TSHLWTL Chapter 01

Chapter 01

“Elena Valentine!”

A pure white plate full of food fell helplessly to the floor.

Immediately after, a familiar loud voice rang out.

“My goodness! Have you finally gone mad? If you don’t want to eat breakfast, just go quietly to your room! What kind of rude behavior is this?”

Catherine turned her head to look at the girl sitting across from her.

Even as her mother, Rachel, shouted angrily, the girl’s expression remained unchanged.

“……”

A sixteen-year-old girl with neat, ash-gray hair and mysterious purple eyes.

She was small for her age, with thin, frail arms and legs that made her look pitifully weak.

The girl before her was Eleanor Valentine, the main character of the novel “The Duke’s Daughter Refuses to Regret.”

If it were the Eleanor Catherine knew, she would have already burst into tears.

‘H-Hic! I-I’m sorry… Hic…!’

Eleanor always had a gloomy, sorrowful expression and constantly apologized.

At one point, Catherine had thought she looked just like a timid little mouse.

“……Does this look like food to you? Food that a person should eat?”

She was never someone who would make direct eye contact and speak firmly.

The Eleanor Catherine knew was shy and weak, always staring at the ground.

Catherine stared at Eleanor.

Unlike before, her purple eyes now held a deep, vivid intensity.

But in the end, what was in those eyes was something cold and unfamiliar—indifference.

Eleanor spoke again in a quiet voice, directing her words at the people in the room.

“If the maids are serving food like this, I see no reason to eat it.”

Hearing that, Catherine lowered her gaze to the food Eleanor had discarded.

At first glance, it looked fine.

But knowing this household, the food inside was probably spoiled or even moldy.

“What on earth do you think you’re doing?”

A cold voice suddenly cut in.

Catherine looked up to see the person who had spoken.

There stood a man with deep navy-blue hair and piercing indigo-blue eyes.

His thick, dark eyebrows, sharp eyes, and strong, chiseled features gave him an intimidating presence.

His name was Killian Valentine, the eldest son of the Valentine family.

He frowned and said,

“You need to be reeducated in proper manners, Eleanor.”

“……”

Normally, Eleanor would be devastated when Killian scolded her.

But today was different.

She showed no reaction at all.

She simply stared at Killian with a blank expression.

“…Is she crazy? Has she finally lost it?”

Catherine flinched as her older brother, Alex, muttered under his breath.

His deep blue eyes, a shade darker than hers, and golden hair were turned toward Eleanor in disbelief.

Seeing that he had no sense of the situation, Catherine quickly kicked his leg under the table.

‘Idiot! Read the room! This is not the time to talk!’

But it was too late—the words had already been spoken.

The already tense atmosphere in the dining room grew even colder.

“…Sigh. I was foolish to expect anything when I was invited to breakfast after so long.”

“Eleanor! Watch your tone—”

Rachel, furious at Eleanor’s attitude, was about to scold her when Eleanor suddenly stood up, cutting her off.

“I won’t be attending breakfast anymore. Even if you invite me out of courtesy, I won’t come. I’m sure the elegant Duchess will be happier without me here.”

With indifferent eyes, Eleanor looked around the room, staring at each person one by one.

At that, David, the second son with ash-gray hair and a sharp expression, abruptly stood up.

Just as he was about to lash out at Eleanor in frustration—

“I’ll take my meals in my room from now on. That’s all.”

“Hey, hey…! Where do you think you’re going?”

Ignoring him, Eleanor turned her back on them and walked out of the dining room.

BANG!

The loud sound of the door slamming shut echoed through the room, leaving behind a heavy silence.

Catherine simply sat there and observed everything.

Everyone stared at the door in shock.

It was only natural—none of them had expected Eleanor to act this way.

She was always the one who cried, apologized endlessly, and kept her head down.

Even when something wasn’t her fault, she was always the one who had to say sorry.

In this house, no one was on her side.

Eleanor was nothing more than the family’s punching bag.

Despite holding the noble title of “duke’s daughter,” she had no power or influence.

And when someone doesn’t realize the power they hold, no one fears them.

That’s why everyone bullied her—servants included.

But today was different.

For the first time, Eleanor neither cried nor apologized.

For the first time, she didn’t hesitate to leave the table first.

“……”

“…Huh?”

“……”

“……”

An awkward, tense silence filled the room like rough, dry sand.

“…I’m leaving now.”

“Ahem, me too.”

A few moments later, after the sound of clinking utensils, Killian and David left the dining room.

They probably thought of this as nothing more than a random outburst.

It was likely the only explanation they could come up with.

Because it had never even crossed their minds that Eleanor had truly given up on them.

Now, only Catherine, Rachel, and Alex remained.

Catherine glanced at Rachel.

She was staring blankly into space, lost in thought.

Meanwhile, Alex was still stuffing his face, completely unfazed by the situation.

‘What a pig.’

Catherine sighed as she looked at her idiotic brother.

“…Sigh.”

“What? You’re not eating? Then I’ll take yours.”

Seeing that Catherine had stopped eating, Alex wasted no time in reaching for her plate.

Annoyed by his lack of awareness, Catherine finally snapped.

“Hey! I wasn’t done eating yet!”

“You are a disgrace to this family.”

“P-Please! I’ll do better! Just don’t abandon me…!”

“You should never have been born.”

“Hic… I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“You disappoint me.”

“No, I can do better…! Please believe me…! It wasn’t me…!”

Eleanor had only ever wished for one thing—to have a warm, loving family like everyone else.

That was her dream. Her everything.

But in the end, her family never loved her.

And eventually, they were the ones who killed her.

“Please! If God exists, give me another chance! I don’t want to die like this…!”

Perhaps God took pity on her.

Because He granted Eleanor the chance to turn back time.

Again. And again.

“In the end, I knew it… I should never have trusted you, Eleanor.”

“Please…! Father!”

But even after rewinding time, nothing changed.

Her family abandoned her, tormented her, and killed her every time.

After going through countless regressions, Eleanor finally realized—

“They never loved me to begin with.”

“I won’t ask for their love anymore. This time, I’ll be the one to abandon them.”

After dying nine times, Eleanor returned for the tenth time.

By then, all her emotions had withered away.

All that remained was an overwhelming sense of emptiness.

So she filled that emptiness with cold indifference.

And so, after yet another return from death, Eleanor became the “emotionless heroine.”

That was how “The Duke’s Daughter Refuses to Regret” began.

And what was Catherine’s role in the story?

The jealous, evil stepsister who tormented the heroine—every family drama had one.

That was Catherine’s role.

Why did she have to be reborn as Catherine Valentine, one of Eleanor’s tormentors?!

Her bright future, which she had once taken for granted, was now doomed to end in complete disaster.

“I’m screwed. Completely screwed. Hahaha…”