Chapter 13

“Good morning, everyone. It’s a wonderful morning, isn’t it?”

The moment I appeared in the dining room, I could tell that everyone present had caught their breath. And no wonder. Ophelia had never been invited to join the family for meals.

I had tied my long golden hair into two high ponytails and trimmed my bothersome bangs myself. There hadn’t been a single decent ribbon in the jewelry box, so I’d taken the scissors I happened to be holding and cut a strip from the bottom of the curtains to use instead.

From the nearly empty closet, I’d chosen the plainest dark brown dress and worn it with my head held high. With Ophelia’s natural beauty, she could shine perfectly well without any extravagant decorations.

It was only her own inferiority complex and lack of confidence that had made her look so shabby. More than anything, she’d known that was exactly how her family wanted her to appear, so she’d behaved accordingly.

“Ophelia, why are you here…?”

“Oh, is there a problem with that, Mother? I’m the eldest daughter of House Desmond, after all. I don’t see anything wrong with having breakfast with my beloved family.”

Watching them stare in bewilderment at my changed appearance, I could barely contain my laughter. With faces that foolish, they might as well have been admitting that they recognized Ophelia’s beauty.

“Honestly, Sister, how shameless can you be?! I told you I was afraid of you and didn’t want to eat with you!”

I almost had to admire how Helena could produce such an unpleasant voice first thing in the morning. As I turned my gaze toward her, the events of that night began replaying behind my eyelids like a vision of my life flashing before my eyes.

“…Hehe.”

Poor thing. That was the only thought that came to mind.

“Y-You just laughed at me, didn’t you?!”

“Of course not. I would never make fun of my adorable little sister.”

As she sprang to her feet with a loud clatter, I slowly approached her. With Ophelia’s tall frame and the confidence with which I held my back straight, I naturally stood out more than the petite Helena.

She’d drenched herself in strong perfume first thing in the morning and dressed herself from head to toe in a flashy gown and jewelry, as though she were attending a party when there wasn’t even one to go to.

By contrast, Ophelia wore a plain dark brown dress. Her hair was tied with a strip cut from the curtains, and her neatly trimmed bangs were clearly the work of an amateur. Even so, I could say with absolute certainty that, at this very moment, I was the one drawing everyone’s attention.