You’ll Regret Stealing Him from Me — My Sister Who Took My Fiancé and Celebrated Was a Fool - Chapter 45

I can’t believe they sent me to this backwater.

The moment I stepped out of the carriage, my eyes were met with a plain, unremarkable manor.

Gray stone walls, small windows, an entrance devoid of any decoration. There was no trace of elegance, it was a world apart from the dazzling ballrooms of high society. It didn’t even compare to the dazzling splendor of the ducal family’s main estate.

“To think I have to live in a place like this.”

My muttered words reached no one.

“Tch!”

Beside me, Roderick clicked his tongue in irritation and strode into the manor ahead of me, his back-radiating rejection.

Led inside by a shabby servant, I took in the dimly lit entrance hall lined with outdated furniture. A few cheap paintings hung on the walls, and the servants’ attire was just as dull, utterly devoid of glamour.

It was plain, dark, suffocating. The ceilings were low, the hallways narrow. The curtains were faded, the carpet worn thin in places.

It felt like a prison meant to hold captives.

When I was shown to my room, I was horrified.

It was tiny. The bare minimum of furniture. The window was small, offering nothing but a view of the countryside. The bed was simple, the dresser old. There wasn’t even enough space to lay out my cosmetics properly.

“How am I supposed to live in a room like this?”

The servant bowed expressionlessly and left. Cold.

Every moment I spent here, I felt the servants’ eyes on me.

I was being watched.

I had no freedom to go out, and all my letters were censored. Leaving the manor was forbidden. Someone always stood outside my door, monitoring my every move.

The duke had said:

“If you reflect on your actions, I’ll let you return. I’ll even prepare a position for you.”

Was that true? I couldn’t believe it.

Reflect? Reflect on what? How? There were no clear conditions, no set deadline—what exactly was I supposed to do?

Was he planning to keep me locked up here forever? Had he lied to me, dangling the hope of return when he never intended to allow it?

But worst of all was that I had been formally married off to Roderick.

A man stripped of his right to inherit the dukedom. A man who would never become the next head of the family. A man with no value left. How had it come to this?

I was supposed to be a duchess. I was supposed to be the envy of high society, standing at the center of every ballroom, adorned in the most beautiful gowns and the most extravagant jewels, turning heads wherever I went.

And yet, here I was—trapped in a countryside manor as nothing more than a “wife.”

Mealtimes forced me to face Roderick.

Though we had separate rooms, the manor was small enough that we inevitably crossed paths. There was no avoiding it. I had begged to take meals separately, but my request was ignored. Apparently, there were orders for us to dine together.

Why did I have to sit across from this man every single day?

We sat at the table in silence, exchanging nothing but icy glares. Roderick’s eyes burned with hatred and I glared right back.

The food, of course, was plain and tasteless. The servants did the bare minimum. No one cared about me.

On the rare occasions we did speak, it was only to trade accusations.

“Because of you, I lost my inheritance,” Roderick spat.

“You’re the one who refused to help me!” I shot back.

“You’re the one who lied!”

“You were the one who broke off the engagement!”

“I’m the victim here! You deceived me!”

“I did nothing wrong! I’m the victim too!”

I’d lost count of how many times we’d had this exact argument. Days filled with mutual hatred, each of us shifting blame onto the other. No matter how much we fought, nothing ever changed.

Even when I cried, Roderick only sneered.

“That act doesn’t work anymore.”

“I’m sick of seeing your fake tears.”

“You’ve never shed a single genuine one.”

His cold words stabbed into my chest, one after another.

It was cruel. Too cruel.

These tears weren’t fake. I was truly miserable. Trapped in this wretched situation, drowning in despair. Why couldn’t he understand?

The servants were no different. No one would help me. I had no allies.

Even the smallest request was met with an emotionless, “That’s not possible.” Any demand I made was dismissed with, “We don’t have permission.”

Why? Why was this happening?

I was the victim here. So why was I the only one suffering?

All I did was borrow a few of my sister’s ideas. She had always been successful. Was it so wrong for her to share a little of that with me? That’s how I’d always lived. Why was this time any different?

At night, alone in the dark, I thought back to the past.

The days when I was adored in high society. Back then, everyone praised me. I was the center of attention, the star of the show, dressed in beautiful gowns, dining on exquisite food, surrounded by enchanting music.

Even Roderick had been kind to me then. He had smiled at me, sympathized with my tears, believed my words.

But I had failed, and everything slipped away.

Now, no one praised me. Everything was restricted. No one even looked at me.

There was nothing here. Nothing to take from my sister, nothing to steal, nothing to gain.

Instead, I was the one who had been robbed. Stripped of everything—my dazzling dresses, my lavish meals, the voices of admiration, the smiles of my entourage.

Wouldn’t some wonderful man come to rescue me?

Someone who would fall for me, take me away from here. Someone kind and dependable, unlike Roderick. Someone who would truly love and cherish me.

But no such meeting would happen. Under constant surveillance, I couldn’t even escape. I couldn’t write letters freely. I couldn’t ask anyone for help.

How long would this go on? Even if this was meant to be a time for reflection, no one had told me when it would end.

Would I really be allowed to return? Or was I doomed to stay in this place forever, trapped with the worst possible partner?

No. Absolutely not.

I didn’t want to think about it but the possibility lingered in my mind.

This wasn’t how things were supposed to be.

I was meant to shine. I was meant to be admired. I was meant to be happy.

All I could see was a dark future—endless, hellish days with no end in sight.