IRGS 02

Chapter 2

It had been a long time since I’d gone to the dining room.
I never thought I’d walk down this corridor again.

When I stopped in front of the door, the servants bowed deeply. After announcing my arrival, they opened it for me.

A familiar sight spread before my eyes. At the very end of the long dining table sat two people. The first person I looked at was the man seated at the head of the table—my father, Marquis Bartoli.

He looked so young and healthy.

For a moment, I couldn’t breathe.

Why hadn’t I realized it sooner?
If I had returned to the past, then Father must have returned too.

My thoughts tangled together, but thanks to years of drilled etiquette, I still greeted him naturally.

“You’re late.”

Father frowned as he spoke, as if even scolding me further would be a waste.

“Yes, I’m sorry.”

I answered politely and sat down. I pretended to be calm, but my hands trembled slightly.

When I looked up, Leonie was sitting across from me.

Leonie ta Bartoli. Ash-blonde hair and light green eyes. A girl who looked exactly like Father. My younger sister spoke brightly.

“Hello, Sister.”

“Mm, hello.”

Leonie’s eyes widened. She clearly hadn’t expected me to answer.

Those emerald-colored eyes.

The only thing I could still see clearly, even as my vision dimmed before death, when the future Leonie stabbed a knife through my heart.

For a moment, my chest throbbed, and I had to resist the urge to clutch at it.

But the person before me now wasn’t that Leonie.

She was nineteen years old.

Young, vibrant, and overflowing with the confidence of someone who believed the whole world was in her hands.

After traveling back in time, I could finally look at my younger self objectively.

“You pathetic thing.”

“There truly isn’t a single thing you do better than your sister.”

“You are the shame of the Bartoli family.”

All my life, I had feared my father’s contempt while desperately craving his love at the same time. But until the day he died of old age, he never loved me even once.

“Live as if you’re dead. And don’t disgrace the family.”

Those were the final words my father left me.

Unlike my siblings, I could never become the next empress or a genius. I was merely the incompetent eldest daughter, a daughter unworthy of love in Father’s eyes.

The more Father compared Leonie and me—discriminating against me and despising me—the more I hated Leonie, and the more Leonie hated me.

In the end, the person who ruled my life was Father.

I only realized that after he died. But by then, I had already become like a runaway train racing toward a predetermined destination. I couldn’t stop anymore.

And eventually, death put an end to me.

‘The root of all this.’

Even calling him “Father” felt wasteful now. I should just call him that bastard instead.

The servants began bringing in the food.

“By the way, Leonie, what brings you home this time?”

The bastard’s voice when addressing Leonie was absurdly gentle. Leonie answered with exaggerated cuteness.

“What, are you unhappy to see me? Did I show up too suddenly?”

“N-No, of course not. I know you must be busy, so I was just wondering what happened.”

Ha.
He was obviously panicking, wondering if things had gone badly between her and the Crown Prince.

Unfortunately for the me of this era, that wasn’t the case at all. The Crown Prince had fallen in love with Leonie at first sight, pursued her passionately, and eventually married her.

Leonie replied,

“Well, it’s because there’s going to be a ball at the Imperial Palace soon, right? For Her Majesty the Empress’s birthday.”

The bastard nodded.

“That’s right. Why? Are you lacking dresses or jewelry?!”

“Well, not exactly…”

Leonie lowered her eyes shyly and tucked her hair behind her ear.

The moment I saw that gesture, all the faint nostalgia I’d felt shattered into pieces. Even seeing her again after returning, she was still unbelievably irritating!

As if she could possibly lack anything! The Crown Prince practically threw gifts at her already! And our family was one of the most prestigious marquis houses in the Empire!

“Your great-grandmother and grandmother, both of whom became empresses, spared no effort for Her Majesty’s birthday celebrations back when they were crown princesses. It’s a good opportunity to gain favor with the imperial family elders, so tell the butler to provide whatever more you need.”

“Father, um… actually…”

Naturally encouraged by his response, Leonie glanced toward me.

At that moment, I had a terrible feeling.

A distant memory from before my regression flashed through my mind.

Back then, Leonie had definitely—

“Father, you remember that dress you gave Sister a long time ago, right? The one you gifted her for her engagement.”

“Ah, that.”

The bastard answered casually.

And my heart dropped.

Three years ago, during my engagement ceremony, Father had given me a dress for the first and last time.

Of course, it wasn’t because he truly wanted to. My grandmother—who was still alive then—had pressured him, and appearances before the ducal family had mattered too. It wasn’t a sincere gift.

But perhaps because of that, it had been unbelievably luxurious and beautiful.

Layers upon layers of deep green fabric, almost blue in color, embroidered lavishly with gold thread, then adorned with hundreds of yellow topaz gems that shimmered like butterflies fluttering across the dress.

For someone like me, who had lived obsessively frugally to appease Father and prove I could become a good empress, it was my one and only luxury.

“That dress is far beyond what you deserve. Remember that and behave accordingly.”

“Yes… yes, I will. Thank you, Father.”

And to me, it had been the only proof that the marquis—who always looked at me coldly—still loved me at least a little.

Yet Leonie brought it up so casually.

“There’s no need to buy a new dress when there’s already such a good one, right? Her Majesty the Empress is known for being frugal, so I think she’d like it more if people heard I altered an existing dress instead of ordering a new one. Besides, Sister has never even worn it.”

No, it wasn’t that I hadn’t worn it.

I couldn’t wear it.

I loved it too much. It was too precious.

You know that too, Leonie ta Bartoli.

And Leonie was shorter than me. Which meant that once the dress was altered to fit her, I’d never be able to wear it again. Extending a shortened dress with extra fabric would look terrible.

A younger sister stealing her older sister’s engagement gift—it was absurd. Normally, Father should have scolded Leonie immediately.

But I already knew he wouldn’t.

Exactly as in my memories, the bastard nodded and said kindly,

“You’re right, Leonie. How would you like it altered? Shall I summon someone immediately?”

“Father, honestly. If the palace seamstresses handle the alterations, people will spread rumors about how modest the future Crown Princess is, won’t they? Just send it to the palace as it is.”

“I see. Then that sounds best.”

Then he called over the butler waiting in the dining room.

“Have a maid bring it out. Send it to the Imperial Palace immediately so Leonie can receive it upon arrival.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Everything happened before I could even open my mouth.

The butler briefly looked at me apologetically, but that was all. Afterward, he simply carried out his orders as if nothing had happened.

Leonie smiled sweetly at the bastard.

“Thank you, Father. I’m really happy.”

Then she turned toward me with smiling eyes and added,

“Thank you for letting me have the dress, Sister. I’ll wear it well.”

While I sat there speechless in disbelief, the bastard smiled proudly.

“What a kind girl.”

Of course, he wasn’t talking about me—the one who’d just been robbed while frozen silent.

He was talking about Leonie, the one who stole it.

I slowly inhaled and exhaled.

‘It’s okay, Sophia. You can endure this.’

Before my regression, I hadn’t been able to endure it. I’d been so heartbroken that tears spilled down my face right there at the table. I couldn’t even get angry; I was simply too hurt to speak.

Seeing that, the bastard clicked his tongue and mocked me, asking if I really was the eldest daughter. Leonie pretended to feel guilty and said,

“Sister, I’m really sorry for asking such a thing. I thought you’d do at least this much for me. Besides, I think the dress would suit me better than you anyway…”

She rubbed salt into the wound.

And shortly afterward, I was kicked out of the meal entirely.

Thinking about it again still made me furious.

In any case, the important thing was this:

I had never possessed the right to refuse in the first place.

So instead of crying, I smiled warmly at my sister.

“What’s there to thank me for, Leonie? Of course I should do at least this much for my little sister. If you liked my dress that much, you should’ve told me earlier. I’m sure it’ll suit you much better than me anyway.”

At my words, Leonie’s eyes widened in shock.

The maids watching nervously from the corners of the room looked just as surprised. They’d probably expected me to throw a tantrum—or at least burst into tears.

But compared to what I’d experienced before my regression, this was nothing.

If it meant changing my fate, I was prepared to do far worse than this.

* * *

Fortunately, that man I called Father didn’t stay long enough to eat dessert with us.

Which meant I would be alone with Leonie during dessert.

And that meant I finally had the chance to say what I wanted to say to her.

The rich chocolate brownies topped with ice cream served for dessert were entirely Leonie’s taste.

But without complaint, I simply stared quietly at the dessert while organizing my thoughts.

After finishing my thoughts, I picked up my fork—and met Leonie’s eyes.

She hadn’t taken a single bite yet.

What was with her? That brownie addict usually dug in the moment tea was served.

Could it be… she was waiting for me?

A small flicker of hope rose inside me.

Then Leonie asked bluntly,

“Did you poison it?”

“What?!”

“I don’t think you’d be sloppy enough to do something obvious, but…”

She rummaged through her pocket and pulled something out.

A silver spoon.

That little—

Ignoring my dumbfounded stare, my infuriating younger sister dipped the silver spoon into the tea, brushed it along the rim of the teacup, then poked both the ice cream and brownie with it. Only after confirming the color didn’t change did she finally take a bite.

She really was thorough.

So thorough it made my blood boil.

Whew. Endure it. I have to endure.

I only returned today, and there are things I need to accomplish.

Calming myself, I quietly voiced my decision.

“I’m not going to cling to becoming empress anymore.”