“I’ll cancel your engagement.”

Demimores’ pretty, sleek eyebrows rose at my words.

As my fiancé and childhood friend I have known for a long time, that habit comes out when things don’t go his way. That means Demimore doesn’t like the situation right now, but I just can’t understand it.

He was obviously in love with another woman, that’s why he should happily accept my offer, but his expression……

Gulp.

“You’re going to leave just like that?”

His voice sank as still and cold as white snow. I couldn’t figure out why he was so angry. Ha, after a deep sigh, he raised his head again and spoke with a smile that made his eyes curved.

“Mary, I’m going to be really angry.”

“…….”

Oh, I think you’re already mad.….

“Please let me breathe.”

He took a step closer to me, he buried his face on my shoulder and murmured quietly.

He rubbed his face between my shoulder and neck like a big dog acting cute, and his voice sounded sad for some reason. At the voice, I raised my left hand and stroked his back to comfort him without realizing it.

What did I do?

The breakup was definitely what you wanted!

***

“Wow, damn it.”

Standing among the children screaming for a quick fight, I was stunned for a moment.

Even after being reborn, I’m still an orphan.

The memory of my past came back thanks to the fact that I almost broke my head after I was pushed back and fell to the floor while fighting with Brian.

***

The best novel selected by koreans.

Come to think of it, I and Ha So-hee were already born that way. My parents died in an accident less than a year after I was born. All I had left was a gold ring that my parents had prepared for my first birthday.

After the death of my grandmother, who cared for me until I was seven years old, there were no relatives who wanted to take care of me. Because I’m an unlucky kid who kills everyone around me.

“Look at the way her eyes are raised! After all, unlucky children are different.”

“She must have been cursed.”

“She looks like a hoe.”

I thought silently while crouching in the corner of the funeral hall and listening to the chatter. If my parents and grandmother are dead because I’m a curse child, I’d really like to go around their houses and crush everything.

Looking at me staring into the air without crying, my relatives whispered again, “she’s too strong to even cry.”

Would my dead grandmother be resurrected just because I cried? Then I’d cry even 5,000 times. I could cry enough to fill this funeral home with tears.

However, I remembered my maternal grandmother’s words that I shouldn’t keep crying. When you cry…. people see you as weak. I didn’t want to look weak in front of people who are raving about my cat eyes or curses now.

In the meantime, my uncle offered to take care me.

I couldn’t figure out why my uncle suddenly offered to take care of me even after seeing my aunt’s unwilling expression, but I still felt a vague sense of gratitude.

At my aunt’s house, I have a cousin who was one year younger than me. Unfortunately, I am in the same grade as my cousin since her birthday was early in the year. My cousin, who hated me so much, bullied me at home and at school. I also tried to understand, saying she doesn’t like stones that suddenly rolled over.

I just held on because I had nowhere to go. That’s how I grew up being moderately discriminated against and bullied for 10 years.

And now I am 18 years old, and while my aunt and cousin were away, my uncle tried to take off my clothes, saying that he should get the reward for raising me. I pushed my uncle as hard as I could, he hit his head on the table and fell.

Watching the gray rug turn red, I realized I couldn’t stay in this house anymore and ran away. If my uncle died, would I go to juvenile detention? Maybe it’s better.

They’re going to say I’m a cursed child again. But this time I pushed him to death. Would that still be considered a curse?

I just cleaned up some trash. I stopped for a while to catch my breath, but like a lie, a car was coming from the opposite alley.

And bang!

This is the memory of my past life. No matter how much I’ve been cursed, I never thought I’d die.

I vaguely remember that after I died, my vision became dark, and then I was moved back to a white space that seemed woven with light.

“Oh, there’s the cat-eyed child.”

There, I heard a voice as light as a feather and as soft as silk.

A child with cat eyes is reincarnated nine times.

Oh my god.

It was terrible to have to live eight more times in this gutter life.

“Pfft.”

The voice laughed softly as if it had read my mind.

What, I didn’t mean to make you laugh.

‘Dear, your next life will be different.’

I felt like I was going to cry a little at the friendly voice that seemed to soothe me.

Tears that didn’t come out when my grandmother died.

***

You said my next life would be different…

The Brandon Orphanage where I am located, nestled in the Lorque Mountains on the border between the Larvian and Britina empire, was not a place that received much support from the state or the private sector.

Children who have been living with their peers in a scarce and poor environment, naturally filled with mischief as they grow up. Even the head of the orphanage, the only adult in the orphanage, is not very interested in us, so the children naturally learn to survive the fittest.

I learned the art of fighting on my own.

Of course, there is also a narrative that she grew up affectionately and lovingly in such a shady and dark place, adopted to a good adoption place, loved by a family, met a man who loved her so much, and lived happily ever after.

Unfortunately, the narrative is not mine.

It’s… it’s Astina’s life story in the corner over there.

How do I know all this?

I was reincarnated in “Lady in the District,” one of the rofans I used to read secretly in my previous life during school lessons!

“Fxck….”

“What’s wrong, Mary?”

Leo’s natural response to my words is correct.

Yes, of course, it’s new to me that I died like that in my previous life.

However, there is a reason why I keep repeating the word ‘Fxck’ like a person who has lost her mind all over again.

Mary, who I was reincarnated to, played the villainous daughter who bullied Astina, the heroine, and ended up being kicked out of the country!

Mary Conler.

She was originally the only princess of the Grand Duke of Conler, the leading nobleman in the Britina Empire.

But as soon as she was born by the ploy of those who envied their power, she was kidnapped and was taken to this Brandon orphanage.

Fortunately, or foolishly, the kidnapper left her real name Mary on a note when they dumped her here, and after a persistent pursuit of the Grand Duke, Mary eventually returned to the Grand Duke by the time she was nine years old.

The family that waited for her?

Her mother died shortly after suffering from remorse for losing Mary, and only her father and brothers were waiting for her in the castle.

Did they wait?

No, actually, they didn’t pay much attention to Mary.

The reason why they wandered around like that to find Mary was to restore their pride because someone dared to kidnap the daughter of the Grand Duke and damage the Conler family.

But isn’t it better to have a family than in my previous life…?

Mary, whose personality had already been tainted while living in the orphanage, went to the Grand duke and slandered him as if to be compensated for what she did not enjoy.

Everyone in the Grand duchy got tired of such tyranny, and turned a blind eye to Mary.

“On top of that.”

She found out that Astina, who she had been harassing in the orphanage, was in love with her fiancé, the second prince; she tried to hurt her, but she was eventually caught.

The Grand Duke of Conler is a thorn in the side of the imperial family and brought her to a trial immediately.

Mary was confident. Because she’s Mary Conler.

But the Conler family, who already have no affection for Mary, throws her out even though they have enough power to help her.

The end of the novel is that Mary is eventually driven out to Nicor, the coldest place in the north.

I mean, this is my scheduled end.

I’m about seven years old now, so I have about two years left to go to the Grand Duke’s family.

Perhaps I can’t avoid the flow of going to the Grand Duke of Conler, getting engaged to the Second Prince, and the prince falling in love with Astina. And it’s only natural that I, as his fiancé, will be a hindrance in a series of processes. Even if I don’t kill Astina, he’d be desperate to send me to Nicor.

Now, what am I going to do…….

I think it is right for me to move aside for their own noble and beautiful love. Isn’t it cooler and nicer of me to bless their love and move aside than to be treated as a distraction? In fact, if I don’t get out of the way, I think the second prince will kill me somehow.

All right, let’s go.

Let’s go to the Grand duchy first. And make some money.  Then, instead of being deported, I’ll go abroad fairly and do business and lead a happy life as a golden lady.

Among the songs that were popular in my past life, there was also a lyric like this.

“Shining Solo.”

Well, I’m used to being alone.

It is said that life is about school ties, blood ties, and delay.

Just in case, I thought I needed some kind of insurance, and I needed to be nice to Astina, who would become the crown princess later. Who knows the Queen of Britina Empire might help me when I go abroad and do business later?

There are the Britina and Larvian empires in the Kaya continent. The two empires were divided by the Lorque mountain. Even though they were both empires, it was not on the same level. Because the Britina Empire has much more military and national power.

And they also have “Conler”.

Astina was adopted by the age of eight by the Marquis of Borneo in the Britina Empire. Before she was adopted like that, she stayed in the same orphanage, she was badly bullied by Mary and her group. No matter how old she was, she was pretty mean.

The reason for bothering Astina like that was ridiculous. The reason was that Astina is the only one who acted nice and noble in the orphanage.

Well, if I take Mary’s side, it would have been because of her inferiority complex toward Astina, who is shining here.

But no, I don’t want to take her side. I’d rather follow Astina than bully her like that.

Hmm, would the Second Prince send me somewhere for following his lover?

Am I destined to be sent away one way or the other?

Now, if only the second prince loved Astina, she could not be called a true ‘heroine in this area’.

The marquis, the marquis’ wife, the marquis’ eldest son, and even the employees in the Marquis of Borneo were all fascinated by her bright beauty.

Even Mary’s biological brothers, the cold-blooded three brothers of the Britina Empire, fell in love with her thanks to her heroine buff, and said they would rather have Astina be their sister if she were from the same orphanage.

Then, her second brother became the second male lead. It’s quite funny that he fell in love with her after saying she wanted her to be his sister.

In fact, most of the big guys in the novel had a crush or affection for Astina. It was a completely different position from Mary, who was a nuisance and shame to the Grand duchy.

When I read the novel, I thought, “What kind of reverse harem setting is this ridiculous?” but I thought it was reasonable after seeing Astina in person.

Blond, honey-like hair, and the best emerald jewelry eyes that felt like they were created by the best craftsman.

Is your father a thief? Your eyes are so beautiful that I thought they stole a jewel and put it in your eyes. If I were a man, I would comment something like that.

She’s so beautiful and she has a nice personality too.

“Let’s be good to each other.”

This one child brings all the connections of the Britina Empire. It’s not my connection, but a gold chain.

“Well, Astina.”

“Oh? Oh, Mary…….”

Astina crouched her little shoulder as soon as I called her name. Maybe it’s because of the colorful records of bothering Astina before I regained my memories of my past life. Once the memories of my past life were recovered, the memories of the past were ridiculously blurred.

Looking back on the story of the novel that remains in the memory of my past life, I can only gauge that Mary bothered Astina very much in her childhood.

A lot of bullying disguised as grumpiness.

To be honest, Mary is as cute and pretty as Astina.

Her glossy black hair and her eyes that seem to contain the dark night sky are curses passed down on the Duke of Conler.

And like me in my past life…… Cat’s eyes.

‘Honestly, I look gloomy…….’

If she ate even the large intestine in this dungeon full of evil, how cruel Mary would have been.

Even when I regained the memory of my past life in the first place, I was fighting one-on-one against a boy to prove it.

I was continuing to train because I thought it would help me later. I might have to punch the knights of the empire.

Anyway, maybe it’s because I’m the youngest daughter of the Grand Duke of Conler, I was a little bit stronger than the other kids, actually a lot more.

“Eat this.”

“……?”

The Brandon Orphanage, which was located on the border of the two empires, as well as in the middle of a mountain, lacked support. No, let me correct it. The director was putting the subsidy in his back pocket. That’s why the children in the orphanage were always short of food.

It was common to see very diluted cabbage soup or oat porridge, and on days when even crumbly and hard bread was served, the children rushed in with excitement.

I was taking a walk to look around here, and found out that there was a potato field a little away from the orphanage. I could tell because I lived in the countryside with my maternal grandmother when I was young.

Of course, it should never be okay to do this, but wouldn’t two be okay?

The world owes me this much.

While making such self-rationalization, I bowed in front of the potato field that she would pay them back when she gets picked up by the Grand Duchy later.

I’m sorry.

I secretly baked the potatoes I brought while claiming to clean the oven that the children didn’t want to do. And now I’ll give Astina one of the two hard-earned potatoes.

When you seduce people, you have to seduce them with food. Even in my previous life, I gave caramel to my partner every new semester and asked them to get to know each other.

Although I failed to make friends every time because of my cousin.

“Where did you get this……?”

“Don’t just nag and eat secretly.”

“Why are you giving this to me all of a sudden?”

You’re wary of food even if I give you something to eat like this. Certainly, considering Mary’s history, it’s not an exaggeration if she asks her to try it first.

“Now, listen up. Astina, come to think of it, you and I are the only girls of the same age in our orphanage. So, I hope we can get along well. And so far, … I’m sorry for bothering you.”

I’m not the one who bothered you. No, to be more precise, the “me” from before I remembered my past life bothered you. But I apologized honestly because it’s true that I feel sorry.

“Thank you!”

“The Potato Skill of Camellia Blooms” I read in my past life. “You don’t have this in your house, do you?” I don’t know if it worked better than I thought, but Astina smiled brighter and accepted the potatoes.”

How far is this child’s goodness?

I bothered you like that, but you accepted my apology with such a bright smile?

While saying “thank you”?

“You’re going to forgive me like this?”

“Because Mary apologized……. And you gave me something to eat!”

“Astina, listen up.”

“What?”

“It’s not for me to say, but you shouldn’t forgive me so easily. Then the others will think you’re ridiculous.”

“I see….”

I thought I should teach Astina, who is only a good person, how to go around the world.

You may not understand what I’m saying now, but when you grow up, you’ll say, “My only true friend is Mary.”

When I put my hand on Astina’s shoulder, who is only tapping the ground with the tip of her right foot, her gaze that was stuck on the ground came up and headed toward me.

“Hit me.”

“……What?”

“Astina, I want to get along with you, but there are things that I’ve done to you. I’m not saying we should just do it. Anyway, you can’t just accept someone’s request for reconciliation.”

Astina just stared at me blankly as if she was surprised by what I said.

In fact, it may be selfish, but I had to feel comfortable, and I decided to get hit so that she wouldn’t say anything else. Astina would feel better if she did.

Astina stared at me, then shook her fists and hit me.

It was a real bean.

“Ack….”

“Sorry! Did it hurt?”

Perhaps she thought my ridiculous sigh was from pain, Astina quickly became tearful and looked at my face restlessly.

‘Why did I hate such a nice girl so much?’

I felt more sorry for Astina, so I tried to be as nice to her as possible.

Leo, my right arm, suddenly got angry at first as if he didn’t understand me, but he eventually followed my will.

Brian, who was one-on-one with me, was frustrated, but he was crushed after a few punches.

However, rather than bothering Astina, my men fell apart and stuck to Brian because they didn’t like my changed attitude. I couldn’t help it. I understand. What can I do about these children’s survival methods? I’m also living by finding my own way to survive.

Astina was especially restless and sorry after knowing that I had narrowed my orphanage position. Leo, I and Astina managed to get along, and the day came when Astina left for the Marquis of Borneo.

Astina put her forehead against mine and cried on the day she left. Astina cried so sadly that I felt like crying, but I held it in. Astina gave me her necklace in tears.

“Don’t forget me, Mary.”

‘We’ll meet again anyway…….’

Without saying anything, I nodded. Astina left, asking Leo to take care of me before she left.

Leo and I, who usually don’t let our shoulders touch thinking we might get hives if they touched each other, held hands for the first time. Leo was the first to break up, and I was so immune to it.

“Mary, are you crying?”

“Oh, you?”

“No, you.”

“You’re crying.”

Leo and I held hands until we couldn’t see the departing carriage, and then we went back to the orphanage, arguing.

Soon my dad will be looking for me too.

I have no intention of wishing for love presumptuously, but it’s a family I haven’t had in a long time…

Can’t you come quickly?

“Mary, are you really crazy?”

“No?”

At last, I was nine years old. Still, Leo was my only best friend in the orphanage.

The Grand Duke would come to find me soon, so I was preparing to part with Leo. At first, he was wondering why I was doing this again, but Leo also knew I was serious, but we are going to see each other later.

I am going to live quietly and go with the Grand Duke. Since I’m Mary, who was considered a nuisance and an inconvenience because of the time and money they spent to find me who was kidnapped at the Grand duchy.

After Mary went around and made a mess, she was openly called a troublemaker lady. I thought I should live a decent life because they might cut the money I should receive in half if I did something weird.

Until Pepi, who was the youngest in the orphanage, died of hunger.  As I buried Pepi behind the orphanage, I made up my mind.

“Let’s rob the director’s safe.”

When I told Leo my plan, he asked me if I was that crazy.

“You have to live, Leo.”

“I’ve always felt that you, Mary, tend to be too obsessed with life.”

“Isn’t it obvious? All the premises of my plan are for me to be alive.”

I died struggling to live in my previous life, so I cannot die in vain again. And… honestly, I felt so sorry for the children in the orphanage.

They are at the age of growing up, but they always eat food that doesn’t seem nutritious, and being neglected like this. It was a clear abuse. In the first place, the money in the director’s back pocket was children’s money.

In the name of Hong Gil-dong’s descendant…… I won’t forgive the director.

(T/N: Hong Gil Dong is a streetwise, smart-mouthed thief with a talent for martial arts that he utilizes for justice and political reform.)

The plan was simple. The director, who usually does not leave the orphanage, goes out to town every Friday evening to relieve stress and returns only Saturday afternoon. We’ll use that time to steal money and distribute it to the children.

“You’re really crazy…….”

Leo, who is three years older than me, would mutter like that but always follow my will.

Originally, we could go to Brian’s group and live more comfortably, but why are we living this lonely life together?

Light brown eyes filled with anxiety toward me. Sighing and stroking my head, I thought Leo might be better than Mary’s older brothers.

I can’t believe I have to go back to my family who hates me.

“It’s okay.”

“What’s okay?”

“I’ll take responsibility for everything.”

“Why do you always say you’re going to take responsibility for everything?”

But I’ve always lived like that…….

My guardian has always been myself ever since my maternal grandmother died and lived in my aunt’s house. It was the same at Brandon Orphanage, when I reincarnated as Mary. And I know that this kind of mindset has to be continued at the Grand duchy.

The people there won’t be interested in me. I can live moderately quietly and enjoy my life by getting my share of the inheritance.

Leo… I’ll find you then and make you the vice president.

“Don’t look at me like that because I’m in a bad mood, cat eyes.”

“Okay.”

I should give him a manager-level position instead of a vice president.

The night of the mountain gets dark faster than I thought. As expected, the director gave us far-off oat porridge for dinner and went down to the village. The orphanage without a director was completely lawless for children. There was a constant roar that could be heard along with the sound of running around.

“How’s it going, Mary? Do you want to play a game?”

“Brian, I’d love to, but is your nose I hit last time, okay? You even had a nosebleed.”

Brian picks a fight like that on a big day like today. As the Grand Duke’s daughter, I was far superior to most children in physical strength and intelligence.

The Grand Duke of Conler was a family that had long been blessed by the demons. They were also the first contributor to the Britina Empire, which was founded by organizing order around the time when humans and demons were mixed.

And in the process, because the son of the first family of Conler married the princess of the demons, there was a blessing of demons in their family…… That was the ridiculous founding legend.

A blessing from the demon family. What irony is this.

Since it was a blessing that came from the demon, the blessing did not come down as a blessing from generation to generation. There was some kind of penalty.

What was the penalty?

Since the book was mainly about the love story of the Second Prince and Astina, the story of the Grand Duke of Conler did not go deep. They just covered it for a while to set up the family of the second male lead and villains.

I don’t know exactly what the penalty is, but anyway, Conler, who received the blood of demons, was superior to ordinary humans in magic power and physical strength.

Their energy was so great that even their employees could not breathe in front of Conler’s direct line.

But these kids breathe so well in front of me…….

As expected, the legend was just a legend.

It’s like a monogamous myth…. It’s also because people of different races got married and had children.

“Let’s go before it’s too late, Mary.”

“All right.”

Leo tapped me on the shoulder and spoke, I also came to my senses and nodded.

Leo and I walked quickly to the director’s room as if nothing had happened between the children playing. The director was neglectful, but because he morbidly hated children invading his space not even a rat can be seen in front of the room.

Even Brian didn’t have the heart to come this way. I’ve only seen it once. How the director beats a child who went against his will.

“Whoa….”

“Will you be, okay?”

I grabbed the doorknob and hesitated for a moment, and Leo asked anxiously. I nodded without looking at Leo because I thought my heart would weaken if I looked at his light brown eyes.

And I thought of Pepi. She once said that she wanted to be adopted by good parents like Astina.

Who’s going to come all the way to this mid-mountain orphanage to adopt?

Astina is guaranteed because she’s the main character.

I turned the doorknob around with a choking heart. However, the door did not open, perhaps because the director locked it when he left.

“He locked the door.”

“What should I do?”

When asked by Leo, I took a bobby pin out of my pocket. At least, it was an accessory that girls in the orphanage could have. I straightened the bobby pin and put it in the keyhole.

“What are you doing?”

“Opening the door.”

When I lived with my grandmother, the toilet was outside, and the door was broken at the time, so I had to open it like this. I recalled my memory and rattled with a bobby pin for a long time, and the door opened.

“It’s open!”

Leo and I looked at each other and shouted at the same time.

“Mary, you’re amazing. Where did you learn such tricks?”

“Isn’t this all wisdom that comes from experience?”

“I’m three years older than you.”

“You ate in vain.”

As I shrugged my shoulders and said, Leo raised his fist as if he wanted to punch someone. Of course, I stuck my tongue out without losing.

Honestly, considering my past life I have lived for more than 18 years.

Anyway, the director’s room I saw for the first time was so cozy. We were locked up in a strange, damp room, and he was alone in a place like this.

“He’s so mean.”

“Wow, this blanket is really warm. I wish I could cover Pepi with this when she catches a cold.”

I and Leo grumbled, searching the director’s office. Before long, I found a pocket under the desk.

The pocket was as big as Leo’s face and was full of gold coins.

“It’s a gold coin that was supposed to be used for us.”

“You have to give five of these to each kid.”

Maybe later, when children had to leave the orphanage and start a new start, they had to have some capital. There’s no way the director would take care of that.

If I wasn’t lucky enough to not get caught, I was going to keep coming and steal the gold coins little by little.

“Come on, let’s get it out of here.”

“There are rats.”

I was about to go out with the gold coins, but the director stood in front of us with an eerie smile.

My heart thumped like crazy. No matter how strong I am and how good I am at fighting, the Director is a well-built adult male.

But how… Why is the director back?

“I raised thieves…….”

“What did I say, sir! They’re both suspicious!”

Brian appeared behind the director’s back. It seems that he overheard me and Leo’s plan and went to the director and told him.

I’m going to take care of him.….

I knelt down on the floor, clenching my teeth. No matter how much I think about it…… I and Leo had no chance of winning.

“I told him to steal it! Leo did not do anything wrong.”

“Mary!”

“Leo, get out of here!”

“The thieves have some kind of friendship.”

The director came to me with a laugh and tried to take the gold coins from my hand. I tried not to give it away, but due to the strong power of the director, I lost my grip on the pocket and flew far away and hit the wall.

“I told you to be obedient!”

Oh, it really hurts. My body that hit the wall seemed to be screaming. I instinctively curled up like a fetus. I heard Leo crying from a distance.

You said my next life will be different…….

Is this how I die in an orphanage?

But I’m the daughter of the Grand Duke.… I can’t believe I didn’t even get to that grand duchy.

I don’t think there’s much time left until the duke finds Mary.

It was then.

The hallway rang with the sound of someone’s footsteps. As if to grasp the authenticity of the sound, the director’s beating toward me also stopped.

People rushed in through my blurred vision and clasped the director’s arm. I could feel someone holding my body that had fallen down.

“She’s light.”

It’s warm…

“Open your eyes. That way… I can make sure that you are my daughter.”

Daughter?

The word opened my eyes. My black eyes were dark as if they contained the night sky that I would sometimes look up when I was lonely. And as soon as I saw the eyes, I noticed.

This warm warmth is my dad.

“Dad…”

“…….”

“Why are you coming now?”

And I fainted.