Whitney, who had come down from the attic to the lower floor, headed towards the study where Lady Orlean, her stepmother, would be.

“Inform Mother.”

“…What is the matter? My lady is currently busy overseeing the internal affairs of the duchy.”

The butler Gabriel blocked Whitney’s path.

“It will only take a moment. You should know well that Mother dislikes commotion even more.”

“Are you going to cause a disturbance if I don’t let you in?”

Gabriel let out a derisive laugh, as if knowing it was unlikely. Since the Duke’s death, Whitney hadn’t caused any trouble and had followed the orders of the Duchess and Melissa.

She thought everything was a tragedy that occurred because of her.

“Well, if the butler won’t announce me, I intend to wait here until you do.”

“Sigh. Please wait a moment. If the lady becomes angry, I know nothing of this.”

After her father’s death, everything had changed. All the maids in the duchy and even the butler who had been with the Orlean family for a long time were all driven out.

Although all authority belonged to her, her stepmother wielded all the power on Whitney’s behalf, using her position as the new mother as an excuse. Now, she had to rightfully reclaim her rights.

As the heir to the Orlean duchy, everything her mother held should rightfully come to her when she came of age.

But there was still time until she became an adult. If she were to tell her mother now that she would take over the authority of the duchy, it would be disadvantageous for her. So Whitney had to think and act intelligently.

“You may enter.”

At the butler’s words, she carefully entered the office. Her new mother, Cecilia Weston. For her, who had been the lady of the fallen Weston viscounty, becoming the Duchess of Orlean might have been a great stroke of luck in her life.

For Whitney, on the other hand, it was a misfortune that should never have happened in her lifetime.

“Have you forgotten that I told you to stay out of sight in the attic? Whitney, just seeing you reminds me of the late Duke and pains my heart.”

As Whitney entered the office, her mother put the documents on her desk into a drawer.

‘You’re still good at lying. No wonder Melissa is good at it too.’

Whitney recalled her new mother’s dry face at the funeral, not shedding a single tear.

“I understand well. But I thought I should do my part too. So I need a dress for my debutante ball.”

“…A dress? What would you do with such a luxurious thing? You won’t have any occasion to go out in society anyway.”

As she said this, her mother was wearing a dress adorned with all sorts of jewels. Even the satin gloves on her hands were studded with pearls. Using the excuse that everyone would criticize her if she dressed dully after her husband’s death, she indulged in all sorts of luxuries.

“I was thinking of you, Mother. If I were to go out in a shabby dress, I was concerned about your reputation… People might say that you’re treating me this way because I’m not your blood daughter, now that the Duke is gone.”

“Look at you? You’re speaking strangely now. After I’ve fed you, raised you, and given you a place to sleep all this time, are you saying you’ll make up stories if I don’t give you a dress?”

She frowned and stood up from her seat. Her sharp nails were raised as if about to tear the paper.

‘She used to pinch or scratch only in places that couldn’t be seen.’

Whitney slowly shook her head.

“It’s so as not to bring shame to the Orlean duchy. I heard that sister Melissa is at the center of high society. I want to be of help to her. Please, don’t worry about that part, I’ll just quietly attend and come back.”

“Alright, I suppose you should have at least one dress. Let me tell you this. Even when you come of age, I think it would be better if I continue to oversee the duchy’s affairs. What do you think?”

“…Please do so. What would I know?”

Weston, her stepmother, smiled, pulling up the corners of her mouth.

“Good, I’ll have a dress made for you. If you just continue to be this obedient, I might be able to embrace you even when I’m reminded of the Duke.”

She was good at spouting words that she didn’t mean at all. Whitney left the study with a smile.

The second drawer. It seemed that’s where the documents detailing the duchy’s finances were kept.

A few days later, whether it was her mother’s loose lips or the butler’s, La-el spoke to Whitney.

“The weather is nice, why don’t you go out for a walk? It would be more convenient for me to clean if you’re not here.”

“…You’re going to clean here now? How strange, when you haven’t even cleaned my room.”

Whitney sneered at La-el’s unusual behavior. Cleaning the attic had always been her job. There had been an order from her mother that since she was eating and sleeping in the duchy without doing anything, she should at least clean her own sleeping quarters.

“I’ll clean my own room, so don’t touch it.”

“You’re saying that even when I offer to clean for you? I guess the work of maids has become ingrained in you. As a duke’s daughter, you should maintain your dignity.”

La-el pushed her out of the room as if chasing her away.

There must be a reason why La-el, who usually showed no interest in her, was acting like this. Whitney had no choice but to go downstairs.

Until now, Whitney had known Melissa’s schedule well, so they hadn’t run into each other. Melissa had probably been waiting, thinking they would eventually meet. She would have thought it beneath her dignity to seek Whitney out of curiosity.

“Oh my, it’s hard to see your face?”

Whitney had never asked her mother for anything. Melissa must have heard that she had requested a dress and was curious about what she was thinking.

So Melissa, who had no reason to be sitting on the sofa at this time, greeted Whitney.

Given how busy she had been treating Whitney like an invisible person, the fact that Melissa spoke to Whitney first meant she must have been quite anxious.

Whitney held her breath for a moment before releasing it.

Looking at the smiling face made her nauseous. The beautiful rose-colored hair swayed temptingly. The violet eyes looking at her were full of curiosity.

“…It seems more like you were looking for me, sister.”

“Me? Why would I look for you?”

Melissa opened her eyes wide and shrugged her shoulders. Yet, she couldn’t take her eyes off Whitney.

“There’s no reason for that, I suppose. You hate me, after all.”

“Whitney, let me tell you something in case you’re misunderstanding.”

She approached Whitney with light steps. Then she spoke in a tone that wouldn’t matter if everyone heard.

“It’s not just me who hates you. Everyone in the duchy hates you.”

Of course, that was to be expected. Everyone here was Mother’s person. Hadn’t they driven out all those who cared for her to isolate her thoroughly?

“…I’ll go first.”

“Why don’t you go for a walk? I heard you asked for a dress to wear at your debutante ball. Well, marriage is your only option. But will there be anyone willing to marry you?”

“You’d prefer if I left the duchy, wouldn’t you, sister?”

“No, I like having you by my side. Just your presence makes me shine. Your plain brown hair makes me stand out.”

Melissa flicked Whitney’s hair with her hand and laughed brightly. The pink thin lace overlapping and fluttering looked just like a flower. Her waist was slim, and her chest was raised high, emphasizing her feminine curves.

Between her breasts, a teardrop-shaped diamond sparkled, drawing attention.

“With such an unremarkable thin body, and dry hair. Plus, with scars here and there, who would love you? Wake up from your dream. Do you think men will even glance at you just because you wear a nice dress to your debutante? You still don’t know the world.”

Melissa scolded Whitney with a worried look. As she said, Whitney was more delicate than Melissa due to poor nutrition.

“You’re right. You’ll capture everyone’s attention anyway. I just didn’t want to be a burden to you and Mother. That’s all.”

“Your very existence is already a burden. You should have died back then.”

It was about Father again. Whitney clenched her fists. As she said, if Father hadn’t saved her, would the three of them have been happy?

‘She would have tried to get rid of Father too, just like me.’

Even Whitney, who had done nothing, was eventually targeted for death by Melissa. In her past life, Whitney knew well what Melissa’s ultimate goal was.

A place even higher than this. Not satisfied with obtaining the position of a duke’s daughter, Melissa was aiming for the queen’s seat.

“So don’t be a nuisance and stay still. Whatever you do is annoying.”

Melissa glared at Whitney, then turned her head abruptly and walked to her room. Whitney watched her sister’s back as she walked away gracefully, then headed to the study.

Arriving at the study, Whitney carefully opened the door and entered.

The musty dust that had accumulated was evident at a glance, showing it hadn’t been cleaned. Whitney left the study again and went to the maids’ quarters to borrow some simple cleaning tools.

Whitney opened the windows of the study and began cleaning. She dusted off the hazy settled dust and tidied things one by one.

It was after the study was organized that Whitney, who had been concentrating on cleaning for a long time, straightened her back.

“Now I can see what’s what.”

The reason she cleaned the study was to find books related to the genealogy of the Orlean duchy.

‘I need help to reclaim my rights.’

Whitney was powerless. Even if she reclaimed her succession rights, there was a high risk of them being taken away by her mother again. So identifying people who would take her side was the priority.

Looking around the cleaned study, Whitney put down the cleaning tools and surveyed her surroundings.

“I should stop here for today and go into town.”

To have a dress made, she needed to understand the current fashion trends. If she remained idle, she would only be humiliated again this time.

Whitney had no intention of becoming a laughingstock for people anymore.