Chapter 4

Emma's room was right next to mine. Both were small, north-facing rooms without private bathrooms.

One day, when I went to wash myself up, I ran into her brushing her teeth with a disposable plastic cup.

Our parents ignored her, so the servants didn't care about her either. They couldn't even be bothered to get her the most basic things she needed.

I bluntly ordered the maid to make Emma's bed and sweep the floor. She looked like she wanted to say something, but she bit her tongue and stayed silent.

Just then, Laura came by with two plates of dessert. I blocked her path and took them over. "So the fake one gets to eat this while we can't? It's just some desserts. She can wait her turn, right? And as for Mom's share, I'm sure she won't mind if I take it. After all, I'm her daughter."

Of course, I knew Mom had only asked the kitchen to make dessert for Sophie and herself. Emma and I weren't even considered. Since that was the case, maybe it was the right choice to make them wait for another two hours to get their share.

Laura hesitated, looking like she wanted to protest, but I just gave her an innocent smile, grabbed Emma, and shut the door behind us.

"You don't have to be so polite to the staff. They get paid by our family. You're the one in charge here; don't let them walk all over you," I told Emma, trying to talk some sense into her.

But she just kept her eyes down, staring at the dessert she'd never seen before, and nodded blankly, totally lost in her own world.

After a long moment, she finally managed to say, "Okay, I'll listen to you."

Ah... Nevermind. I let out a deep sigh inwardly.

Emma had been drifting around for over a decade, so of course, she'd turned out to be a bit of a pushover.

At least I'd already made some changes. She already escaped the fate of being burned alive. As for everything else, we would deal with it as it came.

Just as I was about to leave, Emma called out to me, "How did you recognize me?"

I turned back to meet her puzzled eyes and smiled, "Maybe it's just a sister's intuition."

The truth was, when I saw Emma at the orphanage, a sudden memory hit me like lightning.

Back in my previous life, on the night the orphanage burned, there was a girl who threw herself over a bunch of little kids, using her tiny body to shield them from the flaming beams crashing down from the roof.

The whole thing made headlines, and everyone was talking about it.

That was why her face stuck in my mind.

Besides, I couldn't help but feel a weird sense of connection to her.

And when I saw she had the same birthmark, everything made sense.

Emma must have felt it too. Otherwise, how could she have helped me after such a brief conversation?

As I was leaving Emma's room, I heard the sound of someone crying upstairs.

Gosh, this was annoying.

Sophie had only been here a couple of days, but she'd already cried more than I could count. And of course, my parents totally ate it up every single time.

"Lola is just too mean. Maybe I should leave instead of being mistreated here," Sophie said, putting on her best pitiful act.

"No, no, don't say that! Laura, hurry up and make some more dessert, will you?" my mom said, trying to calm her down.

"I'll have a word with her later, Sophie. Don't get yourself all worked up, or your mom and I will be worried. And if you cry too much, you won't be the prettiest princess at the ball this weekend."

I couldn't believe that my usually stone-faced dad actually said these words.

Sophie instantly switched from tears to her cutesy act, cooing and pouting like nothing had happened.

Upstairs, my family's laughter echoed through the house, but I lingered in the shadows by the staircase, deep in thought.

Ever since my return, there had been this bizarre, almost ridiculous idea stuck in my head.

In both my previous life and this one, my parents were always totally normal and sharp—at least, until Sophie showed up.

And then there was James, my best friend growing up. He'd already confessed to me, and we were just waiting to get engaged after graduation.

But the moment Sophie arrived, it was like they'd all been hit with some kind of spell, suddenly revolving around her like she was the center of the universe.

Right! A spell...