“Sister, do you have any dolls?”
“Uhm……”
“Oh, do kids play with this nowadays?”
Seeing me and Seulbi talking, Grandma glanced at the doll Seulbi was holding.
It was a typical Mimi doll with blonde hair and blue eyes.
“Yeah, how much is it?”
“Grandmother, will you buy one for me?”
When grandmother asked my aunt indirectly, Seulbi blinked and asked innocently.
The situation made me feel uneasy, but I was secretly excited as well, so I chose to remain silent and fiddle with my fingers.
“I’m just asking.”
“The price range varies widely. But mom, do you even have money?”
“She doesn’t have any toys, so she needs one like that…….”
“If you’re going to get her one, you should get me one as well!”
Grandmother was perplexed by Seulbi’s outspoken remarks and stared at her. Aunt was also perplexed and stopped her.
“Don’t be like this. You have plenty at home.”
“It’s not that I’m discriminating against her. It’s just that it’s not fair if you’ll only buy for my sister. Grandma, you’re my sister’s grandmother, but you’re also my grandmother!”
It must have been a big deal to buy a toy for my grandmother, who was barely surviving on her pension and savings.
However, Seulbi’s words were not wrong, so grandmother couldn’t answer and stayed still.
“I’m fine, Grandma.”
In the end, it was me who was just watching and ended up rejecting it.
“Are you really just being greedy?”
“Tsk. Did I say something wrong?”
“Don’t you feel sorry for your older sister?”
“Would you really buy a doll just for her?”
Why do you feel sorry for me?
I hated being the poor kid who didn’t have a doll. I wanted to run away from this place right now. But if I disappeared like that, it would only cause trouble to my grandmother.
She would probably cry herself to sleep at night, blaming herself. So I stayed put and just smiled.
“Oh dear, she’s like this. Who knows what she’ll become when she grows up?”
My aunt’s tone, which lightly criticizes Seulbi, was full of affection.
Looking at it, I knew that what I wanted to have was not a beautiful doll Seulbi was holding, but the presence of a “Mom.”
Jung Seulbi looked down at me.
Born as an only child, Jung Seulbi grew up being loved by my aunt and uncle. Despite the lack of material possessions, they raised Jung Seulbi like a princess.
Sometimes, my grandmother would give a disapproving look at my aunt for spoiling her too much. At the same time, she felt sorry that she couldn’t raise me like a princess.
At that time, I was very happy to grow up as my grandmother’s “little puppy,” so I didn’t envy Jung Seulbi that much. No, it would be a lie if I said I wasn’t jealous at all.
But it’s not because she was treated like a princess. I was just envious of her for having parents.
At a young age, Seulbi was quick to notice our differences. Things like me living at our grandmother’s house instead of living with my parents, or not having the dolls she had. When I was young, I felt inferior to those who had those things.
My grandmother felt sorry for me. She told me never to envy others like that.
Sometimes, when Seulbi and I were playing and making too much noise, my aunt would blame me for being the older one.
When I told my grandma that I was afraid of my aunt, she reassured me that I need not be concerned because she was stronger than my aunt and instructed me to hit Seulbi if she were acting rudely.
So when I was young, I remember fighting a lot with my cousin. I thought it was possible because we were “sisters”.
Regardless of whether she ignored me or felt pity for me, Seulbi was still my only younger sister.
“It’s so annoying.”
That’s exactly what she said when I first walked into my aunt’s house.
I remember feeling a bit out of place as she bumped into my shoulder as I clumsily greeted her with a suitcase.
As someone who had heard all sorts of stories from the adults at the funeral, I had some expectations for my cousin. We used to play together when we were young.
“Seulbi…”
I cautiously pushed open the door and entered. Seulbi was lying on her stomach in a bed in a pink-themed room.
I don’t know why, but I think I subconsciously thought I owed her an apology. As I approached, she sat up and glared at me.
“Hey, don’t you have any shame?”
I stiffened at the way she addressed me. When I was young, she’d called me hey a few times, but then my grandmother would scold her for being rude.
I don’t know anything else, but Seulbi used to call me big sister.
Unable to retort, I just stood there frozen, blinking my eyes as Seulbi laughed mockingly.
“The room you’re using now, it was originally my dressing room.”
The room I was given was so small that I could barely lie down in it. It was even too cramped for me and my suitcase. It was embarrassing to call it a dressing room, considering its tiny size.
As I stared at her in disbelief, Seulbi suddenly began to sob like she was so wronged. As if she had been robbed of something great.
“No, why are you crying.”
After hearing Seulbi’s cry, my aunt rushed in and hugged Seulbi, who was crying loudly, and began to soothe her.
After looking at Seulbi with pity, my aunt began to glare at me fiercely.
“Why are you just watching your little sister cry?”
“…….”
Once I was considered a “poor thing”, but now I seem to be an unlucky child.
“She’s my daughter, and she’ll be your cousin.”
Jung Seulbi, who I thought I would never see again, appeared behind Duke Bluea. I was so surprised that I thought my heart would jump out of my chest.
I looked at Jung Seulbi and bowed my head quickly because I was worried that our eyes would meet. Is it really Jung Seulbi? Would Jung Seulbi recognize me?
I don’t know if anyone else was as surprised as I was, but it was clear that Duke Bluea’s bombshell statement had taken everyone by surprise.
The atmosphere became chilly, as if ice water had been poured on it.
“Let’s go in for now.”
Gilbert, who was the first to come to his senses, guided Duke Bluea and Jung Seulbi inside.
Duke Bluea, who had been following Gilbert’s lead, suddenly spoke, as if he had remembered something.
“Come to think of it, is brother okay?”
“Not yet…”
“What a shame, It’s been a while since I last saw him.”
I shuddered as I followed them to the parlor, knowing that they had deliberately chosen to visit Grand Duke Estin when he was unwell.
I kept an eye on Jung Seulbi, who headed shyly to the drawing-room next to Duke Bluea.
As she scanned the Grand Duke’s mansion, her gaze fell on me, and our eyes locked.
I held my breath for a moment. Should I avoid eye contact now? Does she recognize me? I didn’t want to avoid her gaze like before, as it seemed like I would lose if I did.
In the midst of my thoughts, Jung Seulbi smiled with a friendly expression and tilted her head slightly.
Huh? Are you smiling?
She’s smiling like that? Is she greeting me?
The unexpected behavior made me afraid to follow behind. Maybe it’s not Jung Seulbi? I rubbed my eyes in case I saw something wrong.
Rex, who was beside me, grabbed my hand as I rubbed my eyes. He squeezed it tightly.
When I looked at Rex, he had an indifferent expression, but his face was pale, despite his efforts.
What kind of father doesn’t even greet his son?
He didn’t even look at his son, let alone pretend to know him. He acted like he was a complete stranger.
I was too flustered after meeting Jung Seulbi that wasn’t able to pay attention to Rex
I can’t imagine what he felt when his father, who abandoned him at a relative’s house, suddenly brings a child he doesn’t recognize, claiming to be his daughter.
“Is she really his daughter?”
“… I don’t know.”
Rex asked me in a shaky voice before entering the parlor. I wasn’t sure, either.
Is that really Jung Seulbi or just someone who looks like Jung Seulbi? Why did Duke Bluea bring her as his daughter?
I was almost sure it was Jung Seulbi earlier, but on second thought, there is no way Jung Seulbi is here. I came here because I was reborn as Mary. How did she come here?
Rex and I walked into the drawing room, looking at each other. It seemed like Duke Bluea’s gaze was subtly directed towards us, more towards me than Rex. He seemed to be examining me from head to toe. A chill ran down my spine. I finally look at Duke Bluea.
Duke Bluea resembled Duke Estin quite a bit, like a slightly lighter shade of him… However, Grand Duke Estin is much more dignified, handsome, regal, elegant, and charismatic.
As I met Duke Bluea’s gaze without avoiding it, I silently evaluated him in my mind.
