Chapter 1

Under the scorching sun, I stood alone at the gate with a parasol in hand.

A carriage slowly made its way down the street. Its canopy consisted of nothing more than a sheet of blue cloth, which looked completely out of place among the tall, lavish buildings that surrounded it.

Before the carriage had even come to a stop, a young girl jumped down.

She looked about my age. Her long black hair was tied back with a red ribbon, and her almond-shaped eyes were as lively as a fawn's. Every movement she made seemed playful and endearing.

"Are you my older sister from the capital? It's nice to meet you. My name is Lenny Spencer." Her words sounded sweet, but I knew the malice hidden beneath them.

Sure enough, just as my parents and brother hurried after her and climbed down from the carriage, I heard her thoughts.

'Jenna was raised in the capital from a young age. She's never experienced the hardships of life on the frontier, yet she dresses so extravagantly. She really has no idea how difficult life can be for ordinary people.

'A single hairpin probably costs as much as the frontier soldiers' expenses for an entire year, right?'

They had barely steadied themselves when their expressions stiffened. Then they looked at me with reproach.

It had been the same in my previous life. I had waited eagerly for my family to return, my heart full of joy, only for them to reject me for no apparent reason the moment we met.

No matter what I did, even when I did nothing at all, Lenny always had countless "thoughts" that drove my family further away from me.

I hadn't done a thing, yet I somehow became the disgrace everyone called spoiled and extravagant, a daughter who had no respect for her elders.

In the end, I died of depression.

Meanwhile, Lenny used my downfall to elevate herself. Everyone praised her as a model of virtue, a woman who cared nothing for fame or wealth and was the equal of any man.

This time, my family's cold treatment no longer hurt me as it had in my previous life.

I gave them a brief nod. "Dad. Mom. Daniel."

Then I turned and walked back into the house. I didn't care whether the people behind me followed.

Lenny's thoughts rang out again. 'Why isn't Jenna answering me? Is she trying to put me in my place? Girls from the capital really do love playing mind games. They're nothing like the simple, honest people from the frontier.'

My mother, Linda Brooks, had also heard Lenny's thoughts, and displeasure immediately crossed her face. "Robert, our daughter has no manners at all!"

The expression of my father, Robert Richardson, darkened, but he said nothing.

My brother, Daniel Richardson, could no longer hold himself back. "I don't have a sister who's this rude and unreasonable. In my heart, Lenny is my only sister!"

Lenny was clearly delighted, but she put on a magnanimous expression. "Maybe Jenna thinks I've taken Mom and Dad's affection away from her. It's my fault. I shouldn't have assumed I was your daughter."

My mother heard her usually cheerful and lively adopted daughter belittle herself. Then she saw the tears that welled in Lenny's almond-shaped eyes and the sorrow in her gaze. An inexplicable anger flared within her.

She let out a cold snort. "Lenny is my daughter. No one can ever take your place! Don't let someone who has nothing to do with us make you sad."

My father and Daniel immediately joined in to comfort her.

How ridiculous. On the very first day my biological parents returned home, they called their own biological daughter someone who had nothing to do with them, all to defend their adopted daughter.

My chest felt hollow. It should have hurt. I should have been heartbroken. I should have found their words unbearable. Yet I felt nothing.

The heart that had once yearned for my parents and missed my brother had already died in my previous life.

It died when Daniel gave the ures I had painstakingly copied to Lenny so she could tear them apart for fun.

It died when my mother held Lenny in her arms after she fell into the water and accused me of being cruel and vicious.

It died when my father forced me to endure the family's punishment and give Lenny my chance to serve as the princess' attendant.

I strode into the main hall, then turned and coldly interrupted their affectionate family moment. "It's time to eat."

Silence fell behind me at once.

Perhaps they had suddenly remembered that the so-called "someone who had nothing to do with them" was still standing right in front of them.

My mother looked embarrassed at first, but her embarrassment quickly turned to anger.

She scolded me, "What kind of attitude is that? Is this how you treat your parents? You disrespect your parents and mistreat your sister. How could I have given birth to a daughter like you?"

I pretended not to understand.

I tilted my head and looked at my mother's furious face. "I only told everyone it was time to eat. How is that disrespecting you and Dad?"

My mother fell speechless. She couldn't find a way to argue with me.

My father finally intervened, "That's enough. All of you, shut up. Go eat."