Chapter 1

"You and your family have truly suffered a horrible death, Fred—an entire family gone just like that, without even leaving a descendant behind!"

I stared blankly at the scene as a sudden burst of wailing echoed in my ears. I noticed three coffins lined up neatly before me, holding the bodies of Wendy Lowe, Fred Lancaster, and Draco Lancaster—Mom, Dad, and my younger brother.

Those who were mourning so passionately were Shawn Lancaster and Olivia Smith—my uncle and aunt from the countryside.

I had been reborn. I had returned to the day my whole family staged their deaths. I watched them lie peacefully in their coffins as if they were merely asleep. A sudden wave of fury rushed through me. I let out a sharp cry and threw myself at Draco, who looked completely at peace.

I bellowed, "You're truly a shame to the Lancaster family, Draco! How could you just die along with Mom and Dad? How could you just end the Lancaster family bloodline? I'm going to properly teach you a lesson today on behalf of the Lancaster family!"

I used every ounce of my strength to violently slap Draco across the face while wailing. My fingernails dug in and left scratch after scratch.

I wanted to see how long they were going to keep up the act. They got to eat well and live comfortably, while I was abandoned in a stockpen used as a holding cell, left for others to bully and abuse.

Why did Draco have the right to boss me around since we were young, just because he was born male?

In that instant, the sharp sound of slapping echoed throughout the funeral hall, and before long, Draco's face became visibly red and swollen. His eyelids were twitching constantly, but even so, he remained completely motionless inside the coffin.

I couldn't help but wonder if Mom and Dad, who were lying next to him and faking their deaths as well, would become so enraged that they would sit up. After all, they were hearing their worthless daughter slap their precious son.

In the meantime, the onlookers, who were shocked by my reaction, quickly stepped in to hold me back.

I took the opportunity to bury my face in Lucy Hall's, my neighbor's, shoulder. "Why did I have to be the one left alive, Lucy? Mom and Dad are gone, and Draco is dead, too. How did the Lancaster family—?"

I got so choked up with emotion that I couldn't even say another word. Upon witnessing my heartbroken state, the onlookers let out collective sighs of sorrow.

"You've been through so much, you poor child. You have to keep living, for your parents' sake as well as your own."

"You need to stay strong, Hope. Even though they're in the grave, your parents wouldn't want you to be in this much pain."

I let out a cold, mocking smirk with my face still buried in Lucy's shoulder, thinking that they clearly wanted me to suffer; after all, they clearly wished they had never given birth to a daughter like me.

In my past life, Mom, Dad, and Draco staged their deaths as a family, pulling off the perfect vanishing act. I had barely finished handling their funeral arrangements and was still drowning in grief when I was arrested.

In that small, dimly lit room, I endured three whole days of torment without any food or water.

Those authorities took turns interrogating me, demanding to know where the gold bars my family received were hidden. They were convinced that since I was the sole survivor of the Lancaster family, I was the only one who knew the location of those gold bars.

How could I possibly explain the truth of a matter concerning things I had never seen or heard of before, though?

They eventually gave up on interrogating me, but as punishment and to make amends, I was dragged out to be paraded through the streets. The onlookers, who were driven by their hatred for those who bled the country dry, lined up to pelt me with rotten vegetables.

I still couldn't understand what I had ever done to deserve all of this, even after I was sent down to a stockpen used as a holding cell in the Great Barren North.

I held on and pulled through, thankfully. I spent 20 years paying off those debts, and right when I thought I could get a fresh start in life, I unexpectedly ran into the three people who were supposed to be long dead. Instead, they were happily talking and laughing together.

I was overwhelmed by disbelief as I rushed forward to confront them. However, they were afraid that their fake deaths would be exposed, so they drove over me with their car.

Heaven had fortunately granted me mercy, though.

I, Hope Lancaster, managed to crawl my way back from hell and became a true vengeful spirit out for blood.