RBD 1

Chapter 1

The Lost Daughter of the Duke of Lucert has Returned

There was news recently that set the entire capital ablaze. It was simply this:

“I heard the real young lady of Lucert has returned?”

The young lady of Lucert, who was said to have been lost a very long time ago. They had finally found her! At that joyful news, the Duke’s household was in a complete festival mood.

While the people of the capital sincerely celebrated the lucky event, a few gossips secretly chattered about the “Fake Lady of Lucert.”

“Then what happens to Lady Cecilia?”

“Well, the Duke has his pride, so he can’t exactly kick her out immediately…”

“Won’t they just marry her off quickly or find some way to send her out of the house?”

Behind fans spread wide by noble ladies, and through the acrid smoke of cigars held by gentlemen, low whispers moved alongside mocking laughter.

“A ‘Fake Lady.’ Her situation has become quite pitiful… pfft.”

“Oh my, calling her a fake lady.”

“Ah, why not? Everyone’s calling her that behind her back anyway.”

“Regardless, she must be a real headache for the Duke’s family.”

Meanwhile, at that same hour, the Lucert Dukedom was a different story. The Duke’s townhouse looked exactly like a banquet hall. To celebrate the return of the lost daughter, the family dinner was decorated like an Imperial feast. Amidst the table filled with all sorts of rare and precious foods, the Duchess turned to look at the daughter sitting beside her with a bright face.

Perhaps the dress felt awkward, as the young girl kept fidgeting with her collar. Her brilliant blonde hair, looking as if it were made of melted gold, was a perfect match for the Duchess. Her green eyes—a trait mostly inherited by the direct line of Lucert—shone intelligently.

“Milena, try some of this. It’s apple pie.”

The Duchess pushed the plate of apple pie in front of her daughter to make it easier to eat. A sweet scent wafted from the pie, which was filled with premium simmered apples.

“When you were a baby eating pureed food, you really loved ground apples.”

The Duchess savored the memory with a distant voice.

“My daughter. When did you grow up so wonderfully… Even though I couldn’t take care of you, you grew up so well.”

As the Duchess’s eyes welled up with tears, unable to continue, the Duke patted his wife’s shoulder and spoke affectionately.

“Dear, hasn’t Milena returned to our side now? We can do everything for her in the future that we couldn’t do in the past.”

“Relax now, Milena. From now on, we will protect you.”

The Young Duke, Elias, also added his kind words. Everyone sitting at the table had a happy face—except for one person.

Cecilia von Lucert.

The fake daughter who had been adopted to fill the spot of the real one. She was staring silently at the plate in front of her with a dark expression. She looked as if she might burst into tears at the slightest touch.

However, no one paid any attention to Cecilia. Although they were in the same space, the temperature difference was so vast that it didn’t feel like they were one family at all.

‘No, am I the only one worried about her?!’

Right as Milena was screaming internally, Cecilia slowly raised her head as if she felt the gaze. The eyes of the two girls met directly.

‘Gasp.’

Milena swallowed a breath. At the same time, Cecilia’s shoulders seemed to stiffen, and she pressed her lips tight, glaring sharply at her. It was as if she didn’t want to lose to Milena—the “Real Daughter”—no matter what.

‘…This is so depressing.’

Milena found the situation in front of her simply awkward. It felt unfair to be hated by Cecilia for something that wasn’t her fault, and she hated this household for treating Cecilia like an invisible person just because they found her.

“Um, I’m sorry, but I don’t want to play the role of the Lady. I just want to go back to my home.”

…How great would it be if she could just say that?! But she couldn’t.

‘Because this is a contract that involves my mother’s life!’

Sighing deeply inside, Milena showed Cecilia the most harmless smile she could manage.

Hey, Female Lead? I’ll stay quiet and out of your way until I can leave. So please don’t glare at me like that. Please!

The problem, however, was how Cecilia interpreted Milena’s desperate “customer service” smile. Cecilia’s expression became even more terrifying…

‘No, I’m the victim here too.’

Milena cried tears of blood internally.

‘I didn’t want to come back to the Duke’s house in the first place!’

It all started with a strange dream on an ordinary day.

Chirp, chirp, chirp.

The sound of birds announcing the morning rang out cheerfully. Amidst the sunlight shining brightly into the room:

‘This is a joke, right?’

Having just woken up, I blinked my eyes blankly. My name is Milena. Since I am a commoner, I have no last name. I am eighteen years old this year. I live alone with my mom in Trangie Barony, a small town in the west famous for its hot springs.

Usually, my biggest worry was something small like, “What should I make for dinner tomorrow?” But…

‘This… this isn’t right!’

According to the dream I just had, this world is actually inside a book. Specifically, a romance fantasy novel I read in my past life.

The summary of the novel goes something like this: The female lead, Cecilia, is the only daughter of the Lucert Dukedom, the greatest family in the Empire. But Cecilia was not actually the Duke’s biological daughter. The Duchess, unable to bear the loneliness after losing her real daughter, adopted her as a substitute.

Afterward, Cecilia makes all sorts of efforts to be loved by her family. Despite this, the family coldly ignores her.

“Instead of her, you must always strive not to bring shame to the honor of Lucert.”

There was the Duke, who was always cold.

“I wonder where she is and what she’s doing right now…”

There was the Duchess, who cried thinking about her lost daughter every time she looked at Cecilia.

“Ha, you still don’t get it? How could someone like you ever be my real sister!”

And even the Young Duke, Elias, who shouted at the drop of a hat. Yet, Cecilia couldn’t let go of her faint hope and tried desperately.

‘No, surely they will accept me as their real daughter one day.’

Since she came from an orphanage, Cecilia had always dreamed of having a family. But…

“Oh my god, my daughter!!”

One day, the “Real Daughter” finally returns to the Duke’s house. The family goes wild over the returned biological daughter, and even the man who had shown interest in Cecilia flips his stance and confesses his love to the real daughter.

…By now, you’ve probably guessed it, right?

The sworn enemy who takes everything away from Cecilia. The villainess who charms everyone with her sun-like charm.

That’s me. I’m that annoying real daughter!!

‘T-this makes no sense?!’

I grabbed my head and screamed silently. Of all the characters, why did it have to be that real daughter! I remember how hateful Milena was in the original story. Smiling brightly while getting under people’s skin…

“Oh! Brother didn’t accept your greeting? That’s strange, he always welcomes me with a smile.”

“Maybe you misunderstood something? It’s a bit strange that such a kind brother would be cold only to you.”

“I think you’re just being a bit sensitive!”

Milena’s “gem-like” quotes flashed through my mind, and finally, the number one best comment on the novel floated up as if mocking me.