The Little Sister in the Devastating Novel Wants to Live

Episode 2

The atmosphere of the novel was dark and depressing, and the male and female protagonists had a love-hate relationship from beginning to end.

There was a very bloody relationship between the Duke’s family, the head of the nobles, and the count’s family, who were the current empress’s parents and were loyal to the imperial family.

The two of them were ready to suffocate each other by biting the other’s necks at any time.

When the male protagonist’s father died just after five years of ascending to the Duke’s seat, the Count kidnapped the protagonist’s only sister and killed her horribly and brutally.

It was meant to be a warning to the male protagonist, as to not rashly move.

The male protagonist was unconcerned. Even after the mutilated corpse of his sister returned, he maintained his composure. He acted like he didn’t have any worry in the world. But deep inside, he was sharpening his blades.

He made meritorious deeds in war and gathered noble forces on his side.

After gaining strength, he brought down the Count’s family by accusing them of treason.

Before the count could claim his innocence, he killed him, tore him limb from limb, and sent the pieces as gifts to nobles who were on the count‘s side.

So the female lead’s father died, and her mother died of shock.

The male lead, who even drew his sword at the female lead, with the intention of killing her, suddenly changed his mind. Instead he opted to drag her to the duchy and have her work as a maid.

Although in name the female lead became a maid, in reality she was treated worse than a slave.

The female lead rolls, and the male lead who has fallen in love with the female lead also rolls.

Why was my taste in books in my previous life, that of a cozy trash can?

Did I read that because I really liked love painted with someone’s blood?

It’s not good. It’s not good at all.

They lived and loved somehow.

But what about the sister?
The younger sister who was brutally sacrificed to build the male lead’s narrative?

Nobody cared.

I didn’t even care until I became that little sister.

I first entered the ducal family at the age of eight and was registered at the age of thirteen.

I was not a living Person here until the Duke officially registered me.

A humanoid doll.

The people of the duchy called me that.

My biological parents are distant family members of the Duke’s family.

We couldn’t be further from strangers to each other but however little, blood was Mixed.

My grandfather was the illegitimate son of a collateral relative of the Duke.

My Family put great honor on that small amount of mixed blood and boasted about it every chance they got. I heard it so many times as a child and thought If that’s only tie we have with the Duke’s family, then the lady next door is much closer to us than the Duke.

As a child, I didn’t pay much attention to it, since it didn’t change our status at all, so what’s the use for it? It was just a poor family’s attempt to sound important.

Days passed and I grew up like any other girl.

The concept of women’s rights here’s not properly grasped, and I accepted the present world with a certain degree of repulsion, which was permeated with the spirit of modern people.

Well, the place where I lived in my previous life wasn’t a place where women’s rights were very high either, so it wasn’t that difficult to adapt.

I was going to live the kind of life every other woman in this world would.

Growing up doing housework and chores under my parents until I reach the marriageable age and marry the man my father chose and have children.

I was going to live such a normal and boring life.

It wasn’t nice, but it was acceptable.

Isn’t that what life is all about?

I was content with that kind of life. But the year I turned eight my world turned upside down.

The Duke’s family reached out to my parents with the intention to adopt me as their daughter.

“It’s a small gratitude gift. Please accept it.”

In uniform, the Duke’s knight placed a pouch on the table.

With a heavy sound, the string loosened, and the pouch opened, revealing dozens of gold coins inside.

Father trembled and slowly reached out for the gold pouch.

Blinded by the pocket money from the Duchy, my parents readily threw me at the hands of the knight. My fate got sealed that day, I was devastated.

Getting adopted by the Duke? Isn’t that straight out of a fairy tale?

I heard that the eldest daughter of the old Duke, the eight-year-old child, died of fever a few months ago.

And by chance, I was also a girl of the same age as a lady, from a family related to the Duke, with auburn hair and brown eyes.

But only with that?

I knew the rumors surrounding the Duke’s family.

The next Duke, with his son, is guarding the duchy of the north, so the only pleasure for his wife, who remained in the capital, was his daughter.

I didn’t want to go.

I wanted to live in the place where my family and my friends were.

In addition to sentimental reasons, there was also the saying that caterpillars should only eat pine needles. The position of the daughter of a Duke was too much for me to receive.

But my eight-year-old opinion didn’t matter.

That evening with a small bag of luggage I climbed into the carriage heading for the Duke’s residence.

But all my luggage was thrown away before entering the Duke’s house. I was washed and dressed. I received that kind of hospitality for the first time in both of my lifetimes. The clothes I was wearing was a fine satin dress that I wouldn’t have been able to even touch the hem of it.

After the maids saw my appearance presentable enough I was taken before the Duchess.

The Duchess was as beautiful as a painting.

At the same time, she was giving off the same strange pressure that only aristocrats have. Later I learned that that strange pressure I experienced is commonly referred to as grace.

My body was frozen still in front of her. I couldn’t even greet her.

“Evelyn…”

The Duchess, who was sitting on the sofa wearing a black veil and reclining with a gloomy face, approached me. With her hand she lifted my face.

“My daughter was as pretty as a doll…”

I stood awkwardly and held the Duchess’ gaze.

I knew she was seeing another child through me.

The gray eyes tinged with light blue light that looked over me felt frightening to the point of creepiness.

“… Oh, hello…”

When I managed to open my mouth under the pressure to say something, the Duchess hugged me, sobbing.

My frozen body melted away at the Duchess’ cry.

I thought that even a high-ranking aristocrat feels the same sadness of losing a child.

But what about my parents? Wasn’t I a child to them?

There was a bitter taste in my mouth at the thoughts of my parents.

And from that day forward, I came to live in the Duke’s mansion.

Silk nightgowns, satin dresses, and jeweled brooches became the norm, and life, like walking on thin ice, began.

“… What are you thinking about ?”

The sound of Igon’s voice echoing through the wide dining hall brought me back from my old memories.

“Oh, just…”

I trailed off and stalled for time with a smile.

At the same time, I glanced at Igon’s face.

He had an affectionate look on his face, but that could be a mask for all I know.

I have to think of a response soon or else I might offend him.

I bit my lip, and avoided his piercing stare.

The current Duke, who was not feeling well, got up first, and Igon sent all the maids out, saying it was annoying, so there were only two of us in the dining hall.

I was afraid of it.

Igon got up from his seat and came closer.

He leaned down making eye contact with me, and imitated the voice of a benevolent brother.

“Eve, you’re so absent lately, and only ate a few bites. You’ll have an upset stomach like before, if you don’t eat enough.”

“… yes, but I’m already full.”

I smiled awkwardly and put the spoon in my hand down.

“C’mon, just one more bite.”

Igon took my spoon and scooped out bite-sized pieces of food.

I accepted and ate what Igon gave me.

Looking down at me, Igon gave a pretty smile that made the viewer ecstatic.

“It is my wish that you eat to your heart’s content.”

“It’s a habit…”

Habits formed in childhood don’t go away easily. Especially if the habit was formed to survive.

The dead child did not grow up, and the living me did. Since I was meant to live as a dead child I couldn’t eat and sleep like a living child.

“I know”

A voice rang overhead.

Unlike before, it seemed calmer.

Why?

I carefully, looked up at Igon.

He’s smiling, but I wonder if he’s offended.

“Eve, what have you been thinking about since a while ago?”

“Just…”

I smiled and shook my head, looking for something to say.

“Brother… I thought about the first time I met you…”

My answer, which came out impulsively after much thought, was the correct answer.

Igon’s face bloomed like a flower.

“My lovely sister is good with words, too.”

Igon asked, smiling brightly like the sun.

“Do you remember that time?”

I gave him a small nod.

It wasn’t a matter of being smart or not.

I couldn’t forget.

Igon, would you forget?

That was the first time I fainted at the sight of a person.

The first time I met Igon was two years after I entered the Duke’s residence.

As the old Duke’s illness deepened, the current duke, who was in the duke’s decree in the north, returned to the capital.

Igon, who had left with the current duke, also returned.

“He is your brother.”

The Duchess who said so was already half out of her mind by that time, and I was a girl who was skinny and small who didn’t look ten years old.

Igon looked at me without saying anything.

I could feel the eyes looking at me from head to toe as if they were painting my body with a brush dipped in thick paint.

It gave me goosebumps.

I’d never seen a child like that before.

The words I heard nailing in my ears at the Duke’s residence were that there is nothing you can do about your birth status.

Among the ladies-in-waiting and servants who worked at the Duke’s residence, there were numerous people with a better status than me.

The only problem was that in their eyes, I looked like a rat that dared to crawl into the duke’s mansion.

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