She Became the Wicked Sister-In-Law of the Heroine

"Why, why are you laughing, Brother?"

I couldn't hide my shaking pupils when I asked Seamus why he was laughing. However, the response came not from Seamus but from Anton.

"What's up with your naming sense? You should have changed a bit as you've gotten older."

What is he talking about? Saying it's the same as before.

Was this about something that happened before I possessed this body?

It was extremely bewildering since I had no memory of it, but I pretended to be nonchalant and looked at Seamus and Anton.

"Yeah, it's the name you gave. The canary you used to raise was named 'Lemon.' Now you named this white bird 'Snow.'"

The original Lucia was also a person who named things quite simply, like naming a yellow bird Lemon. Honestly, even if I had been asked to name it, I probably would have chosen the same name. No, maybe I would have named it 'Banana.' Nonetheless, it felt a bit strange to think that I resembled the original Lucia in some ways.

"Are you saying that I'm simple-minded?" I asked bluntly. Seamus's dimple deepened. It was a truly kind smile.

"No, I just find it endearing. I was a bit disappointed that you seemed to have changed a lot lately, but it turns out there are aspects of you that are still the same."

So that was what he meant. I felt unnecessarily gloomy. I was a completely different person from the previous Lucia.

"She’s changed? She seems just like before, with the way she snaps at me."

Feeling a bit down, I ignored Anton's grumbling and walked into the house.

"Miss!"

And not long after, Samantha, who had heard the news of my arrival, came running towards me. It seemed she had received the news late.

"Are you okay now? I wanted to stay by your side, there was no need to send me away."

It seemed like she was half-worried and half-resentful that I had been alone since my collapse. Of course, both of these emotions were based on affection for Miss Lucia, so the already complicated emotions in me became even more complex. One side of my chest felt ticklish, and it was awkward. It was a strange feeling, as if warm air was gently rising.

"...I'm fine."

Putting aside these unfamiliar emotions, I simply responded indifferently, but Samantha, who was glad to know that I was safe, happily accepted the cage from my hand. "What kind of bird is this, Miss?"

I had just answered the same question a while ago, and now I had to repeat it again.

I let out a small sigh and, with a clear voice, answered Samantha's question as I walked away.

* * *

It had been three days since I returned from the temple. Since I hadn't received any news from Jerome, who had promised to contact me within a few days, I could only wait blindly. My daily life hadn't changed much overall, but there were some minor changes.

Unlike before, where I only spent time with the people I was used to seeing in the mansion, Caroline and Snow had been added to my daily life, so it was natural.

Especially Caroline...

"Miss Lucia, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Miss, do you need anything?"

Caroline and Samantha both stuck to my side, competing with each other. I didn't expect them to cling to me like that.

Looking at the two, who were glaring at each other, each hanging onto one of my arms, I let out a deep sigh. Why were they like this? It was as if they were having a battle of "She's my Miss" and "No, she's my Saint."

Samantha, I understand that you might not like the fact that Caroline suddenly appeared since you've been by Lucia's side as her exclusive maid since before I possessed this body.

But I couldn't understand why Caroline had a sense of rivalry towards Samantha.

Honestly, what I wanted to say was, "Both of you, leave me alone since I want to be alone," but since both of them were trying their best to be good to me, I couldn't act too cold towards them.

I turned my head to look outside the window, trying to enjoy the beautiful garden scenery and relieve some of my frustration.

Unintentionally, my eyes met with Anton Rivera, who was standing in the garden.

Why was that guy still here, not going back?

Vincent and his wife have already left, but Anton shamelessly remained in our house.

"Why don't you leave?" I had asked him, but all he had replied with was, "I didn't come here as your guest, but as your brother's guest, so mind your own business."

In reality, my brother seemed slightly bothered by the situation, thinking, "Why isn't he leaving?" But he couldn't say anything because he couldn't bring himself to say unpleasant things. Tsk, tsk.

When Anton and I made eye contact, he turned his head abruptly, as if in displeasure.

What an insincere guy. His ears were turning red. And he's not even an elementary school student.

I noticed a commotion at the entrance of the mansion as I was about to close the curtains.

Several luxurious carriages were entering the mansion.

‘Come to think of it, Rosalyn mentioned that her guests were coming.’

I remembered hearing Rosalyn mention it during dinner last night.

I briefly thought, ‘Could it be Albert hiding inside again?’, but that thought quickly disappeared from my mind. After all, in the novel, Rosalyn and Albert reunited long ago, after a brief, bittersweet encounter in autumn.

Regardless, the situation still bothered me even if Albert wasn't inside. If Rosalyn was plotting something while using her friends, it wouldn't be good news for me and our family.

Anxiously, I looked out the window, trying to see who it was.

It was Rosalyn's friends, including Dounia Lupine, who had recently visited with a disguised Albert, who had been at the wedding between Rosalyn and Seamus.

Having friends visit the house wasn't unusual, so I could only squint my eyes and watch them.

Knowing that Rosalyn had used those friends to turn the Chase family into irredeemable villains in her novel, "The Ruins of Israji," I couldn't help but feel anxious.

It was beneath me to directly criticize my in-laws. All Rosalyn had to do was shed tears and emit an air of being persecuted by Seamus's family. The rest could be completed by those friends using their imagination.

The rumors, which were initially unbelievable, spread throughout society, stating that Seamus's family had harassed and economically pressured Rosalyn's family with their formidable wealth. Moreover, when it was added that they showed monopolistic desires towards their spouses in an "unsophisticated and vulgar" manner, Seamus and the Chase family became irredeemable villains.

So, it was clear that this time too, while playing the role of a "fragile female protagonist" who cunningly moved people's hearts, she would try to manipulate public opinion in the direction she desired.

Should I secretly attend the gathering, pretending not to know anything? Then Rosalyn wouldn't be able to criticize my in-laws because she would be too busy watching me.

But if I did that, undoubtedly my in-laws would prevent me from having a gathering with friends, and rumors would spread that my sister-in-law was shamelessly clueless.

I bit my lips anxiously.

‘If I had known this would happen, I would have had at least one of my own people planted inside the mansion.’

Even though Samantha was loyal to me as my personal maid, I couldn't fully trust her, so I couldn't give her such a covert task. Caroline, too, was undoubtedly my person, but I couldn't secretly eavesdrop on conversations with her as she was a formal servant.

Lost in thought for a moment, I decided that Samantha would be the better choice for this task.

"Samantha, could you find out what Rosalyn is discussing with her friends? Without anyone else knowing."

"Huh? Why all of a sudden?"

Samantha’s eyes were wide as she looked at me. It must have felt like a sudden command, asking her to spy on Rosalyn.

I quickly came up with a plausible excuse in my mind. "Well...I ruined Abigail's christening. I'm worried that Rosalyn and her friends might talk badly about it."

Considering the short time I had to come up with this idea, it felt quite convincing, even to myself. I was worried that Rosalyn would gossip about my mistake.

"But surely not! The Countess wouldn't do that."

And Samantha, too, showed the same reaction as my family members. She believed that Rosalyn wouldn't do such a thing.

…Outwardly, that may be true.

"Well...it’s good to be safe, right?"

I shook my head nervously, feeling anxious.