It was Mother’s birthday, the first one after the youngest was born. To surprise Mother, I stood in front of her room holding a cake. But a loud noise came from inside.

“Were you determined to deceive me to the end?”

“Madam… Why is this happening suddenly?”

“Do you know how terrifying it is for me every time I see that monster-like thing? What is that? What is it!”

“Why are you doing this? I really…”

“Whose child is that? If I take care of that thing and treat you well, did you think I would be grateful? Every day is horrible! It’s horrible enough to want to die!”

Mother’s suppressed anger exploded. I, holding the cake, was frozen by Mother’s voice and couldn’t do anything.

“Whose child it is. That child is your child…”
“I should know my own child, right? That’s not my child. My child… Where did you bring my child, and this… this…!”

“…Is dead.”

“What did you say?”

“Worried that the madam might be shocked, I secretly brought the child. If she embraces another child like her own… I thought her postpartum depression might improve a bit, just like when she was pregnant… so.”

Upon hearing this, Mother screamed like a mad person. I needed to escape from here, I needed to leave. Mother was angry, and my body stiffened for some reason.

“Don’t be ridiculous. There’s no way my child is dead!”

“You can ask these witnesses!”

“Ha, coming out boldly. Who saw it, who!”

“That… that… let it go and calm down.”

“Can’t even speak and telling lies again. Life is full of lies; you’re full of lies!!”

The sound of something being thrown continued to be heard. Even though we were happy after the youngest was born, and the family was getting along well, why was this repeating like before? I was scared and too frightened.

“No! Go ask then. I’ll tell you who saw the child die that day.”

Was Father trying to mention me? It was terrifying. I was scared.

“Yeah, go ahead and tell me!”

“Just, just let it go? Your postpartum depression has improved, and I did my best too. We can just live like this in the future…”

“Since there’s no evidence of death, you’re doing this again!”

“Ha, understood. I’ll tell you.”

‘I might be asked about Mom’s younger sister when she opens the door. Selfion doesn’t know, but I definitely saw… that my real sister died.’

I was afraid. I didn’t feel like I could lie when I looked into Mother’s eyes. Isabella was scary. What if Mother hated her just like that nameless child? What if she cursed her?

Even now, Mother didn’t give love. But not giving love and hating were different.

So Isabella wished and wished again.

She hinted to herself.

‘I don’t know anything. I don’t know anything. I don’t know that the child is not my sister, that you brought another child. I don’t know.’

That child is my sister. The sibling Mother gave birth to didn’t die right after birth. I didn’t see anything. I didn’t do anything.

Our family is really happy. Truly happy. Father loves Mother terribly. Mother believes that.

If it continues like this, Mother might get pregnant again. Another incident might happen. So Isabella fervently wished.

“Please… please…”

The child closed her eyes and muttered earnestly. The intense hypnosis that flowed out of Isabella’s body turned into a small light, growing large enough to cover the entire Viscount’s estate.

Isabella, who had collapsed in front of her parents’ room, opened her eyes a week later.

That hypnosis, the collective hypnosis, had taken effect.
With a feeling of breath being choked, my eyes opened. As if the play had come to an end, as if reality was trying to show the memories up to that point, I returned.

It was still night. The sky was only dark, and my whole body was soaked with sweat.

“Ha… Haa…”

I quickly looked beside me. I was afraid of the dreadful dreams continuing. But Shasha was sleeping soundly beside me.

Seeing the child sleeping, a warmth spread in my chest.

“Hypnosis… I should have properly used hypnosis.”

Isabella had memories that surfaced a week after the intense pain. She didn’t know why it hurt, why she had to lie down for a week, but the atmosphere in the house had changed since that day.

Mother, who had severe postpartum depression, and Father, who was tired of her, seemed to love each other as if there were only two people in the world.

Isabella had never doubted even once that Shasha was not her real sister. Despite the outward harmony, life at the Viscount’s estate seemed quite peaceful.

All that hypnosis had taken effect.

But in that hypnosis, Isabella…

“You weren’t included in it.”

Everyone loved Shansia, my younger sister. If I had thought about it, Shansia’s life might have been a little different. But Shansia was not our ‘family.’ She was an outsider who didn’t fit into the category of a happy family.

No one admired Shansia. Mother still doubted Shansia’s birth, so she might have hated her even more.

“Sorry, Shasha.”

It was really under hypnosis. And that hypnosis…

‘Just broke.’

What happened to the Viscount’s estate? Did the fight start again? Those things weren’t important.

Shansia also learned that she was a foreign existence like me.

I hugged the child tightly.

Somehow, tears came out. I was sorry, so sorry.

What did Shansia do wrong? Abused by those who were not family, hated, and still pleaded with that family for love. What did Shasha do wrong to live such a painful life?

“Sorry… sorry…”

I know it’s not my fault. From the beginning, the Viscount shouldn’t have brought Shansia.

He should have shown her that the child the Viscountess gave birth to had died. But he didn’t. Somewhere, he brought a child to avoid the immediate situation.

That was a mistake. If I could go back to that moment, I would go back and reveal everything. Then, maybe Shansia would have been happy with her real family.

That was the moment.

‘In that case… where are Shansia’s biological parents?’