painful memory

Huh? What's going on? Why is Leonard acting so strange? And what did he want to say?

But before I could ask him, he'd already left, leaving me in a whirl of questions.

I sighed, then entered my room and closed the door behind me, my gaze fixed on the object he'd handed me. Slowly, I opened my hand to find a small magical tool between my fingers. I felt a subtle energy radiate from it, faint magical pulses seeping into my skin. But... what use was it?

"It'll ease the pain," Leonard had said a moment ago... did he mean the bruise Oscar had inflicted on me?

I looked down at my hand, where the mark of the violence I'd suffered remained. Well, there was no harm in trying, the pain was already bothering me.

I placed the tool on the bruise and waited... then suddenly, I felt a warm sensation flowing through my skin. In an instant, the pain was gone. I looked down at my hand in astonishment—the bruise had completely vanished, as if it had never been there.

But this wasn't normal. Leonard wasn't someone who interfered with Oriana's affairs in the original novel, and he paid little attention to her, except for occasionally preventing Oscar from harming her. So why is he helping me now?

Is it because I no longer allow anyone to harm me?

In the original novel, Oriana's suffering wasn't revealed until after her execution. It was never known what she went through, or how everyone mocked her, or how she was mistreated by Victoria, Clara, and the servants. No one cared, and no one bothered to find out the truth.

But now, things are different.

I shook my head. I don't care why, and I won't think about it anymore. I'll return the tool to him tomorrow; I don't want anything from anyone.

And even though I used it this time, I'll see what he wants in return...

I feel a bit relieved now after everything that happened today. I can finally sleep peacefully without thinking about anything...

But, as much as I wanted to rest, fate wasn't kind to me, even while I slept.

"Sister Suh, how are you?"

I slowly opened my eyes. This wasn't a strange voice, but a painfully familiar one.

"Hyuna? What are you doing here?"

She laughed lightly, her tone playful but with a hint of hidden tension. "Well, I came to check on my older sister. Did I do something wrong?"

I felt something strange in my heart. There was something off about this moment, but I couldn't put my finger on it. I smiled at her calmly and said, "No... I didn't mean to, just... how are you?"

She quickly replied, as if afraid I might ask further questions: "I'm fine. Do you know, sister? Everyone is talking about your company (CyberNova). They say it's the best software and security company. You've excelled so much, sister, and you've worked so hard that your company's name is everywhere!" Will you be visiting us today as usual?

"Yes, I'll finish my chores soon and be there."

She smiled, but quickly lowered her head slightly, then whispered in a trembling voice, "Okay, sister... can you lend me some money? I need to buy some things."

I saw her fingers intertwine nervously and heard her tone shake. "I'm sorry... I know I've become a burden to you, but I really need it..."

Tears welled up in her eyes, and I felt another pang in my heart, this time stronger.

"No need to cry, Hyuna. How much money do you need? I'll give it to you. I can never be upset with my sister, especially if she needs something."

She quickly wiped away her tears and smiled, "Thank you, sister!" You're the best!"

Later, after work...

It was another hard day, but a good one. At least I managed to save enough to give my father the amount I always give him.

Now I had to find Hyuna. She said she'd wait for me at the company until I was finished. I quickly left my office and soon found her sitting in the employee lounge.

"Sister, are you done?"

"Yes, let's go."

We walked out together, walking back home, but...

Something was strange.

I felt a tightening in my heart... a heavy, suffocating sensation, like an invisible alarm.

What was happening? And why was I feeling this now?

As we stood waiting for the traffic light to change

As we stood waiting for the traffic light to change, the atmosphere was quiet, with nothing but the noise of cars and the sound of the cool wind caressing my hair. Hyuna turned to me with a gentle smile and began speaking in a soft voice:

"Sister, do you know? My older brother always says you're his wonderful, sweet little sister."

I felt a surge of happiness, a small smile spreading across my face unconsciously: "Really? What you're saying makes me so happy."

But suddenly, her expression changed completely. That sweetness vanished from her face, replaced by a cold, mocking look, a smile that exuded malice.

"No, that's not true. You really are an idiot, sister."

I froze, my heart pounding. "Huh? What do you mean?"

She laughed sarcastically, as if enjoying my confusion: "You've always been kind to me, despite everything I've done to you, despite all the times I've gotten you into trouble and pretended to be innocent in front of you and others, and yet... you believed me. You never realized that I was the cause of everything, that everything that happened to you was part of my plans. Yet you were treating me so kindly... you idiot."

The shock hit me hard, and I couldn't comprehend her words. "You're joking... right?"

Her sly smile widened, and she looked at me with contempt. "Your facial expressions are funny right now. You still think everyone is nice, you still trust everyone so easily... Even now, you still think that Mom, Dad, and my brothers are treating you so kindly because they love you? How naive you are... You're nothing more than a money sink to us."

I felt like a dagger had been stabbed in my chest. Every word I spoke tore me apart, shattering the hope I held onto. I'd worked hard, sacrificed a lot, and developed my company so I'd be recognized within my family. After I succeeded, everyone began to treat me kindly... or so I thought.

But now Hyuna... had shattered everything.

She'd always been kind to me, smiling sweetly, playing the innocent little sister. I'd seen purity in her, refusing to believe anything bad about her, despite all the evidence I'd tried to deny... but now the truth was right in front of me like a hard slap.

Tears streamed down my face, and I looked at her with pain.

Disappointed: "So... tell me. Why? Why did you do this to me? How did I hurt you? And are you telling me that all the kindness I received from my father and brothers was just a lie?"

She raised her eyebrow as if my question was ridiculous, then sighed with amusement: "Why did I do this to you? Simply because I wanted to. You didn't hurt me, but I wanted to be the best, to be loved more, to be revered... and I enjoyed watching you break down again and again. It was so entertaining."

I froze, but she didn't give me a chance to process what she was saying. Instead, she continued in a calm voice, as if it were a normal conversation:

"As for your second question... yes, it was all a charade. Dad? After each time you left, he would tell us that you were useless except for your money, and that if it weren't for it, he would have gotten rid of you long ago. But he won't, at least not now. As long as you have money, this charade will continue. They will continue to deceive you with affectionate words and fake smiles. But... I'm tired of it. They're dragging the charade out for too long."

I looked at her in horror, and she smiled sarcastically, tilting her head slightly. "It's true that they're deceiving you... but I see that this is too much for you. In my opinion, there's no point in continuing. I've broken you, and I don't want you to get back together again. It's true that Dad won't throw you out as long as your money continues to flow to him, but... if you die, everything will belong to him directly. Right?"

My eyes widened in alarm, but before I could say another word, I felt a strong push, my body jerking backward...

I saw a truck barreling toward me, a blinding light.

Huh... huh... huh...

I woke up suddenly, my whole body trembling violently, my breathing rapid, as if I were drowning in an endless nightmare. I sat on the bed, feeling the heat of the tears silently streaming down my cheeks. I couldn't hold them back, unable to even process what I had just witnessed.

I bit my lip tightly, my fists trembling as I gripped the bedsheet so tightly it almost ripped it apart. "Why?" I muttered in a choked voice. Why did I have to remember all this now? Why, even in my dreams, did I find no comfort?

It was all supposed to be over. I should have forgotten, buried those memories deep in oblivion, but no... Even in this new body, even in this new life, the same ghosts haunt me. Why didn't I just die in that world? Why did I have to return to this life?

I gasped sharply, placing my hands on my trembling head. "What did I do to deserve this?" It wasn't enough that I died in such a humiliating way, but now I had to live again in this filthy duchy, surrounded by the same filthy people... Victoria... another version of Hyuna... How ridiculous!

Why? Why? Why?!

I couldn't control my emotions any longer. I began pounding on the bed in anger, as if that might ease the pain in my chest. "Why?! What did I do to deserve all of this?!" The tears were streaming down, choking me, burning me. It was all too much.

But no... I don't want anyone to see me like this. I don't want to appear weak.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself, even if it was impossible. I had to pull myself together. I couldn't let this nightmare break me... not anymore.

I slowly got out of bed, tears still streaking my face, but I ignored them. A warm ray of sunshine filtered through the window, heralding the start of a new day.

I felt a slight hunger creeping into my stomach—I hadn't eaten lunch yesterday because of everything that had happened. I thought about summoning one of the servants to bring me something, but before I could move, there was a succession of knocks on the door.

"Miss Oriana, are you awake?"

The voice was quiet but carried a dry, formal tone.

"Yes, come in."

The door opened slowly, and a woman with tidy black hair and sharp black eyes entered, wearing precise glasses that reflected her stern personality.

This was Margit, the palace's head butler. According to Oriana's original memories, this woman had shown her no respect, treating her with obvious contempt, as if she were simply an unwanted burden.

"What brings you here, Head Butler? What do you want?"

She gave me a look of slight disgust before announcing in an emotionless voice, "The Duke has asked you to come to breakfast with him in the dining room."

I froze for a moment, staring at her in disbelief.

"The Duke said so? Himself?"

"Yes."

That's strange... Duke Sirius is known to care for all his family, but he never met Oriana at the dining table in the original novel. In fact, he only met her when trouble arose.

But... well, whatever the reason, this is a good opportunity for me. It's better to eat with the Duke than to be left here to be mistreated or served spoiled food like in the past.

"Okay, wait outside while I get dressed."

She looked at me with obvious surprise.

"Huh?"

I raised my eyebrows in annoyance. "What do you mean 'huh'? I told you to go out and wait for me. And you're the one who's going to take me to the dining room."

She replied with disdain, "But don't you know where the dining room is?"

Whether I know the way or not is none of your business. Your job is to follow orders, right? Then go out and wait for me. Or do I need to remind you of your place?

She pursed her lips in annoyance, but bowed slightly and then walked out. She closed the door behind her and took a deep breath.

"That was easier than I expected..."

She headed to the wardrobe and pulled out a simple but elegant dress. Once she was finished getting ready, she opened the door and found Margit still standing there, her face frozen as ever.

"Good, at least she didn't dare leave."

She began walking ahead of me, leading me through the long hallways leading to the dining room. I followed silently, observing the enormous mansion I hadn't truly explored before.

When we finally reached the dining room door, Margit silently opened it, and I stepped inside...

But what I saw froze me in place. My eyes widened in shock.

Why?

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