They Chose the Fake Princess and Let Me the Real One Die Twice

Chapter 4

Numbness spread through every inch of my body, and I could no longer make a single sound.

"If it weren't for Lila's kindness, you'd have long since been beaten to death. Don't spurn the mercy."

He tossed me roughly to the guards, his voice cold as ice, then turned and strode back to Lila.

As I was forced into the carriage, the last thing I saw before the curtain fell was my brother gently helping Lila step up into her seat.

The carriage jolted and rattled the entire way.

My throat parched and silent from the sealed acupoint, I watched Lila and my brother laugh and talk, my heart growing colder with every word they exchanged.

I knew Lila hadn't brought me back out of pity.

And sure enough, her cruelty never ceased from the moment we stepped through the manor gates.

In just half a month, she'd deliberately knocked over scalding tea countless times, watching with cold amusement as blisters rose on my hands.

She'd even ordered me to kneel in the snow all night long, her malice plain to see.

Kael Thorne and Elian Voss turned a blind eye every single time.

And in those days, Elian Voss showered Lila with gifts.

A whole casket of South Sea pearls—three times more precious than the betrothal gifts he'd given me when he'd asked for my hand in my past life.

I watched as he slid a jade hairpin into Lila's hair with his own hands, his eyes soft and adoring, as if drowning in affection for her.

Yet when he glanced up and saw me sweeping the veranda, he couldn't even be bothered to spare me a single look.

Kael also doted on Lila like she was the very apple of his eye.

He personally taught her swordsmanship to defend herself, and even had a silver hand warmer forged specially for her, fearing she might catch cold.

On her birthday, the two of them held a lavish feast in the manor, inviting every noble in the town.

Kael announced to the whole room: Lila was the lost daughter of the General's Manor. I, Kael Thorne, would protect her with his life.

He'd forgotten that I was his real younger sister. Now, the feast was in full swing, the clink of goblets and endless congratulations filling the air.

And I, dragged by Lila's maid, knelt on the stone steps outside the banquet hall to serve as a footstool.

As the servants in their brocade boots stepped on my back to climb the stairs, the wounds Lila had left on my back with a cane throbbed as if torn open all over again.

My face drained of color, I bit down hard on my lip, but the mute acupoint Kael had sealed left me unable to even let out a whimper.

Tears welled up in my eyes, but I refused to look at their warmth and happiness.

Yet memories from my past life flashed before my eyes—Kael holding my hand at the feast, vowing to protect me for a lifetime, and Elian's solemn promises.

Everything they'd once given me, they now lavished on Lila.

A bitter wind whipped snowflakes against my eyelashes, and suddenly, I laughed.

Snowmelt mixed with tears slid into my mouth, salty and cold.

I told myself there was no reason to grieve.

But my heart felt as if it had frozen solid, a dull, aching pain pulsing through it…

I thought I would cry again, useless as ever.

Just like I had every other time I'd watched them ignore me for Lila.

But at that moment, I found my eyes were dry, unable to shed a single tear.

And when all the guests had entered the manor, I was finally allowed to stand.

The bitter wind cut through my collar, carrying snow with it, as I clutched my stiff, frozen knees and stumbled to my feet from the icy stone steps.

The sound of music and laughter from the banquet hall was like ice-tipped needles, pricking at my ears.

I kept my gaze fixed straight ahead, daring not to look aside.

But the cold I'd absorbed from kneeling as a footstool seeped deep into my bones, spreading through my body as I dragged my leaden legs toward the kitchen at the back of the manor.

It was dinnertime.

Yet when I pushed open the door, the stove was cold, and the rice bucket stood empty.

"I told you already, tonight's food is for the noble guests at the feast. There's not a single bite for you. What are you even doing here?" a voice snapped.