Chapter 1

"Celine, why won't you let me wail? The Duke had no children. What's wrong with shedding a few tears for him?"

In the car on the way to the funeral, I heard the familiar whining of my husband's adopted sister, Mia Baker, and it hit me. I had been reborn.

Mia's eyes were already rimmed with tears. She had not even started her mourning performance, yet she was already acting like I had bullied her.

My mother-in-law, Paige Rivers, pulled her into a protective embrace and shot me a dirty look.

"Everyone at this funeral will be somebody important! What's the harm in crying a little?

"What if some rich man notices how sweet and tender-hearted she is and sweeps her off her feet?"

With backup on her side, Mia stopped hiding her intentions. She turned to the mirror and touched up her eyeshadow.

"I've spent a whole month perfecting this look. When I cry today, I'll look absolutely heartbreaking!

"Celine's just jealous because I'm young and pretty. She's afraid I'll outshine her in front of the nobles!"

She was right about one thing. Mia had been preparing for this funeral for a while.

She had spent a fortune at a high-end spa for a full month of skincare treatments and even took acting lessons to perfect her crying.

I let out a cold laugh, mockery flickering in my eyes.

"You're going to a funeral, not a matchmaking event! Dressing up like that… Are you worried people won't notice you're fishing for a man?"

Mia bristled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, whimpering through her tears.

"I researched the Duke's entire life! I hired someone to write a eulogy for me, and I've memorized every word!

"Wouldn't it be nice for the Duke to know that a guest from a faraway land remembers him? But no, you just have to look down on me!"

My husband, Robert Baker, sat nearby, his voice dripping with impatience.

"What's your problem, Celine? Isn't it enough that you cause drama back home? Do you have to embarrass us abroad too?

"Mia put so much effort into this funeral! She might actually make us look good for once! And you? What do you do besides nitpick?"

Robert had always been like this. He doted on his adopted sister and constantly assumed I was the one bullying her.

No matter how ridiculous Mia's behavior was, he never corrected her. Instead, he forced me to acknowledge her good intentions.

In my previous life, I had made a point of explaining that wailing at an Eravalen aristocratic funeral was deeply disrespectful.

My father-in-law, Elliot Baker, was waiting on money to save his life. Only after we secured the inheritance could the family finally breathe.

If we disturbed the peace of the deceased and made all the nobles uncomfortable, forget the inheritance, we would probably be thrown out of the funeral on the spot.

However, Mia refused to listen. She insisted on going through with her mourning act.

When I could not talk her out of it, I resorted to covering her mouth in front of everyone to keep her from wailing.

That only made Mia lose her mind with rage. She ran out crying and was killed by thugs in a random attack.

Robert collected the inheritance without any problems. Then he turned around and blamed me for Mia's death, pushing me off that snowy mountain without a shred of mercy.

This time around, I was going to sit back and watch Mia dig her own grave. She could cry however she wanted.

If Robert failed to get the inheritance today, there would be no money to treat his father's illness.

When the time came to plan a funeral for Elliot, then they would all have a real reason to wail.