Chapter 3
Charlotte Aubrey had died young…
It should have ended that way.
When Charlotte opened her eyes, she grabbed at her hair. But there was no strength in her hands. Her limp fingers hovered in the air before falling weakly.
Why? Why am I alive?
“You have only been awake for an hour. It would be best to refrain from moving too much.”
The physician, Zenon’s voice did not reach her ears. The only thing that mattered to her now was why she was alive.
And why now, at this exact moment.
“You must avoid cold air. Even though it is spring, you should refrain from going outside. Miss?”
Sensing something strange about Charlotte’s condition, Zenon stepped closer. Slowly, Charlotte lifted her head to look at him.
“…Zenon.”
“Yes, Miss.”
“…How old am I right now?”
After briefly calculating her age, he lowered his chin and answered.
“You have turned twenty this year, Miss.”
Charlotte slowly closed her eyes.
She had returned.
Turned back time.
But the fact that she would die had not changed.
Charlotte stared blankly at her reflection in the mirror.
She looked at her face.
It was far from the gaunt appearance she had before her death.
She examined her eyes.
They were different from when death had lingered within them.
She looked at her hair.
It was not dry and brittle like a corpse’s.
And yet, the illness could not be hidden.
There was no vitality in her. She looked as though she might collapse at any moment. A gloomy, unclean aura clung to her body.
“This is definitely….”
The winter when she was twenty.
Before she realized she had been poisoned.
She remembered discovering the truth in autumn and being diagnosed with a year to live.
That meant she now had about a year and a half remaining.
Charlotte clenched her weak fingers into a fist.
She had no idea why she had returned. She did not know why she had been able to reverse time, defying the divine boundary between life and death.
She knew better than anyone that she did not possess such power.
She had to stop searching for a reason. Seeking logic in something so irrational was the most foolish thing she could do.
Charlotte gripped her slender fingers tightly and exhaled roughly.
Have you ever resented God?
At this moment, Charlotte resented Him more than ever.
If time was to be turned back, why not return her to before she fell victim to Marlen’s vile scheme—so she could live out her natural lifespan?
Why return her to this moment, when she was already poisoned?
A time with no cure. No hope.
Perhaps it was God’s mockery.
Perhaps returning her to this hellish period was meant to remind her of her place—to make her quietly accept her fate and death.
Since the time leading to death had been unbearably painful, perhaps this was a small mercy—to let her taste a fleeting happiness before closing her eyes peacefully.
Some might interpret such divine will and accept the short time given to them, enjoying their remaining days before departing the world.
But…
Charlotte had no intention of dying so obediently.
“I lived well because of you, didn’t I? I enjoyed everything while standing behind you. My worthless life was extended because of you.”
“So… I can choose how you die, right, sister?”
Charlotte’s eyes trembled.
What strength could such branch-like, skeletal hands possibly have? Yet red blood seeped from her palm where her fist had clenched too tightly.
Her bloodshot eyes lifted.
I will have my revenge.
No matter what it costs. Even if I must burn the remainder of my life to ashes—I will drag Marlen down to ruin.
That monstrous creature—I will make her fall.
Having already died once and awakened again, having experienced the very thing humans fear most—death—there was nothing left to fear.
Except one thing.
Failing to succeed in her revenge before she returned to eternal rest.
One year and a half.
Within that short time, Charlotte would make Marlen understand—
The pain of having one’s throat crushed by the hands of the sister she so despised.
The maid, Lily, hurried down the corridor.
She was moving quickly because Charlotte’s fiancé, Young Master Richard Cosmo, was waiting in the reception room.
Normally, Charlotte would already be there before his arrival. But today, for some reason, she was nowhere to be found.
That Richard Cosmo had a short temper and a fiery personality was common knowledge. Even the servants who knew little gossip knew that much.
Nervous servants scattered in search of Charlotte.
This is strange.
Charlotte was always polite. Grace flowed through her actions; kindness showed in her demeanor.
If one did not know she had been adopted into the ducal family from common birth, one would praise her endlessly as a true noble daughter.
Yet she had broken an appointment? And not with just anyone—but Richard Cosmo?
If the Duchess learned of this, what kind of chaos would erupt…?
Lily shuddered as she recalled the Duchess striking Charlotte with a riding crop. She unconsciously held her own arm, where scars still remained.
Please, let there at least be some excuse!
So that I can survive this too!
Taking a sharp breath, Lily threw open Charlotte’s door.
What she saw stunned her.
“M-Miss!”
She stammered.
Charlotte was wearing nothing but a thin chemise—shoulder-strapped, flowing down to her thighs.
Lily had dressed her in an indoor gown that morning. When had she removed it?
And she knew Richard was coming today. Why had she discarded all the adornments prepared for the occasion?
Lily’s eyes trembled in confusion.
“Wh-why have you undressed? You knew Young Master Cosmo was coming today! It’s already late! He’s been here for a while!”
Composing herself, Lily hurried toward Charlotte, who sat motionless at her vanity.
“This is no time for this! You must get dressed! Where is the gown you were wearing?”
Only then did Charlotte shift her gaze from the mirror to Lily.
Her clear eyes rested on Lily’s skin. They had always resembled a warm blue sky.
Now they were cold.
Like a winter sky whipped by a snowstorm.
“The one I was wearing?”
Her desolate voice made Lily unconsciously curl her fingers.
“Yes. Please change quickly—”
“You mean the one Marlen wore and discarded?”
“…Pardon?”
“You would have me wear something my beloved sister already wore outside and flaunted before others? And meet my future husband in it?”
“What? I—I don’t understand…”
“Would he fail to notice? Or would he notice—and silently look down on me?”
The Charlotte Lily knew had always been gentle.
Given her low birth—lower even than a maid’s—she had always lived submissively. So her softness was natural.
Even after formally becoming a duchess’s daughter, she never acted arrogant. She laughed off servants’ insolence.
But this Charlotte—
She was different.
Her gentle voice was gone. Her warm gaze was gone. Her kind expression was gone.
It felt as though she were a different person.
Lily unconsciously stepped back.
“Answer me. In such a situation, what excuse should I make? That the ducal treasury is failing and we must share clothing?”
“No! That’s not it!”
“Richard may accept that explanation. But rumors would spread that the ducal coffers are empty.”
“I… I…”
It had always been natural for Charlotte to wear Marlen’s hand-me-down dresses, shoes, and jewelry. It had been that way for over a decade.
So why was she suddenly protesting?
Why was she rebelling now?
Lily’s eyes darted anxiously.
“Lily.”
Charlotte slowly rose to her feet.
