For a while Quenton could only gape, tears slowly welling in his eyes as the system prompt flickered before him. This was it! At last, the game system that would let him rise to prominence in this new world he'd been sent to.
"Soul Guidance System initialized. Accept?"
"Yes/No"
"Yeah…Yes!" He stammered out.
"Soul Guidance System variant: Interface, has been accepted. All preliminary traits and abilities will be kept, and the system has been adapted to suit your present circumstances."
"Right, yes, I get that. Just show me my stats already!" Quenton fidgeted, unable to stay still as he chuckled with barely restrained anticipation. Finally, he could stop with all of these table manners and "ladylike" conduct crap and begin his true adventure.
Name: Briony Moray (Quenton Keller)
Class: Lady
S-Level: 11(Class Minium of 10)
Attributes
Charm: 2
Poise: 1
Composure: 1
Grace: 2
Wit: 2
Cunning: 3
Endurance: 2
Talents:
Detect Faux Pas
Warded Toes
Silent Movement
Enduring Attire
"Oh." He whispered, feeling a terrible hollowness in his chest. "Oh, fuck! Fuck this!" he swore, gaping at the character sheet that appeared before his eyes; his soaring excitement then plummeted downward into bone-chilling disappointment. To add to his humiliation his headache returned, a deep throbbing pain that almost made him whimper, but this time there was an added notification along with the pain.
"Faux Pas Detected, warning delivered for unladylike conduct"
Grimacing at the pain he waved at the words and with a bit of willpower he made the words fade away. He couldn't even curse out loud because it was "unladylike conduct". Fuck, fuck this fucking stupid fucking world. He waited for the headache but none came. At least I can think swear words. He thought with a slight twinge of gratitude before returning to the matter at hand.
Not only had he been stranded in another world, as a GIRL! He had been given a seemingly useless class and apparently his attributes were shit. A Lady?! He could have accepted something lame like a warrior or a ranger, hell, knowing that this was the alternative he would have even accepted something odd like a bard or healer.
But, oh no, that was not his fate here. He was a lady, and with the class came nonsensical attributes which he seemed to have at the bottom tier. "Poise? Grace? Aren't they the same things, and where is Strength?"
"Poise reflects a Lady's ability to carry themselves with dignity, posture, and overall physical balance. It is both a social and physical attribute. Grace reflects a Lady's physical dexterity, speed, and ability to move gracefully."
He scowled at the interface. "Right, sure. I'll get right on that." Quenton muttered sarcastically.
He had seen enough shows where a help guide accompanied the game system that he wasn't notably surprised by this one. Instead, he began to pace back and forth in the corridor, his dress swishing with each turn as he went from wall to wall. "So, we have Classes, Levels, Attributes, and Talents. The first three make sense, so I presume that talents are what? My skills? Powers?"
"Talents are a collection of skills and abilities to give you an advantage determined by your Class, desires, and circumstances."
"Wait." He said, trying hard to keep from shouting. "My abilities are Enduring Attire and warded toes? Is this a fu…Is this a joke?" He automatically dismissed the notification that came along with the Detect Faux Pas headache as he exclaimed loudly.
"This class fucking sucks. Fuck!" Quenton exclaimed sourly as he rubbed his temples, but he wouldn't let the sucky starting class or the fact that he was now in a female body, stop him. He had dreamed about wielding a sword and becoming a famous adventurer and he would do just that.
The name was also a matter for him to take up, he was clearly the main character in this story, and while it galled him to have this body it came with a name. "Briony, huh, I guess I've heard worse character names." Still, it wasn't his name and he couldn't picture going by it himself.
He would have to sleep, but the first thing after breakfast would be taking that first step to becoming an adventurer. With that cheerful thought, Quenton hurried to his bedroom through the corridors of the manor.
He swung the door open to his room only to almost shriek as he spotted Aliss waiting patiently by the mirror. "Good evening, your ladyship. Shall I help ready you for bed?" She asked, gesturing to the stool. Fuck, she's going to strip me? He swallowed hard, thoughts racing through his head as he stepped gingerly into the bedroom.
Aliss walked over and began to gently but efficiently undress him, first off was the pink dress, then the white underdress, then the socks, all the while Quenton desperately tried to not blush or focus on how soft the maid's hands were. When he had been undressed then she moved on to bring forth a simple, white nightgown. "I think the silk gown is good for today, don't you agree your ladyship?" Quenton on his part could only force a nod as he stood before the maid in only thin white pants.
The cool night air only briefly touched his skin before the comfortable bedclothes were draped over him. He then was made to hold still as the maid removed his jewelry.
Next Aliss took up the brush, undoing the hairstyle that she had set up before dinner, and began to brush out his long brown hair, she was careful not to yank or pull and Quenton found himself enjoying the process, in the real world his hair had been kept short and he had never much cause to thoroughly brush it.
"What's that?" He asked curiously as Aliss brought out a small bottle and poured a bit onto her hands. She carefully applied the warm liquid to his hair, rubbing from the scalp to the tips. "It is a hair protection oil, my lady. It shall keep your hair from damage as you sleep." She explained patiently, a hint of disquiet in her voice.
After the oil had been applied she gently scrubbed his face with a wet washcloth, removing his makeup. Setting aside the washcloth, which she'd applied another bottle of oil too, she took up the silver brush.
Quenton allowed himself to enjoy himself as she worked, she didn't tug or pull and she finished after a few minutes. Setting aside the brush she began to twist and maneuver Quenton's hair, looking in the mirror he suspected she was braiding it.
He gave her a curious look and she smiled, barely looking up from her work. "Braiding will keep your hair from tangling." She explained, finishing his hair with a cloth hair tie.
Quenton was shocked at the elaborate process that was taking place. Is this what girls go through every night? He was used to just falling asleep in whatever state he happened to be in before his head hit the pillow.
"There it is my lady, will you want me to draw your bath in the morning?" Quenton saw her give him a little smile reflected in the mirror as she asked. "Ah…sure, sounds good." He said semi-absently as he tried to not stare at Aliss' reflection.
"Will you require anything further tonight?" She asked as Quenton got up from the stool and he blinked in confusion. "No, I'm good, you can go." He looked past Aliss to the inviting bed.
"Thank you, my lady, pleasant dreams. When you awaken, ring the bell and I'll begin the morning's preparations."
Aliss walked out of the room with an almost eerie quietness in Quenton's opinion, and she closed the door with almost no sound, leaving him all alone again.
He sank into the bed, luxuriating in the silken sheets and feather-soft pillows. With his vow to become an adventurer in mind, he faded into sleep.
He awoke in a darkened room, noticing hazily that the curtains were still drawn. He moaned and rolled over to get into a more comfortable position; his limbs felt heavy with exhaustion and he resolved to sleep another hour or so. Thankfully, the headache didn't accompany that decision, so sleeping in was not a faux pas at least.
Then as quickly as he had made that decision Quenton snapped his eyes open. Heroes weren't supposed to sleep in, unless they were sharing said bed with hot girls. Recrimination filled his mind as he climbed out of bed and absently pulled at the string connected to the wall. Distantly he could feel the resistance as he tugged on the string, but the last bit of lethargy was still leaving his body so he paid it no heed.
He yawned and stretched while sitting down at the edge of the bed, once more taking in the strange surroundings of his new bedroom. Even after last night, it was hard for him to believe that he was actually in a new world, but he was going to make the best of it.
"Your Ladyship?" Quenton heard a soft voice speak behind him and he turned to look at Aliss who stood patiently by the mirror and he flinched. "Uwaah!" He almost fell forward in fright as he realized that she was watching him.
"I will draw up your bath and help you get ready for breakfast," Aliss said seemingly as much to fill the awkward silence as to help him get on with his day. She stepped smartly past the bed and the bewildered Quenton and out through a side door.
I didn't hear her come in. He found that fact to be both attractive and scary, as the maid seemed to effortlessly come and go without making a sound. Sounds of rushing water could be heard through the open door and Quenton sat there listlessly until he heard Aliss say. "The bath is ready for you my lady."
Tempted by the thought of getting a warm bath in the morning, he almost jumped up and stepped out into the bathroom where the maid was waiting for him. The bathroom was nice looking with white tile flooring and pink and white wallpaper, next to a ceramic sink was a large clawfoot bathtub.
Man, it is weird how quickly I have gotten used to a pretty maid undressing me. Quenton thought with an eerie calm as he lowered himself into the bath. He gasped with pleasure as his lithe body was enveloped in the perfectly heated water. A sound of a stool being clonked down behind him brought his attention back to the present.
"It's time to wash your hair, your ladyship," Aliss said carefully and then not so carefully dumped water over Quenton's hair rinsing it out. He was leaned back so none of the water fell over his face, but it was still a bit of a shock. This process was repeated three times using a ceramic pitcher before the maid then began to shampoo and massage his scalp.
He was for once very happy that he was in this feminine body. Because Quenton was sure Aliss would have seen the signs of his excitement if he weren't. He did at least not notice now as the maid intently focused on using her dexterous fingers to wash his hair. Quenton on his end busied himself with getting his breathing under control instead. I am not used to this! I am not used to this! Calm down! Quenton desperately pleaded with himself while Aliss hummed and continued the process of washing his hair.
After the washing came the conditioner that the maid carefully applied to the tips and the length of his hair, rather than the base like the shampoo had been. Then followed several minutes of awkward silence as the two waited for the hair conditioner to finish at which point Aliss again rinsed through his hair with ruthless efficiency but with cold water this time.
"See, that was not so difficult was it your ladyship?" Aliss echoed her words about the corset from yesterday while Quenton gasped at the contrast of the cold water going through his warm hair. "Do you want me to let you relax a bit in the bath by yourself or are you finished my lady?" She asked plaintively while pushing the stool away from the bathtub.
"Erm, sure I'm finished," Quenton said and began to rise up from the tub, still thinking about how weird it was to have a maid see him naked and pamper him like this. Is she doing this because of the "amnesia"? Do they think I am incapable or something like that? He grimaced as that possibility struck him, but said nothing as Aliss began to dry him with a towel after he got out of the tub.
Once he was dry then it was back out to the room to be dressed up again. "Morning dresses ought to be a bit subdued, I believe this one will suit." The maid helpfully stated while pointing to a long pink dress with a white central blouse and a long frilly neck that would ensure he was covered almost from top to toe. And of course, there was also the corset a most unwelcome sight after last night.
"I don't want to wear the corset." Quenton desperately wished he had some of the manly base that he had in his old life, as he felt his new voice made the demand sound more like whining than a reasonable suggestion. Aliss pointedly ignored him and just began putting on his underclothes, at which point Quenton was once again distracted by trying to keep his blushing and breathing under control.
So, before he could say another word the vice of the corset was around his chest again. He grimaced and let out a shallow breath, it hadn't been so bad yesterday so he better just man up and take it today as well. Next came the pink dress and the maid expertly draped in him it, as usual, it seemed. When Aliss was done she gave him an understated grin and said. "Breakfast will be served in the drawing-room. Shall I take you there your ladyship?"
"No…no, I think I can find it by myself." Quenton said absently as a plan started to form in his head, also because he was dazed from the brilliance of her smile, but mostly because he was formulating a scheme. He couldn't go to breakfast directly, because he doubted it would be alone and who knew what his "parents" had planned for him afterward. No, the first thing he was going to do was pick up a sword.
Quenton had spotted a sword hanging as a mantlepiece in the library while storming back to his bedroom last night, and it was a good a sword as any in his mind. So, while the rest of the household was getting ready for breakfast, he snuck into the library and up to the sheathed sword dangling above the fireplace.
"Welp, here goes nothing." He said as he stretched up to gingerly lift the sword down, notably after having to first use a footstool to be able to reach the sword. It looked like a proper medieval-style longsword and Quenton smiled the moment he felt the weight in his hands.
Yes! This will be my starting weapon as I begin my adventure. A note of joyous smugness entered his thoughts as he did a little dance of joy, and almost tripped over due to the dress.
"Yes! I'll never wear a corset again!" Quenton grumbled loudly after having had to catch himself on a nearby chair.
He looked down at the sword and felt the temptation of trying it out creep in. Well, it can't hurt to try a swing or two before I go out to fight monsters or bandits.
Quenton thought that was quite sensible as he unsheathed the sword and first gently twirled as he did with cool sticks he found while walking in the woods. He cringed preemptively as he expected a twinge of that headache to strike him, but apparently, this wasn't a faux pas. "YES! I knew there was a way for me to still adventure."
After twirling the blade came the real test. Quenton imagined a goblin standing before him with a spear and he swung the sword through the air.
Only for him to collapse as he was hit with a monstrous headache and the sword clattered to the ground without having moved an inch through the air. "What?" He groaned on the floor as a system prompt appeared in his vision.
"Note: The Lady Class does not have the weapon proficiency (Sword), you are therefore ineligible to wield one in combat. Faux Pas detected."
"Fuck…fuck, ugh." Quenton rolled over as another faux pas headache struck him like a sledgehammer and he just remained there on the floor for some time. Slowly breathing in and out until the headaches subsided and he stumbled back up to his feet. "Which weapons do the Lady class have proficiencies in?" He didn't actually expect an answer, but the system provided one anyway.
"Weapon Proficiencies: Hatpin, Parasol, Utility Knives, and Fan"
At least he didn't swear out loud this time, but reserved the salvo of profanity for his head alone as he put the sword back up on the mantle. He didn't want to leave any traces of his humiliation behind as he stalked back through the house to find out where they served breakfast.