The collapse came swiftly and unmistakably. One day, after the ‘real’ Claire returned, Shailoh found another woman sitting in the dining room seat where she used to have breakfast every morning.
“Listen to this, Claire. I heard you like seafood, so I asked the chef to prepare something special.”
“For dessert, I thought we could have cheesecake. I heard you like sweets too?”
“Thank you so much, Mother, Brother.”
Even without her, the family was having a cheerful breakfast. It was as if a missing puzzle piece had returned to complete the perfect picture of the duke’s family.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know this seat was taken.”
“It’s alright, Claire. Shailoh wouldn’t get upset over something so trivial.” The duchess, sitting across from her biological daughter, looked at Shailoh as if seeking her agreement.
Shailoh felt like screaming at the top of her lungs, but she barely held it in. “Of course, Mother.”
“By the way, we should sort out your family registry issue now, Claire.” With a gentle smile still on her face, the duchess turned her head and reached out to hold Claire’s hands.
Shailoh stood there blankly, watching the scene like an uninvited guest.
“Family registry? Do I need to change my name? Since older sister’s name is Claire too.”
“You don’t have to call her older sister. You’re the same age. Besides, your name is Claire, so we can’t change it. Dear.”
The duchess passed the explanation to the duke. Clearing his throat, the duke instructed the butler to hand a document to Shailoh.
“Clai…I mean, Shailoh. We intend to adopt you and register you in the family with your original name.”
Shailoh staggered, clutching the table. Her brother, startled, stood up but did not offer any support. Seeing him glance at his biological sister, Claire, Shailoh let out a deflated laugh.
The difference between being a biological daughter and an adopted one was like night and day. Although you may inherit the family name, you will not receive any of the estate. Furthermore, the moment you marry, all your titles as a lady will be stripped away. You are merely a child in name, but in reality, you are just an adopted child under a legal guardian.
“You can’t do this to me.” Shailoh shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes.
Normally, her brother would have rushed to comfort her the moment she started to cry, but he quietly avoided her gaze, and the duke, her father, merely swallowed his frustration as if faced with a troublesome issue. When she looked to her last hope, her mother, she saw her rising with a tender expression, approaching her.
“Mother.”
Smack.
The moment she looked with hopeful eyes, a searing pain spread across her cheek as if she had been burned.
“Mother!”
“Wife!”
The duke and his son both stood up almost simultaneously, shocked. Although Shailoh was the one who got struck, the duchess wore a pained expression as she rubbed her wrist.
“This is disciplinary love, Shailoh.”
“Mother…?”
“Thanks to Claire, you’ve lived as a lady, enjoying the finest things in a position that was beyond your means. Don’t you feel sorry and guilty for your sister, who became a lost child and wandered the empire with travelers in rags?”
“…”
She couldn’t believe what was happening at this moment. Instead of answering, Shailoh blinked her eyes.
Shailoh wished that all of this was just a nightmare. The face of the noblewoman who had embraced her without hesitation as she lay dying with an angelic appearance overlapped with the face of the duchess now. They were undoubtedly the same person, yet she couldn’t accept them as the same.
“What is it about that inheritance and name that makes you unwilling to give them up?”
“I…”
“I’m truly disappointed in you.” Without giving her a chance to explain, the duchess staggered past her.
“Mother!”
“Wife!”
The two men followed quickly out of the dining room, leaving Shailoh alone with Claire.
In the awkward silence that remained, it was Claire who spoke first.
“I’m sorry.”
Shailoh, surprised by the unexpected apology, turned her stiffened neck to face Claire.
“No, it’s okay.” Her mouth felt dry, and sweat gathered on her palms.
Shailoh despised this woman. Claire had materialized out of nowhere, shattering her life and stealing her family. Now, she was attempting to usurp her name and position, too. She truly loathed her with every fiber of her being, but when confronted with this woman who bore such a striking resemblance to her mother, father, and brother, those feelings dissolved like morning mist.
“You poor dear. That must have been terribly painful, wasn’t it?” Claire tutted sympathetically as she regarded Shailoh, then rose and delicately touched her reddened cheek. “I have an ointment that works wonders for injuries. If you’d like, I could apply it for you.”
“Oint…ment?” Shailoh blinked at the gentle caress.
Claire beamed radiantly, her blue eyes mirroring her cheerful expression. “Yes. Didn’t you hear that I was raised among travelers?”
“Ah.”
“When I was journeying alone to my maternal grandparents’ estate, the carriage met with disaster, and I tumbled from a cliff, swept away by the rushing current. I survived by some miracle, though I lost all memory of my former life.”
Shailoh had heard the remainder of the tale before. It was the story Claire had recounted tearfully to her grieving family. Travelers had discovered her and taken her in, and she had lived a modest existence while wandering from place to place.
Her mother’s words echoed through Shailoh’s mind, and her cheeks burned with shame. She felt mortified for having wished Claire would vanish. This place had belonged to Claire originally; Shailoh had merely borrowed it for a few years.
“I’m… sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing, Shailoh? You were struck because of me.” Claire tenderly clasped Shailoh’s hands as she lowered her gaze. “I’ll attempt to persuade them about adopting you. But first, let’s tend to that swollen cheek. Shall we retire to my chamber together?”
Strawberry blonde tresses and vivid blue eyes. Though they shared identical hair and eye color, the ‘real’ Claire and Shailoh were worlds apart. Claire was angelic. Her voice was as soothing as spring sunshine, as comforting and endearing as a cat dozing on a summer rooftop.
“I’m sorry. Thank you.”
Shailoh erupted into tears and collapsed into Claire’s embrace. A gentle hand stroked her back.
“Perhaps we should speak informally? We’re the same age, after all. Now that we’re sisters, let’s forge a close bond.”
Rather than responding verbally, Shailoh nodded.
Claire’s final words were serene yet strangely devoid of warmth. It wasn’t long before Shailoh identified the source of her peculiar disquiet.
* * *
Despite Claire’s protestations, Shailoh was ultimately registered with the duke’s family as an adopted child rather than a legitimate one. The household staff all behaved as if even that constituted a blessing.
“Who knows where she came from? A beggar from some slum? She’s lucky not to have been kicked out.”
“Precisely. No matter how fine the garments she dons, how exquisite the cuisine she consumes, or how refined her speech, a commoner remains a commoner.”
“Lady Clair is truly heaven-sent. Were I in her position, I wouldn’t have allowed anyone to usurp my place.”
“Indeed. At least the fake lady hasn’t made her societal debut yet, so Lady Claire’s introduction won’t be tainted. Imagine if she had claimed her future husband as well. The very thought is horrifying…”
Crash!
“Goodness gracious!”
The gossiping maids whipped their heads around at the thunderous noise. Upon recognizing who stood before them, they were terrified and bowed deeply.
“Mi-Milady!”
The individual who had shattered the glass was none other than the two young ladies under discussion: Shailoh and Claire. Though one was acknowledged as a biological daughter and the other as an adopted child, the pair stood side by side in the corridor, dressed identically, resembling twins.
The pale-faced Shailoh stood still as Claire stepped forward with an icy expression.
“How dare you speak so carelessly about your master’s affairs.”
“W-We’ve committed a grievous sin, Milady!”
“Butler!”
The butler trailing the two young ladies bowed his head.
“Dismiss all these maids immediately. Cast them out without letters of recommendation!”
“Claire!”
Three faces contorted with shock and fear turned toward Claire simultaneously. Shailoh, who also regarded Claire, attempted to intervene.
“Claire. I’m fine. Expelling them during this harsh winter is excessively cruel. And without recommendations, they—”
“Butler, execute my orders immediately!” Claire’s voice cut through the air like a blade of ice, silencing Shailoh’s plea for mercy.
“As you wish, Milady,” the butler replied with a bow, his face a perfect mask of servitude.
Shailoh watched in helpless horror as the maids were dragged away, their faces streaked with tears, their futures now as bleak as the winter beyond the manor walls. That night, sleep evaded her completely, her conscience haunted by their desperate expressions and the knowledge that she had failed to protect them.
In the days that followed, whispers began to slither through the corridors of the estate, taking an unexpected and troubling turn.
