She Took the Rags, I Took the Empire

The very moment I heard my sister Serena’s inner thoughts, I knew she had been reborn, too.

I watched as she threw herself into the arms of the impoverished couple, turning to me with a perfectly staged, saintly look on her face.

“I don’t need a life of luxury and wealth,” Serena said. “I only want Hill to have a good life.”

The couple showered her with praise, calling her a sensible and sweet girl. Yet, I could hear the malicious sneer echoing clearly in her mind.

Serena thought to herself, “The Barrington family is only adopting a child because their business is struggling and they desperately need a tool for a marriage alliance. Enjoy that miserable taste! As for this poor couple, they must be low-key scientific geniuses. This time, that massive global research award is going to be mine!”

I kept my mouth shut. Without saying a word, I simply turned around and stepped into the luxury car.

Serena had absolutely no idea. In our past life, my ability to study abroad relied entirely on the money I saved by working three separate jobs while simultaneously balancing my classes. My scientific breakthroughs were achieved solely through my own grueling, relentless efforts.

Did she honestly believe it was all handed to me just because of an adoptive family?

I suppressed a cold sneer. Without money, basic survival was a struggle. Under those conditions, you didn’t even have the right to talk about true freedom.

This time, with the vast resources and powerful background of the elite Barrington family at my disposal, I would only grow and succeed much faster than in my previous life.

The luxury vehicle rolled to a smooth halt in front of a sprawling, magnificent estate. I gazed out at the breathtakingly grand architecture before me—a place I wouldn’t have even dared to dream of entering in my past life.

The head butler took my hand, leading me into the manor and bringing me straight to a meticulously decorated bedroom.

“The Master and Madam are currently busy and will return later tonight,” he instructed, his tone clipped and detached. “For now, stay in your room and study the family rules and etiquette. You must memorize every single regulation until you can recite them backward.”

Though his tone sounded incredibly cold, his actual inner thoughts leaked right into my mind.

The butler thought to himself, “This poor child. Losing both of her parents at such a young age... Now that she has entered high society, I must ensure she masters the rules before meeting the Master and Madam. That way, she won’t accidentally break protocol and suffer for it.”

I blinked. It seemed the people in this household weren’t nearly as cold-blooded and ruthless as Serena had claimed.

In our past life, my sister had already started throwing tantrums and crying about how miserable she was by this point. But to me? This minor level of strictness didn’t even register as a challenge.

Sitting down in the comfortable, cushioned study chair, it didn’t take long at all for me to commit every single rule to memory.

Right at that moment, a sudden, icy sensation brushed against my arm.

I jerked my head around. A small, snow-white snake was slowly slithering up, wrapping its sleek body firmly around my forearm.

Its crimson eyes stared directly into mine, its tongue hissing softly as it watched me.