BVIB 02

◆ Chapter 2 ◆

‘It’s been a while.’

Facing the ghost of someone long dead, Roselyn felt a strange sensation as she stood with her head held high.

‘Is this the past?’

Roselyn slowly surveyed her surroundings, recalling the woman who had begged for her life and died pathetically.

“You bring shame to your father and even your stepfather…”

She let the endless chatter from beside her flow in one ear and out the other, turning her head to look out the window.

A dry, amused smile escaped her lips.

“…Did you just laugh?”

Only when she heard the shocked voice did Roselyn realize her stepmother was still talking beside her.

“You’ve tarnished the family’s honor so much… Yet I was always on your side! How can you ignore me like this? Do you really hate me so much…?”

Roselyn paused for a moment.

‘Did I try to kill myself?’

That was quite strange.

‘I was more likely to grit my teeth and fight back with a sword than to give up and die.’

Her stepmother had tormented her more than a decade ago, out of sheer ignorance.

Then one day, when Roselyn overturned the dining table and grabbed a decorative sword from the wall, attacking like a madwoman, the open harassment ceased.

‘Instead, there were attempts at assassination and poisoning.’

So she was certain—this wasn’t her past.

Roselyn never gave up on life or stayed silent while being belittled, even when bedridden.

‘…This isn’t the past.’

It didn’t feel like she had traveled back in time. Her thoughts naturally returned to what Marquis Gueran had said at the end.

‘Parallel worlds…’

Could that really be true?

“Don’t ignore me! I just want you to do a little better…”

The voice interrupting her thoughts was quite bothersome.

“Be quiet.”

“…What?”

Her stepmother’s eyes widened in shock.

“Oh, my apologies. You buzzing like a mosquito was quite distracting. If you must continue, could you do it elsewhere? As you can see, I seem to have just risen from my sickbed.”

“Heavens, listen to her! How can you… I’m your mother! How can you say such things… Who are you? Why have you suddenly become so rude…?”

“No, to be precise, you’re my prospective stepmother. You haven’t had the wedding yet.” Judging by her minimal jewelry and modest attire, it was clear she was still in the phase of putting on a pretense.

Roselyn observed her prospective stepmother’s stunned expression and proceeded to speak. “Lady Carmel, I don’t mind if you join this family… just don’t irritate me. If you do…”

Roselyn smiled sweetly, causing Lady Carmel to pause, feeling as if she were facing a different person.

“Whether you sell the duke’s business secrets, slowly poison my father, or plant your people in the estate… I won’t interfere.”

“Roselyn—!” Lady Carmel’s mouth fell open in shock.

The chilling words, delivered with an unchanging, beautiful expression, sent a shiver down her spine.

“Let’s keep it simple. As long as you don’t bother me, I won’t get in your way.”

Roselyn offered her a kind yet firm piece of advice.

Lady Carmel looked down at the girl who would become her stepdaughter, meeting her gaze directly.

‘…Who is this child?’

Unsettled by the chill she felt, she swallowed hard, almost involuntarily.

It was as if she were sticking her head into the jaws of a predator.

This sickly, timid girl from the Bellion duchy, who was so insignificant that even the maids ignored her, unable to meet their eyes or speak up—this was her.

She used to grow her bangs long to hide her ugly face and her red, unsettling eyes, but now she boldly swept her hair back, meeting their gaze directly.

That was astonishing enough.

But even more surprising was…

‘How did she know?’

Her voice seemed to suggest she knew all of Lady Carmel’s plans.

“It’s frustrating when beasts can’t understand gentle words,” Roselyn sighed, muttering to herself with exasperation.

A maid who typically shadowed Lady Carmel dared to speak up.

“Miss, aren’t you being too harsh? The young madam— Ahh!”

Something flashed before her eyes, and the loyal maid who had stepped forward cried out in pain.

Lady Carmel’s eyes widened in shock.

“Not young madam, but Lady Carmel. And I am a lady of the duchy,” Roselyn corrected, her tone icy.

“Ahh, it hurts, it hurts!” The maid whimpered.

“Roselyn! What on earth are you doing…?” Lady Carmel shrieked, her voice filled with disbelief.

“Mother, you should train your maids better,” Roselyn remarked, turning her head with a smile.

Her lips curved brightly, but her eyes remained cold and unyielding.

Her wild, unkempt hair made her appear even more menacing, and the red eyes peering through silenced Lady Carmel.

She stood frozen, her lips moving soundlessly, pointing at Roselyn with a trembling hand as Roselyn still held the maid’s hair.

“Mother, do I need to tell you to leave my room again?” Roselyn asked calmly.

“…You, you really—”

“Leave.”

“…Don’t think I’ll let this go. I’m truly heartbroken…” Lady Carmel glared at Roselyn’s bright face, tears streaming as she turned away.

“Advice seems wasted on you.”

Roselyn clicked her tongue, anticipating the trouble to come.

She genuinely didn’t care what happened in the Bellion duchy as long as she wasn’t bothered. However, that also meant…

If she was bothered, she was prepared to drag them down.

And exactly three days later, she was invited to the duke’s formal dinner. Though called a formal dinner, it was clearly a setup to humiliate her.

Over the past three days, Roselyn gathered information and organized her thoughts about her situation:

This is a “parallel world,” approximately ten years before the day I died, and I am now seventeen.

Even in this “parallel world,” familiar people and similar events exist.

My status here is quite poor. Servants subtly mock or ignore me, my reputation is awful, and I lack a personal maid.

Not everyone I remember is the same.

Recalling the maid who once treated her kindly but now mocked her, Roselyn finished tidying her hair.

She made one decision while gathering information about this place: to live quietly,

calmly, comfortably, and ordinarily in this world.

‘I’m tired of being chased and ridiculed.’

Roselyn opened her wardrobe and frowned at the old, drab dresses.

“Stepmother hasn’t changed at all.”

Still foolish and one-dimensional.

Despite bringing down the Bellion duchy, she remained stuck as a “bishop,” always following orders.

‘That’s why it was easy to eliminate her.’

Roselyn thought as she parted her long bangs and tucked them behind her ears.

Finally seeing clearly, she put on a stark black dress from the wardrobe.

“So much to fix.” Roselyn muttered under her breath as she adorned herself with a fake pearl necklace that looked obviously counterfeit.

To mask her pale complexion, she applied a somewhat garish red lipstick and looked in the mirror.

The bright red eyes and lipstick contrasted sharply with her fair skin, making her stand out.

A small smile played on her lips.

‘How long has it been?’