MEWH~02

Chapter 2

A luxurious carriage adorned with blue roses and a serpent crest sped quickly through the streets.

“Mom, look over there! It’s the Magic Tower’s carriage!”

“Oh my, someone important must be passing by.”

Not just anyone could ride in a carriage bearing the Magic Tower’s symbol.

It was reserved only for exceptionally important guests whom the Tower treated with the utmost respect.

And since mages were notoriously prideful, even royalty rarely had access to a Magic Tower carriage.

Yet astonishingly, inside that carriage now sat a rather ordinary woman with no remarkable family backing.

“You must be excited to return home after so long.”

Eleanor, who had been resting her chin on her hand while gazing out the window, turned her head.

She was quite beautiful, though her appearance was far more modest than one might expect.

She wore a navy dress without lace or even the simplest decorative pattern.

Her soft light-brown hair was pulled back tightly into a single tie.

And because she had been reading until just moments ago, she was even wearing glasses.

No matter how one looked at her, she was hardly dressed to impress.

And yet, there was an elegance about her that could not be concealed.

“Yes. It’s already been seven years.”

“I heard you stayed at the academy during every school break instead of returning home, dedicating yourself to research. And as a result, countless patents and discoveries that benefit the world were born from your fingertips.”

“You flatter me.”

“Haha, not at all. It’s no exaggeration. Your parents must be overjoyed. Their daughter is a genius of the century and a treasure of the Empire.”

Eleanor merely smiled and brushed aside the praise.

At some point, she had heard such compliments so often that responding this way had become second nature.

The carriage soon arrived at the Winston estate.

Compared to the seven long years she had spent at the academy, Eleanor’s luggage was surprisingly sparse.

After instructing servants to unload all her belongings, the Magic Tower official said to her:

“If there is ever anything you need, please use that scroll to contact us. We will support you in any way possible.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

“Not at all. It’s only natural. Then I shall look forward to meeting you again. Congratulations sincerely on your graduation, Lady Eleanor.”

With a respectful bow, the Magic Tower official departed in the carriage.

Eleanor slowly looked over the estate.

“…Phew.”

She had returned.

To the Winston estate.

And to the place where the original story began.

The identity of Eleanor, who had become famous as a genius throughout her academy years, was that of a transmigrator.

When she died of cancer and opened her eyes, she found herself inside a web novel she had once read.

The Secret Garden of the Abandoned Saintess.

It was a romance novel centered around a saintess heroine and the many men surrounding her.

And Eleanor’s role in that story was the villainous older sister who bullied the heroine—her younger sister.

Just as the title suggested, Eleanor used cruel schemes to drive her younger sister out of the estate.

And throughout the original story, she relentlessly tormented Charlotte.

Naturally, her end was execution at the hands of the male lead.

The moment Eleanor realized she had transmigrated into this novel, she knew she had to escape that fate at all costs.

So she left the estate.

Instead of driving out her younger sister, she herself left home under the pretense of entering the academy.

A full six years before the original story even began.

And now, seven years later, she had graduated and returned home.

The original plot should already be underway by now, so it should be fine.

According to her parents’ letters, Charlotte—who had just come of age last year—seemed to be living well.

Eleanor had even heard that Charlotte danced with the Crown Prince at a ball.

Unlike the original story, Eleanor had removed herself from Charlotte’s life first, successfully escaping her destiny as the villainous sister.

I really didn’t want to come back until I heard news of Charlotte’s marriage…

Eleanor clicked her tongue regretfully.

Still, I’ll be leaving again within a month. I’ll think of this as a final farewell.

And until Charlotte married the male lead and the original story truly ended, Eleanor had no intention of returning.

Firming her resolve, Eleanor stepped through the estate gates.

“My goodness, Young Lady?”

An elderly maid who recognized Eleanor rushed toward her in shock.

She had once been the nursemaid for both Eleanor and Charlotte.

“Is it really you, my lady?”

“It’s been a long time, Nanny.”

Eleanor smiled gently.

“Have you been well?”

“My goodness! It really is our young lady. Oh my, when did you return? You’ve become a complete lady now.”

“And you seem even younger, Nanny. Time must have skipped over you.”

“Oh, my lady.”

“Where are Father and Mother?”

Eleanor glanced around the inside of the estate.

“Aren’t they home?”

She had sent a letter ahead announcing exactly when she would arrive.

And yet the estate felt strangely empty. There was no sign of celebration for her return.

Even if she had left early to avoid her villainous fate, it wasn’t as though she had a bad relationship with her parents.

So why wasn’t there even a proper welcome after seven years?

“Well, that is…”

The nanny trailed off awkwardly.

She couldn’t even meet Eleanor’s eyes.

Sensing that something was being hidden, Eleanor asked:

“Are they in their room?”

“Well… my lady…”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll go myself.”

Eleanor walked past the nanny and headed inside.

The old woman could only fidget helplessly, unable to stop her.

This is strange.

Why was the estate so quiet?

Not a single servant was in sight.

It was as if everyone had vanished on vacation at the same time.

Before long, Eleanor arrived outside the Count and Countess’s room.

“…Do this…”

Fortunately, her parents were there after all.

She could hear their hushed voices from inside.

Just as Eleanor raised her hand to knock—

“…We have to find Char.”

Eleanor froze.

Find Charlotte?

Then Charlotte wasn’t currently at the estate?

The sudden statement filled her with unease.

Her instincts screamed that she must not interrupt this conversation.

Instead of knocking, Eleanor pressed herself closer to the door.

And very quietly, she listened.

“My poor child. She’s not even in good health right now…”

“Poor? What do you mean poor?!”

The Count’s furious voice roared.

“She wandered around outside however she pleased, and in the end she ran off with a man! I should never have allowed her request to delay entering the temple in the first place. I’m too ashamed to even show my face!”

Eleanor’s eyes widened.

Her younger sister—Charlotte, the heroine—had run away with a man.

That never happened in the original story.

But the shocking revelations didn’t stop there.

“Who the hell is this bastard anyway? Oben? Some low-ranking noble from a family that couldn’t even dare show its face in proper aristocratic society…”

“He’s the second son of Baron Oben’s family. A respectable noble gentleman. And he’s also a holy knight serving at the temple…”

“A holy knight? She threw away her parents and eloped for a mere man like that?!”

Charlotte had run away not with the male lead, the Crown Prince—

—but with Alexis Oben, a mere secondary male lead.

In the original story, Alexis was hardly significant.

Though he was a holy knight, he paled in comparison to the Crown Prince and the Grand Duke.

At best, his one redeeming quality was his devotion to Charlotte.

“And on top of that, she went and had a child without permission! After everything we did to raise her, this is how she repays us?!”

“Waaahhh!”

The sudden cry of a baby echoed through the room.

At that moment, Eleanor could no longer simply stand outside and listen.

Bang—!

With a loud crash, the door flew open.

The Count and Countess flinched in shock and turned toward the entrance.

And Eleanor saw it too.

The tiny life lying on their bed.

A newborn baby—

with facial features that looked exactly like Charlotte.