CH 2

The baron’s mansion was old and cramped.

It was no surprise. Elaina and Citrina were dissimilar from each other.

The family’s pride and hope was their second daughter, Elaina Foluin.

So from the time she was thirteen, which was three years ago, she had been working to support Elaina’s dreams. Citrina had been able to stand it.

‘I’m the first daughter, so it’s natural for me to work. And Elaina’s success is the family’s success.’

“Elaina needs several daily necessities. In a week, you’re going to the duke’s, right?”

“Yes”

Citrina calmly said.

“Are you feeling ill? Be careful. You have to be healthy to work.”

The baroness poured a glass of tonic, pushing it towards Citrina.

“That’s right. Who would employ you if you became ill?”

“Yes.”

Citrina answered neatly

Strangely, Citrina had always been frustrated that she had to work silently for her family’s success.

Sometimes it felt incredibly unfair.

But today, just like all the days before, Citrina pushed her feelings down.

“Ah, that’s right.”

“Yes?”

“We don’t have money to call the clinic, but the fever should go down if she rests, right?”

“I hope it’s not a contagious disease… I’ll leave it to Mrs. Mack for now. Citrina, you need to get well so that you can go to the duke’s in a week.”

The baroness’s words drifted into Citrina’s dreams as light as water droplets, disappearing from her subconscious.

By then, Citrina began to slowly remember her past life. Memories of her past life came back one by one.

In her past life she was a confident and indifferent perfectionist. The memories were absorbed into Citrina’s head one at a time.

Citrina was a jewelry designer who loved her job in her past life. However, because she died young she was not able to make the jewelry she wanted.

Images of a talented jeweler, a dwarf with the knowledge of jewelry-making, and a jewel-loving spirit appeared appeared in Citrina’s mind in this dream-like state.

These images were from Citrina’s past life when she read a novel called <Elaina’s Flower Garden>.

‘Have I actually been reborn in a novel?’

The heroine of the novel was her younger sister, Elaina Foluin, and the male lead was Aaron Pietro of the Ducal House of Pietro.

They meet at the academy and their beautiful love story develops from there.

Citrina was Elaina’s older sister, who worked just as hard as the current Citrina was doing, continued to struggle for sister’s sake until her death. The male lead’s older brother and the novel’s villain, Desian Pietro, orders Citrina’s death through one of his pawns.

Desian found Elaina annoying, so he killed Citrina first.

‘Am I going to die in vain just like in the novel?’

Since Citrina was not the main character, the novel continued after her death.

Citrina thought her family would mourn her death. However, after Elaina’s success, no one remembered Citrina.

Even at the end of the novel, no one mentioned her.

No one mentions, thinks about, remembers, or loves her.

‘The weather is really nice today, mom!’

‘Shall we go out for a picnic, Elaina?’

‘That sounds great!’

Baron and Baroness Foluin, along with Elaina are laughing and smiling at the end.

Everyone has a perfectly happy ending.

Citrina, who sacrificed her life and happiness for her family, is not seen anywhere.

With the sudden recollection, Citrina felt a horrible sense of betrayal.

“What have I done up to this point?”

So I have just been a tool for their happiness.

She thought she had been living for her family.

Citrina slowly opened her eyes after going through the decades of memories from her past life as her fever burned.

After waking up, her memories of her life as Citrina were hazy. Her recollections of her life as Kim Jooyeon as a jewelry designer felt much closer.

It was shocking to think that the book “Elaina’s Flower Garden” was the path of her current life.

“You woke up! I was really worried!”

Next to Citrina was the baron’s housekeeper, Mrs. Mack.

In the novel “Elaina’s Flower Garden”, the baroness was the one who stayed by Elaina’s side and took care of her tenderly.

Citrina slowly let out a sigh. Her body .

“The baroness will be happy. It’s morning now, so would you like to eat some breakfast?”

Mrs. Mack hesitated before speaking.

“Ah! Today is the day the duke’s carriage arrives.”

“You…haven’t been excused from going.”

Even though she had been so sick recently, her family would not miss this opportunity to make money off the duke.

Citrina smiled despondently.

It was the day the duke’s carriage had come.

Then, this could be the turning point for her life.

Citrina thought of running away, but that would not change the fundamental problem.

‘I will live as the main character of my life from now on.’

Citrina organized her thoughts.

‘If the villain could kill me, let’s bring him over to my side. After all, that’s my specialty.’

While working as a companion to noble children, she had seen many nasty children open their hearts to her.

Desian Pietro is still a young villain, so she can mold him with her hands and change his fate.

Citrina was going to be the main character of her life from this point on.

Citrina headed down the the Foluin dining room.

She noticed a sense of disharmony in the baron’s dining room right away. A spider web was hanging down from the chair.

“There’s a spider.”

Citrina sat at the table and kicked the spider away roughly with her foot.

Objectively, the baron’s situation has fallen a lot. Their finances were in tatters because the baron was addicted to gambling and her genius younger sister Elaina was attending an expensive academy.

She could hear the wooden chairs and table creaking. Citrina soon noticed that someone had coming into the room.

The baroness sauntered in.

“Mrs. Mack prepared breakfast. Be grateful for the meal.”

“Yes.”

Citrina responded moderately.

The toast was pretty burnt, the bacon smelled old, and the fried eggs looked like something you would feed a dog.

Citrina slowly muttered something she would have never dared to before.

“The menu is different from when Elaina is here.”

She didn’t consider it before- how much more effort is put into everything when Elaina is here.

After realizing it, Citrina’s heart felt like it was freezing over.

“What, What’s the difference?”

Baroness asked, flustered. Citrina looked down.

“Ah, never mind.”

Citrina decided to drop the issue.

She was leaving for the duke’s tomorrow anyway and had decided to cut off her ties to the baron’s family. She knew what would happen in the future in this world, and was forming a plan as to what to do next.

She’ll become a genius jeweler with the help of the dwarf and a jewel spirit from the story.

As she was thinking of the future, Citrina’s heart raced and she began to feel nauseous.

Yes, serving the baron’s family was not her purpose in this world.

“The duke will pay well, right? It should probably be more than what Count Milleone was paying you…”

“It should be more. But-“

“..?”

“Can I ask you one thing?”

Citrina whispered softly. In response to the unexpected question, the baroness lifted an eyebrow.

However, the baroness was not too bothered by Citrina’s next question.

The baroness thought of Citrina as her ‘good but simple’ daughter.

Citrina knew all of this, which is why she asked her next question.

“Is that really all you have to say to me?”

This was probably the last time Citrina would meet with the baroness, so she wanted to hear any last words.

Is that really all the baroness had to say for herself?