4. Tore the Villainess’s Hair Once  

“Oh my, Miss Caitlyn, please calm down. We’ve told Miss Annette several times that Miss Caitlyn has plenty of good clothes and that she should wear her own. But Miss Annette said Miss Caitlyn’s clothes looked better and coveted them.”  

The nanny’s mouth spouted lies effortlessly.  

Now that the dinner with the Grand Duke, which had to be attended, was over, the nanny had nothing to fear. She calmly lied to the influential Caitlyn.  

“Nanny, no matter how unreasonable my sister is, are you new to this house or something?”  

“You’re right. It’s all my fault that Miss Annette behaves so arrogantly.”  

While the two, who were clearly in sync, drummed and played cymbals together, I changed into my indoor clothes.  

Flutter. The thin muslin undergarment swayed in my hands.  

Return this? If you want it so badly, here.  

Rippp.  

With an unpleasant sound of fabric tearing, Caitlyn’s muslin undergarment was split into two pieces in an instant.  

“Kyaaa! What are you doing? My clothes!”  

“You told me to take it off, didn’t you? I took it off as you asked. How I take it off is up to me.”  

“Whose clothes do you think you’re tearing? Have you gone mad?”  

“Oh, I damaged your clothes that I borrowed. Fine, I’ll pay for it. Is that enough?”  

“You, you!”  

“Weren’t you going to burn it anyway?”  

“What?”  

“You always throw away things I’ve touched, saying they disgust you. I thought you’d do the same with this, so I handled it first. Was that too much?”  

Caitlyn’s face turned pale as if she might faint, and she gasped for breath. This was the first time Annette, who had been living in submission, retaliated against her with such intensity.  

“I recently read my old diary, and there were some interesting entries. When we were younger, there were quite a few things you ‘borrowed’ from me.”  

“D-Diary?”  

“That muslin undergarment was nothing. If you were going to borrow something, you should’ve taken something better. Even the maids, who’s trying to avoid your scrutiny, picked the oldest and most worn-out undergarment of mine to lend you.”  

If I hadn’t been in a situation where delaying further would have made me miss the dinner with the Grand Duke, I wouldn’t have worn that torn muslin undergarment.  

So, my act of tearing the muslin undergarment just now wasn’t a waste of resources. It was simply returning an old piece of clothing to nature.  

“I’ll gladly pay for the old muslin undergarment. But in return, I need to get back the valuables you’ve borrowed and never returned.”  

〈Sister, this crown is so pretty. Can I try it on for a bit?〉  

〈Sis, can you lend me some allowance? You have a lot saved up since you were young, don’t you?〉  

〈Sister, there’s a tea gathering at Count Marin’s tomorrow, and I want to wear your headdress. You said it was passed down from Grandmother. I don’t have anything like that, you know?〉  

〈Come on, lend it to your little sister. It’s just your sister asking, why be stingy?〉  

Memories of Annette being bullied alternated with memories of my past life, where I was tormented by my new family. Even though this was a body I just transmigrated into, the situation felt all too familiar to me.  

People who only approached me as ‘family’ when they needed something, are worse than strangers.  

Step-siblings who, despite being the closest in relation, belittled me for being motherless.  

Strangers would’ve been better.  

It wasn’t something to dismiss as just a child borrowing a toy. As the eldest daughter of Marquis Poche’s estate, the items Annette originally possessed were all precious and expensive. Caitlyn and even the servants had taken them one by one.  

‘I am no longer the original Annette, who stayed silent and endured everything.’  

“Perfect timing. Those pearl earrings you’re wearing right now, Caitlyn, were originally mine, weren’t they? You took them from me the day you first came to our house, saying it was to commemorate us becoming sisters. I’ll start by taking those back.”  

Caitlyn instinctively covered her ears. White pearl earrings dangled from her earlobes. They were a deeply significant treasure, said to have been a gift from the former queen to the Marquis Poche’s estate.  

“What are you suddenly talking about now? Are you picking a fight with me over a mere muslin undergarment? In a family like ours?”  

“You were the one who started with the muslin undergarment.”  

At my cold words, Caitlyn’s face turned bright red.  

A muslin undergarment and pearl earrings. Caitlyn must’ve realized she had picked the wrong fight with me.  

“I won’t nitpick over trivial things. But you know those pearl earrings are valuable, don’t you?”  

Ignoring the flustered Caitlyn, I continued speaking clearly.  

“Besides the pearl earrings, there’s the emerald bracelet you borrowed, oh, and the mare my younger brother Simmons took. And then there’s…”  

As I listed the items, Caitlyn’s face turned paler and paler. She hadn’t expected me to remember all those things.  

Her anxious expression seemed to scream, ‘That girl who used to bow her head and stay silent while we took her stuff was secretly keeping track of everything?’  

Annette had likely been an easygoing, submissive stepsister up until now. But now, that same person was standing tall, confronting her with confidence, leaving Caitlyn flustered.  

Cornered, Caitlyn chose to lash out in anger.  

“Do you think you’re something special just because you’re marrying into the Grand Duke’s family? You’re going to the barren North, where survival through winter is hard without our family’s support!”  

“What?”  

“Even if their title is two ranks higher, the Grand Duke’s family is so poor that they’re marrying you to gain our family’s backing. That cold place doesn’t even have proper food—ugh!”  

Slap.  

Caitlyn’s cheek turned as my hand struck her.  

“Apologize.”  

Annette hit me? This doormat hit me?  

Caitlyn stared at me in disbelief.  

As the noble daughter of a marquis, she’d likely never been slapped in her life.  

But I had no reason to tolerate a dumb supporting character insulting the male lead any longer.  

“Apologize immediately.”  

“What do you think you’re doing?!”  

“Insulting me is a family matter. But you’ve insulted the North, where I will live after my marriage. That, I cannot forgive.”  

“What did I say that was wrong? Ugh! Let me go!”  

Wrong. Insulting the protagonist of this novel is unforgivable.  

In a world where people transmigrate to, everything revolves around the protagonist, you fool.  

“I won’t let go until you apologize for what you said.”  

I spoke in a sharp voice. Frightened, Caitlyn trembled and couldn’t respond properly. Even the maids, who should’ve intervened, were so stunned by the sudden situation that they stood frozen.  

Enraged, Caitlyn and I wrestled.  

Step, step. Footsteps echoed.  

“It seems Miss Annette’s tolerance doesn’t extend to her sister.”  

Suddenly, a strong force separated Caitlyn and me.  

“Ahhh!”  

Startled by the strength, Caitlyn stumbled, tripping over her own feet and rolling to the floor.  

I, however, found myself securely held by someone.  

“Your Highness the Grand Duke?”  

I gaped. The silver mask, the unsettling voice—it was unmistakably him. But why was he here?  

‘You said you wouldn’t come!’  

“I apologize for entering a lady’s room without permission, regardless of the reason.”  

He bowed politely.  

“But even within the estate, it would be better to close the door while fighting. Otherwise, people will gather like this.”  

“Did you suddenly find free time?”  

I glanced between the wide-open door and the Grand Duke, unsure of what to do. Now that my anger had subsided, I wondered if my reaction to Caitlyn had been too extreme.  

‘If I’d known the Grand Duke was coming, I wouldn’t have yanked Caitlyn’s hair so violently… wait, but wouldn’t siding with the one doing the beating still make me look better?’  

If I were a true romance novel heroine, I would’ve elegantly and gracefully defeated her with words. But as a short-lived extra, I panicked and acted impulsively.  

“While wandering aimlessly, I somehow ended up here.”  

His gravelly voice whispered in my ear. Despite the altered tone, it sounded oddly tender.  

It seemed the Grand Duke had a preference for wild women. Should I make a note of this for later?

“I must be thinking about Miss Annette more deeply than I realized.”  

“Shall I prepare some tea?”  

I shamelessly offered, ignoring Caitlyn, who was still sobbing on the floor.  

“I would like that, but it seems there’s already a guest here today.”  

Unfortunately, the Grand Duke wasn’t as shameless as I was, who’s willing to enjoy tea with a crying younger sister in the background.  

“If the lady would grant me her precious time, I’ll set a proper appointment and return.”  

“Of course, anytime!”  

I quickly nodded.  

“Miss Annette is…”  

For a moment, the Grand Duke hesitated, as though he’s about to leave a comment about me. What? Miss Annette is calm? Though we just met, she’s very charming? Bold? Why stop mid-sentence and leave me hanging!  

‘What is it, Your Highness?’  

“However, Lady Caitlyn.”  

“Yes?”  

Instead of commenting on me, the Grand Duke addressed Caitlyn, who was sniffling in a corner.  

“The North is cold, yes. Luxurious Southern cuisine is rare there. But I hope you don’t forget that this Southern peace exists because we guard the Northern barrier.”  

His voice was icy, laced with frost. Caitlyn shivered.  

“I-I…”  

‘He heard it.’  

Caitlyn, who was barely standing with the help of Sir Daniel, collapsed back to the floor as if her strength had left her.  

“And Miss Annette, the North doesn’t accept apologies through force.”  

He whispered in a low voice, just loud enough for me to hear.  

Despite the altered voice, it was so friendly that I almost thought he was joking with me.  

By the time the Grand Duke left the room, Caitlyn hadn’t even dared to meet his gaze properly. Her head hung low, and strands of her red hair, which I had pulled out, fell one by one onto her lap.