「The marble floor that touched her knees was cold.

But her father’s eyes that stared down at her were much colder.

She really wanted to be a part of this family.

That’s why Shuelina chose to beg desperately instead.

She caught his eyes with her hopeless ones.

Why can’t he recognize her mother’s violet eyes and his own blue eyes?

“I-I am telling the truth. That baby 18 years ago—”

“The evidence.”

The emperor asked coldly.

Shuelina quietly shook her head in despair.

Evidence.

That’s right, the evidence.

Shuelina wanted to find one, too.

She searched for a long time to prove that she fits in this beautiful family.

But the sky is called the sky, the sea is called the sea, and Shuelina is called Shuelina.It was so difficult to find proof that she is the daughter of the man in front of her.

‘He wants something that is clearly impossible?’

As she tried to knock on her father’s heart, her own heart grew weary.

She didn’t think he would ask her something so difficult.

She only wanted to prove that she has the legitimate right to love this family.

Shuelina gathered her trembling hands together.

By using the last ounce of her power, she managed to create a small light.

It is a spirit trick that can only be used by the members of the royal family.

Even though the spirit is not embodied properly, her power is clearly a spiritual force.

This power is Shuelina’s only proof that she is his daughter.

But the emperor’s eyes remained emotionless.

“Your power is weak.”

“……”

Her small wrists trembled.

She told him so many times.

Someone is draining her powers. Someone is trying to kill her.

‘You’re losing your spiritual power?’

But his only response was a cold laugh as he looked at her as if she was ridiculous.

The person, who hates Shuelina and is taking her powers away, also started to take her vitality at some point.

Shuelina was dying day by day.

In the end, the little light left has also disappeared. Only a cold silence remained.

“You’re not my child.”

Shuelina wetted her lips, but her voice did not come out.

She looked up at him again, without crying anymore……

“Get in.”

The emperor pointed at the mirror before her.

It was the mirror of the spirit. Once she enters that mirror, she will be trapped inside the spirit world, and she will never be able to go out again.

The five-colored mirror was mesmerizing, but it was similar to an execution place for Shuelina.Shuelina, who had no energy left, slightly shook her head. Her vision was blurry, and she felt like she was suffocating.

She wanted to do one last thing. Just once. She really wanted to call him by his title.

‘Fa…ther.’

She raised her head and muttered without a voice.

Blonde hair just like her father’s poured over her face.

Her father’s back was getting farther and farther away.

It was like a whisper to Shuelina that her death is a very natural occurrence that’s not even worth watching.

And next to him is another girl of Shuelina’s age.

‘Azuela.’

She paused and looked back at Shuelina before smiling.

A brief smile that contained a lot of meaning.

The ridicule towards Shuelina, a sense of superiority, and mockery for dying without knowing the truth until the end.

‘It was you.’

The one who has taken her spirit’s powers away. The one who has been spreading vicious rumors about her by reversing the story of the things she did.

Clack-

Dark red blood flowed between her pale lips.

Because it was too much to use excessive mental power while losing her abilities, she felt her life getting drained through her fingertips.

There was a strong smell of death.

“My daughter died 18 years ago.”

The emperor, who followed Azuela, said coldly.

Shuelina’s tears have begun to fall once again.

‘That’s right. That child is dead.’

She had always wanted someone to love her and to wipe her tears away.

But in the end, even that simple wish did not come true.

“That’s right, Father. I’m a fake.”

Shuelina eventually approached the mirror with a shaky step.

A princess abandoned by everyone. A real princess who lived alone all her life.

It was the end of her role.」

…The end of this body.

Shuelina was an abandoned princess and the villainess of the novel,「Princess Azuela」.

But there was a big twist in this novel.

‘Shuelina was actually telling the truth.’

Azuela was the fake princess while Shuelina was the real one.

Shuelina, who was deprived of her spiritual powers with Azuela’s ruse, met a miserable end.

She was an innocent victim.

‘Really!’

I shook my head and clasped my hands in sorrow.

Because of its old age, the water from the mop dripped through the wooden floor’s skewer-like gaps.

I possessed the body of the ill-fated Shuelina, who also had the most unfortunate childhood.It was the empress’ scheme to abandon her at an orphanage, and neither her older brother nor father looked for her.

I thought it would be alright as long as I had the memories of my past life, but the more the orphanage’s director abused me, the more I lost my memories.

‘Now I can only remember the story’s plot.’

My face reflected on the mirror was stiff from all the beatings I received.

I wonder if I still look like a five-year-old.

My cheeks are hollow, and my body, which is visible from my clothes, is just skin and bones.

‘I’m totally a baby……’

The villain, described as a fake princess, lived in poverty ever since she was young.

A part of my chest felt hollow.

Did possessing this body assimilate me to the young Shuelina’s emotions?

The more I lost my memories, the more I cried.

I felt like I was being stabbed in the chest everyday, I felt abandoned.

I felt like I was left all alone in this world.

‘Shuelina and I, we were both abandoned……’

There was a faint glimmer of hope at first.

She was abandoned at an orphanage as scheduled, but before the original work began, wouldn’t her family try to find her?

But they didn’t.

It was already decided that we will be abandoned and that no one will look for us.

I remember what Shuelina heard when she first met her family.

‘Daughter? You’re not my child.’

‘Azuela is my only sister.’

The sight of my miserable future was so vivid.

I’ve read the novel, so I can remember some parts as if I’ve seen or heard them myself.

‘I will not live like that.’

I won’t get hurt, struggling for a family that just left me all alone.

I don’t think a family like that can be called hope.

‘I can’t call the people who abandoned me a family.’

I whispered to myself and to Shuelina, who is no longer here.

I accepted my new life by first giving up on my family.

“Shuelina, aren’t you supposed to be cleaning? Why are you just standing there stupidly?!”

“Kya!”

I jumped up, startled by the sudden yell.

Telin was glaring at me.

Telin is the first child that the orphanage had. She’s a girl who keeps on bullying Shuelina.

‘I was surprised when I found out the ridiculous reason why she hated me.’

She was envious of Shuelina’s brilliant blonde hair, which sparkled under the sun, in contrast to her dull hair color.

So she told lies to the director about the things Shuelina never did, then the director would hit her and starve her.

In the original story, Telin secretly dragged Shuelina to a corner before cutting her hair off, then she locked her in a closet.

“Terin, why dwon’t you do swome wok too? You’we paying all the twime.”

(Telin, why don’t you do some work too? You’re playing all the time.)

This tongue is quite short.

No matter how hard I tried, I can only speak like that.

I clicked my tongue. I tried to make it sound harsh, but it didn’t even come out properly.

Don’t think you’re the only one who hates the other. Telin’s eyes became angrier.

“What?! Do you want to die?”

Then she started swinging her arms.

She was obviously trying to hit me.

No matter how young she is, Terin, who is bigger in physique, might break my bones if she beats me up.

‘I don’t want to get hit!’

I threw the mop while avoiding Telin’s threateningly long arm.

The flying mop hit and covered Telin’s face.

“Ihh—Ihhh……!”

Telin made a fuss first before taking the mop off her flushed face.

“Kya! There’s a bug on Terin’s foot!”

“What? Kyaaaahhh!”

Telin started stomping her feet with an ear-piercing scream.

The mop, which covered her face, has already fallen off, but she doesn’t seem to see that there’s nothing on her foot because of her panic.

Then, she tripped on the bucket near her feet, then the bucket landed on her back.

The bucket was full of water that was used in washing the mop.

“Kya!”

Dirty, smelly water spilled over Telin’s body.

But that’s not all. The water was ice-cold thanks to the stingy director.

“Terin as a mwop.”

I said quietly and covered my mouth as if I really have no idea what she’s doing. With a puzzled look on her face, Telin, who was lying face-down on the floor with her whole body drenched, started to tremble.

“You damned little girl–!”

“What’s this? Why is the floor covered with dirty water?”

The other kids from the orphanage just came in. What greeted them was a messy room and a wet Telin.

Anyone could tell that this incident was Telin’s fault.

The orphanage children would always get irritated whenever Telin throws a fit.

“Telin, why would you still do this when you’re old enough already? Once the director sees this, we will have to clean up again.”

“That’s right. You’re older than Shuelina. What’s wrong with you?”

Even though the kids are not involved in this, they still had a lot to say to Telin, the foreman.

The orphanage children chose to laugh at Telin rather than help her, who was wet and smelly.

“You told me last time that you can’t clean, and then you spilled the water on the mop.”

“I didn’t do it!”

Telin gritted her teeth.

“Shu—Shuelina did this.”

“Shueli did not do anythwing.”

I said while shaking my head.

“Terin is the onwy one wu’s wet.”

(Terin is the only one who’s wet.)

“That’s right. If she did it, then she should be wet too.”

“Because you don’t have any excuse, you’re trying to pin it on Shuelina, who’s much younger than you, aren’t you?”

“That’s not it!”

The children’s insults made Telin burst into tears.

“What’s all this fuss about?”

A loud voice was heard in the whole room.

It was the orphanage director. The children instantly turned pale.

“Di—Director!”

As if Telin found her savior, her face brightened up as she pointed a finger at me.

“Shuelina had another accident.”

“Shuelina?”

The director looked around threateningly, but he found the bucket on Telin’s back, and she was the only one who was soaking wet.

Although the director uses Telin as a foreman, he doesn’t really care about her.

“But why are you the only one who got wet?”

“Th—That’s……”

“You’re lying to me? Are you looking down on me?!”

The director hated being looked down on by a child the most.

“Telin, you’re on probation starting tomorrow.”

“Di—Director!”

“Don’t talk back! If you disobey me again, I’ll lock you up in the attic!”

With a furious look, the director dragged Telin with his strong hand.

Telin gave him a look as if she was wronged as he continued to take her away.

‘You deserve it.’

With my head poked out, I hid behind the others and watched Telin with innocent eyes.

“You stupid brat! Take care of the mess you made right now!”

“Bu—But……”

“I told you not to talk back to me! Scrub the floor with that mop!”

The director exclaimed and pointed at the mop that was on the floor.

The director raised his eyebrows and left the room. Telin slowly picked up the mop.

“I-It’s all because of you. You ruined everything.”

Telin glared at me before harshly throwing the mop away.

“I’ve changed into my most expensive clothes!”

“Wow, you’re really funny. Why do you keep blaming Shuelina?”

“Let’s go, Shuelina. Let her take care of this place by herself.”

Huh, she deserves it.

No one sided with Telin. Far from that actually. They looked uninterested.

Sneaking out of the door, Telin angrily squeezed the black water out of her stained dress.

But wait. Why did Telin change her dress again?

I tried to recall the reason……

‘Is today the day?’

An important guest would always visit the orphanage at dawn. I know that because I’m always cleaning at that time.

And this guest is the most important guest we’ve ever had……

‘The Grand Duke of Vailot!’

The cursed family of villains.

The Grand Ducal Family of Vailot, which is also referred to as the devil’s den.

They selected an orphan in the name of patronage and had them stay in their mansion.

‘To be exact……’

They tried to erase their family’s notoriety through newspaper headlines which said, ‘The Grand Duke helps a young girl’……

But that’s not what matters right now.

I just remembered.

The lucky child whom the grand duke chose that time was Telin.

‘She was definitely aiming for it.’

I wondered why she was so excited.

Telin, who is close to the director, must have known who was coming in advance.

It wasn’t difficult for this orphanage to catch rumors.

She might have noticed a bit late that it was just a sponsorship, not an adoption, but Telin still felt very lucky.

As far as I know, the grand duke did not stop sponsoring after that.

‘So that’s why.’

She was trying to provoke me to create a big fuss.

Around this time in the novel, Shuelina was locked up in a solitary room, crying.

She was still a little girl at that time, so she was helpless against Telin.

‘I finally understand why you’ve been staying close to me lately.’

She was wary of Shuelina, the prettiest and loveliest child in the orphanage, even when she cried.

She had to lock Shuelina away so that the grand duke wouldn’t know that Shuelina existed.

I stared at my reflection in the window.

Golden hair that shined brightly like the sun, half blue, half violet eyes, and a lovely, puppy-like face.

‘The novel’s description was right on point.’

When I read the novel before entering this body, the description of Shuelina’s appearance was longer than Azuela’s, the main character.

If you can see this face right now, you will know why.Whenever Shuelina smiled brightly, even Telin would unconsciously drop her jaw.

“Aahhhhh!”

An angry shout was heard.

I closed my eyes and covered my ears tightly. Somehow, it doesn’t seem like Telin will let this end peacefully.

‘I have to get through this day.’

The director was already offended, so if I get tangled up with Telin again, I might get beaten more than in the original story.

I could really die.

I suddenly got goosebumps and shook my arms.

Today, I promise.

I won’t die a pointless death!

* * *

“Stand in line! The director will be here soon!”

I kept my guard against Telin, but surprisingly, nothing happened until breakfast.

‘I thought something was going to happen this morning……’

Was it just a feeling?

I felt a peculiar feeling and stood in line with the other children.

“Ah!”

I was standing still when something suddenly hit my waist.

I staggered for a moment before reeling my body and found Telin standing over there.

But I felt a sense of deja vu.

I’m sure it was Telin’s hand that landed on my waist just now.

It might have been natural if she was trying to grab onto something when she’s about to fall, but Telin was the one who pushed me.

“Well, that was a mistake.”

With a sarcastic remark, Telin shrugged.

‘You must have touched me on purpose.’

If it was really a mistake, she would’ve gotten angry and pushed me again for real.

I searched my waist anxiously, but I couldn’t feel anything.

Did she pretend to fall and put dirt on my waist? So that the director can see it right away?

In an instant, all kinds of thoughts came to my mind and my hands turned cold.

‘No, it has to be enough for the director to lock me up in anger.’

If it’s just my clothes, I can simply wash it.

The director usually orders me to do the laundry.

What’s the worst thing she can do so that the grand duke won’t see me?

“There’s nothing wrong with it.”

Telin said as she patted around that area of my dress, blocking my hand.

“Well, it’s completely fine! More importantly, Shuelina, you need to help me.”

Telin said as she grabbed my hand and squeezed it tightly.

I had a hunch immediately.

Telin is trying to prevent me from checking my waist.

“Hewp you?”

(Help you?)

My heart thumped in anxiety.

If I don’t find out what Telin did, I might really die today.

Telin gritted her teeth and spoke in a prideful way, trying to act as casual as possible.

“I’m in charge of food distribution today because of you, so you have to help!”

It was ridiculous, but it was also a good excuse to keep an eye on me.

I nodded gently.

If I say no now, the director will probably slap me for making a fuss.

“You do this.”

When I stood in front of the large pot and basket, Telin quickly handed me the ladle.

The soup distribution was more difficult than the potatoes, so she passed the task to me.

“Wait! I can’t weach it. I need a chwair.”

(Wait! I can’t reach it. I need a chair.)

I jumped in my place as I said it.

I’m almost 6 years old, but my height is still a four-year-old’s, so the pot was too high for me.

“Ah, seriously.”

Telin moved to get a chair in annoyance.

Alright, here we go!

When Telin wasn’t watching, I patted the part where Telin’s hand did earlier.

I’m sure it’s around here.

Tuk-

The object I felt over the thin cloth of my pocket gave me a shudder.

When I hurriedly rolled it in my hand, I felt like my back was sweating.

‘This… Why is this here?’

A round object with something multi-sided and hard attached to it. It was a jeweled ring.

The only person who owns this kind of ring in this orphanage is the director.

At that moment, I clearly realized that Telin wasn’t only trying to lock me in a closet, she was trying to put in a grave.

If I get falsely accused of stealing the director’s jewelry, he would beat me to death for two days.

‘Telin……!’

I glanced at Telin who was bringing a chair from afar.

I calmly thought of a way to avoid her plan. Then, the time for me to solve this problem passively has come.

“Now, can you—ah!”

I stuck my foot out when Telin was about to put the chair in front of me.

Then Telin tripped on my foot and fell perfectly while holding the chair.

And unfortunately…… Telin pushed the pot away with her body.

The soup poured on the floor with a loud splashing sound.

“Oh no! Terin suddenwy fwell on hur way hewe!”

(Oh no! Telin suddenly fell on her way here!)

At the time when no one was able to open their mouths and there was just silence, I jumped up and made a lot of fuss.

“Hey, Telin! Are you crazy?”

“You’re really stupid! How can you cause an accident twice a day?”

“Argh, I’m hungry!”

As soon as the silence was broken, the children began clamoring.

In the meantime, Telin was pale and quiet, as if she had just foreseen her future.

The children’s reproach were all directed at Telin, who fell off.

“Terin! Are you awight? Are you hurt?”

I purposely knelt beside Telin, pretending to care.

As if she could not think of anything, Telin, who was still in shock, did not move.

‘Now!’

I carefully laid my hand on Telin, as if to make sure that she’s not hurt.

Then, I immediately slipped the ring into Telin’s pocket to take advantage of her shock.

She didn’t even notice what I did.

“What’s with all this damn noise?!”

A shrill, grown-up’s voice echoed in the entire room.

The director walked fast towards us. The bottom of the pot was wet with the soup.

“Director……”

With a bleached face, Telin slowly looked up at the director.

“It’s you again?”

The director shot a disappointed look at Telin. Then, with a blank look, Telin slowly shook her head.

Then, her eyes lit up, and began to appeal to the director.

“It wasn’t me, Director! Shu—Shuelina did it!”

I blinked and looked at Telin. Her hands were fisted very tightly.

Telin is freaking out.

She is stubbornly putting the blame on me with so many witnesses.

I’ve always thought she’s stupid and sloppy, but this is on an entirely different level.

“Shuelina tripped me! That’s right, I definitely felt my foot get stuck on something!”

Everyone’s eyes fell on me at Telin’s words.

I shook my head.

“Terin, how cou you say that when you fwell on youw own?”

(Telin, how could you say that when you fell on your own?)

The children nodded at my words.

Everyone was a witness to how I’ve also seen Telin fall down and how I was the first one to worry about her.

“Lies.”

In the midst of silence, someone’s whisper reached my ears.

It was probably the case for Telin as well because she looked even more anxious now.

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“Mo—More importantly, Director! We need to search Shuelina’s body!”

Telin quickly pointed her finger at me. She seemed to want to escape this situation.

But she’s simply walking into a hole.

I clicked my tongue inside my mouth.

“I caught a glimpse of something sparkly in Shuelina’s pocket! It must be the director’s ring!”

Telin almost shouted.

“What? Shuelina, you thief!”

The director’s face turned red in an instant.

“That’s right, you’re a thief! How dare you steal the director’s ring!”

Telin added aggravatingly as soon as the director called me a thief.

You will be the one receiving those words later, fool.

I quickly turned my pocket inside out when they looked at me suspiciously.

The director’s eyebrows rose up when my pocket turned out to be empty.

“Look at dwis. I did not stweal anythwing. Should I twake my dwess off?”

(Look at this. I did not steal anything. Should I take my dress off?)

Of course, there was nothing in my pocket.

I took my dress off with everyone’s eyes still on me.

My body is so scrawny that my ribs, joints, and bones stick out.

When I was only in my undergarments, everyone was surprised and started to whisper amongst themselves.

“That’s all. There’s nwothing!”

I said, looking around the room with a resentful look.

Ah, it’s cold. It’s not winter yet, but I shivered when I took my clothes off.

After confirming that everyone had seen me clearly, I put my clothes back on, one by one. Telin cried out.

“I-I’m sure I saw her steal it today! Trust me, Director!”

“But…… wasn’t Shuelina with us all this time……?”

“Yeah, we kept working together today!”

Telin, who cried of injustice, shuts her mouth when she hears someone’s mumble.

I purposely cleaned around the other children today.

I was never by myself.

“Th-Then, you must have stolen it before this day!”

Telin insisted in panic. Seriously, how can she be so stupid?

I sighed softly.

“You said you saw me steaw it today. Why does Terin keep chwanging hur wuds?”

(You said you saw me steal it today. Why does Telin keep changing her words?)

All of us stared at Telin with suspicious eyes.

If she didn’t have an excuse, she should’ve just went with that lie until the end.

The credibility of her testimony was bound to fall when she suddenly changed her words.

“You said you swo it in my pwocket. Whe is it?”

(You said you saw it in my pocket. Where is it?)

I asked Telin while deliberately waving my pocket.

Even if I stole it in advance, it wouldn’t make sense to keep it in my pocket.

When I looked at Telin and asked this, she shuddered. It seems like she has run out of excuses.

“Terin was the onwy one who went into the diwecto’s office today……”

(Telin was the only one who went into the director’s office today……)

So the only person who could possibly steal the ring was Telin.

In the first place, the director’s office is not a place that anyone could just enter.

The director didn’t like children going in and out of her office freely, and I, an eyesore, was most especially forbidden from entering.

Only Telin, the director’s foreman, could enter the office from time to time.

She would stop by and accuse the other children of wrongdoings.

“Yes, that’s right.”

The director’s eyes flashed appallingly as she spoke. Her eyes were crazy and full of greed.

Suddenly, the director lifted Telin in an almost reversed position and started to shake her.

Then, from Telin’s pocket, the director’s ring fell.

Telin and the director’s eyes were glued on the ring that fell on the floor.

“N-No way! I must’ve accidentally put it in there……!”

Telin mumbled.

HWIK, HWIK. It was a bizarre scene. Telin’s body was being lifted with her neck bent to its limit, which is why she was able to see the ring on the floor.

“We-Well, it wasn’t me. It wasn’t me! It was because of Shuelina!”

“Goodness, it came out of her pocket!”

“She was stealing and forgot to finish the task? Isn’t she just plain stupid?”

The children, who were watching from afar, snickered at her.

There is no way out of this situation. Telin has already been caught by the director.

“Y……Y……! You’re the worst liar! I can’t believe I dressed you up and fed you like a stray cat!”

“Ah!”

The director’s thick hand landed hard on Telin’s cheek.

Telin immediately fell on the floor and held her cheek.

‘Ow……!’

The sound was so loud that it felt like my own cheek was tingling.

I stared at the two of them while holding my breath.

It has only been a couple of months since I entered Shuelina’s body, but I’ve been hit by that hand a lot of times already.

Because of that, it was as if I could feel how painful it is for Telin right now.

The room became quiet, only the director’s shuffling sounds and Telin’s small sobs were audible.

“Even though I gave you food and a place to sleep, you still dared to steal from me?”

“Hnnggg…… It wasn’t me……!”

The director strode towards Telin, her fists clenched as if her anger was not lessened even after slapping Telin.

Maybe she will blow some steam off with her hands and feet until her anger fades.

Seeing that someone is about to get beaten up in front of my eyes, my body trembled, and my hands and feet moved on its own accord.

Shuelina was beaten up so much that her body reacted on its own.

“Di-Diwecto! What you thwink Terin did…… might not weally be the case……?”

“What? Get out of the way, Shuelina.”

“But I thwink that…… Terin just weally wanted to swet me up because she doesn’t wike me……! Wight, Terin?”

(But I think that…… Telin just really wanted to set me up because she doesn’t like me……! Right, Telin?)

With my hands clasped together, I stared up at the director with pleading and tearful eyes, but she only frowned and pushed me aside.

‘Fine, I’ve done enough.’

I don’t want Telin to get beaten up. However, I’m not willing to go that far for her.

If Telin’s plan worked out, I would’ve been the one who is being falsely accused.

Perhaps I would be half dead by now.

Telin sometimes used the ledger to harass Shuelina so that she would get bruises on her body.

It wasn’t just a day or two that I would almost pass out after entering this body.

As much as I wanted to forgive Telin, I’m not the real Shuelina.

Poor Shuelina. Shuelina is so kind. Shuelina is like an angel.

The children whispered quietly. It seems that everyone felt sorry for me because Telin keeps denying her crime and is trying to frame me.

At this point, the children are all on my side while Telin receives punishment.

“No, no, no! Why are you all looking at Shuelina like that?!”

Telin screamed shrilly. She’s about to get beaten by the director, but she still had the time to get angry because of the praises I’m getting.

Telin seems to have finally realized that the set up has been reversed.

The ring came back to Telin because I took it out myself and returned it to her.

Telin’s bloodshot eyes fell on me.

The situation right now should’ve been me, who stole the jewelry and being treated like shit.

“Follow me right now!”

The director strode out of the dining room with Telin.

She already knows that she would be locked up in a closet.

When the two disappeared with a fearful scream from Telin, the other children came running to me.

While everyone was moving around to clean the floor, a corner of my heart was bubbling with a positive emotion.

I felt relieved that my troubles with Telin, which was the reason why I kept my guard up the whole time, has finally ended.

But can I really say that my situation has improved? If I stay here, I might keep on encountering Telin.

‘The director hates me.’

Shuelina must’ve felt the bitterness of this world while she was being transferred to this orphanage by the empress’ orders.

The empress simply ordered, ‘It doesn’t matter what the situation is when you drain her spirit once every two to four months with only enough left for her to survive.’

Though it would seem like she’s taking care of Shuelina by ensuring that she doesn’t entirely lose her soul, it was still a form of abuse.

Shuelina could only have a little spirit left inside her, just enough for her to live.

The orphanage feeds us, but we aren’t provided with proper education.

The empress harbored jealousy and resentment towards her daughter, Shuelina.

‘And took everything away from her……’

When I first entered this body, I was really shocked to find that her spirit was completely gone.

Shuelina’s soul must’ve struggled to escape from this body’s misery. Then a different soul replaced hers.

When I saw my appearance, I immediately recognized who the character I possessed was.

Why does it have to be her?! This is so cruel! I don’t know how much I cried at that time.

‘They are both princesses…… but Azuela’s life is completely different from Shuelina’s.’

Unlike Shuelina, who was always beaten up and alone, Azuela was the imperial princess who enjoyed the life of luxury.

She was the beloved, youngest member of the imperial family.

The imperial princess, who was above everyone else, was worth a thousand lives.

Azuela’s world was built from Shuelina’s blood and tears.

‘I don’t want to live a life of being used as a stepping stone like the real Shuelina.’

I suddenly felt chills and wrapped my arms around me.

Now that I entered Shuelina’s body, this character won’t be acting the way she did in the original story.

Since I am inside this body, this will be my life now.

I don’t want to live a life for Azuela.

I don’t want to tremble in the cold, afraid of getting beaten up, of feeling the pain, and of losing my life.

‘I can’t change anything unless I get out of here!’

Shuelina, who was tired of these, ran away without a plan, became a beggar, and fell into despair.

Then…… I just have to leave the orphanage with a better plan.

Since I am a five-year-old child who can’t survive by myself, I should find someone to look after me.

‘The grand duke!’

The idea flashed in my mind, as clear as day.

If I get the grand duke to sponsor me…… then won’t my situation change even a little?

I looked straight in the direction where Telin disappeared into.

This time, the lucky child sponsored by the grand duke will be me, not Telin.

I’ll change this life for sure!

* * *

“Ow, this is hard……!”

I knelt near the orphanage’s front door and mopped the floor diligently.

The hem of my skirt inflated when I polished the floor.

This is the consequence of my intention to be the first person to meet the duke by taking the responsibility of cleaning the area near the front door.

It’s a difficult task for a child to do alone, but it’s worth it.

“Wow! What a luxury!”

“Oh my word! That carriage is the size of my house!”

Phew, I breathed. There was a sudden surge of noise outside.

Finally! The grand duke’s carriage must have arrived.

‘This is the start!’

I will make use of the opportunity of being the first one he meets in the orphanage.

Pfooo, I exhaled through my mouth, loosened my lips, and opened the door with a bright expression.

“Who is it?”

“Ah……”

Outside the door stood a magnificent carriage. And right in front of the door stood two people, a man and a child.

The two of them are the most beautiful people I’ve ever seen.

I forgot whatever I had to say and stared at them with my mouth agape.

‘This is the grand duke.’

I’m sure of it. This man is the grand duke.

His black hair, which seems to have absorbed the light, is a symbol of the Vailot family. His perfectly trimmed hair sparkled, even though it’s darker than night.

He was also very handsome. In addition, his cold, violet eyes that stared down at me was dignified.

Even though the grand duke is the head of a villain family…… he doesn’t exude a villainous aura at all.

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‘These two must be related to each other.’

With similar black hair and violet eyes, the child standing next to him resembles him a lot. They look like father and son.

“Interesting……”

The boy, who stared down at me for a moment, mumbled. His voice was very smooth.

I came to my senses. I widened my eyes and smiled brighter.

“Bwother, you’we pwetty. I wike you.”

(Brother, you’re pretty. I like you.)