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Chapter 4
Of course, the men of House Rionette were all equally distant toward her.
Elizabeth was convinced it was because they did not truly accept her as family.
“The platinum-blonde hair and blue eyes resemble the real young lady. That’s probably why the master couldn’t ignore a pitiful little girl and brought her home. But now that she’s grown up, she’s no longer cute, nor does she have anything worth doting on.”
Bailey constantly compared her to the real Elizabeth, and Elizabeth gradually became more and more intimidated by the fact that she was a fake.
Perhaps that was why she became even more obsessed with becoming a daughter worthy of the family and its name.
Yet the men of House Rionette still seemed uninterested in her.
Even when Marquis Rionette rarely met her, he had never once smiled at her.
Even considering the stress and endless responsibilities he bore as head of the family, his perpetually expressionless face sometimes felt cold.
Her brothers were no different.
In fact, they were even worse.
When we were younger, I think we were at least somewhat close…
Her eldest brother, Andric, always avoided her.
Whenever circumstances forced them together, he would resolve the situation as quickly as possible and flee.
Her second brother, Bernard, was not as blatant as Andric.
However, whenever he was with her, he would become rigid. His body, expression, and even voice would stiffen.
And both brothers shared one thing in common.
They never looked her in the eye.
They always turned away.
That’s right. My family doesn’t love me.
It was a miserable truth she had accepted long ago.
Still, even if she dared not hope for love, she wanted to be acknowledged as a member of the family.
Her entire ten years in the Rionette household had been devoted to that goal.
But now it’s all over.
When the men of House Rionette returned from their monster subjugation campaign, they would learn the truth.
The branch families are probably already in an uproar.
The servants throughout the estate must know by now as well.
She was afraid to leave her room.
Part of her wanted to hide inside forever and pretend reality did not exist.
But I can’t do that.
She had to clean up this mess.
The damage was already done. The least she could do was minimize the disgrace brought upon House Rionette.
It’s the least I owe the family that raised me.
Elizabeth gazed solemnly at something resting on a shelf.
It was an invitation to a tea party being held tomorrow at the Zillius estate.
***
“I plan to attend the tea party at the Zillius estate tomorrow.”
When she said that, Bailey’s reaction was exactly what Elizabeth had expected.
She looked as though she were staring at a madwoman.
“I’ll do whatever I can to minimize the damage to the family—”
“Stop disgracing House Rionette.”
Bailey cut her off sharply.
“I warned you countless times. To think you’d hide such filthy origins and shamelessly deceive and insult all of us!”
Unable to contain her anger, Bailey glared at Elizabeth, her body trembling.
“Every day, more than a dozen letters arrive from branch family members condemning you. How exactly do you intend to fix this situation? What an arrogant and presumptuous thought.”
“I…”
Elizabeth forced the words out.
“I’ll say that I deceived the Marquis.”
Of course, Marquis Rionette already knew her origins.
But now, he had to appear ignorant.
“Then House Rionette becomes the victim that was fooled by a lowborn illegitimate child. The family won’t suffer any harm.”
It was the only solution she could think of.
“Please help me prepare for tomorrow.”
***
Elizabeth finished dressing while enduring the maids’ treatment, which had become even colder than before.
Concealing her nervousness, she arrived at the Zillius estate looking as beautiful as ever.
But the atmosphere that greeted her was nothing like usual.
“Look who’s here—the filthy bastard.”
The young lady who spoke had once eagerly praised Elizabeth as the noble flower of House Rionette whenever they met.
That remark opened the floodgates.
Everyone began mocking her.
“How disgusting. After deceiving all of us, she still has the nerve to show her face.”
“What can you expect? Blood doesn’t lie. I heard her mother was a prostitute.”
“How vulgar. And after all that, she acted like she was some refined noble lady? It’s revolting.”
For a moment, Elizabeth felt her face flush at the unfamiliar whispers.
But she calmly took a seat in the drawing room.
Unlike before, Lady Zillius, the host, did not welcome her.
Nor did crowds gather around her.
She had expected this and prepared herself for it.
Still, seeing people’s attitudes change by one hundred and eighty degrees with her own eyes was shocking.
Stay calm. Remember why you’re here…
At that moment—
Splash!
Someone approached and threw cold water on her.
Suddenly drenched like a soaked rat, Elizabeth looked up in bewilderment.
Standing before her was Lady Zillius, the host of today’s tea party, wearing an irritated expression.
“How dare you come here? Are you trying to ruin my party?”
“Ah…”
“You didn’t actually think an invitation meant you were welcome, did you?”
Pointing toward the exit, Lady Zillius shouted:
“Get out of my party. Right now.”
With that, she stormed away.
The guests left behind snickered and mocked Elizabeth.
Water dripping from her clothes, Elizabeth lowered her head for a long moment before leaving the drawing room to fix her soaked dress.
“That’s why I wanted you to listen to me.”
At the familiar voice, she stopped.
There stood Sibylla, looking at her with pity.
“It’s not too late. Leave Icarzan.”
Of course, Elizabeth intended to do exactly that.
After she took all the blame and minimized the damage to House Rionette.
But before that, she needed an answer.
“How did you know I was illegitimate?”
At her question, Sibylla gave her a strange look.
“Curious?”
She stepped closer.
As though sharing a secret, she leaned in until their bodies nearly touched and whispered:
“Let me tell you a secret. The reason I know the secrets of this world. The reason I knew you were illegitimate and destined to become a villainess.”
Elizabeth frowned.
Then Sibylla said something shocking.
“This world is actually a novel. The place you live in exists inside a book. We’re all characters in that story.”
A novel?
A book?
Characters?
Elizabeth couldn’t understand a word she was hearing.
She stared at Sibylla in confusion.
“And I’m the author from another world who created this story. That’s why I know everything that happens here.”
“Another world? What kind of nonsense is that? Have you gone insane?”
“I know. That’s what I thought at first too.”
Sibylla chuckled.
“I simply went to sleep one night and woke up inside the novel I wrote.”
“…”
“Anyway, everything that happens in this world is written in my book.”
“Hah. Then if that’s true, my origins, my childhood, and everything happening now were all settings you created?”
“That’s right.”
Sibylla smiled.
“A villainess needs a tragic background. It makes the story more believable and helps the heroine shine.”
“…What?”
“You become a villainess because of your miserable childhood and your deep inferiority complex about your birth.”
How absurd.
Even if Sibylla somehow knew everything about the world, Elizabeth couldn’t simply believe everything she said.
But if there really is a god… would that god be like her?
A world where the favored protagonist was chosen from birth.
Where everyone else existed only to be sacrificed for that person.
Otherwise, how could her life—filled with nothing but misery—be explained?
Without realizing it, Elizabeth found herself directing her anger toward the god she had always prayed to for salvation.
“I’ve never been happy. Not once in my entire life.”
Her voice trembled as she spoke.
“Before becoming a Rionette, I was abused by my parents and grew up covered in wounds. After becoming a Rionette, I lived every day terrified that my origins would be exposed and I’d be pelted with stones just like today. I struggled endlessly not to be abandoned by a family that never loved me.”
Every painful memory she had endured since birth seemed to replay all at once.
Her entire body trembled.
“And you’re saying… all of that happened because of something so trivial? That my life, everything I am, was sacrificed for that reason?”
What if a god really had designed her life to be miserable simply so someone else could shine?
What if even her creator had never loved her?
The thought was so heartbreaking that tears finally spilled from her eyes.
“Yes.”
And that simple answer awakened something inside her.
“As the author, I have to support the heroine and protect her from you. So—”
“…”
“Now that I know this world is real, I can’t allow the heroine to suffer. That’s why—”
“Don’t make me laugh.”
Elizabeth cut her off sharply.
The expression on her face was so frightening that Sibylla unconsciously flinched.
“A protagonist? Everyone is the protagonist of their own life. Even if you chose one person to be the heroine, that doesn’t give you the right to ruin everyone else’s lives!”
Yet Sibylla remained calm.
As if it couldn’t be helped.
As if everyone else’s suffering was none of her concern.
Seeing that expression, Elizabeth felt something snap inside her.
“Fine. Then I’ll give you exactly what you want.”
“You’ve made the right choice. It’s better for you too.”
Sibylla brightened.
“When you fall in love with the male lead, you’ll torment the heroine he loves and eventually be killed—”
“I’ll become a villainess.”
Sibylla’s eyes widened.
Clearly, Elizabeth had misunderstood her.
“No, wait! Didn’t you hear what I said? If you do that, you’ll die! Just quietly leave the country and—”
“I don’t care. If that’s how I’m supposed to be written, then I’ll play my role.”
It was a lie.
She didn’t want to die.
And she still didn’t believe in fate.
But—
Whatever happens, happens. I have nothing left to lose anyway.
Elizabeth smiled.
“Thank you, Miss Sibylla. Thanks to you, I think a great many things are going to change starting today.”
“Wait! Lady Rionette!”
Sibylla hurriedly grabbed for her, but Elizabeth turned away without looking back.
She should return to the estate.
As she headed toward the exit, familiar voices reached her ears.
“That dress she’s wearing today is so unfashionable. Such vulgar taste. Well, with a prostitute for a mother, I suppose that’s inevitable—”
It was the same young lady who had complimented her brooch not long ago.
The same woman who always praised her outfits.
Now she was mocking her fashion sense.
Such shameless hypocrisy.
A crooked smile appeared on Elizabeth’s lips.
All right.
Let’s announce the beginning of my life as a villainess.
She grabbed a cocktail from a passing servant’s tray and strode toward the woman insulting her.
Splash!
Without hesitation, she threw it.
“Eek!”
The woman, now covered in sticky cocktail, screamed loud enough to shake the drawing room.
Watching her, Elizabeth smiled gracefully.
For the first time in her life, she had done something worthy of a villainess.
And it felt—
Far better than she had ever imagined.
