WBESFL 26

Chapter 26

When she was five, Vanessa was abandoned by her parents and brought to an orphanage. She was a child who remembered what it was like to have a family.

And usually, such children had a harder time than those who had never had a family to begin with.

Even if it had only been in name, the memory of once having a family made the sense of abandonment much sharper, even among other children who had also been left behind.

Vanessa was no exception.

She had lived with her family until she was five, and being suddenly discarded made her feel more acutely than anyone else that she was a forsaken child.

The room she’d slept in just the night before, the home, her family—everything vanished the next morning.

Thrown into a strange place full of unfamiliar people, she was expected to adapt, just like that.

Because she had been abandoned.

Because she was an abandoned child, everything changed overnight as easily as flipping a coin.

It was only natural that Vanessa would struggle to adapt to life in the orphanage, always feeling out of place.

If only she had been abandoned at birth, perhaps she wouldn’t have felt such misery and loss.

If only she had been left behind at an age too young to remember anything clearly. Maybe then, instead of feeling so alienated, she could have settled in a little sooner.

But Vanessa had been five years old—old enough to remember everything. And for five long years, she wandered in that loneliness.

At the end of that wandering, she met Baroness Stephanie Fompourit.

“So you’re Vanessa.”

The Baroness had a strict-looking face, but when she smiled, she looked like a completely different person.

The head of the orphanage introduced her as Vanessa’s generous “sponsor.” If all went well, she could be a savior who would change Vanessa’s life.

Among the orphanage children, Vanessa had a sharper mind, so she accepted the fact that she had been chosen without question.

But the Baroness had picked Vanessa simply because she resembled her eldest niece.

“You look like my niece, Elionore.”

That was the first time Vanessa heard the name Elionore and became aware of her existence.

According to the Baroness, Elionore was the eldest daughter of a count’s family in the capital, Bayren. Even setting aside the fact that she was her niece, she was a noble young lady who looked like a doll.

The Baroness said she had long, graceful limbs and would look elegant no matter what she did. Vanessa heard such praises more than once.

Vanessa, who was petite for her age, found it increasingly hard to believe. How could she resemble such a noble young lady?

She even asked a fellow orphan—one known for being blunt and clear-headed—if she looked noble without realizing it.

The girl gave her a once-over and replied coolly, “You’re cute, but more like a stuffed bunny from a general store. Not really a noble vibe.”

Vanessa felt flattered at first by the “cute” comment, but was quietly offended by the follow-up.

‘Maybe if I dressed up, I’d look noble too? Being cute means I’m not ugly, at least.’

That thought vanished the moment she saw a portrait of Elionore the Baroness had shown her one day.

A girl with long, cream-colored hair stared blankly forward. She really did look like a doll.

The blue eyes in the finely painted portrait seemed to sparkle like starlight.

It wasn’t a matter of clothing or appearance. Elionore simply radiated noble elegance that couldn’t be faked or denied.

‘Wow… she’s really beautiful. And looks… high-strung.’

Even though the artist had tried to soften her features, her cold eyes and sharp presence remained.

Looking at the downturned corners of Elionore’s lips, Vanessa thought:

‘She looks kind of lonely. And sad.’

Though it was only a painting, that was Vanessa’s first impression of Elionore:

A noble lady who was beautiful, high-strung, and sorrowful.

After seeing the portrait, Vanessa was more confused than ever as to how she resembled Elionore.

Even as flattery, the resemblance felt absurd.

Yet, every time the Baroness looked at her, she would say, “You remind me of Elionore.”

It was confusing.

Still, Vanessa decided to take it positively. Because she resembled this glass-doll-like young lady, she was being sponsored by the Baroness and given good things, a fine education, and a safe environment.

Her initial goal was to grow under the Baroness’s support and become independent. She dreamed of living a life of freedom.

But emotions are powerful.

What started as a mere sponsor-beneficiary relationship turned into something deeper. The Baroness truly cared for Vanessa.

Though she had been wary at first, Vanessa eventually opened her heart.

The transition from sponsor to a mother-like figure felt natural.

‘I want to stay by the Baroness’s side. I want to be helpful to her.’

The more she saw the Baroness as a mother, the more Vanessa’s dream changed. She no longer wished to be a free bird, but a little apple tree quietly rooted beside the Baroness.

“You’re very precious to me, Vanessa. Would you like to live with me?”

The Baroness didn’t place much importance on social class. That open-mindedness resonated with Vanessa.

Vanessa longed for familial love, but the Baroness seemed to aim for something just shy of true family—a bond stronger than sponsorship, yet not quite kinship.

When Vanessa moved into the Baroness’s castle and received her affection, the jealousy and resentment from others grew.

“Does Vanessa think she’s the Baroness’s daughter or something?”

“She needs to know her place. She remembers her parents clearly, too—wasn’t she abandoned at five?”

“The Baroness is just too kind. She only took her in because she felt sorry for her.”

“She’s just a fake noble. She’ll be tossed aside eventually.”

They constantly reminded her of the wall she already knew all too well.

You’re just a commoner orphan. You can never be the Baroness’s real family.

Someone like you doesn’t belong beside the Baroness.

She’s only pitying you.

On the flip side, there were those who wanted Vanessa to succeed the Baroness, and they were just as suffocating.

“If Vanessa becomes the Baroness, she’d be the first commoner noble in Oklama!”

“She gives us commoners hope!”

“If she becomes a noble, life will be easier for us. She’ll understand us more.”

“Vanessa must become the Baroness. Give us something to believe in.”

To them, she was a tool for fulfilling their ambitions.

As if she had a duty to seize the title and serve their expectations.

But Vanessa didn’t want the title to become part of the Baroness’s family.

It was because she already felt like family—because she wanted to be family.

It was a selfish desire for a second chance at having a family.

‘I don’t even need to be called her daughter. I just want to be something close to that.’

Vanessa worked hard.

She acted as the Baroness’s proxy in managing the domain, devoted herself entirely, and tried to prove she was useful and needed.

She wanted recognition.

‘Someone, please tell me I can be here too. That I belong by the Baroness’s side.’

Caught between those who wanted her to fall and those who wanted her to rise as a commoner noble, Vanessa simply tried her best to fulfill her role.

But no matter how hard she worked, in the end, she was just a commoner orphan—not someone the Baroness truly needed.

And the one who made her realize that was Elionore Stykov.

Vanessa would never forget the moment Elionore walked into the dining hall.

Wearing a simple, pale blue dress with no embellishments, she was more beautiful than anyone else. Her steps were as graceful as butterfly wings.

‘Someone like that is the only kind of person who can truly be part of the Baroness’s family.’

A deep sense of defeat and inferiority surged within Vanessa.

“Are you from another noble family?” Elionore asked.

Assuming Vanessa was a noble only because she lived in the Baroness’s castle, Elionore’s words stung like salt in a wound.

Vanessa knew she hadn’t said it because she looked like one—but because nobles simply assumed that anyone living in a castle must be one of their own.

The assumption that only nobles belonged by the Baroness’s side ran deep.

Vanessa knew that all too well—and it twisted inside her.

Yet Elionore smiled kindly and offered her hand.

“Nice to meet you, Vanessa. I’m Elionore Stykov, Baroness Fompourit’s niece. I didn’t think there were any girls my age here in Oklama. I’m glad to see you. Let’s get along.”

Unlike the portrait, Elionore in person was gentle and quick to smile.

The cold, sensitive air from the painting was gone.

Her pure laugh, fair features, and graceful limbs—Elionore radiated elegance.

She looked like someone meant to stand out.

‘She’s dazzling.’

Under Oklama’s bright sunlight, Elionore glowed with a transparent brilliance.

She instantly established her presence in the place where Vanessa had struggled for years.

People warmed to the Baroness’s true family. And Elionore, in turn, naturally drew them in.

Anyone who saw her liked her instantly.

Vanessa realized this bitterly when she saw a man named Yahin—whom she had taken a year to build a connection with—walk away from her to speak with Elionore after only meeting her once.

Even the Yahin siblings, who had previously avoided interacting with others despite living in Oklama under the Baroness’s permission, opened up to Elionore with ease.

‘Sorry, Vanessa. That room’s always reserved for Elionore when she visits. Could you pick another one?’

She remembered being rejected when she requested the sunny room on the third floor. It had been empty for ages, but was immediately given to Elionore as soon as she arrived.

Looking at Elionore, Vanessa finally understood.

The reason Oklama had always been so cruel to her was because its true master was Elionore.

‘But this isn’t fair.’

Watching Elionore so easily win everyone’s love, Vanessa couldn’t help but feel it was unfair.

A world that was difficult for her seemed so easy for Elionore.

Resentment festered, and Vanessa couldn’t help treating her with quiet hostility.

Her inferiority complex deepened.

She knew the Baroness expected her to be polite, capable, and kind.

But she just couldn’t bring herself to be close to Elionore.

She searched for reasons to blame Elionore for everything.

Having been abandoned and raised in an orphanage, Vanessa was exceptionally perceptive.

Elionore had all the charm of a capital noble—elegant, beautiful, soft-spoken.

And yet, something about her felt off.

There were moments when she seemed like an actress, putting on a carefully constructed performance.

Her falseness didn’t feel like the typical noble formality. It was something else. Something different.

Vanessa couldn’t describe it, but it made Elionore seem out of place.

What was it?

What made her so different?

‘Is it just because she’s not like me?’

Knowing nothing about Elionore besides her being the Baroness’s niece, Vanessa came to that conclusion.

Elionore was a special person—completely unlike her.

A person Vanessa could never hope to match, no matter how many others tried to encourage her.

So she drew a line.

A noble lady like her didn’t need to befriend a common orphan.

Vanessa, a mere sponsored orphan loved by the Baroness and already helping manage the estate, could only be a thorn in Elionore’s side.

‘She must hate me, too.’

Strangely, thinking that made Vanessa feel better. It was a kind of defense mechanism.

Because if someone you envy so fiercely actually liked you, the gap between you would feel even more unbearable.

It was easier to believe they disliked you too, so you could justify your own ugly feelings.

It’s not my fault.

You hate me, too.

We can never be close.

We’re like parallel lines, like the moon hidden behind the sun…

I can never be like you.

So…

‘I hate you so much.’

Because you’re everything I can never be.

Inside the castle of Oklama, there were more people who wanted Vanessa to rise than to fall.

Some were motivated by genuine support, but most were simply projecting their own ambitions onto her.

“Is it true the Baroness named Elionore as her successor instead of you?”

“Aren’t you going to do anything about it?”

“You can’t just sit back, Vanessa. You have to fight for it!”

Vanessa sneered at these people.

It had never been her position to begin with, and not once had she desired it.

And yet they kept telling her to take it back from Elionore.

‘I just want to be someone who supports the Baroness. I never wanted to be the Baroness.’

She knew her place as a commoner and had always known the Baroness intended to pass on the title to her niece.

If she ever dared to aim for Elionore’s spot, she would become the ungrateful, greedy orphan.

On the other side, those who opposed her scoffed:

“How could a parentless orphan dream of becoming a Baroness?”

“Now that the real niece is here, she’s no longer needed.”

“I told you—Vanessa was always going to be abandoned in the end.”

Some told her to steal Elionore’s place.

Others said she would be discarded now that Elionore was here.

Vanessa never wanted the former—but the latter terrified her.

What if the Baroness really abandoned her?

Ever since Elionore’s arrival, Vanessa had stopped being useful.

She was haunted by the memory of being discarded by her parents—of being unwanted and thrown into an orphanage.

‘Now that she’s here, I guess I’m no longer needed.’

Maybe, just maybe, the world would abandon her again.

As Elionore’s light grew brighter, Vanessa’s faded into the shadows.

There was something about Elionore that Vanessa could never imitate.

People gathered around that light, pushing Vanessa further away.

Now there was no place left for her.

‘Why can’t I be like her?’

You, the Baroness’s real niece. You, who receives her love. You, who’s so easily loved by others.

I want to be like that too.

But I can’t.

So I envy you. I’m jealous of you. I hate you.

All Vanessa ever wanted was the Baroness’s recognition—a place to belong.

She didn’t want to be someone who merely resembled Elionore.

She wanted to be someone valued as Vanessa herself.

Elionore would never understand what it felt like to be discarded and to live in fear of being unwanted for a lifetime.

She would never understand what it meant for the Baroness to be someone’s entire world.

To Vanessa, Elionore was like a storybook princess destined for a happy ending.

And for that reason, she hated her all the more.