Chapter 4: I Possessed the Villain’s Daughter

I stayed up all night with my eyes wide open.

Perhaps it was because I had been thrown into a strange place, but I was suffering from insomnia. Even when I managed to fall into a light sleep, I kept waking up. That’s why I knew the Duke had come to check on me while I was sleeping—and that he had stayed by my side throughout the night.

It felt like I was wearing clothes that were far too tight.

Of course, that was just a metaphor. If my clothes had actually been tight, the Duke would have immediately summoned the best designer in the capital to have new clothes tailored for me. If I had grown even a centimeter taller, he would’ve rushed to get garments that fit me properly. That’s how dearly and lovingly I was being treated.

I watched the break of dawn.

Yes, I was being loved.

And that realization struck me unbearably hard.

This love, something I had never received in my life, was so heavy and sweet that I couldn’t escape it.

Was there no way to return?

‘But…’

Even if I could go back, what would be left for me?

A disapproving aunt? An uncle who hit me? Cousins who tormented me?

It’s not even certain if I’m still alive there. Even if I did return, I would be greeted only by a cold attic room and an uncertain future.

My gaze, wandering aimlessly, landed on the red and white flowers arranged on the table. They were beautiful. The Duke had picked them himself for me yesterday.

Esat had sincerely apologized for not being able to spend time with me and had promised to make time just for me next time.

“…Dad.”

The word slipped out, and I startled myself.

It was the first time I had said that since my father passed away. It was a word I had tried so hard to forget. But once it left my lips, the rest followed uncontrollably.

“Mom… Oppa…”

They were people whose faces I could barely remember now. So why did they still occupy such a big space in my heart? The emptiness inside me was filled with thick, aching longing.

Then, I thought of Esat, Edwin, and Wright, one after another.

I didn’t want to go back.

The dawn had already brightened into full daylight.

Lady Lupe was the second daughter of Marquis Tayra.

She had apparently come to visit me that morning. By the time I had finished getting dressed and went to greet her, I could tell with one glance.

Ah, this young lady doesn’t like me.

Or maybe she just thought I was an easy target. Anyone would be able to guess that just by looking at Lupe’s sneering expression. She gave a light curtsy by barely lifting her dress hem and greeted me.

“Good morning.”

“…It’s been a while.”

“It really has. I should’ve come more often, shouldn’t I?”

Lupe said triumphantly and, without waiting for permission, plopped down in a chair. As the host, I sat down a moment later.

“What brings you here today?”

“Oh my, is it strange for me to come visit? Aren’t we close?”

Lupe took a leisurely sip of her tea. It was still early, and my mouth tasted bitter, so I wasn’t in the mood for tea. I asked the maid standing nearby for water, and she poured some into my cup.

A dull stretch of time passed as Lupe slowly drank her tea. I, bored and restless, ended up staring out the far window. It was only then that Lupe finally spoke.

“I was wondering… Have you heard the recent rumors about Lady Serne?”

“…No.”

“I’ve heard something incredible! Apparently, Lady Serne was invited by the First Prince and will be escorted by him at the imperial banquet!”

She leaned in as if she was sharing the most dramatic news ever.

Not knowing the full context, I merely blinked.

Maybe it wasn’t the reaction she had hoped for, because Lupe looked puzzled.

“Lyla? I said Lady Serne is going to be standing next to the First Prince.”

“Oh… Is that so?”

Lupe’s expression turned more and more flustered.

“W-What do you mean?”

I didn’t care at all who the First Prince danced with or escorted. I was just about to ask if she had really come here just to tell me that, when a thought occurred to me.

‘This is an opportunity.’

Lupe was the type of girl whose every thought showed plainly on her face. No matter how clever she pretended to be, I felt like I could manipulate her into revealing exactly what I wanted to know.

Let’s try getting some information from this young lady.

Determined, I opened my mouth.

“That’s just absurd.”

As I played along, Lupe’s face brightened. She finally looked like she felt understood.

“Right? It’s absolutely ridiculous. That’s why we need to step in.”

“Step in?”

“Yes. To warn her. How dare she try to reach for the First Prince? We must teach her a lesson ourselves.”

My mind was spinning.

No way…

“How about we humiliate her at the banquet?”

“…In what way?”

“There are plenty of ways. We just do what we always do.”

Lupe shrugged like it was obvious and reached for a cookie, bringing it to her mouth.

Crunch. That crisp sound confirmed my suspicion.

“Lyla, why don’t you slap her across the face?”

Ah, I see.

Now I understood what Lupe was getting at.

What I had learned since coming to this mansion was that despite her infamous reputation, Lyla was actually timid and quiet. She might’ve seemed a bit cold or awkward with her emotions, but she wasn’t inherently a bad person.

The timid Lyla probably didn’t even know how to say no.

At fourteen, peer approval means everything. It wasn’t uncommon for kids to bully others or do bad things just to fit in, even when they didn’t want to.

Of course, that didn’t excuse the behavior. Even if someone was manipulated, they were still responsible for their actions.

But the one pulling the strings was always worse.

Lupe struck me as the manipulating type. And judging from the situation, it was likely that Lyla had been used by her and her clique.

Without knowing what I was thinking, Lupe continued to babble.

“We really need to step up. The First Prince doesn’t belong to just one person, and yet she’s trying to monopolize him…! It’s so absurd.”

“Yes…”

I pretended to sip my tea while carefully choosing my words.

‘What do I do?’

Honestly, I wanted to yell at her and kick her out immediately.

But I hesitated.

It had only been a few days since I arrived in this world. I had read a few chapters of the original novel, but I still didn’t know much about high society or even this world—and especially not about Lupe.

I had no choice but to play the long game.

“I understand what you mean.”

I set down my teacup. Lupe’s face lit up.

“Then…”

“But I haven’t been feeling well lately. I do want to speak to Lady Serne, just as you say, but… I don’t think I can handle it for now.”

“O-Oh, is that so?”

Lupe’s eyes trembled at the unexpected rejection. Her face screamed, ‘What’s going on all of a sudden?’

I smiled sweetly. Lupe looked at me strangely as I smiled. With her red hair and red eyes, she had a fairly pretty face—but that was it.

“Lady Lupe.”

“Yes?”

“Please go back now. I’m sorry, but I’m not feeling well enough to continue chatting.”

Lupe looked like she’d seen a ghost. She clearly hadn’t expected to hear that from me.

But perhaps she didn’t have the nerve to argue with the host of the house, because she quietly gathered her things and left, trembling.

Once she was gone, I took a deep breath.

She had called herself my friend.

I had hoped, just a little, that she might be a decent person… but no.

That wasn’t what friends were.

A real friend wouldn’t act like that. A real friend…

‘Are you okay?’

I remembered the face of the girl who used to show me romance novels.

When I first told her about my family situation, Ye-eun had listened with tear-filled eyes and comforted me. Because she cried for me, I…

I quickly took a deep breath. I didn’t want to cry here.

I looked out the window. Though it was morning, it looked dark—as if rain would pour down at any moment. I frowned.

I hated the rain. I hated thunder, lightning too.

I pulled the curtains closed on purpose. Swish. The room separated from the outside, and it felt a little easier to breathe.

This place was different from where I used to live. A father and brothers who loved only me.

I felt like I might drown in that sweetness. I felt like I might give my heart to them.

“Enough.”

I muttered to myself again to steel my resolve.

Stay cold.

Reminding myself that this was a family destined to fall into ruin helped. I would try my best to prevent the rebellion—but if I couldn’t, I’d at least run away.

I would survive.

I closed my eyes.

First, I needed to make sure Lupe never dared look down on me again. She had to know that treating me the way she used to would come with consequences.

No matter how much she ignored me or tried to use me, having been through everything I had in life, her little schemes just seemed childish to me.

In the Afternoon, It Rained.

It started as a drizzle but quickly turned into a downpour. The maid cautiously explained to me:

“It always rains a lot like this in the summer. In the winter, it snows little by little.”

So this world had four seasons. The maid went on to say that the Ulysses Empire experienced all four seasons and that our central region had a relatively mild climate.

I listened absentmindedly.

Maybe the creator, Ye-eun, had based the world on Korea’s climate. I stared blankly at the dinner served before me, but with no appetite, I set the utensils down.

“I’m sorry. Please clear it away.”

“Pardon? Already?”

“Yeah. I’m not hungry.”

I turned my gaze back to the window. The humidity and gloom were suffocating.

“Shall I close the curtains?”

“…Yes.”

All the curtains in the large room were drawn. The maid brightened the chandelier, and I tried to ignore the rain outside.

“Come to think of it, they say there will be record-breaking rainfall tonight and tomorrow. That’s rare in the central region.”

I nodded slowly.

It was dark again.

Why had I woken up this time?

I wondered if it was just another bout of insomnia.

But the next moment, my vision flashed white.

Then came a deafening thunderclap.

Even with the windows shut and the curtains drawn, the thunder roared loud enough to shake the whole mansion.

I trembled uncontrollably. Without thinking, a scream burst from my mouth.

“KYAAAAAA!”