently before the tombstones for a long while before turning to Greg and telling him they could return.
They took the same route back, and the group that had been waiting earlier was still there, awaiting their return.
This time, when the carriage stopped, servants came forward to unload the luggage. The rented carriage did not require Theresa’s attention, as someone would settle the payment with the coachman.
“Actually, the Count had considered sending a few Knights to fetch you, but you were abroad at the time, and the Count couldn’t easily send people, so he could only dispatch servants to deliver the letter along with a merchant caravan.”
The relationship between the Atlanta Empire and its neighboring countries had been somewhat delicate in recent years. Count Golden was worried that sending Knights to fetch his niece during this period might cause trouble. He also feared that some of the Knights he sent might harbor ill intentions toward his niece. That was why he only sent loyal servants to deliver the letter to Theresa through familiar merchants. However, along with the letter, he also sent a bag of gold coins—money for hiring bodyguards to escort her, as the Count was concerned about the dangers of his niece traveling alone.
He never expected Theresa to be so bold as to return alone, or perhaps she had hired bodyguards to escort her nearby before coming alone?
Greg believed it was likely the latter, but judging by Theresa’s demeanor, he couldn’t be sure.
Suppressing his curiosity, Greg took Theresa to see the room prepared for her.
The Gorden Family’s castle was located by a riverside within the Manor, built in a typical brick-and-stone structure. To prevent flooding from the river’s annual rise from inundating the castle, the foundation was built exceptionally high. When the river wasn’t swollen, the castle appeared as if it were perched on a steep hillside, and access was typically via a drawbridge.
The buildings above might not compare in grandeur to those of the great noble families, but they were sturdy enough and could easily accommodate several hundred people.
Even before Count Golden passed away, the servants had already prepared a room for Theresa. But after his death, the master bedroom of the castle became vacant. As the new countess, Theresa naturally should have moved into the master bedroom. However, since the old count had only recently departed, the master bedroom remained unchanged, preserved exactly as it was before. Greg was unsure whether Theresa would be willing to stay there, so he prepared both rooms for her.
Theresa chose the room that had originally been prepared for her. Although the master bedroom was larger and furnished with more exquisite decorations, many of the items were cherished possessions of the old count. Theresa did not want to disturb the belongings of her elder.
After the servants placed her luggage in the room, Theresa dismissed them. Due to the haste of her arrival, she had brought little with her and did not require the assistance of a maid to unpack.
Once the butler and the others withdrew and the door closed, Theresa finally allowed her tightly wound nerves to relax.
She had managed to get through it.
She was Theresa, yet she was not Theresa.
Rights and Roses was a 28th-century holographic game set in an early medieval artistic style. The main storyline revolved around the newly crowned queen, who, in her struggle for power against the nobility and the church, appointed several young nobles to serve her. Players took on the roles of these newly appointed nobles.
To accommodate players who preferred female characters, the game also introduced a new inheritance system, allowing female characters to become nobles and participate in the gameplay.
The game offered a wide variety of playstyles. While it featured main storylines centered on political intrigue and warfare, players could also choose whether or not to engage with these plots. If they opted out, they could treat the game purely as an adventure or management simulation.
The game had recently been released and was immensely popular. Theresa’s roommate was particularly obsessed with it, even streaming gameplay during her free time.
However, her roommate avoided the main storyline entirely, treating the game as an otome game instead. Her daily streams focused on pursuing attractive male and female characters—yes, the game catered to all preferences. Her character thrived in the capital’s social circles, vividly embodying the concept of a modern-day “sea queen.”
Theresa had been recommended the game by her roommate, but she had no interest in otome games or the political intrigue of the main storyline. Instead, she chose a noble character from a remote region, planning to focus on management and infrastructure development while enjoying the medieval scenery—a sight rarely seen in the 24th century.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she finished creating her character, she found herself transported into the game.
She knew she had crossed over rather than simply logged into the holographic game because Theresa could not find the game interface, nor could she log out.
When she opened her eyes, she was already in a carriage heading toward Goldenburg, nearing her destination. In her possession was a letter from Count Golden. After reading it—a letter nearly identical to the one players received at the start of the game—she confirmed that she had indeed been transported into the game world.
There was little time for shock or contemplation, as she soon arrived at Goldenburg.
Fortunately, although Theresa had never played the game before, she was quite familiar with it. In her free time, she enjoyed watching game streams and had been strongly recommended by her roommate, so she had seen plenty of related gameplay streams and read numerous forum posts and guides.
Moreover, to enhance player interest and immersion, the game “Rights and Roses” allows players to create their own character backstories for their in-game avatars. Naturally, Theresa didn’t pass up this perk when creating her character.
As is well known, players are a group adept at finding bugs and exploiting loopholes, often with particularly wild imaginations.