Chapter 4
The second dessert was a tart. Normally, it would be served later when cold, but today was my sister’s birthday, so the dishes were coming out in the order she liked.
My sister was sitting next to me. Across from her sat Hugo, and across from me sat Sonnet Bruce.
When the tart was brought out, I absentmindedly stared at Ella, who was moving back and forth serving the guests. Then, Sieber followed my gaze and looked at Ella’s back.
At the edge of Ella’s back pocket, a silver necklace chain was faintly glimmering.
The necklace my sister cherished had a unique design. The chain was intricately crafted, with twists you wouldn’t see anywhere else.
So even if just a part of it peeked out, you could recognize it immediately.
“You!”
My sister suddenly shot up from her seat and rushed to Ella. Then she grabbed tightly near Ella’s waist.
“My lady?”
“You thief!”
The thing my sister hated most was commoners. Ella was a low-ranking noble, but to my sister—who had become part of a count’s family—Ella was barely any different from a commoner.
“My lady?”
The butler, startled, hurried over to Sieber.
“What is it, Lady Sieber?”
“Ella stole my necklace.”
“Pardon?”
“What are you saying, my lady!”
Ella panicked and tried to free herself from Sieber’s grip, but Sieber only held tighter and shouted.
“How dare you steal my jewel on my birthday?”
“My lady, what are you saying!”
The butler then called the head maid over. The head maid, Melisha, approached Sieber and glanced at Ella.
“Come with me.”
“Check right here, Melisha.”
“My lady, there are guests present.”
“When a subordinate makes a mistake, you correct it immediately to set an example.”
As Sieber said this, Melisha looked flustered. My sister acted as if nothing was wrong, even in front of guests.
Of course, in the original story, every time Sieber acted so confidently, every man fell for her.
Sieber was portrayed as bold and charismatic on the outside, but soft and kind inside—a typical “tough outside, tender inside” character.
In truth, she was the hidden villainess.
“Melisha, it’s my sister’s birthday today. If something upsets her, just go along with her decision, okay?”
If my sister was soft inside and tough outside, I would go for the opposite strategy: soft outside, tough inside.
“Lady Leila…”
Ella looked completely shocked, as if she had no idea what she had done wrong.
Well, it made sense—Sieber’s biological mother, my stepmother and the current countess, was very fond of Ella. Ella often tattled on me, feeding her information, and was a loyal subordinate.
Ella, please… If I take this medicine, I’ll die. Please don’t tell my mother, okay? I don’t want to die… Please…
That’s your problem, my lady.
In my previous life, when I was caught trying to secretly throw away the medicine, Ella didn’t hesitate to report me without considering my situation. Because of that, the medicine dosage was increased, and I died even earlier than in the original story.
If I refused the medicine, they would force-feed me.
Why do you even want to live, my lady? Your lover dumped you, and no one in this house is on your side.
Ugh…
And yet you still want to cling to life?
When I was so weak I couldn’t even get out of bed, she said even crueler things. When I didn’t have the strength to respond, her words became even more vicious.
I couldn’t do anything but listen.
“My goodness.”
Lost in thought, I didn’t notice when they searched Ella. By the time I came to my senses, Melisha was holding Sieber’s garnet necklace in her hand.
“Ella, you!”
“N-no! Why is that there…! I-I really don’t know anything about this…!”
“Ha.”
Sieber looked at Ella with a gaze that said she expected this all along.
“My lady! I swear it wasn’t me!”
Slap!
“You’d steal just for a jewel? Do you have no pride as a low-ranking noble?”
“My lady!”
As Sieber shouted, Ella shielded her cheek and shook her head desperately.
“I swear it’s not me! This is unfair!”
“Melisha.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Melisha looked flustered but lowered her head.
“Take her to the constabulary.”
“My lady! Lady Sieber! Please, not the constabulary!”
And so, Ella was dragged away by the count’s knights, her feet scraping against the floor.
If she was taken to the constabulary, she’d be handed over to the city guard. Since she committed theft, a judge would sentence her.
A few years ago, such cases ended with a fine, but these days, with the new frontier settlements, the punishment had changed to forced labor.
If Ella was taken away like this, she’d probably be sent to the desert frontier for hard labor.
Until she died.
“This is truly disgraceful. I can’t believe the servants weren’t trained properly.”
Sieber frowned and sat back down, pretending to maintain her dignity.
The stupid Hugo looked at her proudly, as if admiring her.
“Servants are like that. Treat them too well, and they start overstepping.”
Coming from Hugo, the king of overstepping, that sounded ridiculously hypocritical. He was always the type to exploit any weakness to climb over others.
“Bring the necklace here. I’ll replace this one.”
“Sure.”
Hugo stood up and went to Sieber’s side. He unclasped the necklace she was wearing and removed it with his hands.
His gaze toward me felt so disgusting that I deliberately stared straight ahead.
“Are you jealous of Leila?”
“Oh my, do you want this necklace?”
“No. The tart’s getting cold.”
I replied calmly and cut the tart with my fork, making a point of eating it. Just as I was about to put it in my mouth, I noticed Sonnet Bruce’s expression shift strangely. When our eyes met, I quickly lowered my gaze.
Beside me, I heard the sound of Hugo sitting down, probably done replacing the necklace for my sister. Even if they were lovers, this kind of thing should be done away from prying eyes.
But of course, in the original story, my sister’s boldness was one of her charms. Rainier, the male lead, completely fell for that side of her.
And then, when she occasionally showed a fragile, “must-protect” side, the male leads were hopelessly captivated.
“Sis.”
“Yes?”
“I don’t feel well. I think I’ll head upstairs.”
“Are you okay, Leila?”
“Yes.”
My head was really spinning. Maybe something I ate with Hugo around didn’t sit well with me.
“Are you pretending to be sick to get attention? You always act weak like that, even though you’re not.”
I don’t need your attention.
“I’ll escort you.”
“Oh, it’s fine… No, thank you, I’d appreciate that.”
When Sonnet stood up, Sieber’s eyes flicked toward him. If I kept pretending to be interested in Sonnet, Hugo would be dumped in no time.
Sonnet Bruce was taller than I expected. Even though I was wearing heels, there was still a big difference between us.
Not that it mattered. This regretful sub-male lead had trash for personality. If I fell for that handsome face, I’d be the fool.
I don’t need men anymore. I just don’t want to die—and I won’t live being trampled on like before.
“Take my arm.”
“Oh, okay.”
He offered his arm as if inviting me to link arms, but my head was spinning too much. Suddenly, my vision swam, and my legs gave out.
“Lady Leila!”
“Ugh…”
Sonnet caught me before I collapsed completely. My heart pounded. If I had fallen, I might have ended up with a concussion.
“My apologies in advance.”
“…Huh? Ah…”
He lifted me into his arms and started walking. Over his shoulder, I saw my sister’s face—she no longer seemed to care about Hugo at all.
It felt good that things were going according to plan. If only my body didn’t feel so awful, I’d be happier.
But right now, the dizziness was overwhelming, and as he moved, the motion made me nauseous. It was hard to think straight.
“Could you slow down a little?”
“Yes.”
As he walked slowly out the door, I clutched his clothes desperately, feeling like I’d fall to the ground any second. My vision was so dark, like a curtain of shadow had fallen, that I couldn’t see properly.
“My lady, are you really okay? You’re sweating cold.”
“I’m fine. This happens often.”
At least I wasn’t coughing up blood this time. That was something.
If I had managed to secretly dispose of the medicine and keep enduring, maybe I could have lived to 22. But I died at 21.
Thinking that, I felt my strength leaving me.
“I don’t think I can take you all the way inside… Lady Leila?”
“…”
“Lady Leila!”
And then, I passed out.
When I opened my eyes again, I was in my room.
A wet cloth lay on my forehead, and the room showed signs that someone had just been there.
But it didn’t seem like a maid or servant. The clothes near the bed belonged to Sonnet Bruce.
I sighed, then froze when I heard voices outside the door.
“Why are you so hung up on Leila? She’s easy, you know? Just treat her a little well and she’ll even marry you.”
“Thank you for earlier, Hugo.”
“If you’re thankful, then help me out with the Iden Trading Company. All you have to do is lend some money when my engagement goes through.”
“Of course.”
One of the voices belonged to Hugo.
The other was Sonnet.
