PLMYP 03

 

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How could anyone describe what happened to her in the past?

In short, it was the worst disaster caused by her own stupidity and naïveté.

It had been three years since she came back to the past. Even now, there were moments when she wondered if it had all been a dream.

Every time she felt that way, Irenea would remember what her uncle had done to her—and the anger would bring her back to reality.

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“If you give up now, I’ll prepare dowries for your sisters. But if you dare go against me… what do you think will happen to them?”

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“I was such a fool…”

Why did she ever believe the words of that sly man?

“Huh? What did you say, sis?”

“Oh, nothing. By the way, that hat looks really good on you. Let’s buy that too.”

They were at Spica, the capital’s top fashion boutique—so exclusive you couldn’t even enter without a reservation.

Sitting confidently in the VVIP room, Irenea smiled as she watched Elizabeth try on her fifth hat.

“My beautiful little sister. Everything looks good on you.”

Her golden, curly hair shimmered, and her lake-blue eyes sparkled. With a matching dress and hat, she looked like a living doll—youthful and charming.

Irenea clapped genuinely, but Elizabeth just squinted at her sister.

“You say we should buy every hat I try on! Are you even paying attention? I asked you to pick the one that suits me best!”

“But everything looks good on you. What am I supposed to do?”

“Don’t say that!”

Elizabeth stomped her foot in frustration.

“Just pick the one that suits me best. Look again—what’s the prettiest?”

Before she could even finish, the staff behind them quickly laid out all the hats on the table.

There was a large bonnet with lace, a pretty silk hat, and a casual straw hat perfect for outings.

Irenea glanced at them casually, then leaned back and sipped her tea.

“They’re all pretty. And they all suit you. But why choose just one? You know your sister has plenty of money.”

Plenty was an understatement.

In fact, Irenea owned the boutique. All the salaries paid to the designers and staff came from her pocket.

Technically, she didn’t even need to pay for anything—she could just take whatever she wanted.

Still, Elizabeth insisted on picking just one hat.

“I don’t even go out much. I haven’t debuted in society yet.”

“Even without a debut, there are lots of places to wear them! You can wear them shopping, to picnics, operas, horse rides, auctions, cafes, yachts… So many events! We should buy all of them.”

“One is enough!”

Elizabeth shouted in panic, then looked down sadly.

She took off the hat she was wearing and fiddled with the brim as she mumbled:

“Ever since our parents passed away, you’ve changed.”

“Me? How?”

“You used to say ‘no unnecessary spending’ even when I asked for a little extra allowance. Now, you keep buying clothes and jewelry for us, even when we don’t need them.”

“Well…”

Irenea paused and looked at her sister with a faraway expression.

She knew she’d changed. But how could she explain why?

‘We were robbed of everything that was rightfully ours. And we died miserably.’

Elizabeth, who had grown up too quickly. Charlotte, who had only been sweet and innocent.

And Irenea herself.

If she had only stayed alert, none of it would have happened.

She now understood how one lazy moment or wrong choice could ruin everything.

“Ellie, I’ve been thinking.”

“About what?”

Trying to comfort Elizabeth, Irenea spoke softly.

“Spending recklessly can ruin a household, that’s true. But even now, our family’s vault and my personal bank accounts are growing by the minute.”

She was even paying massive taxes honestly—just in case someone tried to find fault with her.

In fact, the Blair family practically funded a tenth of the empire’s national budget.

No wonder the Emperor favored her.

Irenea didn’t enjoy paying so much in taxes, but as long as she stayed honest, the Emperor would side with her—even if jealous fools like her uncle tried to cause trouble.

The current Emperor wasn’t dumb enough to kill the goose that laid golden eggs.

‘At least for the next 10 years, the Emperor will rule with absolute power over the nobles.’

What would happen after 10 years, she didn’t know. That’s when she had died in her previous life.

But 10 years was enough.

If the Emperor suddenly died before then, she would just pass her title to a trusted successor and live a quiet life in the countryside.

She only had one goal now:

To take revenge on her uncle—and protect what mattered most.

And one of the most precious things was standing right in front of her.

“My sweet sister, I’m sorry I didn’t give you more allowance when we were younger. I’ll give it all to you now.”

Startled, Elizabeth jumped.

“What? No! I wasn’t asking for more allowance—”

“Actually, I already opened a bank account in your name at Jacqueline Bank.”

“What?!”

“I’ll give you a checkbook. If you need anything, just sign and use it.”

As Irenea spoke quickly, Elizabeth stood frozen with her mouth open. Then she looked like she might cry.

“You’re not my real sister. What did you do to her? Bring her back, you villain!”

“Oh dear… Your real sister is already dead.”

For real.

The innocent girl you knew, Ellie, is long gone.

“Don’t joke like that! It’s only been three years since Mom and Dad passed…”

Tears welled up in Elizabeth’s eyes. Irenea clicked her tongue gently.

“Sorry. That was a bad joke. Don’t cry, okay?”

Sniffling, Elizabeth glared at her sister, then muttered:

“Then hurry up and pick one hat. The one that suits me best.”

“You’re impossible,” Irenea said with a laugh. She handed her a handkerchief, then gently placed a white straw hat on her head.

“Didn’t you say we’re going on a picnic with Charlotte this weekend? Wear this one.”

“Hehe, I knew it! This suits me best. Big, flashy hats don’t fit me.”

Elizabeth smiled brightly and tugged down the brim of the hat to hide her red eyes.

Irenea playfully pinched her sister’s cheek.

“I told you, you look good in everything! When did you stop trusting your sister?”

“Ever since you got too busy to hang out with us!”

Just then, someone knocked politely on the VVIP room door.

“Come in,” Irenea called.

A young woman with silver hair and gray eyes entered, bowing respectfully.

“A message from the Claiyo branch, Marchioness.”

“Claiyo? …Got it. I’ll be there soon.”

“Going to work again?”

Elizabeth looked up with watery eyes.

‘Sigh…’

Irenea had cleared her schedule today, but this was urgent. She felt bad but had no choice.

“I’ll come home early. Let’s eat dinner with Charlotte, the three of us.”

“Really? We’ll wait for you—no dinner and no bedtime until you come!”

“Promise. Kiri, give me what I asked for earlier.”

“Yes.”

Kiri pulled a checkbook from her bag.

“I wasn’t joking. Use this if you need anything.”

“W-Wait, Sis!”

“But don’t tell Charlotte. She’s still too young for a checkbook.”

Irenea winked and walked away. Behind her, Elizabeth muttered in disbelief:

“I-I’m still too young for a checkbook too…”

When will I find out how bold my little sister really is?

Irenea chuckled, but the smile faded as soon as she got in the carriage with Kiri.

“So… what has my dear uncle done this time?”

The Claiyo branch.

It was a real place, but no real emergency ever came from there.

It was a secret code between Irenea and her chief aide, Kiri—meaning there was news about Viscount Kalio.

“He went to meet an alchemist in the black market.”

“Oh my. That noble man, going so low as to visit the black market?”

He was such an elitist, he wouldn’t even talk to his own servants. There was no way he’d go to the slums filled with beggars.

“And an alchemist, of all things…”

Magic was fading. The continent was entering a new era—powered by coal, steam, gears, and machines.

In this transition, alchemists appeared briefly, claiming they could turn ordinary stones into gold.

Many people fell for their tricks.

But most were frauds—and instead of gold, they created poisons.

They were more like poison makers than real scientists.

If an alchemist got involved in any dispute, things turned horrifying.

When one alchemist’s poison caused a deadly outbreak in the eastern empire, the former Emperor launched a brutal purge.

Countless alchemists were executed. The survivors fled or went into hiding.

Irenea knew one was still hiding in the capital’s back alleys.

She hadn’t turned him in because, in a now-erased past, he once helped her.

In this life, he believed Irenea had saved him.

And he was completely loyal to her now.