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Chapter 2
In the original novel, the moment Ayla opened her eyes, she fell into despair.
Because her family was no longer by her side.
“They were always with me whenever I was sick.”
Ayla had no choice but to accept that her circumstances had changed overnight.
That Rosia was now the true daughter of the Blanche Ducal House, and she was not.
But now that she remembered the contents of the novel, she knew the whole truth.
Rosia is a fake. She’s a mage sent by the mastermind of this story to manipulate the Blanche family.
She was a fraud.
And a highly skilled one at that—powerful enough to tamper with a magical artifact used for bloodline testing.
Ayla recalled something Rosia had said near the end of the story.
“The truth is, you really are this family’s biological daughter. I’ve just been acting all this time to steal your place.”
“What?”
“You only realized it now? You’re even more foolish than I thought.”
It was an unbelievably cliché melodramatic plot twist.
However, the current Ayla was not just Ayla.
She was also a twenty-nine-year-old Korean woman who, in her previous life, had consumed countless regret-themed novels.
If it was her now, she could stop events from unfolding exactly as Rosia intended.
To do that, I absolutely can’t act the way the original Ayla did.
In the novel, Ayla constantly reacted sharply whenever Rosia pretended to be kind while shedding fake tears.
As a result, her relationship with her family deteriorated beyond repair.
But that was all part of Rosia’s scheme.
Rosia was exceptionally talented at pretending to be kind and winning people’s favor.
The angrier Ayla became and the more she lashed out, the worse her own reputation grew.
What’s even worse is that Rosia’s emotional manipulation magic becomes stronger the more affection and trust she gains.
Her magic was subtle yet terrifyingly powerful.
At first, it merely made Rosia seem a little more pitiful than she really was.
But as time passed and emotional bonds formed, she became capable of controlling people almost entirely according to her will.
That was why Ayla decided she would be far more cunning this time around.
If Rosia wanted to play the role of a pitiful victim, then she would become even more pitiful.
If Rosia falsely accused her, then she would act innocent and turn the tables.
That kind of thing… I’m completely confident in.
Hiding her true emotions and pretending to be someone else.
That was something she knew all too well.
After all, I used to work as a reenactment actress.
In her previous life, she had appeared in various one-act dramas and reenactment television programs.
Though she had only played minor supporting roles, she was confident in her ability to immerse herself in a character and portray emotions convincingly for brief periods.
If she could steal away the attention Rosia received, she would be able to expose Rosia’s true nature much sooner.
Thinking of Rosia, Ayla curled her lips into a cold smile.
I’ll show you exactly how a tragic heroine is supposed to be played.
* * *
Fortunately, Ayla had not yet been thrown out of the mansion.
She had even received word that she was welcome to join breakfast as usual.
As always, she called for a maid to bring water for washing.
The maid immediately frowned.
“Lady Ayla—ah, no… Here it is.”
Ayla frowned slightly as she watched the maid’s cold attitude.
Come to think of it…
Lira was Ayla’s personal maid, and in the novel she had been an especially irritating character.
She secretly enjoyed seeing Ayla’s downfall.
Perhaps because of that, she was also one of the people whose attitude changed most dramatically after Ayla was branded a fake.
Although it had not been long since the revelation, and Lira still seemed unsure how she should treat Ayla…
In the original story, as time passed, Lira and the other servants would increasingly look down on her.
Just like now.
After finishing her preparations, Ayla left her room with Lira.
Numerous eyes immediately turned toward her.
The servants stared at her with expressions of disbelief.
The beloved young lady of the ducal house had suddenly become someone of nearly the same status as themselves.
Ayla overheard their conversation.
“What could His Grace possibly be thinking? Inviting her to the first meal with the new young lady.”
“The Duchess must feel sorry for her.”
“They did raise her all these years.”
“Then how are we supposed to treat her now?”
“Should we even still call her Lady? I mean, she’s basically the same status as us now.”
In the original novel, Ayla became furious the moment she heard those words.
“What did you just say? How dare a mere maid speak so carelessly—!”
In truth, Ayla’s reaction had been perfectly understandable.
The head of the family had not yet made a final decision regarding her future, so for servants to discuss her status so casually was incredibly presumptuous.
However, because of that outburst, her brothers looked at her with contempt.
That incident damaged her reputation even more.
So this time, she chose not to react.
She knew exactly how she needed to behave if she wanted to be smarter than the original protagonist.
“She heard all that and didn’t even change expression.”
“How can she be so cold-hearted?”
“Shh. That’s enough.”
Ayla calmly ignored their words and continued walking until she arrived at the dining room.
The moment she entered, she felt several piercing gazes.
Her two older brothers.
They looked at her differently than before.
As though she were no longer their younger sister, but a complete stranger.
Seeing that, she couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
You fools. You’re being completely deceived and don’t even know it.
But contrary to her true thoughts, Ayla lowered her head as sorrowfully as possible.
Like someone deeply devastated by a reality she couldn’t accept.
Seated at the head of the table, Kalios spoke to her in a cold voice.
“Sit down.”
At his words, Ayla carefully took her seat.
It was the chair directly to Kalios’s left.
Kalios, the head of the Blanche family, had always cherished Ayla more than his sons.
The daughters of House Blanche were traditionally born with the talent to become great mages.
As the family’s only daughter, Ayla had always held special significance.
But at some point, he gave up on expecting anything from me.
Ayla possessed an almost shocking lack of magical talent.
When Kalios learned that fact, he lost interest in her.
He did not mistreat or despise her, but neither did he try to show her affection.
Ayla raised her head.
She could feel Rosia staring at her.
Ayla already knew what kind of trick Rosia was about to pull.
As expected, Rosia tilted her head and asked innocently,
“Um… did I make a mistake?”
At her innocent voice, everyone’s attention immediately shifted toward her.
The atmosphere around the table changed instantly.
The duke looked at Rosia in confusion.
“A mistake?”
“Well… since I don’t really know noble etiquette, I’m not sure where a noble lady is supposed to sit.”
Rosia’s cheeks flushed slightly.
“My brothers told me to sit in the middle, so I did. But if daughters are supposed to sit across from their father instead…”
At those words, every member of the family’s gaze turned toward Ayla’s seat.
She was sitting directly to the duke’s left.
To the duke’s right sat Irene, the duchess, along with the sons.
That seating arrangement had only been possible because Ayla had always been considered the sole daughter of House Blanche.
Realizing that, Kalios addressed Ayla firmly.
“Move, Ayla.”
The one most startled by his words was Irene.
“H-Honey, no matter what, that’s been Ayla’s seat for years. Telling her to move so suddenly is…”
“But Rosia has a point.”
Kalios’s voice was resolute.
“The seat at the left hand of the family head has always belonged to the eldest daughter of House Blanche.”**
