Chapter 2

“Phew...”

Returning to my room, I let out a breath.

“I can’t believe it! What do they think of me, the young lady!”

Eri, the maid who had been following me silently, started to express her anger with a look of frustration.

In the past, the servants often complained to my father and mother about how I was treated, but if they stood up for me, Lillian would claim she was being bullied and have them fired.

That’s why I’ve asked the servants not to protect me in front of my parents.

“Well, I did expect it, so I’m not surprised anymore.”

“But... this can’t be allowed!”

I put on the usual clothes that were folded on the bed. These clothes, which I’ve been wearing since I was thirteen, are well-worn. In other words, they are the last set of clothes given to me by my parents that my sister hasn’t taken.

However, they no longer fit me, so the maid has patched them up with scraps of fabric to make them wearable. They are full of patches and look, to be honest, quite tattered. I could only wear them because I have a curvy figure, but even that has reached its limit.

“Miss... these clothes no longer fit.”

“You’re right. They’re too tight.”

But if I can’t wear these, I’ll have to go around in my underwear or nightgown.

I managed to wear the clothes by having the maid add more fabric to increase the size, but the same couldn’t be done for the shoes.

So, I’ve been wearing makeshift shoes made by sewing together pieces of fabric and using cardboard for the soles. They’re not really shoes, just my feet wrapped in fabric and tied with string.

However, once, a servant, unable to bear seeing me suffer in shoes that were too small, bought me a pair with their own money. They weren’t the kind of shoes a regular noble would wear, but even such an obvious cheap pair was taken by my sister.

I felt so guilty that I bowed to the servant. Me.

Living in an environment where I can’t get clothes or shoes to wear has reached its limit.

I need to find a way to earn money and live away from my sister and parents.

“I’m going to run away. I’ll become a commoner and work.”

“Miss... Normally, I should risk my life to stop you, but after seeing how you’ve been treated in this house, I can’t help but think that it might be better for you to leave.”

Still, what is with my sister’s abnormal desire for material things? How can she be so spoiled? Normally.

I think there’s something wrong with my sister, but what I find even more abnormal is my parents.

Because the way they’re raising her will never make her happy.

As I mentioned earlier, my mother often claims I’m “sickly” and doesn’t take me to social events, only taking Lillian, who is dressed up. But in a social setting where information is life, no lady or young noblewoman would be fooled by such a flimsy lie.

Information always leaks, no matter how much you try to prevent it.

If they really want to prevent it, they would have to eliminate the source and have professionals thoroughly erase all evidence. In this case, that would be me and the servants who know about me.

“Oh, you’re really going out. To provide refreshments for the ladies again, I see...”

Watching the carriage leave from the window, I sighed.