Hunting Cinderella

"If the blacksmith leaves out one nail, a monarch loses a kingdom."

When a children's rhyme from who knows how many centuries ago rang out from the mouths of children in the Lower City, a holographic invitation somehow appeared in the cookie basket of Jiang Zhimei, who wore a battered hat and an oversized trench coat.

"Dear Jiang Zhimei, congratulations on receiving a place at the Royal Lainer Noble Academy in the Upper City."

The back of the invitation was covered in rules:

1. There are three factions: nobles, commoners, and neutrals.

2. Commoners win by disguising themselves as nobles and eliminating all the nobles.

3. Nobles win by identifying commoners disguised as nobles and eliminating all the commoners.

4. A public vote is held once a month. The loser forfeits all their chips and becomes a lowborn.

5. Players may form groups for activities to expose members of the opposing faction.

6. Anyone caught cheating immediately becomes a lowborn and loses their eligibility to play.

Note: Neutral players can be won over. Both sides should try to recruit as many allies as possible.

Jiang Zhimei: "..."

What the heck? What kind of scam ad was this? It had gotten her excited for nothing.

Until, not long afterward, she woke up as the daughter of an Upper City councilman, with countless servants, treasures, and assets, and was sent off to school.

...Rich people, you really are playing for real!

Jiang Zhimei was stunned.

The midnight bells rang, and the first event began as promised.

Guests came and went, dressed in finery. Handsome young men tossed chips onto the gaming tables with carefree flair.

Someone said, "Jiang, care to play a hand?"

Jiang Zhimei: "How many hands?"

Hilarious. She couldn't understand a thing.

But who says you can't play just because you don't understand?

*Mary Sue, universally adored, (light) mind games. At its heart, this is still a romance focused on relationships.

Theme: Don't judge people by appearances alone. Look at what they do.