Chapter 2

Dad had said he would take both of us earlier, but in the end, he left me home alone.

Back when he'd bought the car, he'd taken everyone in the family into consideration. However, he seemed to have selectively ignored the fact that he also had an older daughter.

I was utterly disappointed in my family.

I said flatly, "No need. There's nothing I want."

Jada's sweet, coquettish voice came from Mom's end. "Mom, you promised you'd buy me a cake. I want the biggest one."

"Okay, no problem. We'll get the biggest one," she agreed readily.

Mom ended our mind-link without hesitation. She didn't even bother checking if I needed anything else.

I tossed my phone onto the bed and silently took off the floral dress I was wearing.

They didn't come home even though it was already very late. Just then, my phone suddenly chimed as a notification popped up.

Jada had posted several photos on X. In the photos, she wore a gorgeous evening gown and sat amid a mountain of gifts, holding an enormous cake. Her face glowed with happiness.

The caption read, "The day the results came out, my whole family gave me a huge surprise."

Of course, that "family" didn't include me.

Meanwhile, my parents were also updating their X accounts with Jada's activities.

They had gone to an amusement park and taken the Ferris wheel, taking a family photo together at the very top. The whole time they were out, it had never occurred to them that they had another daughter.

I scrolled through my parents' X accounts. They were filled entirely with photos of Jada, with Jerome occasionally making an appearance. Judging solely by their posts, no one would ever have known that they had another daughter.

I was already used to being ignored and neglected.

When I reached their earliest post, my hand paused. It was from when I had just been born and wasn't even two years old yet. Dad was holding me high above his head, and Mom was gazing at me affectionately from beside him. Jerome was smiling at the camera.

That had been the happiest time of my life. It had also been the time when they loved me most.

But ever since Jada was born, all of that had vanished like it was all just a dream.

Jada was born with translucent skin and an irresistibly adorable face.

Everyone who saw her couldn't help but exclaim, "Jada looks just like a little princess."

And that was precisely why my parents, who had always cared deeply about appearances, took Jada everywhere with them. As for me, the ordinary-looking daughter, they felt that I wasn't someone they could proudly show off.

From then on, I became invisible to my own family.

They didn't come home all night, and Viola didn't make me anything to eat either. I could only fill my stomach with the cold, dry bread from the refrigerator.

Early the next morning, I was awakened by a knock on the door.

I opened it to find Percy standing outside, carrying a pretty box in his hand. It was from Jada's favorite bakery.

Under the sunlight, his smile was dazzling. The first thing he did was ask where Jada was.

"Where's Jada? I heard she ranked first in the trials and was chosen as the Alpha King's chief advisor. I came to congratulate her," Percy said.

I replied, "They went out to pick gifts."

Out of politeness, I invited him inside.

Percy froze for a moment before smiling and saying, "I see. We don't know when she'll be back. The cake won't taste good if it sits too long. How about you eat it for Jada?"

There was a hint of displeasure in his voice, as though I were somehow taking advantage of Jada.

When I opened the box, an exquisite berry cake appeared before my eyes.

My expression darkened.

I raised my head and looked coldly at Percy. "You know perfectly well that I'm allergic to berries."

Percy and I had grown up together as childhood friends. Once, when we were playing in the Moonlight Forest, I accidentally ate some berries. Right away, I found it difficult to breathe, and it nearly sent me into shock.

The young Percy had carried me on his back through the forest and taken me to the hospital.

Ever since then, he had always been extremely careful about what I ate. Every time, he would repeatedly check the ingredient list several times to be absolutely sure there was nothing that would trigger my allergy before he felt comfortable giving it to me.

But now, he had completely forgotten about it.

All he could see was the innocent, carefree, and spoiled Jada who loved to act cute.

Three years ago, Percy came to my house for the first time and saw Jada for the first time. She had been wearing a pink dress and swinging on a swing in the garden.

After taking just one glance, his eyes seemed glued to her, and he was unable to look away.

As he stared at her in a daze, he blurted out, "No wonder you're always saying your brother plays favorites. If I had a little sister like that, I'd want to give her all my love too."

From then on, Percy transferred all the kindness and affection he had once shown me to Jada. Gradually, he forgot about me. It was to the point that he couldn't even remember my berry allergy anymore.

When Percy heard what I said, he froze for a moment before realization dawned on his face. "Sorry, I forgot. You'd better not eat this cake, then. I'll buy a fresh one when Jada comes back."

Percy left without another word.

He didn't even ask how I had done on the trials. It was as though everyone had assumed from the very beginning that I could never outperform Jada.

I was alone in the house again.

I stared at the invitation the Alpha King had sent to my phone for a while.

Then, I replied, "Okay. I'll be there."