PLTSVA 22

***

And I woke up from the dream to the morning sunlight and the sound of birds chirping.

What kind of strange dream was that?

As Garnet brushed my hair, I stared at myself in the mirror. I was utterly confused, seeing the young Ria from the dream overlap with my own reflection.

The chills from that moment still hadn’t faded. To think she stood up so bravely against the demonized Rayola at that young age.

She even smiled at Luca, as if to say she was fine. That composure made her seem even scarier.

“Was that from the original story? Why did it feel so vivid?”

It was like a small pebble had been tossed into the still waters of my second life, causing ripples to spread.

“Garnet, Drehan… Did he arrive early this morning?”

Calling someone “oppa” when our relationship wasn’t defined yet felt awkward.

Not that he would treat me like a sister anyway.

As I spoke, Garnet gently brushed my long hair and replied.

“Yes, my lady. He’s supposed to greet everyone during breakfast. He hasn’t seen the Duke yet either.”

“What kind of person is he?”

In the end, I decided to just call him that person.

At my question, Garnet hesitated briefly before speaking.

“My senior maids say he’s changed a lot since childhood. I didn’t serve him during his younger years, so I can’t say for certain… But from what I remember, he’s always been colder than necessary. He never tries to grow close to anyone.”

What did the original story say about him again? He was a fairly significant sub male lead.

During the war, he helped Senia when she became close to Luca and was targeted by concubine Jeria. He was the one who found the antidote when villainess Raveria poisoned her on Jeria’s orders.

In fact, Drehan personally interrogated Raveria to get that antidote.

He was ruthless enough to make even the stubborn Raveria confess.

Recalling that, I felt I must get him on my side for my own peace of mind.

It was ironic that he fell for Senia because she was his sister.

According to Garnet, his personality completely changed after losing his mother and younger sister. A few kind words from Senia, helping him momentarily forget his pain, managed to soften his heart a little.

She was the only one able to break through that narrow wall of his heart.

“What if he hates me?”

He surely would. I was certain of it.

“Still, it doesn’t change the fact that you’re ‘Raveria Genne Rayes.’ Don’t worry too much. Now, off you go!”

Garnet had dressed me up so prettily I looked like a doll in the mirror, but my expression was glum. I felt like I was being dragged to meet a notoriously bad boss.

I tried to smile, but the corners of my lips dropped back down.

***

Knock knock.

“I’m coming in.”

When I opened the door and stepped inside, a true new face was seated there.

Occupying the seat to my father’s right—where I used to sit—he was eating a salmon salad and looked shockingly similar to Dad.

Miller, it seemed, took after the late duchess more, while Drehan was the spitting image of the duke—sharp eyes, firm mouth.

Only his eyes were the same fresh green as mine.

It felt strange to see the exact same eyes, like they’d been copied and pasted.

I didn’t have the courage to meet those vivid, glowing eyes directly.

I casually sat next to Miller and glanced at Drehan from the corner of my eye.

‘He’s staring…!’

He looked at me so intensely, I thought a fly had landed on my forehead.

I calmly turned away, as if I hadn’t noticed him at all.

Did he think I was some intruding outsider? He must have heard about me from Dad.

“Drehan, greet your sister. I know it may feel awkward at first, but time will help,” Dad said.

Finally, Drehan opened his mouth.

“I had heard the rumors at the academy… but seeing her in person is even more disconcerting.”

He frowned, clearly displeased. While he was away, they had added a stranger to the family registry without his consent.

He had just graduated from the academy and was fully qualified to be the next family head—so it was understandable for him to be upset over being excluded from such a major decision.

Miller jumped in.

“Come on, bro. Anyone can see she’s our sister, Raveria! What’s with you?”

You might think that, I thought, but he’s a Magic Nullifier.

Like that title was some badge of honor.

Here I was, generously trying to understand him.

I sighed internally, took a bite of garlic shrimp toast, and sipped some water.

Then I met Drehan’s gaze—this time without avoiding it—and smiled.

“Nice to meet you, Drehan oppa.”

You have to act shameless in these situations. In the original story, Ria made a terrible mistake during their first meeting.

Angered by Drehan’s refusal to accept her, she snapped and told him to stop crying over his dead sister.

Not knowing she was that sister herself.

From that moment on, she became a pariah in the household.

That’s probably when the maids’ subtle bullying began too.

Right now, most of them treated me kindly, but if I had insulted the late duchess and missing daughter, I’m sure they’d have turned on me.

They were fiercely loyal to their masters.

Drehan frowned deeper at my attempt to greet him. I just smiled wider in response.

Frowning only causes wrinkles… but smiling brings good luck.

Just as our silent clash was escalating, Dad intervened.

“Drehan, that’s enough. You must be tired from your trip. Go and rest.”

With a glare, Drehan stood up, gave a short bow to Dad, and left.

Only after the door shut did the icy tension finally thaw.

Miller patted my head and said Drehan was always a jerk anyway. I turned to Dad.

“Will it be okay?”

“There’s no reason it shouldn’t be. Drehan will be very busy going forward. You won’t need to interact with him much. Besides, he mostly stays in the annex where his mother used to live.”

Apparently, the duchess had cherished that annex where she played with her children and chose to live there until her passing. If Drehan mostly stayed there, we likely wouldn’t cross paths often.

But no matter what they said, we’d still see each other at meals.

I couldn’t shake the worry.

***

After barely touching breakfast, I was heading back to my room when I ran into someone unexpected on the stairs.

Drehan—clearly waiting for me.

But Dad said we wouldn’t see each other much?!

“Drehan oppa, you haven’t left yet?” I asked cheerfully.

But his response was cold.

“Whose orders are you following? I don’t know how you managed to fool the other two… but to think you’d even take Raveria’s name in my absence.”

“‘Fool’? That’s a strange choice of words. I was heading to the Imperial Palace when the Duke stopped me.”

I’d almost said Dad, but decided to use Duke to avoid provoking him further. Still, having to walk on eggshells annoyed me, so I dropped the smile and added,

“Everything just happened to line up—my age, appearance, being raised in an orphanage with no parents. The truth still hasn’t been confirmed.”

Drehan sneered.

“Of course. Just like all the other fake princesses before you. Is the name Rayes really worth deceiving Father and Miller?”

That twisted smirk seemed to recall painful memories. Back when imposters flooded in and were exposed one by one…

The wounds left on the three Rayes men must have been immeasurable.

I wanted to push back and get away—but something made me speak instead.

“You don’t have any proof that I’m fake, either. So can’t you consider it? That I might really be Raveria?”

“You really think that makes sense?”

He had been betrayed countless times already. And yet I asked him to consider it one more time.

My words were closer to a plea.

I’ve seen it all. You’ll regret this so much later.

He looked at me with a hardened expression. Just as he was about to say something, I spoke again.

“You’re right. I don’t know the tragedy that happened here in Rayes. I just barely escaped from an orphanage after suffering a lot.”

It was half a lie, but also half true. I didn’t know the tragedy.

Could reading about their grief and pain in a novel really count as knowing?

No, it couldn’t.

But I wanted to understand and try.

Because, in this life, this was my precious family.

This time, I would try to lead all of us toward a happy ending.

But there is one thing I can say:

“We can make this work. Whenever the time comes… please look back at me. And recognize me. Know that I was sincere all along.”

I looked straight into his eyes—the same bright summer-green shade as mine—and smiled brightly.