My Life Was Taken by My Charm-Wielding Sister—But It Ends Here (The Mind-Reading Noble Lady’s Journey to Happiness After Escaping Her Toxic Family) - Episode 3

From the next day onward, Otilie’s daily life changed completely.

Starting early in the morning, the maids would come to prepare her appearance. Her messy, overgrown hair was trimmed, light makeup was applied, and she was dressed in a better dress than before to wait for the etiquette instructor’s arrival.

However, for Otilie, this felt like pure torture.

[Why do I have to attend to Lady Otilie’s appearance? Lady Iama is beautiful so it’s fine, but looking at Lady Otilie just irritates me.]

[That black hair without a hint of charm. So different from Lady Iama’s golden locks. How could this ever be made beautiful? I have no idea what to do with it.]

[That pale skin that doesn’t take makeup well. With those prominent cheekbones, she looks like a skeleton.]

Normally, Otilie minimized contact with others to avoid hearing their insults. But since their father had given orders, the maids had no choice but to come to her room. Continuously hearing their inner voices was like living in hell.

The one silver lining was that, to improve Otilie’s figure even slightly for the evening party, she now received meals every day. Unlike before, the food wasn’t cold, and the menu was the same as what her father and Iama ate. Warm and delicious, Otilie secretly shed a few tears when no one was looking.

Moreover, the etiquette instructor her father had hired neither looked down on Otilie, belittled her, nor mocked her.

“Excellent. Lady Otilie learns very quickly.”

For Otilie, who had always been rejected by others, this was incredibly heartening.

Of course, she occasionally caught his true thoughts like [I want to get closer to the Einhorn Marquis family], but such calculated motives were to be expected. They were nothing compared to her family and servants. For Otilie, who had been constantly exposed to others’ malice, these moments were precious.

However, as days passed, even that instructor grew cold toward her.

(Why? Was I that terrible? Or did my sister use her charm…?)

Even if that were the case, there was no proof. He might have simply given up on Otilie for her slow progress. And even if she knew he’d been charmed, there was nothing she could do about it.

Still, she managed to continue the lessons and successfully made it to the day of the party.

“Wow… what a lovely dress.”

Otilie’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the wisteria-colored dress delivered to her room. Since she could remember, this was the first time she’d worn such a vibrant dress. It was made of lustrous silk with sleeves of delicately woven lace. A necklace and earrings arrived with it, and Otilie secretly gasped.

“Is this really for me?”

“Indeed, it is.”

Though the maids remained as cold as ever, today it bothered her less.

She knew the dress was extravagant not for her sake, but to showcase the Einhorn family’s dignity—but even so, she couldn’t help feeling happy.

After changing and having her makeup done, she faced herself in the mirror. It felt as if she’d been placed under a spell, as if she’d been reborn as someone else.

(Maybe Father and Sister will acknowledge me a little now.)

The current Otilie shouldn’t be unsightly or shabby. Holding onto a sliver of hope, she descended to the entrance hall. But the next moment, she couldn’t help but gasp.

“As expected of Otilie, perfect. You really do make the ideal foil for me.”

Iama smiled glamorously. It was obvious at a glance that the dress she wore was far more expensive than Otilie’s.

“So? Isn’t it beautiful? I rushed the tailor to create the finest dress for me.”

“…Yes, I think so.”

It wasn’t just the dress that was magnificent. Her expertly applied makeup, the large violet sapphire necklace matching her sister’s eye color, and her beautifully styled golden hair. Everything about her was elegant and stunning.

“Truly worthy of Lady Iama!”

“You look gorgeous!”

The servants praised Iama one after another. No one even glanced at Otilie or so she thought for just a moment.

[Compared to Lady Otilie, though…]

They occasionally glanced back at Otilie, giggling and sneering. Otilie blushed involuntarily and hid herself behind a pillar.

(How embarrassing.)

She shouldn’t have hoped. She shouldn’t have thought she might have become a little beautiful—that she might be recognized. Her chest felt tight. She could hardly breathe and felt like collapsing. Struggling to keep her composure, she looked at Iama, who curled her lips into a faint smirk.

[Oh, Otilie, you really don’t know your place, do you? There’s no way you could ever beat me. The servants’ attention, their praise—it all exists for me. I won’t give you even a millimeter of it.]

Iama’s inner voice reached her. She didn’t want to hear it but covering her ears was useless, as it resonated directly in her mind.

“Ah, Iama! Truly my daughter! Even without a charm ability, you could capture Prince Varick’s… no, any man’s heart in the kingdom!”

While this was happening, their father arrived. After lavishing praise on Iama, he smiled with satisfaction.

“Of course! I will definitely live up to your expectations, Father. I’m not like my sister, who can only read minds and has no other talents.”

(No other talents, huh. I never wanted this ability. If only I didn’t have the power to read others’ minds…)

Wouldn’t she have been able to live more peacefully then? She wouldn’t compare herself to Iama or be disturbed by others’ emotions. If she hadn’t had to hear the servants’ harsh truths, how much better would her life have been?

But there was no point in wishing for what she didn’t have.

With a heavy heart, Otilie boarded the carriage heading to the royal palace.