Translator: Jis...o...b..>Proofreader: Arie Bee

Chapter 2

Aria could feel that she had become younger as she returned to her room using Jessie as her support and got her injury treated.

As she grew older all the furniture and decorations in her room had been replaced with luxurious ones, and the jewels she purchased were scattered all over the room as if she was bragging.

But her current room was still quite luxurious without any extravagant luxury, and it was a cute room that even n.o.ble girls in their early or mid teens would like.

She looked down at Jessie, who was wrapping her leg with bandage.

Jessie was on Mielle's side, but she was a maid who had tried to stop Aria's evil deeds several times, even if they were weak attempts. She remembered cutting her hair and burning her right hand then telling her to go sh*t in the stables because she didn't like that she disapproved about it.

'……It was only Jessie. Her going on Mielle's side was all because I was bad.'

When Aria had first come to the count's house, all the maids except Jessie had compared Aria with Mielle, forming jealousy in Aria's heart.

'I'm sure you'll be better at it, Lady Aria! Lady Mielle used some terrible method, I'm sure of it!'

Aria was foolish, dumb, and came from a lower cla.s.s, and not knowing that the maids were all from Mielle, she could not contain her jealousy and met her embarra.s.sing death after being tricked by Mielle.

But now it was different. The one who knows that a trap is a trap will not get caught in that trap.

And the one who placed that trap was a villainess of villainesses who was wearing the mask of a saintess.

It was her step sister, Mielle Roscente.

'I will never forgive her.'

She was determined to never forgive her even if she died.

Perhaps it was because she had returned to the past, but Aria felt extremely tired. She wanted to lie down and rest immediately.

She feared that when she woke up this blessing would end and the horrifying reality would await her, but she could not win against her exhaustion.

She hoped that if this was her last time sleeping she would never wake up. She wished for her lonely life filled with jealousy would end with happiness like this.

"Jessie, I want to lie down."

"Yes, Milady."

Jessie helped Aria change and supported her to the bed. She was so weak that one could never have guessed that she had acted so calmly at the dining room moments ago.

'……what is this?!'

Aria felt something rough at her feet under the covers and got up instantly. Her blanket was always soft, so what was this unusual texture she felt.

When she ordered Jessie to take off all the blankets to check the inside, she could see that there were very small sand particles spread all over the bed. There were also gla.s.s pieces underneath the bed. The biggest piece was in an X shape, and was unexpectedly an hourgla.s.s.

Seeing this, Jessie put her head down and admitted her sins.

"I, I cleaned it up before your mealtime because I saw it on your bed, I don't know how it ended up down there broken……! Miss, I'm so sorry!"

Her whole body trembled as she lay on the floor. She recited her apology several times in a pathetic voice, as if she was thinking about the anger she was about to receive.

Aria's trembling eyes turned towards Jessie for a moment before returning to the hourgla.s.s. Aria picked the hourgla.s.s up with her slightly trembling hands.

It was something she had never seen before but it felt familiar, scary, and precious.

Perhaps. Perhaps this wasn't a coincidence.

'Yes! This must all be a part of G.o.d's plan. A plan to save and allow a poor girl who's lived all her days being used and tricked to repent!'

To help her escape the hands of evil that pushed her into a pit of darkness! And to allow her to take revenge by keeping her memories intact!

Aria squeezed the hourgla.s.s piece in joy. This left injuries on her small, weak hands but it only brought her the joy of living a second life, not pain.

The bed blood drops that fell to the floor started making a puddle of blood. This was a sign of Aria's regret for her past stupidity and her determination as a villainess for revenge.

'I will never forgive her'

Aria's mouth formed a smile as she slowly opened her hands.

The smile was so similar to the saintess's forgiving smile that it even stopped Jessie from trembling.

* * *

"Aria must've studied hard."

After a few days of returning to the past, Aria's clear, transparent voice filled the dining room as she recited a poem.

And this also earned Aria's first compliment from the count. The countess laughed smoothly with her mouth covered, adding some lies onto Aria's excellence.

"She's been reading many books even when we were poor, and it seems like she's happy that there are more chances for her to learn."

Liar. Aria could not even eat properly without someone's help until she was sixteen, much less recite a poem.

She had never even touched a book before coming into the count's household, and it pretty much stayed that way even after she came in to the household.

She enjoyed playing more than reading, and her happiness came from decorating and wasting money. It was also because it was the only thing she knew how to do.

When she was younger she had memorized a few poems that the count liked to recite in front of him, but the one who received the glory was always Mielle.

Just like now.

"It's a famous poem that's come down for generations in the Roscente family. It was written by the first count, and it's also one that I first learned when I was four. The last part, t.i.tled 'The woman I love' has a response poem that isn't very famous, but only when the two poems are together can they be considered complete."

Mielle put her right hand on her chest and recited the poem in a quiet, clear, voice.

The people watching held satisfaction in their eyes. Aria's mother, the countess, also looked at Mielle with a proud expression. It was like the entrance of a protagonist following the entrance of a side character.

"……I'll gather all my respect and spread it in your future……!"

There was a round of applause after she finished reciting the poem. Unlike the past, Aria also joined in on the crowd clapping. Making a shy smile with a blush, Mielle was unquestionably the protagonist of today.

As always, her glory came from stealing Aria's spot. The glory that returns to the one who was n.o.ble since birth, contrasting the girl who was from a low cla.s.s.

It may have been that she was able to be praised more because of Aria's existence. So Aria decided to take back the glory she had stolen.

Since it was never hers to begin with.

"That's a very beautiful poem, Mielle. But did you know about it?"

After the applause had died down, Aria, who was the side character, asked without losing her smile or relaxed composure. Mielle's eyes widened at the unexpected question. Since there was no way Mielle would know, Aria answered kindly.

"That poem was written by the first count's younger brother, who tried to murder the first count. That's why it isn't very famous. The first count hoped it would never come out to the world."

Aria was about to say that it was also the reason why she had not memorized that poem, but the count beat her to it, starting his sentence with 'come to think of it'.

"Just a few generations ago that poem was prohibited from being recited. It was because it had metaphorical phrases that placed a curse on the family."

Mielle's face froze like ice instantly. It was because she had recited a poem that was prohibited and a curse to the family proudly. Aria suppressed the urge to roll on the floor while laughing.

In the past the situation had been reversed.

Aria had learned the response poem from a tutor because she wanted to be acknowledged. And she had recited it with sparkling eyes when the count returned from his work abroad.

But the sharp criticism that followed made her face lose colour and fill up with embarra.s.sment instead.

It had happened not too long after her coming to the family, and the person who had criticized her was her brother Kain.

He was four years older than her and knew more due to his education at the academy, which he used to his advantage and criticized everything that Aria did.

'Which means he would've known this fact.'

He wouldn't want to criticize his own sister, so he had kept his mouth shut the whole time. Or perhaps he just wanted to hurt Aria in the past.

Aria checked Kain's expression just with the movement of her eyes. He had a tight expression and was glaring at Aria. It seemed like he did not like how the situation was unfolding.

Aria did not want to be hated so openly, so she pretended to protect Mielle as she laughed awkwardly.

"It's amazing that you've even memorized the response poem even though you're only thirteen, Mielle."

But the fact that Mielle had recited a prohibited poem did not change, and the mood did not lift. It was very foolish indeed.

'How embarra.s.sed she must be since not only did she not know but bragged about something that even the prost.i.tute's daughter knew?'

The count lifted his fork to continue the meal after warning his daughter with a cough for showing such an unsatisfying side for the first time.

After smiling at her new father in a clear, childlike smile, Aria brought her still messily cut up meat to her mouth.

Today's meal was exceptionally satisfying.

END OF CHAPTER 2.