James Willow was the heir to the Willow Duchy. Even though he was born from his father’s first marriage, Duke Willow had never cared much for his son.

James usually spent his days locked away in his room. As the heir, he handled the duchy’s paperwork and, whenever Beatrice’s scandals allowed him a moment of peace, he buried himself in books. He didn’t understand why his father disliked him. As far as he was concerned, he was the ideal son.

“My lord, may I come in if you’re available?”

The moment James heard the knock at the door, he leaned back in his chair with a weary sigh. The voice belonged to Owen, the manor’s elderly butler.

“Come in.”

The door slowly creaked open, revealing the old butler’s white-haired head through the narrow gap.

“My lord, we have a problem.”

“Is this about Beatrice again?” James grumbled, rubbing his face.

“Lady Beatrice has not returned since she went for a morning walk, my lord.”

“What?!” James snapped, lifting his head angrily to glare at Owen. “What kind of trouble is that idiot causing now?! Continue. Is that all?”

“No, my lord. There was an explosion in the cave north of the duchy. The townspeople claim that a blonde-haired girl was seen near the cave before the explosion.”

“Does Father know about this?”

“He does, my lord. He left for the royal palace for an emergency council meeting regarding the incident. He also left you a message. He said he’s entrusting this task to you. This is your chance to prove your—”

James raised a hand, silencing Owen.

“That’s enough. Tell them to prepare my horse.”

As Owen bowed and left the room, James walked toward the window, cursing Beatrice under his breath while waiting for his horse to be saddled.

The cave stood atop a hill surrounded by lush green trees. At the end of a nearby valley lay a small town. The townspeople never climbed that hill. Even animals avoided the area around the cave.

The moment James arrived at the cave entrance, he jumped off his horse before it had even fully stopped. He sprinted toward the opening, his brown hair disheveled with sweat and irritation. Muttering curses under his breath, he rushed inside.

“Shit… W-What the hell is this?!”

The scene that greeted him was catastrophic.

His stepsister, Beatrice, lay motionless on the ground. Beside her, candles arranged in a circle cast an eerie, almost sacred atmosphere over the dim cave.

James strode toward her at once. He stared at the long blonde curls hiding her face with visible disgust.

“What did you do this time? Did you finally kill yourself so we could all have some peace?”

For a moment, he simply stood there, watching her.

Her chest rose and fell faintly with uneven breaths.

Without understanding why, James suddenly felt the weight on his shoulders lighten in relief.

Without another word, he bent down and lifted his unconscious sister into his arms.

“Ah…”

“So you’re finally awake.”

I slowly forced my eyes open. Above me was a white ceiling bathed in sunlight. When I tried to move, the mattress beneath me sank slightly under my weight.

At that moment, a strong hand pressed against my shoulder, stopping me from sitting up.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

As my vision cleared, I blinked in astonishment. A man with eyes the same shade as his brown hair was leaning over me, holding me down against the bed.

“You… Who are—”

“Now you’re pretending to have lost your memory so you can get out of this? You really are hopeless, Beatrice.”

Ah, right.

I was Beatrice now.

Then that meant the man in front of me was—

“Beatrice? Why are you staring at me like you’re in a trance? Are you alright?”

“Ah… yes. Brother.”

From what I remembered from my dreams, Beatrice had a stepbrother named James. The same idiot who had turned the girl’s life into hell with lies and accusations was now standing right in front of me.

“Good. I’m glad you still remember me,” James said, standing from the chair beside my bed. “Now get some rest. You’ll need your strength for the interrogation.”

“Interrogation?” I asked before I could stop myself.

James stared at me coldly.

“Did you really think your little mess would be covered up so easily? Of course you’ll answer to Father.”

James turned his back on me sharply and strode toward the door. Just as his hand touched the handle, he glanced back at me with an unreadable expression.

“Did you lose your mind in that cave or something? You’re acting strange today. Normally, the moment you hear the word interrogation, you’d immediately— Ah, whatever. Why should I care? At least you’re awake now. That means I can leave.”

James quickly exited the room.

I remained frozen on the bed.

What an idiot.

Why had he gotten angry at me out of nowhere?

Ignoring James’s order to rest, I sat up properly. The moment my feet touched the floor, a shiver spread through my body.

And then I saw the full-length mirror standing across from me.

Golden-blonde hair almost white in color. Pale green eyes…

As far as I knew, years ago Beatrice’s mother had been accused of adultery against Duke Willow. Though she had been executed soon afterward, her disgraceful reputation had clung to poor Beatrice ever since.

Beatrice was a perfect copy of her mother.

And because of that, her beauty had become her greatest prison.

Just as I became lost in my reflection, the door slowly creaked open. The head of a young brown-haired girl peeked timidly inside. The moment she saw me standing, she tried to retreat, but when she realized I had already noticed her through the mirror, she froze in place.

“M-My lady…” she whispered weakly.

I slowly turned toward her.

I didn’t remember seeing this girl in any of my dreams before. When she noticed me staring blankly at her, she hurried to explain herself as though this sort of thing happened every day.

“My lady, I’m Sarah, your personal maid.”

“...”

“I just… came to check on your condition. Lord James said you were unconscious, but you… look well.”

The moment Sarah finished speaking, she immediately tried to flee the room.

She was practically running from me as if I were some kind of monster.

I decided to stop her.

“Sarah,” I called out. “Could you come here?”

Panicking, Sarah stepped back into the room.

“Yes, my lady?”

“I want to see my father.”

“Your father?”

“Yes. He wanted to see me for the interrogation.”

“I know, my lady, but you still haven’t recovered your strength enough—”

“I’m perfectly fine,” I interrupted firmly. “I need to see my father.”

Sarah hesitated for a moment before finally nodding with a defeated expression.

“I’ll inform the butler, my lady.”

Once Sarah left, I was alone again.

I needed to get used to this.

I was Beatrice Willow now.

In this manor, I wouldn’t be able to take a single step without permission.

A few minutes later, Sarah returned. Without saying a word, she began helping me get dressed. Even when I tried to make eye contact during the process, it was useless. The poor girl was far too frightened to even look me in the face.

What exactly did you do to this girl, Beatrice?

Once I was ready, Sarah guided me toward the door. When she turned the handle, a gray-haired elderly man stood waiting on the other side.

“Lady Beatrice is ready,” Sarah murmured.

“I can see that,” the old man replied curtly.

Lowering her head awkwardly, Sarah hurried away down the corridor. The man—who I assumed was the butler—rolled his eyes after her before turning to me.

“Lady Beatrice, this way please.”

After giving a quick and rather disrespectful bow, the butler hurried toward the staircase. Naturally, I followed behind him.

Seconds later, we arrived before a pair of heavy black doors. The butler stepped forward and knocked with his gloved hand.

“My lord, I’ve brought Lady Beatrice.”

“Send her in, Owen.”

The butler named Owen opened the door and stepped aside for me, gesturing toward the room with one hand.

A few steps later, I found myself inside Duke Willow’s office.