Chapter 2.2

「Grandmother hates me.」  

The statement that filled most of young Solnia Heston’s diary was the truth.  

She was a person who shouldn’t have existed.  

In the Kingdom, the nobler the family, the less welcome twins were. They caused succession issues.  

About a hundred years ago, when both men and women could inherit titles, royal twins often fought over succession, sometimes killing each other.  

First, it happened in the royal family. Then in one ducal household, and then another.  

After generations of such chaos, the royal family decreed that titles could only be inherited by males.  

Yet, the perception of twins as impure beings persisted, especially among the old-fashioned noble families.  

The prime example of this was Solnia’s grandmother, Julietta Rollins Heston.  

Known as Dowager Heston, she was the eldest daughter of a distinguished Earl’s family that had even produced a Queen. A perfect lady, refined to her core.  

And an old-fashioned one.  

When her unwelcome foreign daughter-in-law gave birth to twins, her reaction was chillingly cold.  

An abomination that should never have been born had come into existence—under her roof, as her son’s children.  

And with gray eyes instead of blue.  

‘No, Mother.’  

Solnia’s mother had stubbornly protected her. That much, even young Solnia remembered.  

While everyone else showered love and attention on the eldest son, Alec, her mother held Solnia close. And whenever her grandmother’s angry gaze followed, her mother always said the same thing.  

‘No, Mother.’  

At the time, Solnia didn’t know what her mother was refusing.  

Who could have guessed it was a plea to spare her daughter’s life?  

In the end, Solnia was officially presented not as Alec’s twin sibling but as his younger sister, born a year later. Only then was her life spared.  

And then, “it” happened when Solnia turned eight.  

“We’re going on a trip, Solnia.”  

“Really? Just the three of us? Mom, Dad, and me?”  

“Yes. Alec has to stay behind to study, so he’ll be with Grandmother.”  

It was the Friday before Alec’s grand birthday party.  

The same date and time of birth, yet Solnia couldn’t hope for a celebration. To make up for it, her parents had planned a trip.  

They were to visit a villa by a large lake, surrounded by a beautiful array of red autumn leaves. It was a rare chance to enjoy themselves without anyone’s watchful eyes.  

But her parents never returned from that trip.  

A sudden fire broke out early one morning, consuming everything in its path.  

Solnia still remembered the labored breathing of the nanny who had carried her out.  

“Madam! Madam is still inside! Please, someone—please save our Madam!”  

The nanny’s desperate cries echoed in her ears.  

But her parents perished in the fire. It was the last day of their trip.  

“…My son is dead?”  

When the news reached the grand estate, her grandmother, who had just finished tea and was sitting with a serene expression, froze.  

“I’m sorry, Dowager. The flames spread too quickly, and the villa’s materials—”  

“My son…”  

Her grandmother trembled, swallowing her words. She clutched Alec’s hand tightly, the boy too young to understand what was happening.  

Solnia thought her grandmother was crying. After all, she had lost her father, and her grandmother had lost her son.  

But when she looked up, the eyes staring back at her were a piercing blue, filled not with sorrow but with rage.  

“That wretched girl… She finally…”  

The venomous voice was something no one who knew Dowager Heston would have believed possible.  

The icy blue eyes held no grief, only fury.  

It was then that Solnia realized her life from now on would be no different from death.  

Afterward, Solnia and Alec moved into their grandmother’s grand estate. But Solnia was given a dusty, unused guest room to live in.  

Her role was to exist like the walls of that room—silent and unnoticed. Like cobwebs in a corner. Like a stain on the window.  

The room, located at the far end of the north wing, was rarely visited by maids. Occasionally, a few would drop off food or clothes, briefly checking if Solnia was still alive.  

No one explicitly told Solnia not to do anything, but no one spoke to her either.  

Even as she walked through hallways bustling with servants cleaning in the early morning, not a single person glanced her way.  

The servants who had worked in the grand estate for a long time obeyed the Dowager’s commands as if their lives depended on it and completely ignored Solnia.  

While Solnia grew up neglected like the dust in the mansion, Alec received rigorous education to fulfill his role as the young master of the household.  

One day, he would go out dressed in elegant riding attire; another day, he would don a splendid tailcoat to visit the royal palace.  

Occasionally, when he crossed paths with Solnia, he would say things like this:  

“What on earth did you do so wrong that Grandmother is so angry with you?”  

“……”  

“I don’t know the details, but you should sincerely apologize.”  

Alec would scold Solnia, pretending to be mature.  

It seemed their Grandmother had told him something along the lines of, ‘Your sister has wronged me greatly, which is why I despise her.’

But what could Solnia say? That her very existence was a mistake? What could she possibly do?  

Even if she tried to explain, Alec was too much of a fool to understand.  

Five years passed like this, and Solnia began to wonder.  

Why hadn’t Grandmother killed me?  

Why was she keeping me alive when she found my very breathing repulsive?  

The question didn’t linger long before it was answered.  

“She’s tough. Such a stubborn life.”  

It happened while Solnia was carrying damp clothes to the laundry room herself.  

By the time five years had passed since she came to live in the grand estate, even the maids, who once pitied the neglected young lady, had grown accustomed to her situation.  

The clothes they brought her were often still stained or smelled odd from not being dried properly.  

As Solnia quietly carried the clothes like a mouse sneaking around, she heard her Grandmother’s refined voice from beyond a wall. It was coming from the direction of the parlor.  

“I don’t know how she manages to survive so persistently. Are all people from that country like this?”  

“Why do you want her dead?”  

A nasal voice laced with disdain followed.  

Solnia instinctively knew that the “people from that country” Grandmother referred to meant her. She, who had inherited the eyes of her foreign mother.  

And the owner of the coquettish voice was undoubtedly Madame Sasha, the astrologer who was said to be her Grandmother’s only friend.  

“Why do I want her dead? Why wouldn’t I? What use is something so utterly worthless to me?”  

“Then wouldn’t it be better to make use of her?”  

The sound of a teacup being set down echoed.  

“Do you see something? Could that wretched girl possibly bring harm to our Alec…?”  

Grandmother’s voice turned cold as she asked.  

“No, I don’t see anything like that. That child will grow up as she is, safely and uneventfully. At least, unless you yourself decides to kill her, Dowager.”  

“……”  

“Since the child won’t die anyway, you might as well make proper use of her.”  

Madame Sasha chuckled strangely before continuing.  

“The Viscount Anais seems to show signs of great success.”  

“The Viscount Anais?”  

“Yes. He’s been visiting steadily over the past few years, and recently, fortune has clearly favored him.”  

For a moment, Solnia thought she understood why her Grandmother couldn’t defy Madame Sasha’s words. Her voice was as soft as velvet, with a captivating quality that made one listen without realizing it.  

Moreover, Madame Sasha’s advice had contributed significantly to building the family’s vast wealth, making her trustworthiness unparalleled.  

“But the Anais Viscountcy isn’t impressive. No matter how much effort they put in, the scale of their ventures must be limited.”  

“Hmm, no. He’s planning a railway project, and fortune aligns with it. It would be wise to establish ties with him early.”  

“……”  

“Send the child to the Anais Viscountcy. You’ll surely gain returns far exceeding the dowry.”  

Her grandmother remained silent for a while. The next day, she summoned Solnia.  

It was the first time in years that Solnia faced her Grandmother.  

Her face was unchanged. The sharp blue eyes, glowing vividly within her wrinkled features, scanned Solnia lightly.  

“I’ve arranged your marriage.”  

“……”  

“What a ridiculous expression. As if you intended to cling to my house until your death.”  

Even as Solnia denied it, she felt a sense of relief. Whether it was the Viscount Anais or anyone else, marriage meant she could leave this place.  

“The ceremony will take place a month after your coming-of-age celebration. It’s best to proceed quickly.”  

Before Solnia was born, noble families considered it taboo for daughters to marry before coming of age.  

They wanted their daughters to grow up perfectly, to be nurtured and sent off without any criticism.  

Of course, that was a thing of the past now, but her Grandmother seemed to still live in that era.  

“From today, tutors will visit to teach you. Learn quickly and rid yourself of that disgraceful appearance.”  

“……”  

“Did you hear me?”  

At the sound of her Grandmother’s angry voice, Solnia looked up.  

The moment their eyes met, Grandmother’s face twisted like a crumpled piece of paper.  

The “disgraceful appearance” she referred to clearly meant Solnia’s gray eyes, inherited from her foreign mother, which she found repulsive.  

“I asked if you heard me!”  

With a shout, something was thrown past Solnia, crashing against the wall.  

Solnia looked at the shattered vase that had fallen near her feet and replied.  

“…Yes, Grandmother.”