IRY 02

chapter 02…………………………………….

In the original story as well, whenever Karina was irritated, she used Edwin as a punching bag. And like mother, like daughter—Alice later followed in Karina’s footsteps and abused Edwin too.

‘I just need to stop this one thing.’

If she could simply survive, she would be able to see the original story unfold in real life. Thinking about what would happen after escaping death, she recalled the scene where she couldn’t let go of her lingering regrets.

“Heh… hehehe.”

The people around Alice turned pale when they saw her muttering with a sinister laugh.
It was an expression no child should ever have—utterly malicious and vile.

Then, after some time, the sharp sound of heels echoed down the hall, and the door flew open.

“So you really woke up.”

Alice immediately recognized who had entered the room.

Luxuriant red hair, drenched in perfume, cascaded down to the woman’s waist, and her ornate empire-style dress accentuated her graceful figure beautifully.

Karina Esteban—her biological mother.

But there was a strange smell. This was… heavy perfume used to mask the stench of rot clinging to her from the tower.

At a glance, Karina looked to be in a very foul mood as she entered the room.

Alice became certain of what Karina had been doing before coming here. Her future was already looking bleak.

‘This is dangerous if things stay like this.’

Keeping her lips tightly sealed, Alice started scheming.

The tower where Edwin was kept had a lock that only Karina and the Duke could open.

‘I need to deal with that lock first.’

That would be the fastest and most reliable way to separate Karina from Edwin.

Karina raised her eyebrows as she looked at her daughter, whose cheeks were flushed with fever.

“She’s still not better?”

“Winter influenza doesn’t fade easily. And the young lady has a particularly weak constitution—”

Karina waved her hand sharply, cutting Evan off mid-explanation as if she didn’t want to hear any more.

“It won’t infect me, will it?”

“As I’ve told you repeatedly, it can be transmitted through coughing, but if you wear the mask I provide—”

Evan held out a mask, but Karina turned away.

“She’s not going to die, right?”

“She won’t… die.”

As Evan hesitated, Karina spoke again.

“Alice, I’ll call for you once you’re completely better.”

With that, she left the room.

A cold silence settled over the space.

Alice blinked slowly, staring blankly at the door.

‘…That’s it?’

She felt completely dumbfounded.

She already knew, from the memories she’d inherited over the past three days, that her relationship with her mother wasn’t good—but experiencing it firsthand felt entirely different.

“I want to rest…”

Her chest felt strangely tight. These weren’t her emotions, but those of the body’s original owner—Alice.

Even knowing that, her mood sank rapidly, and she wanted to be alone. Her appetite vanished.

‘I used to eat well even when I was depressed.’

Maybe because this wasn’t her original body, even her appetite didn’t obey her.

Come to think of it, what happened to her body in her past life?

Was there no way to go back?

But even if she somehow returned after many hardships, there would be no one waiting to welcome her.

Even as a child, she had no parents and no one to help her, so she survived by relying solely on her own wits.

Realizing that she had no one to lean on here either, she grew more despondent, unconsciously revealing her darker thoughts.

“I want to see Edwin.”

If she could at least see the protagonist, her gloomy mood would surely disappear.

Surely Karina hadn’t gone back to beat Edwin again… right?

As her fever subsided and her mind cleared, worry for Edwin took over.

Though he would later become a battered male lead, enduring adult violence at just seven years old would be far too much.

This was exactly the period when his hatred for the family was steadily accumulating, like mileage points.

“Y-you mean Young Master…?”

At Alice’s request to see Edwin, Evan and the maids exchanged stiff, frozen looks.

They recalled how Alice usually lashed out at those around her whenever she failed to receive her mother’s attention.

‘Like her mother, is she trying to take out her anger on Edwin?’

The thought crossed their minds simultaneously. Given Alice’s usual behavior, it was a natural conclusion.

“Yeah. Can I go see him?”

Hope sparkled in Alice’s blue eyes.

“Miss, you must remain calm and rest.”

Evan stopped her with an unusually firm tone. Not only because of her health, but also because the thought of her already imitating her mother’s behavior sent chills down his spine.

“Then…”

I can’t see Michael either?

Alice was about to say it, but seeing Evan’s resolute expression, she backed down.

Evan, who clearly disliked her, would never let her see Michael.

‘Besides, what if I infect Michael with the flu?’

That would hurt her even more. Doctors’ advice was usually worth following, after all.

She also wanted nothing more than to get out of this bed as soon as possible.

* * *

Around the time Alice was finally able to sit up on her own, a rumor swept through the ducal household.

‘The young miss is also looking for Edwin.’

Though the intention behind Alice’s request had been completely misunderstood, the fact that she’d asked for Edwin was true, so the rumor spread as it pleased.

Without her even realizing it, Alice’s already rock-bottom reputation had drilled straight through the ground and plunged beneath the mantle.

* * *

“You may transition from liquid foods to solid foods now.”

Evan Elga, the veterinarian-turned-physician, issued his prescription in his usual neat, composed manner, his refined beauty shining as ever.

Lying in bed, Alice gazed up at Evan with sparkling eyes.

‘No matter how many times I see him, he really does have an interesting, attractive face.’

She admitted that Evan’s looks accounted for a significant portion of why she hadn’t stubbornly insisted on seeing Michael.

As expected of Michael’s older brother. If he ever used his looks as a weapon, she’d already be mortally wounded.

“Then can I eat meat?”

“Pork doesn’t digest well for you, Miss, so chicken or beef would be preferable.”

“Yes!”

Alice cheered, her chubby cheeks flushed pink with excitement. Evan looked at her as if she were something entirely unfamiliar.

Tilting her head, she asked,

“Is something wrong?”

“No.”

“It feels like there is.”

“No.”

Evan continued repeating that nothing was wrong in the same tone. Realizing the conversation was pointless, Alice lay back down.

The moment she did, softness and warmth wrapped around her whole body. She couldn’t escape it.

‘Ah… I want to lie down like this forever.’

“Miss, lying down immediately after eating can strain your stomach. Your fever has completely subsided, so for digestion and to rebuild your strength, it would be good to go for a walk.”

Evan cautiously suggested a walk.

In the past, he never would have given such advice.

The old Alice would throw tantrums and lash out with a whip if anyone dared advise her.

But recently, the Alice who had awakened from her sickbed didn’t snap over trivial matters, nor did she hit the servants.

She was gentle and docile—as if her soul had been replaced.

It might just be a child’s temporary whim, but even that alone put Evan more at ease.

Once, he’d quietly hoped that Alice might grow up to be a good adult, just like his younger brother Michael…

But the thought soon faded, replaced by doubt that such a thing was even possible.

At Evan’s suggestion, Alice’s eyes lit up.

“But… walking alone would be so boring.”

She carefully tested the waters.

She didn’t expect Evan—who adored his younger brother—to hand Michael over so easily, but it wouldn’t hurt to try.

Now then, how old was Michael again?

Two years younger than Edwin—so five.

Alice’s nostrils flared with excitement.

‘He must be adorable!’

Even in the original story, Michael was described as being more beautiful than most women.

Now that she’d fully recovered from the flu, she didn’t want to miss the chance to see him as a child.

That meant she had to win Evan over.

But Evan already knew about Alice’s past misdeeds—there was no way he’d hand over his brother easily.

What should she do?

As she schemed, she put on a sad expression and spoke.

“And if I walk alone, I’ll definitely feel lonely. I wish I had a friend too.”

Hearing such a childlike statement for the first time, the maids and servants nearby were utterly shocked.

She looked just like an ordinary child.

Instead of demanding company while wielding a whip, she was asking for a friend—it felt completely unfamiliar.

Even Evan couldn’t hide his surprise.

After a long pause, he finally spoke, his straight lips parting.

“I’ll discuss it with the Duchess.”

Alice smacked her lips in disappointment.

As expected, Evan never once mentioned his brother—typical behavior for someone who treated Michael like a priceless treasure.

There was no need to rush anyway. In the future, Michael would become her personal physician.

But then—

‘Wait. For that to happen, Evan has to go to war and die.’

Recalling the original plot, Alice looked at Evan with trembling eyes.

After Evan’s death, Michael would be taken into the ducal household, and a few years later, he would become Alice’s attending physician as part of inheriting the family profession.

‘If I’m seven, that makes Michael five… and Evan’s death…’

Exactly one year later.

When Evan—the eldest brother who had raised Michael alone—died, young Michael was truly left alone.

A six-year-old couldn’t survive by himself.

The one who took him in was Duke Esteban.

The Elga family had served as the ducal family’s physicians for generations, so they pitied the orphaned child and took him in.

That was the official reason.

‘But in truth, there was another motive.’

After Evan died in the war, the Duke learned—belatedly—that Evan had been healing people with divine power.

Upon hearing that, he immediately devised a plan to offer Michael to the Emperor as a living tribute.

The first step of that plan was to completely absorb Michael into the ducal family.

And so, growing up alongside Michael, who was younger than her, Alice tormented and abused him endlessly.

The father abused the “gong,” the mother abused the “gong,” and the daughter abused both the “gong” and the “shou.”

‘What a family perfectly suited to be villains for the protagonists.’