Chapter 1
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At first, everything was pretty normal, or at least what was considered normal for me. I was just an ordinary child, but I have to admit I was quite lucky compared to other kids from commoner families.
It was all thanks to my mother. My mom worked as a nanny for the Serpente Duchy, and my dad passed away before I was born, so I never got to know him.
According to my mom, he gave me these unique deep ruby eyes.
After working for the Comital family in the southern region, my mom got a recommendation letter and started working for the Serpente family, taking care of their youngest daughter.
That's how I ended up growing up as the milk sister and playmate of the Ducal princess. The Duke and Duchess were incredibly kind people.
They treated us like family, and that's why, despite being just a nanny's daughter, I could hang out with high-ranking nobles' children without any hesitation since I was very young.
Whenever the second young master, who used to tease and make me cry, crossed the line, the duke would personally scold him.
It was a happy childhood, like a sunny summer day. Those were the days when my mother, the duke, and the Duchess were all alive, and we were all at our happiest.
The first time I sensed that something was off was probably the day my mother passed away. A plague swept through the imperial capital, claiming the lives of over 7,000 people in just a week.
It showed no mercy, taking both Empress Alicia and my mother, with only a day's difference between their deaths.
Thanks to the Duke and Duchess, my mother, a nanny from a commoner background, received a proper funeral instead of being hastily cremated.
They also allowed me to continue living in the Duchy, as someone so young and having nowhere else to go.
During those few days, the overwhelming feeling wasn't just sadness from losing my mother at the age of 14. It was a strange mix of shock and confusion, an unfamiliar experience for me.
Along with my mother's passing, all my memories played out like a vivid panorama. I couldn't help but question the reality in front of me.
Initially, I wondered if my sadness was causing some sort of escapist delusion.
Was the world I currently inhabit the same as the one depicted in a book I had read in my previous life?
In that life, I was an orphan who met an unfortunate end one winter day after getting stuck in a broken elevator. It was hard to accept a narrative that wasn't as sweet as one would hope.
To make matters worse, it was hard for me to believe that the people I had known since childhood would face such tragic destinies.
But as I recalled, deep anxiety began to consume me after the passing of both the Ducal couple within a few weeks.
If the world I currently live in is truly the same as the world depicted in the books I read in my previous life, then a series of tragedies await us.
Tragedies that will impact me and the ducal siblings, Lethias, Benya, and Estelle.
According to the novel's storyline, the Serpente siblings, who were orphaned at a young age, spent two years living abroad after their parent's funeral.
Given Lethias' young age and the critical state of the empire at that time, their relatives decided to temporarily manage the family affairs.
However, the novel did not reveal how the siblings spent those two years. All I knew was that Estelle, who was naturally weak and sensitive, died during that time.
I, Sasha, returned to our hometown with the two remaining siblings, and I would eventually manipulate and control Lethias and Benya, plunging the empire into chaos.
Yes, in both name and reality, I was the final boss in the book, the queen of snakes, the devil disguised as a human!
Is it supposed to be a good thing that the villain meets a miserable end in the end?
I thought I was leading a decent life!
Why did I have to be reincarnated into such a role, even if it was such a reincarnation?
Did I lack virtue in my previous life?
But I never had the opportunity to cultivate virtue or anything like that!
Ugh, did I really have to be reincarnated just for this?
Of course, if I avoid such actions in the future, I wouldn't have to worry about dying.
But...!
The problem is that what I know may not be the whole truth.
The novel's setting was narrated from the perspective of the main characters, and the information available to the public may not reflect the entire reality.
There was no mention or clue about Lethias, Benya, Estelle, and me being confined to a secret room in our own home instead of actually going abroad. At least that's how I remember it.
That night will be etched in my memory until I become very old and near death.
After the joint funeral of the Ducal couple, Estelle and I sat silently side by side in the backyard, gazing up at the sky while Lethias and Benya conversed with their elder relatives.
We held each other tightly, our hearts filled with unease. I didn't shed tears or utter a word. The sky above me was filled with countless stars, seemingly sending meaningful signals my way.
The shimmering starlight looked like tears, and for some reason, this ordinary scene felt profound.
Despite knowing what lay ahead in the future, a sense of unease and mismatched feelings emerged, as if my subconscious was sending a subtle warning. Was it a sign that something was amiss?
"Estelle," a voice called from behind me.
I turned to see Lethias, dressed in somber black attire. The young master, now fifteen years old, gazed at us with empty eyes of deep blue.
"Uncle wants to discuss something with all of us."
I felt sorry for him. It seemed he found himself in an inconvenient position, willingly taking on a task that could have been assigned to a servant. Perhaps he needed time to collect himself.
Despite his appearance, Lethias wasn't skilled at concealing his emotions. It was a rather significant flaw for someone who would inherit a prominent aristocratic family.
Estelle, who had been gazing at her brother with a vacant expression, turned to me with hesitation.
She was always prone to anxiety when my mother or I weren't by her side, but now it was more profound as she had lost both her parents overnight.
However, even though I had been living with these siblings, I couldn't join the family meeting as it wouldnβt make sense.
So, with a reassuring smile, I patted her hands that I held together and pretended to hurry away.
The siblings, with their aqua-colored hair shining palely under the moonlight, glanced back at me repeatedly as they entered the mansion, hand in hand.
Were they worried about me?
I wished I could tell them not to worry because we would be together in the future.
If only I had known in advance that there were other things to worry about.
If only I had known that it would be the last time we set foot in the garden for the next two years.
It would have been nice if I had picked at least one wildflower.
* * *
On our first day, like everyone else, I couldn't make sense of what was happening. When I woke up, I found myself in an unfamiliar room, which was the first surprise for me.
The second surprise came when I saw my reddish blonde hair entangled with Estelle's long aqua-colored hair as we slept side by side.
It was odd because I remember falling asleep in my own bedroom, the annex where my mother and I stayed. There was no way we would end up in the same bed unless one of us was sleepwalking.
Plus, this room wasn't familiar to either of us. I stared at Estelle's sleeping face, perplexed, and she woke up shortly after sensing my gaze. Her drowsy sky-blue eyes darted around in confusion.
"Did Sasha bring me here?"
She murmured.
I thought she wasn't being serious, probably still half-asleep. But then, who could have brought us here?
"... Sasha? Estelle?"
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