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Chapter 3
Even a family’s disgrace has its limits—how could she possibly have an affair with her younger sister’s fiancé?
If only she had known from the start that she had been possessed into the serialized novel, she wouldn’t have turned into a villainess and met her death. Why did all her memories only return after she was executed and regressed?
“That, that is…”
“Don’t tell me you’re planning to defend a woman who fooled around with her sister’s fiancé? Then again, Father, you’ve always pampered my sister. While I was left to wander outside.”
“No, it’s not like that… your sister is very fragile…”
“Father, a fragile person wouldn’t get involved in something that filthy.”
Whenever she complained, the answer was always: ‘Your sister is delicate,’ ‘Your sister is unwell.’ Because of that, whenever they fought, it was always Lynette who had to shoulder the blame. Kenneth had always taken the side of Esther, who only pretended to be weak.
“Anyway, everyone’s shaken up, so let’s leave this matter until—”
“Father! The one most shocked right now is me. I’m the one saying we need to talk, so why do you keep putting it off? Just say it straight. Say that you like the sister who resembles Mother best!”
“Y-You! How dare you talk back to your father—Lynette? Hey!”
Suddenly, her body wavered. The two people before her blurred, then disappeared from sight altogether. Gripping her head, Lynette fainted, and Edgar hurriedly caught her in his arms.
“Quickly! Take her to her room and fetch the physician at once!”
“The physician is currently examining Lady Esther—”
“She only collapsed, but she’s fine. Lynette fainted, woke, then collapsed again. Bring the physician now!”
The butler, seeing Lynette limp in Edgar’s arms, immediately sent someone to call the physician away from Esther’s room.
Edgar carried Lynette to her chamber and laid her down. Catherine, who had been waiting quietly, turned pale when she saw the girl unconscious and clutched her hand tightly.
“Good grief, what is that physician doing…”
When the physician failed to appear even after all this time, Edgar furrowed his brow and went upstairs to Esther’s room. There, the physician was carefully tending to Esther.
“I distinctly ordered you to attend Lady Lynette. Did you not hear?”
“Lady Esther has not yet regained consciousness… Forgive me. I will go to Lady Lynette immediately.”
Because Edgar himself had come, the physician had no choice but to leave Esther’s side. He was often tied up with Esther, who fainted frequently as if afflicted with some mysterious incurable disease.
Seeing Edgar’s fiery temper, the physician hurriedly packed his bag without waiting for Esther to wake.
Once he left, Edgar let out a long sigh.
“Y-Young Master! How could you send the physician treating our lady to Lady Lynette instead? Can’t you see our lady has fainted?”
Alice, Esther’s maid, burst into tears and complained bitterly.
At her words, Edgar’s brow creased.
“Lynette fainted as well.”
“But Lady Lynette is strong…”
“If she were so strong, would she be lying unconscious for days? She barely woke, only to collapse again from shock.”
“That may be so, but our lady is still the eldest daughter of this house…”
Even a maid was daring to argue with him now. Edgar exhaled sharply.
This household revolved around the frail Esther—even her maid acted as though she were mistress of the servants.
Edgar glared at Alice, who so recklessly overstepped. She flinched and shut her mouth.
“You. Get up.”
Without hesitation, Edgar struck Esther’s bed with his fist. He had long known Esther often pushed her faults onto Lynette. He suspected this wasn’t a true fainting spell.
“Get up! I know you’re pretending.”
At his shout, Esther’s eyes fluttered open.
“You really make life hard for yourself.”
“…”
“From now on, you’ll walk your own path. Having an affair with your sister’s fiancé wasn’t enough—you even got caught. Who else but you could manage that?”
“Brother… I-I couldn’t help it. F-Fernando threatened me, that’s why… h-hic…”
She buried her face in the blankets and sobbed.
Edgar rubbed his face harshly with his hand. Then, quickly lifting her chin, he stared into her eyes.
“You’re not crying.”
“…”
“Seeing you like this makes me pity Lynette. She kept getting punished for sins she didn’t commit.”
Her dry green eyes showed no trace of tears. Edgar frowned deeply.
He had turned a blind eye when Esther falsely accused Lynette before—he hadn’t wanted to openly take sides between the sisters. Instead, he had scolded Esther privately. But clearly, he had been far too lenient. Esther had crossed a line.
“You could make a living acting, you know that?”
“Brother! No matter what I did, I’m still your sister.”
“See how quickly you push the blame onto Fernando when it suits you? I told you not to pin your sins on others. Did you forget?”
Turning his back on her, Edgar hurried to Lynette’s room.
Lynette had once feigned illness only to be harshly punished by Kenneth. Since then, no matter how much pain she endured, she never showed weakness. For such a girl to remain unconscious—how could Edgar not worry?
“Why won’t she wake?”
“It seems she fainted from severe shock,” the physician explained, leaving some sedatives before departing.
Leaning against the wall, Edgar looked at Lynette.
“The shock was severe, Father. Honestly, if my fiancée had slept with my own sibling, I’d have cut the bastard’s head off.”
Kenneth approached Lynette. She had always been strong, rarely crying over anything.
Esther, on the other hand, would burst into tears at the slightest word. So whenever the sisters fought, Kenneth would scold Lynette, even when Esther was in the wrong.
“I just returned from Esther’s room. She was only pretending to faint. She even tried to pin everything on Fernando. When I lifted her face, there wasn’t a tear.”
“…”
“Father, you spoiled her too much. I can’t excuse myself either—I only stood by as if it wasn’t my concern.”
“Esther cried often, while Lynette never cried… I suppose I…”
Whenever Esther wept with her mother’s eyes, Kenneth would lose his resolve. Softening, he ended up punishing Lynette instead.
“Master… may I speak?”
Catherine, who had quietly stayed by Lynette’s side, lowered her head.
“Go on.”
“Lady Lynette didn’t choose not to cry. She couldn’t. When she was little and wept missing Madam, do you remember what you did?”
“That…”
“You beat her legs until they bled. You shouted at her not to cry! Since Lady Fruna passed when Lynette was eight, she hasn’t dared to cry—even if she wanted to. She feared you would hit her again.”
Kenneth felt like the worst kind of father. He recalled only the times he had wronged her.
Clenching his teeth, he buried his face in his hands. As head of the family, he had thought he was keeping order, but all he had done was crush his daughter.
“I may still be recyclable, Father. You, I’m not so sure about,” Edgar said bluntly.
Kenneth didn’t reply—he only stroked Lynette’s face as she lay unconscious. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had touched her like this.
“I’m sorry, Lynette…”
As the youngest, she should have been cherished most, yet instead she had been pushed aside. Maybe she had clung to Fernando in desperation to escape this house. And then even he had been taken by Esther… how painful it must have been.
Turning from her bedside, Kenneth left. Edgar, about to follow, glanced back at the physician waiting nervously in the hall.
“Esther is perfectly healthy. From now on, you will prioritize Lynette. Otherwise, you’ll regret it.”
Knowing Edgar would be the next earl, the physician bowed deeply.
When she opened her eyes, Lynette saw the familiar ceiling. She yawned and sat up, startling Catherine, who had been dozing at her side.
“You’re awake, my lady! I thought you’d never wake again after fainting so long…”
“How long was I out?”
“About five hours.”
Earlier than she expected.
“I’ll rest a little longer.”
“Yes, please. Rest well, my lady.”
With nothing else she could do, Catherine gently rubbed Lynette’s stomach like she had when she was little—a gesture that always soothed her.
“How could a person commit such vile acts…”
Catherine had gone outside briefly and overheard the scandal. Lynette had been so innocently excited for her marriage, only to have it destroyed—by her own sister and fiancé.
“If you’re born human, you shouldn’t do such things!”
If even she felt this furious, how must Lynette feel? Stroking the girl tenderly, Catherine wiped her own tears with her sleeve.
“Nanny, don’t cry. Better to find out now what kind of scum he was. We should be glad.”
“Yes, my lady! I’m not crying.”
Even though Lynette’s voice carried no strength, Catherine forced a smile to hide her tears.
The next morning, Lynette rose, washed, and dressed. Everyone kept looking at her pitifully, which made her frown.
“My lady, how about this dress today?”
“This accessory suits you so well.”
Servants who were usually curt now treated her with sudden gentleness.
On her way to the dining hall, Lynette spotted Alice, Esther’s maid. Which meant Esther was there too.
“My lady, please, this way,” Alice urged.
Inside the hall, Lynette smirked at the sight she least wanted to see first thing in the morning.
“Come, sit. How do you feel?” Kenneth asked.
“I feel almost guilty that I didn’t die, Father.”
“Lynette! Don’t speak like that.”
Snorting, Lynette ignored Esther and sat beside Edgar. She glanced at her sister and scoffed.
“I’m the one nearly dying, yet look—some woman paints her face so pale she looks healthier than me. Sister, your makeup’s caking.”
Even at her jab, Esther continued to eat gracefully.
“Enough nonsense. Just eat,” Edgar said.
“I’ll eat whether you say so or not. If I collapse here, I’m the only one who suffers.”
While she ate quietly, Edgar placed some meat on her plate. Lynette immediately returned it to his.
“Don’t do things out of character. People die early that way. If you die, this house will fall to her. So keep your wits about you.”
She grumbled as always.
Edgar didn’t reply—he simply slid a drink toward her inconspicuously.
Despite the lavish spread before her, Lynette felt like sand filled her mouth. Finishing early, she sipped her tea and looked at her father. Feeling her gaze, Kenneth spoke quietly.
“I’ve decided to send Esther to the villa for a while.”
At those words, Esther lowered her head, but Lynette shot to her feet.
“Father! Are you joking? She seduced her sister’s fiancé—banishment and exile wouldn’t be enough! And yet you’re sending her to a villa, to rest comfortably?”
