CH 1

“Lizzy, Lane. Happy Birthday.”

“My darling granddaughter, Lizzy. My wonderful grandson, Lane. I wish you a happy thirteenth birthday. Also you earned early admittance to the academy. I’m truly proud of you guys.”

“Thanks to you, this grandma is able to watch Lizziana’s descendants going to the academy.”

“I was concerned because there was an idiot in the family who was unable to attend the academy.” The Count’s biological mother, Gemer, added.

For a moment, Gemer glanced at her foolish granddaughter, Ailee. Everyone’s gaze shifted away from Gemer and onto Ailee.

Ailee was curled up in a shaded place to hide out of sight.

She was curled up like a crumpled tissue, and as she received the gazes, her body shrank even more.

Ailee’s purple eyes that resembled the violets trembled.

A birthday cake was placed in front of Ailee, who was crouching.

Ailee and her twin siblings were two years apart. But what kind of fate is this? The three of them were born on the same month and on the same day so they always celebrated together.

Ailee had nowhere to look, so she set her eyes on the cake with the word ’14’ written on it with cream. It was the same cake that Lizzy and Lane had enjoyed.

‘I’m not fourteen, I’m fifteen……I think I’m going to vomit already.’

The fifteen-years-old Ailee has been unable to eat properly because she felt nauseous when she ate at the same table as her siblings. Juice was the only thing she had drank so far, but she felt nauseous because of the gazes.

“Child, is the cake delicious?”

Gemer asked, looking at the cake in front of Ailee and Ailee herself.

Ailee bit her lips at her grandmother’s words. 

She couldn’t answer it.

‘I haven’t even eaten a bite of the cake yet.’

Her biting lips showed no sign of loosening.

Ailee was well aware that biting her lip in response to her grandmother’s questions was impolite. She also knew that her father would reprimand her if she didn’t respond immediately.

‘Even though I know it, I can’t open my mouth.’

A strange sensation arose in her stomach, which had previously been rumbling. If this is the case, the moment she opens her mouth, she will definitely vomit right here. Or she cried because she tried her hardest to hold the vomit. Either way, it wasn’t a pleasant situation.

While she was sweating and watching them, Lizzy accidentally hit a glass. 

The loud sound distracted everyone.

“Oh no, you should be careful.”

“My lovely grandchild, are you hurt?”

“You’re an idiot, sister.”

“An idiot?”

Lizzy was now the center of attention. The eyes that met Lizzy were warm and friendly… in contrast to the ones that met her. Even though Ailee had seen such a thing every day, she felt like she was going to cry. 

Count Temeron, Ailee’s father, said.

“Ailee. You’re being rude. I told you not to bite your lip and answer properly. Go back to your room. How long has it been since you were here and how disrespectful have you been to your grandmother?”

While she considered herself fortunate that Temeron’s remarks were less severe than usual, she still felt bad. Today is also her birthday.

She couldn’t hear a single word of congratulation, so she wanted to go back.

‘Why am I like this? I could only cry and I’m not good at anything. I was kicked out this time too. I wish I could have done better.’

Ailee yearned for love. She yearned for the affection she had never gotten. And above all else, she was weak-minded. Rather of condemning others for their lack of love, she started blaming herself.

“Ah, father. sorry. I’ll go back until dinner is over…”

“Go back to the hut. I don’t want to see you anymore.”

The twins were disputing over who was the most foolish of the two, when they stopped and stared at Ailee.

The twins immediately turned to Ailee.

Their purple eyes, darker than that of Ailee, were bent. Her sister covered her mouth with her small hand, giggled and murmured over Ailee.

“The real idiot is over there.”

Although it was clear that her younger siblings were making fun of her, Ailee couldn’t even respond. 

Because she believed herself to be an idiot as well.

Ailee hesitated in her seat, but eventually got up. 

Just before opening the door, she looked back one last time. She wondered if she can even hear the words happy birthday.

“My grandchildren, let’s open with the gift this grandmother prepared for you.”

“Wow—”

Nobody paid Ailee any attention as she walked away. Rather than that, it was more delightful when the unwelcomed visitor had departed, and the dining room was vibrant.

Ailee fumbled with the hem of her dress before going out the door.

The friendly sound could be heard clearly even before Ailee closed the door.

* * *

‘I want to receive a present too. No, I just wanted to hear them say happy birthday.’

If I had stayed there, would I have been able to receive the present?

On the way back, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

‘I probably didn’t get it because I was a bad kid. If I had answered my grandmother’s words well, I would have been able to receive it… No, even if I did, I wouldn’t have received it because I’ve been so foolish.’

At the age of seven, I have never received a gift beautifully wrapped in a gift box.

Instead, when I was eight, I was given something that might be considered a present but wasn’t.

It went hand in hand with my mother’s advice to keep it a secret.

So I still don’t know exactly what it is.

“This is a secret between the two of us. That’s why you shouldn’t tell both your father and your grandmother. Understand? It’s because I wanted to give it to Ailee only.”

My mother’s breathing became erratic, as if she was anxious. I noticed that and reacted promptly. If I didn’t answer, even though I didn’t know what it was, she’d take it back right away.

When I answered, my mother let out a sigh of relief. I looked at my mother with my eyes shining.

“Yes! I’ll keep it a secret!”

“Yes. You have to eat it every day. You’re a good kid, right?”

Good kid?

Every day, I only heard that I was a bad kid. If I eat this, will I become a really good child and will my mother love me? I nodded my head quickly. My heart was beating fast.

‘I’m going to be a good kid!’

I will be a good kid. I will listen to my mother well, so one day I will become the eldest daughter recognized by everyone. 

The best part is that I made a secret with my mother!

I thought I was not part of the family, but in fact, my mother was taking care of me. I was stupid becaise I don’t even know my mother’s feelings. This secret alone made me feel good. It felt like there was a secret bond between us.

I still couldn’t figure out exactly what kind of medicine I got when I heard that it was a secret between the two of us, but I didn’t hesitate. It was given to me by my mother, so there’s no way it’s bad for me.

‘When I go back to the hut, I have to eat that first.’

Although I never heard of happy birthday and was kicked out of my birthday party, I was fine with that. I tried to cover up the previous situation with the memories of that time.

“She has been kicked out again.”

“Yes, she only has that one skill… … . To be honest, she’s a little pitiful.”

“Shh! Be quiet.”

‘I read in a book that if we think a lot by ourselves, we won’t notice anything about what’s around us.’

But why do I notice my surroundings better the more I tried to think? Is this also my problem?

The more I put thoughts into my head to avoid it, the louder the voices of the servants were heard. I clenched my fists.

“Even if she listens, what can she do? She’s pathetic.”

I bit my lip. I still couldn’t get used to it no matter how much I heard it.

I can’t hear anything. I can’t hear anything. I’ll just go home and rest. I’ll go home and take the medicine my mother gave me and rest.

When I heard the word home, I suddenly thought, ‘My house is Lizziana’s mansion.’ 

No, it was dangerous to think like that now. Because I might burst into tears that I’ve been holding back so much.

I had to suppress those thoughts as much as possible. The more I thought about it, the more difficult it was for myself, not anyone else.

“Poor girl. Still, it’s great that she was born as a noble.”

“I know. If she was born as a commoner like us, she must have already been sold somewhere. If not….”

If a voice could take form, it would be stabbing me with a sharp blade. 

Even though I was getting farther away, I heard those voices as I held my breath and ran away.

As I walked with my head lowered, I saw a small hut that had now become my home. The creaking sound of the door was heard as it opened.

I need to get used to it.

But I hated it more. It was terrifying to get used to this.

I slowly looked inside. I blinked a few times without saying anything. Suddenly, tears began to well up in my eyes.

‘This is not my home.’

The sadness I had been holding back exploded all at once. Tears started falling down.

Since I was younger, no matter how much I cried, there was no one to comfort me, so it became a very natural thing to do, but today, that fact has made me even more sad.

The more I tried not to cry, the more tears flowed out. I took out the medicine in the white medicine box, forcing myself to stop crying.

‘I still have a present from my mother. Let’s not cry.’

I tried to calm myself down, swallowing my tears, but I couldn’t. 

Why do you keep crying! Stop crying, you idiot! 

I was angry with myself because I couldn’t calm myself down.

“D-don’t cry,  stupid Ailee, sniff.”

If you cry, you won’t be able to swallow what your mother gave you.

When I tried to calm down,

Knock, knock, knock.

‘Who is it?’

The crying stopped in an instant.

No one was going to knock on this old hut. Except for the maid who brings food and the twins who come to visit me.

‘My mother? Did she come to give me another present?’

Maybe that was the case. I quickly became excited.

I wiped my face with my arm before opening the door. 

If my mother finds out that I have been weeping, she may feel bad for me. What if she goes back again?

My face turned red in an instant from the rubbing, but it didn’t matter. I opened the door with anticipation. The door opened with a sound, and the person in front of me was…

“Who are you……?”