Right. That’s exactly what I said back then.

At that moment, the gazes of Charlotte and the other young ladies turned toward me all at once.

“Lady Charlotte, what are you hiding? Anyone can see you have a one-sided crush on Duke Medvez.”

Gasps echoed from all around at my words.

“Who’s going to notice if you keep pretending otherwise? Or do you want the Duke to figure it out without you saying anything?”

“Lady Evelyn…”

Charlotte’s eyes trembled pitifully.

“Lady Charlotte, men won’t turn their heads just because you act innocent and coy.”

“C-coy?”

“If I were you, I would’ve confessed my feelings to Duke Medvez. You have to take action to get results, don’t you?”

I meant it as genuine goodwill. I pitied Charlotte for doing nothing out of fear of rejection.

“Lady Evelyn, don’t you think Lady Charlotte might be hurt by those words?”

A young lady standing nearby cautiously interjected.

“Was I too harsh? I thought it was kind advice.”

“I-I don’t need advice from a villainess like you!”

Charlotte cried out tearfully, then grabbed her skirts and ran off. I shrugged my shoulders as I watched her retreating figure.

Evelyn Lorenfort, the arrogant villainess. That was the nickname I earned because of my tendency to speak my mind bluntly. I knew it wasn’t because my personality was truly bad, so it didn’t bother me much.

I slowly raised my eyes and looked at Rosalinda, Charlotte’s stepmother. Rosalinda had clearly said that Evelyn Lorenfort humiliated “me.” The “me” she was referring to…

A thought flashed through my mind like lightning. I quickly lifted my hair to check. Shimmering silver hair slipped through my fingers. No matter how I looked at it, this wasn’t my original reddish-brown hair.

“My face…”

I frantically touched my face. I felt my warm cheeks, my prominent nose, and my soft lips in turn.

“No way… it can’t be…”

“What are you doing right now?”

Rosalinda, who had been watching my behavior, asked with an exasperated expression. I was too shocked to answer. I tumbled down from the bed, pushed past Rosalinda, and rushed to the vanity.

“Oh my, hey, Charlotte!”

Ignoring her irritated cry, I stood before the mirror. My heart sank.

“This face… it’s Charlotte Fraxon, isn’t it?”

A face so pale it was almost white, sky-blue eyes that sparkled transparently, a smooth forehead, a slender chin, and flushed cheeks. The beautiful woman I occasionally encountered at social gatherings was reflected in the mirror. 

It was a lily-like face that inspired protective instincts even when still. Some described it as pitifully lovely, like a rain-soaked kitten. Her small lips, tinted pink like rose petals, boasted an untainted purity.

Those small lips were now wide open, revealing pure shock.

“I can’t believe this. Of course you’re Charlotte!”

Rosalinda sneered from within the mirror.

“This doesn’t make sense. Why am I Charlotte? I’m… I’m Evelyn Lorenfort.”

My vision went dark at this unbelievable situation. Think. I need to think!

I leaned my swaying body against the vanity and pressed my forehead. I had regressed. Not into my own body, but into the body of Lady Charlotte Fraxon, the Count’s daughter.

“Is this regression or possession?”

I muttered to myself. My head was too jumbled to make a judgment.

“I always figured the day would come when your true nature would be revealed. But I never expected Lady Evelyn to figure out who you really are. Lady Evelyn really does have a good eye, speaks clearly, and is such a wonderful person, isn’t she?”

“Yes, I see.”

I lowered my hand from my forehead and straightened my body. Rosalinda looked me up and down with surprise.

“I thought you’d cry and make a fuss. You’re surprisingly calm.”

She seemed unable to adjust to my composed reaction.

“Lady Evelyn was an excellent advisor, after all.”

My head was dizzy with confusion and shock, but I didn’t show it. I had already experienced regression once. So just because I regressed into someone else’s body didn’t mean I needed to faint. I was surprised, but I could quickly regain my composure.

“Hmm.”

Even so, Charlotte Fraxon of all people. This was someone I never expected. I had no idea why I ended up in Charlotte’s body instead of my own.

“Hmph, so what. You only show your true nature in front of me anyway. Do people know? That you pretend to be kind on the outside but hide a cunning fox inside.”

“You… know me well, Mother.”

It was unexpected. According to Rosalinda, people didn’t know Charlotte’s true nature. If I hadn’t experienced that incident in my first regression, I would have thought Charlotte was just a fragile and innocent person too.

That incident was when Charlotte committed s*icide after Clayton and I got married. The sudden death of a noble lady caused quite a stir in high society for a while. Wherever you went, her death was on everyone’s lips. It was because of the will found beside her body.

The will was filled with her love for Clayton and her despair over unrequited love. At the end, it concluded with curses toward me and unspeakable profanities. People were shocked that an innocent Count’s daughter had written vulgarities that only street thugs would use.

That incident became the catalyst for public sympathy toward me. They said how distressed I must be as a newlywed because of Charlotte’s irresponsible s*icide. That’s how Charlotte Fraxon exposed her true nature through death.

But right now, that hadn’t happened yet. With that thought, I looked at Rosalinda with new perspective. Right now in this world, she was the only one who knew Charlotte’s true nature.

“Don’t call me Mother! Do you know how much it gives me goosebumps every time you call me that?”

Rosalinda snapped sharply, rubbing her arms frantically like she’d broken out in hives. Her hypersensitive reaction made me wonder. Just how had Charlotte treated Rosalinda to make her act this way?

“You may not have given birth to me, but you married Father, so you’re my mother, aren’t you?”

“You know that perfectly well, yet you call me Countess, Countess at every turn? And only when we’re alone!”

Come to think of it, when she entered the room earlier, I had called her “Countess Rosalinda Fraxon.” At the time, I didn’t know I had regressed into Charlotte’s body, so I did that. But from Rosalinda’s perspective, I must have looked like Charlotte. If it had been anyone else, they would have scolded me for being ill-mannered, but Rosalinda had acted like she was used to it.

“Why did I do that?”

It was a question born of genuine curiosity.

“Are you really asking because you don’t know? Or are you planning to mock me again?”

Rosalinda’s lips trembled.

“Not at all. I said it to reflect on myself. I want to try getting along with you from now on, Mother.”

“You insulted me at every turn, saying I’m from a distant relative’s family in some rural backwater, from the lowest tier of nobility. You believe I only seduced your father for social advancement. And now you want to get along with me?”

That sounded exactly like something Charlotte would do. I nodded my head humbly in agreement. Rosalinda became even more agitated and continued.

“You said the only thing I have going for me is my vulgar appearance. You disrespected me as a stepmother and never once treated me like a mother! Yet you go outside and dutifully call me Mother? That makes me even angrier!”

Come to think of it, I had seen Rosalinda badmouthing Charlotte at social gatherings. People humored Rosalinda, but they didn’t actually believe her words. They dismissed it as a stepmother’s jealousy toward her innocent stepdaughter.

“You must have suffered a lot.”

I genuinely sympathized with her. I understood how much she must have been tormented by Charlotte’s two-faced attitude. So I walked over to her and hugged her warmly.

“Wh-what are you doing right now?”

Rosalinda’s shoulders stiffened.

“I’m apologizing.”

“Stop it! What scheme are you plotting now?”

She struggled to break free and pushed me away. The more she did, the tighter I held her in my arms.

“I’m sorry, Mother. I’ve been so rude all this time, haven’t I? I’ll do better from now on. Please trust me.”

Her movements to push me away gradually subsided. I could feel Rosalinda staring at me like I was some strange creature. That’s when it happened.

A faint pain shot through my left palm.

“Ah.”

I frowned slightly.

“What’s wrong?”

Rosalinda flinched and asked. But her voice was much softer than before. I released the embrace and rubbed my left hand.

“Does your hand hurt?”

“I’m not sure. But don’t worry. It’s fine now.”

Indeed, my hand was perfectly fine, showing no sign that it had hurt moments ago.

“When did I ever worry?”

Rosalinda rolled her eyes, but I didn’t sense any sharp thorns in her words.

“Ahem, breakfast will start soon. Get ready quickly. I only came because Lucy kept whining that you hadn’t woken up yet.”

“Thank you, Mother.”

When I smiled brightly, Rosalinda snorted and left the room. Until that moment, I thought she had changed because of my sincere apology.

Count Fraxon owned a delicate and beautiful mansion. He had a solid political position and considerable skill in accumulating wealth, and it seemed he had put a lot of effort into decorating the building as well. 

Luxurious furniture and silk wallpaper, splendid chandeliers and marble floors polished like mirrors. All the way to the dining room, I quietly marveled. When I finally arrived at the sun-drenched dining room…

“I’m sorry for being late. Fath… er.”

I bent my knees slightly, then slowly raised my head. Before me stood Count Vern Fraxon, Charlotte’s father. The man who framed my father and brought down the Lorenfort family. The enemy who caused my death.

Ironically, I now faced such a person as my father.

“You’re late.”

He replied curtly. He had a habit of twitching his handlebar mustache when he spoke. It could look comical for a moment, but his scowling face was irritable and rigid.

Fortunately, Vern and Charlotte looked nothing alike. If the face I possessed resembled my enemy, nothing could be more horrifying. According to rumors, Charlotte was the spitting image of her deceased mother.

“Why are you just standing there? Sit down.”

Vern lifted his chin and pointed to where I should sit. Actually, as soon as I realized I had regressed into Charlotte’s body, I anticipated the moment I would face him. I thought that when the time came, I would rush at him with eyes rolled back in fury.

But surprisingly, I was calm. It seemed like God had given me an opportunity. To watch my enemy fall apart right before my eyes. So don’t let emotions get ahead and ruin things—methodically tighten the noose around this b*stard’s neck.

“What’s wrong?”

A voice tinged with subtle irritation directed at me.

“It’s nothing. I’m just so excited thinking this is a new beginning.”

I smiled shyly, like a pure flower bursting into bloom. Exactly like Charlotte’s usual smile. But inside, I vowed revenge.

I’ll take everything you have!

At first, I planned to thoroughly destroy the Fraxon Count family just like my family was destroyed. But I had regressed as this b*stard’s daughter. If he falls, I fall too. No matter how blinded by revenge, I’m not foolish enough to harm my own well-being.

So I’ll take his wealth and power for myself. Perhaps in the process, I might find a way to save the current Lorenfort family. Although I had become the daughter of another family, if peace could settle on the Lorenfort family I once belonged to, I would be satisfied with that.

I was about to start eating, genuinely smiling at the thought of trampling Vern in the future, when Vern examined me like he was appraising an expensive item. Then he elegantly wiped his mouth with a napkin and spoke.

“Duke Medvez will be visiting this afternoon.”

Clang!

“What are you doing? You’re so out of it that you dropped those! How pathetic.”

Vern berated me. I didn’t even realize I had dropped my knife and fork onto the tableware and remained frozen for a while.

“What did you just say? Duke Medvez is… doing what?”

“Tsk tsk, you still haven’t come to your senses. Hey, clear that away and bring new ones.”

Vern flicked his hand, giving instructions to a servant. As soon as the servant quickly replaced the knife and fork and withdrew, he pointed at me with his straightened index finger.

“And you. Listen properly when I speak once.”

I stared at the tip of that index finger and frowned silently.