Chapter 4

From the moment I transmigrated here, I'd deliberately kept my distance from Kiana. At the same time, I was worried she might still be used in someone else's scheme.

In my opinion, a proper young lady from such a noble household should know how to defend herself. And so, ever since I was a child, I'd been brainwashing my parents.

I told them a good woman should set her sights on the world and defend the nation. I told them that if our marquisate didn't rack up some real military merit soon, we wouldn't be able to keep our title.

I reminded them that back in Grandmother's generation, she'd been a heroine in her own right, riding into battle with Grandfather and making a name for herself on the battlefield.

I told them that even though Grandfather's spear had been passed down to my uncle, who guarded the frontier, Grandmother's spear was gathering dust. That was just too much of an insult to her legacy.

Rumor had it that on that very night, Father actually dreamed of Grandmother chasing him around and beating him.

The next day, Kiana was sent off to the frontier. She'd come back once three years ago, and by then, she could easily lift any of her brothers with one hand.

She didn't have time to return for this banquet, so she only sent ten special ivory pendants from the borderlands as gifts.

I was very curious what other tricks Isaac could come up with without Kiana around.

As it turned out, a person could be reborn, but that didn't mean they automatically became smarter.

Ultimately, Isaac had never received the polished education fit for a proper noble son. He had also never read any novels fraught with schemes and trickery. When it came to ruining people, his tricks seemed to begin and end with the same tired schemes.

And so, when an attendant I didn't recognize splashed water onto my robes, I knew at once that it had begun.

I headed toward the private room that had been arranged for me so I could change my clothes, my personal attendant in tow. As we passed a quiet stretch of corridor, another attendant hurried over and begged mine for help.

"Lady Eterna is asking for help. It seems that an accessory prepared for Mr. Isaac has gone missing," the attendant said.

My attendant looked at me. I nodded and said, "Go on. I can get to the room myself."

He didn't suspect anything and hurried off.

I continued down the corridor alone, my pace easy and unhurried. When I reached the private room, I didn't immediately open the door. I paused and listened. From inside came the sound of heavy, uneven breathing.

I pushed the door open to see Isaac inside. I was a little surprised.

Isaac glared at me with pure malice.

"Do you really take me for an idiot? I know perfectly well you've been reborn, too. You think I'll use the same tricks and give you time to prepare for that? Just wait, Jared. You're dead meat!" he hissed.

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, a commotion broke out at the door.

Isaac's eyes lit up. Then, out of nowhere, he whipped out a dagger and plunged it into his own chest. He cried, "Help… help! Jared is trying to kill me!"

He staggered toward the doorway and fell straight into Mother's arms just as she pushed the door open.

"Isaac! You… What on earth happened to you? Get the physician! Where is the physician? Call him here, now!"

The blood all over Isaac's clothes scared the living daylights out of Mother. He shook his head weakly, then struggled to pull a doll from his robes, its surface smeared with blood.

"Jared… Jared resented not being a true member of the Reed family and couldn't marry the princess. That hatred twisted his heart. He secretly wrote the princess and the crown prince's names on this doll and tried to curse them. I… I caught him by accident, and he tried to silence me," he said shakily.

I watched his little performance and couldn't help pointing at myself. "Me?"

Isaac ignored me completely. He only stared up at Mother, trying to look as weak and pitiful as he could manage.

The tearful look on Mother's face froze over. "You're saying Jared cursed the princess because he couldn't marry her?"

Isaac didn't notice the strange look in her eyes at all. He also didn't notice how the rest of our brothers standing off to the side were seconds away from bursting into laughter.

He just gazed past them, staring soulfully at the crown prince, Caleb Linden, and the eldest princess, Leonora Linden, who stood in the back of the crowd.

"Yes, that's what I said. Jared was foolish and confused," he said. "Your Highnesses, I beg that you don't blame our family for this. Jared isn't of our blood. What he did has nothing to do with the household…"

Under Isaac's eager gaze, the crowd parted into two neat lines. Caleb and Leonora slowly stepped forward.