CH 5

“It’s your 16th birthday, not 15th.”

Lost in words at Razette’s sudden confession.

“What?” she asked.

‛Am I mistaken?’ Her brain suddenly stopped working. Her heart pounded, and her fingertips stiffened.

“Please cut me some slack.”

“Caleb, you…” Lizen was speechless.

“Sorry, Sister… It’s because I haven’t adjusted yet. In fact, I still can’t believe I’m your little brother.”

“……” She had forgotten. Razette is not someone to obey rules that easily; oftentimes he only pretended to comply with Lizen’s words while playing tricks on her. Razette was a boy who deliberately went against her intentions while pretending to be innocent. 

“Were you offended? I’m sorry.”

She felt dumbfounded when she saw his face: not an ounce of guilt in his expression. She thought he had noticed that she was not the original Lizen. The good thing about all this was that she, fortunately, noticed how far the story had progressed due to his poor pranks.

The words, ‛15th birthday’, were accepted without much thought. They did not hold any truth in the first place. Lizen’s first birthday since Razette became ‛Caleb’ was on her 16th birthday. That means it had not been long since Razette arrived at the Count’s manor. 

‘At most… about half a year.’

“Are you having a hard time adjusting?” The original Lizen remade her own memories after losing Caleb. She created a cliche story in her head that he was just lost, and she found him after she searched the orphanage.

“I have been living here for almost a year already. All thanks to Sister, I have been adjusting well enough.”

It was unclear why Razette lost his memory and had lived in an orphanage. There were many omissions in the novel. She only knew that Razette had lost his memory and that he had been in the orphanage when he had caught Lizen’s eye.

“Yes…” She stared at Razette. What did he think when she showed him no mind of his deliberate prank? 

‛Does he think it’s because the drugs that are causing me to be muddle-headed?’

It’d be great if he did. She was anxious that she would make a mistake if she continued talking to the cheeky Razette who was teasing her.

“I want to rest, Caleb. Go back to your room.” She pushed Razette out of her arms.

“Ah, I should. I’ve been holding on to you too much. Call me if you’re bored.” Even though it might be terrible to be with someone he didn’t like, Razette seemed quite patient. Looking at his back as he walked away like he truly felt regretful of me no longer indulging him.

‘His acting is so good…’

“You. Come here,” Lizen raised her finger at the maid who stood still. Her forehead slightly wrinkled from Lizen’s sudden change of tone, someone many years younger than her.

“Why?”

“What do you mean why? You have to clean this up.” She pointed at the glass by the bedside. The maid looked at Lizen for a moment, wondering. The medicine was the reason the maid was able to bully the original Lizen. But the Lizen now do not need any more of those drugs. 

“Clean it up.”

The insolent maid looked at Lizen as if she had a lot to say, but Lizen pretended not to notice and pulled the rope. A little later, another maid came in. No one knew Amy was taking advantage of Lizen. If it gets found out that the maid had harassed a noble lady, it would not stop with just being kicked out.

“Can you help Amy? I guess it’s too much for her.”

“Yes?”

“She can’t lift the cup. Clean it up with her.”

Fearing what else the young lady might do, the maid bowed her head, embarrassed. She quickly grabbed the cup and left the room together with Amy.

“Haa… what’s going on here?” Lizen finally caught her breath in the quiet room after everyone got out. She was exhausted from all the thinking and talking, more so because of Razette’s earlier teasing.

Lizen looked at the spacious room again. It was huge. It was not a studio where she could barely lie down, but a large room with a separate dress room and all kinds of furniture and decorations. When she opened the cream-colored closet, there was a line of expensive-looking dresses. Lizen took out a dress on display and wore it on, and opened the jewelry box on the dresser.

‛There are good things about being Lizen.’ 

She became the daughter of a wealthy noble family that she could not dream of in her previous life. She felt a little better when she saw the accessories filling the jewelry box. 

‘It might be worth living if I had this much money.’

Of course, it simply requires her to deal with one thing. How not to die by Razette, who would kill her in the future. The answer turned out to be absurdly simple.

By making Razette stop hating her.

He already hates her, but if she reduces his hatred bit by bit, she will gradually escape death. Her only hope was that it had only been half a year since Razette came to the Count’s manor.

In other words, hatred could not be as deep as she thought.

“It’s worth a try.” There’s still quite a long time left before Razette kills Lizen. 

“Let’s enjoy it for now.”

When else would she be a noblewoman and enjoy the luxury? She thought it would be easy to leave the future to her future self.