~Chapter 1~
Chapter 0. The Lost Daughter of the Lucerte Ducal Family Has Returned
Recently, there was news that set the entire capital buzzing.
It was—
“The real young lady of House Lucerte has returned, hasn’t she?”
The young duchess who had been lost long ago.
At last, she had been found!
With such joyful news, the Lucerte Ducal House was in a full celebratory mood.
The people of the capital sincerely congratulated the occasion, but—
some curious gossips quietly whispered about the “fake young lady of Lucerte.”
“Then what will happen to Lady Cecilia?”
“Well… the duke’s family has its reputation. They can’t just disown her…”
“Won’t they just marry her off quickly and send her away?”
Behind the fans spread wide by noblewomen,
within the thick smoke of cigars held by gentlemen—
mocking whispers spread in low voices.
“A ‘fake young lady,’ huh. What a pitiful situation… heh.”
“Oh my, calling her fake?”
“Why not? Everyone’s been saying it quietly anyway.”
“In any case, it must be quite a headache for the ducal family.”
Meanwhile, at that very moment—
the Lucerte Ducal House.
The townhouse of the ducal family looked like it was hosting a grand banquet.
To celebrate the return of their lost daughter,
the family dinner had been prepared like an imperial feast.
The table was filled with all kinds of rare and expensive dishes.
The duchess turned to the daughter sitting beside her with a bright smile.
The young girl, still looking a bit awkward in her dress, kept adjusting her collar.
Her radiant golden hair, like melted gold, closely resembled the duchess’s.
And her green eyes—passed down through the direct Lucerte bloodline—shone with intelligence.
“Milena, try this. It’s apple pie.”
The duchess gently pushed the plate toward her.
A sweet aroma rose from the pie, made with the finest apples.
“When you were a baby, you really loved mashed apples.”
The duchess spoke with a nostalgic voice.
“My daughter… you’ve grown so well without your mother being able to care for you…”
Her voice trembled, her eyes growing moist.
The duke gently patted her shoulder.
“My dear, Milena has finally returned to us. We can make up for everything from now on.”
“You can rest easy now, Milena. From now on, we’ll protect you.”
The young duke, Elias, added kindly.
Everyone at the table looked happy—
except for one person.
Cecilia von Lucerte.
The fake daughter, adopted to fill the place of the real one.
She sat quietly, staring down at her plate with a dark expression.
She looked like she might burst into tears at any moment.
But no one paid her any attention.
Even though they were all in the same room,
it didn’t feel like they were one family at all.
‘No—am I the only one bothered by her?!’
At that moment, Milena screamed inwardly.
As if sensing her gaze, Cecilia slowly lifted her head.
Their eyes met directly.
‘Gasp.’
Milena swallowed her breath.
Cecilia stiffened slightly, then pressed her lips together and glared sharply at her—
as if she refused to lose to Milena, the “real daughter.”
‘…This is so unfair I could cry.’
Milena felt nothing but frustration.
It wasn’t her fault, yet she was being hated by Cecilia.
And she also hated how this family openly treated Cecilia like she didn’t exist just because they found her.
“Um, excuse me, but I don’t want to be a noble lady. I just want to go back home.”
…If only she could say that!
But she couldn’t.
‘This is a contract tied to my mother’s life!’
Letting out a deep sigh inwardly, Milena forced a harmless smile toward Cecilia.
Hey, female lead?
I’ll stay quiet and out of your way, then leave as soon as I can.
So please stop glaring at me like that!
The problem was—
whatever Cecilia thought of that carefully practiced “business smile”…
her expression only became even more terrifying.
‘No, this is unfair for me too!’
Milena cried tears of blood internally.
‘I never wanted to return to the ducal house in the first place!’
…All of this started from a strange dream on an otherwise ordinary day.
Chirp, chirp—
The cheerful sound of birds announced the morning.
Sunlight poured brightly into the room.
‘This has to be a joke… right?’
I blinked blankly as I woke up.
My name is Milena.
I’m a commoner, so I don’t have a family name.
I’m eighteen this year.
I live with my mother in a small western city, the Barony of Trangsie, famous for its hot springs.
My usual worries were simple things like,
“What should we have for dinner tomorrow?”
But—
‘This… this isn’t right!’
According to the dream I just had,
this world is actually inside a book.
A romance fantasy novel I read in my past life.
“The Villainess Noble Lady Will No Longer Be Disdained”
To summarize the story:
The female lead, Cecilia, is the only daughter of the prestigious Lucerte Ducal House.
But—
she isn’t actually their real daughter.
After losing their real child, the duchess, unable to overcome her loneliness, adopted Cecilia as a substitute.
Cecilia then tries everything to earn her family’s love.
But despite all her efforts, the family coldly ignores her.
“In place of that child, you must always strive not to tarnish the honor of House Lucerte.”
The duke, always cold.
“I wonder where that child is now… what she’s doing…”
The duchess, who cries while thinking of her lost daughter every time she sees Cecilia.
“Ha! You still don’t get it? How could someone like you ever be my real sister?!”
And Elias, the young duke, who constantly shouts at her.
Even so, Cecilia never gave up hope.
‘No… someday, they’ll accept me as their real daughter.’
Because as an orphan, she had always dreamed of having a family.
But then—
“My daughter!!”
One day, the real daughter finally returns.
The family is overjoyed,
and even the man who once showed interest in Cecilia suddenly confesses his love to the real daughter instead.
…At this point, you can probably guess.
The enemy who takes everything from Cecilia.
The villainess who charms everyone with her bright, sunny personality.
That’s—
me.
I’m that annoying real daughter!!
‘H-how does that make any sense?!’
I grabbed my head and screamed internally.
Out of all characters, why did I have to become that real daughter?!
In the original story, Milena was incredibly irritating.
Always smiling sweetly while subtly getting under people’s skin—
“Oh? My brother didn’t greet you? That’s strange, he always smiles at me.”
“Maybe you misunderstood? It’s weird that such a kind brother would only be cold to you.”
“I think you’re just being too sensitive!”
Milena’s infamous lines flashed through my mind.
And finally, the top comment from the novel appeared, as if mocking me:
“It’d be great if Milena just tripped over a rock and disappeared already. Please get rid of her quickly…”
…I had strongly agreed with that comment back then.
I even liked it.
But I never imagined—
that I would end up living as that Milena!
‘This has to be a joke, right?!’
Just as I collapsed face-first onto the bed in despair—
Bang!
The door burst open.
And a familiar face peeked inside.
