Chapter 2
Knock knock.
“Yes?”
‘Layla, are you inside?’
My sister was back. She returned earlier than expected, and I was just about to drift off to sleep, so my head felt fuzzy.
“What is it, sis?”
I got up slowly and opened the door. There stood Siver with an unpleasant look on her face. She was so lavishly dressed, decked out in jewels that sparkled almost painfully under the light.
Even though it was evening, the chandelier in the hallway reflected off her clothes and accessories so brightly it was almost blinding.
“Did you come into my room by any chance?”
“No. Why, did something happen?”
I had a good guess. She must’ve realized the necklace was gone and was panicking.
“My necklace is missing. I think someone might have taken it.”
That necklace was with Ella. I had slipped it into her back pocket, so unless she changed clothes tonight, she wouldn’t notice it.
“Did you check thoroughly?”
“Yes. I searched several times.”
I followed her out of my room and glanced inside hers. She must’ve torn the place apart—every glass ornament from the cabinets was out, and the room was a mess.
Also, she hadn’t been wearing that outfit when she left.
“Did we have guests over today or something?”
“Oh, yeah. This dress pairs perfectly with that necklace, so I’m really upset.”
Honestly, nothing would pair well with that dress.
The dress was so flashy it looked like the outfit was wearing her, not the other way around.
“I’ll pick something for you, then.”
“Will you?”
“Yeah. I should get ready too. I forgot we had guests coming today.”
Today was Siver’s birthday. That explained why she’d spent the day shopping for clothes and accessories with the young ladies from noble families.
This must be the dress she had custom-ordered a month ago and finally picked up today.
“How about this one?”
I picked the biggest necklace I saw in her jewelry box amidst the chaos. Sure enough, my sister, who loved flashy things, smiled brightly when I showed her the most extravagant piece.
“You really know my taste.”
“Everything suits you, sis.”
It felt like I was contributing to an already outdated fashion disaster.
“Let’s tell the knights and servants to keep an eye out for the necklace and wait a bit. Who would dare steal something of yours?”
“You think so…?”
“Yeah. I’m sure it’ll turn up soon.”
Saying that, I returned to my room.
After pulling the bell cord, Ella and two other maids finally arrived—very late.
“What do you need, miss?”
“There are guests coming later. Help me get dressed.”
“You could probably manage on your own.”
“Then just help me with the corset.”
I couldn’t possibly put the corset on alone.
The hardest thing to adjust to after transmigrating into this world was the corset. It crushed my ribs, made it hard to breathe, and I got so many disapproving stares for not walking ‘gracefully’ in it.
I’d rarely gone outside due to the pain, and the memories were practically traumatic.
The worst part was that corsets were mandatory for formal occasions—and impossible to put on alone.
“Got it.”
Ella brought out the corset, slipped it over my negligee, and began yanking the strings tight.
“Ugh…!”
“Your waist is so thick, miss. It’s really hard to tighten this.”
She was pulling so hard I felt dizzy from lack of air.
“And your legs are short, too!”
Unreasonable insults didn’t faze me anymore.
I stood in front of the mirror, and even without the corset, the face staring back was undeniably beautiful.
Maybe that’s why her constant jabs didn’t affect me at all.
“How could someone like you be so lacking in looks?”
I glanced at the mirror.
There was nothing ‘lacking’ about this face.
“Hmph, do the rest yourself.”
With that, Ella left after doing only the corset. I changed into the formal dress I had prepared earlier and buttoned it up myself using some flexibility.
Normally, I wouldn’t have bothered with makeup or worn anything fancier than a simple negligee-like dress.
Even the one I picked now wasn’t overly ornate—just decent enough to meet the etiquette requirements.
It was a plain white dress. A bit sheer, but quite pretty. I wore modest pearl accessories and had to do my makeup myself.
Looking in the mirror, I saw pale skin and a sickly complexion. I wanted to cover it up.
Sigh.
I brightened my skin tone a bit, giving myself a livelier look. My face didn’t really need makeup, but I didn’t want to go out looking like I was on my deathbed.
My lips were naturally pearly, so I applied pink lipstick and dabbed a bit of the same color on my cheeks, giving myself a healthy blush.
Strangely, now that I was ready to go out, I hesitated.
Today was Siver’s birthday.
That meant only one type of person would come to celebrate her.
Her current lover.
My ex-lover.
Hugo Ronald.
‘You’re so exhausting. That’s why I chose Siver instead of you.’
‘Hugo, can’t we please try again? I’m really sick… please?’
‘How many times do I have to tell you, I’m tired of sick women like you!’
Thinking back, I held onto Hugo because I never knew when I’d die. I was already on medication back then.
‘Even if you’re sick, what did Siver ever do to deserve your drama? You’re disgusting.’
His voice echoed in my head.
Anger bubbled up, and I unclenched my tightly balled fists before heading out the door.
I had a lot on my mind as I walked down the stairs.
In my previous life, I wasn’t someone who plotted or schemed.
When you think you don’t have much time left, everything becomes terrifying. That’s how I felt.
All signs pointed to my sister being a terrible person, yet I ignored them. I ignored the stepmother who hated me.
Even when my sister schemed to take everything from me and falsely accused me, I kept believing in her.
I was afraid of being abandoned the moment the truth came out.
Afraid no one would mourn me when I died.
I didn’t want to die.
And that still hadn’t changed.
It already sucked that I reincarnated into a sickly body—but to be hated by everyone, too? That was even worse. I just wanted to be loved, so I tried really hard.
But after dying once, I realized how pointless that effort had been.
Everything I had built was like a sandcastle on the beach. One wave and it was gone without a trace.
“Oh, you’re here, Layla?”
“Yeah, I had to come. It’s your birthday.”
Siver welcomed me with a smile.
We were going to have dinner together, and the guests had already arrived and taken their seats.
Father and Stepmother had purposely arranged to return tomorrow, so it was just Siver, Hugo, some guy Hugo brought along, and me.
“You still look like a patient. Should you even be out like this?”
“It’s been a while, Hugo.”
His smug shrug made me want to “accidentally” spill water on him. But I didn’t even want to make eye contact.
“What, you think dressing like that will make me go easy on you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but you should start with a greeting. This is the Abierre estate, Hugo.”
I shot back coldly. He looked annoyed and turned to Siver.
She frowned slightly and gestured for him to cut it out. Like a well-trained puppy, Hugo straightened up and behaved.
Hugo was the eldest son of Count Ronald. As for the friend he brought…
“It’s my first time meeting you in person, Lady Layla. I’m Sonnet Bruce.”
“Oh, yes? Right, it is.”
Come to think of it, around this time, my father and stepmother were trying to arrange my engagement. The intended fiancé: Sonnet Bruce.
I barely saw him even before I died. Wasn’t he just here to embarrass Hugo? Why are you here?
Also, I didn’t know they were this close in my past life.
“Sonnet, this is my lover’s little sister. Layla Abierre. Rumor has it you two are about to get engaged. Is that true?”
“…Yes.”
After we greeted each other, Hugo reluctantly reintroduced me. Then he smirked, glanced at Siver, and said to Sonnet:
“Layla gets lonely real easily.”
“What do you mean?”
“Be nice to her for a bit and she’ll probably beg you to marry her.”
I glared at him. He looked back at me with a smug chin lift.
“Layla, you’d better try to impress Sonnet. He’s not just a viscount’s heir—he owns a gold mine. His wealth blows your pitiful dowry out of the water.”
He chuckled, and Siver acted flustered, though she was clearly smiling.
When our eyes met, she quickly covered her mouth and turned to Hugo. He must’ve thought she was upset, because he whispered an apology and tucked her hair behind her ear.
Then it happened.
“Are you always this rude?”
Sonnet’s cold voice cut through the air as he stared Hugo down.
