Chapter 3
Please Marry My Sister
Inside the carriage on the way home,
my sister gently stroked my hair.
It felt so nice that I closed my eyes and stayed still—until her soft voice called me.
“Katarina.”
“Hmm?”
“Why did you really call the duke ‘Daddy’?”
I opened my eyes wide. She was looking at me with genuine curiosity.
“He doesn’t resemble Father at all.”
That was true. Aside from having dark hair, they had nothing in common.
“Was it really just because he’s handsome? Or… maybe you miss Father…”
Her voice trailed off, her face filled with concern.
I could tell what she meant.
She seemed to think that, because I missed our father, I had impulsively clung to the duke and called him that.
Hmm… that’s not a bad misunderstanding.
In my past life, she had married someone like Glen Baluga for my sake.
So maybe this time, if I wanted the duke, she would choose him.
“Mmm! I want the duke to be like our dad!”
Someone who could protect my sister like Father once did.
I deliberately spoke brightly and confidently.
She looked startled.
“A father-like person…?”
“Yeah! By marrying you!”
If it wasn’t the duke, there was only one man who would marry my sister—who came with baggage like me.
That bastard, Glen Baluga.
So I wanted her to decide now—to marry the duke.
Unaware of my thoughts, her expression grew complicated.
“Do you really want me to marry the duke?”
“Yes!”
“Why?”
I paused to think.
Objectively speaking, even setting everything aside, the duke was far better than all the useless men who had proposed to her—and certainly better than Glen Baluga.
There was no comparison.
His face, his physique, his wealth.
And even after more than ten years of her marriage in my past life, he still came to her funeral.
That meant he had loyalty and sincerity.
Unlike Glen Baluga, who cheated and wandered around… a man devoted to one woman like the duke is much better.
I even found myself nodding.
My sister gently cupped my cheeks.
“Why do you want that?”
“He’s handsome, rich, and he loves you.”
I answered calmly and directly.
Her face flushed red again—this time even down to her neck.
“H-hey! Kati, you shouldn’t judge people by such worldly standards!”
“B-but…”
“You’re only six! You shouldn’t think like that already!”
She put on a stern face.
Honestly, who doesn’t like a handsome, rich man?
Still, I corrected myself for her sake.
“Then… because he loves you.”
“Katarina…”
She looked deeply moved.
“I won’t marry a man who loves only me. I’ll marry someone who loves you too.”
She said it like a vow, stroking my small head.
You don’t have to…
I swallowed the words that rose to my throat.
Personally, I’d prefer someone who loved only my sister—but kind-hearted as she was, she would never accept that.
All the more reason—
I must prevent her from marrying Glen Baluga in this life.
Right now, the only suitable man is Alfonso Raypier.
For now, I had to focus on the best option available.
I leaned my head against her arm, and she held my hand.
“When will you answer the duke?”
“Well… it wouldn’t be polite to keep him waiting too long, so I should answer soon.”
She smiled as she said it.
I believed her completely.
That she would soon give him her answer.
But now—
A week later.
‘At this rate… they won’t meet again for another seven years.’
There was absolutely no sign of them meeting.
They weren’t even exchanging letters!
And in a month and a half, Viscount Pedro’s family would return.
Before that, my sister and the duke needed to marry.
Growing impatient, I hugged a cushion and nudged her.
“Aren’t you going to meet the duke, sis?”
“Well… judging by the lack of contact, he must be busy. It might be difficult for now.”
“Then you should ask him first.”
“Kati, he’s the head of one of the empire’s three great houses. He’s not someone we can meet just because we want to.”
She spoke seriously.
In other words—she felt burdened about reaching out first.
That’s understandable… but the real shocking part is that the duke hasn’t contacted her at all.
After making a public proposal in front of everyone—how could he not?
I couldn’t understand it.
Did something happen to him? I should check.
…But how?
I looked down at my tiny hands.
I had no servants. No one to secretly deliver messages.
And as a six-year-old, I couldn’t even move freely without a guardian.
“…Should I go myself?”
I muttered absentmindedly while staring out the window—
Then froze.
Go myself?
It felt like a light suddenly switched on in my head.
A method that required no one else.
A method I could trust completely.
The best option I had—
Going to the duke’s estate myself.
I’ll check the situation—and if I’m lucky, I’ll even meet him.
And while I was at it, I decided to write a letter to arrange a meeting.
Since neither of them will make a move, I’ll do it myself.
I grabbed some paper and a pen.
Hmm… better write like a child.
Holding the long pen awkwardly in my small hand, I carefully wrote each line.
To Duke Raypier,
Hello! My name is Katarina Lils.
I decided to write this letter for my busy sister!
Have you been well?
It feels like it’s been a really long time since we saw you. I know both you and my sister are busy, but I really want you to meet!
If you’re suuuper busy, I can even set up a meeting for you!
When can you meet my sister?
Please write your reply to my sister and send it back. I’m begging you!
Please stay healthy always.
—From Katarina Lils, who really wants to see you again!
I reread the letter.
Perfect. Childlike, but not rude.
Satisfied, I folded it neatly and sealed it in an envelope.
Now I just need to deliver it.
Strike while the iron is hot.
Since my sister was out, I decided to go now.
No one in this house paid attention to me anyway.
I could slip out unnoticed.
I went to the study—once my father’s, now used by Viscount Pedro—and took a map of the capital.
If I was going on foot, I’d need it.
Taking a carriage wasn’t an option.
They wouldn’t give me one—and worse, my destination might reach the viscount’s ears.
The servants had already sided with him and constantly monitored us.
So walking was the safest way.
Let’s see…
I checked the duke’s estate on the map.
Southeast of the capital. About an hour by carriage from both the imperial palace and the clock tower.
Between our house and his lay a plaza and the central market.
Maybe I can reach the market and hitch a ride from there…
It took about an hour to walk to the market.
Doable.
Memorizing the route, I stood up confidently.
The path was now etched in my mind like a web.
I packed the letter, a small pouch of money, and changed into shabby clothes.
Even as a neglected noble, I still looked different from commoners.
To avoid becoming a target for street criminals, I had to blend in.
Two hours should be enough…
Wearing a worn-out child’s robe, I quietly left my room.
Being at the far end of the third floor had its advantages.
I didn’t encounter anyone as I slipped down the stairs and out the kitchen’s back door into the garden.
The gardener was the last obstacle.
Hiding behind bushes, I waited until his back was turned—then dashed to a small hole in the fence and crawled through.
Once outside, I brushed off the dirt from my clothes.
Perfect.
Everything was going smoothly.
I’m coming, House Raypier!
But when people are overly motivated—they make mistakes.
Sneaking out had gone well.
Walking toward the market with the map had gone well.
But about thirty minutes in—
My legs felt like they were weighed down with sandbags.
My breathing became ragged.
Damn this body.
That’s when I realized—
A six-year-old couldn’t even walk properly for thirty minutes.
Who told me to walk?!
I had overestimated myself.
And forgotten that my body was even weaker than normal.
Gritting my teeth, I barely made it to the market.
Scanning with hollow eyes, I spotted a supply wagon heading toward the duke’s estate.
That’s it!
While the drivers checked the horses, I crouched low and crawled into the back of the wagon.
Thankfully, they didn’t notice.
Soon, the wagon started moving.
Inside, I crouched quietly, finally relaxing.
If I had walked the whole way, I would’ve died…
Maybe the vitality that once kept me alive through abuse had been spent on turning back time.
Walking felt impossibly hard.
Was this what that voice meant?
The voice I heard before dying.
It said it would turn back time in exchange for “me.”
Not my life—
…but me.
That vague wording bothered me.
I checked my body for changes.
Nothing obvious—
Except that I was even weaker than before.
What was that voice anyway?
I had never heard anything like it.
Neither male nor female.
How had it reached me?
I’m just an ordinary person.
The Lils family had no special bloodline.
No spirits, no dragons.
Nothing.
And yet—
Someone like me had turned back time,
simply because I desperately wanted to make my sister happy.
No matter what—
In this life, I will make my sister happy.
