I’m The Real Daughter, But I Don’t Want To Go Back To The Duke’s Estate - Chapter 1

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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There had been news recently that set the entire empire ablaze with excitement.

And that was.

“The real princess of Lusert has returned, hasn’t she?”

The young princess of Lusert who was said to have been lost long, long ago.

At last, they had found that princess!

At this joyful news, the Rusert Ducal Family was in complete festival mood.

The people of the empire sincerely celebrated this good fortune, but.

A few gossips secretly chattered about ‘Lusert’s fake princess’.

“Then what will happen to Princess Cecilia?”

“Well, disowning her would damage the ducal family’s reputation…”

“Won’t they quickly arrange a marriage or something to get her out of the house?”

Behind the fans that noble ladies held wide open.

In the acrid smoke of cigars that gentlemen held in their mouths.

Quiet whispers mixed with sneers were exchanged.

“A ‘fake princess.’ How pitiful her situation has become… Pfft.”

“Oh my, a fake princess, you say.”

“Ah, why? Everyone’s been calling her that through word of mouth.”

“In any case, the ducal family must have quite a headache.”

Meanwhile, at that very moment, at the Rusert Ducal Family estate.

The ducal family’s townhouse truly resembled a banquet hall.

To celebrate the return of their lost daughter, they had decorated the family dining area like an imperial banquet hall.

With all manner of precious and valuable foods filling the dining table.

The Duchess looked at her daughter sitting beside her with a bright face.

As if uncomfortable in her dress, the young girl kept adjusting her collar.

Her brilliant golden hair, as if made from melted gold, resembled the Duchess exactly.

The green eyes that Lusert’s direct lineage mainly inherited shone intelligently.

“Milena, try eating this. It’s called apple pie.”

The Duchess pushed the apple pie plate in front of her daughter so she could eat it easily.

A sweet aroma wafted up from the pie filled with stewed premium apples.

“When you were eating baby food, you really loved mashed apples.”

The Duchess reminisced with a wistful voice.

“My daughter. When did you grow up so wonderfully… I couldn’t even take care of you, but you grew up so well.”

As the Duchess couldn’t continue her words and her eyes welled up, the Duke patted his wife’s shoulder and spoke affectionately.

“My dear, hasn’t Milena returned to our side now. We can make up for everything we couldn’t do before from now on.”

“From now on, you can rest easy, Milena. We’ll protect you from now on.”

The young duke, Elias, also kindly joined the conversation.

Everyone sitting at the dining table had happy faces.

Except for just one person.

Cecilia von Lusert.

The fake princess who had been adopted to fill the real princess’s empty place.

She was quietly looking down at the plate in front of her with a dark expression.

An expression that looked like she would burst into tears at the slightest touch.

But no one paid attention to Cecilia.

Though they were in the same space, the temperature difference was so stark that they didn’t feel like one family at all.

‘No, am I the only one who’s bothered by her?!’

Just as Milena was screaming internally.

As if sensing her gaze, Cecilia slowly lifted her head.

The two people’s gazes met directly.

‘Huh.’

Milena swallowed her breath internally.

At the same time, Cecilia’s shoulders stiffened with a start, then she pressed her lips together and glared at her sharply.

As if she didn’t want to lose to Milena, the ‘real daughter,’ no matter what.

‘…This is heartbreaking to death.’

Milena found the situation before her eyes simply troublesome.

It was unfair to be hated by Cecilia when it wasn’t even her fault, and she disliked this household that openly treated Cecilia like she was invisible just because they found her.

“Um, I’m sorry, but I don’t want to play the role of a princess. I just want to go back to my own home.”

…How wonderful it would be if she could just say that?!

But that wouldn’t be possible.

‘This is a contract with my mother’s life at stake!’

Milena, who sighed deeply inside, smiled as harmlessly as possible toward Cecilia.

Hey there, female lead?

I’ll quietly hold my breath so as not to bother you, then leave quickly.

So please don’t glare at me like that. Please!

The only problem was, however she interpreted Milena’s desperately forced business smile.

Cecilia’s expression became even more menacing…

‘No, I’m wronged too.’

Milena shed tears of blood internally.

‘I didn’t want to return to the ducal family from the beginning!’

…All of this started from a strange dream on what had been an ordinary day.

* * *

Chirp chirp, chirp chirp chirp.

The cheerful sound of birds announcing the morning rang out.

As sunlight brightly streamed into the room.

‘This can’t be true, right?’

Having just woken up, I blinked my eyes blankly.

My name is Milena.

Since I’m a commoner, I have no surname.

I’m eighteen years old this year.

I live with just my mother in the small western city of Transi in the baronial territory, famous for its hot springs.

My usual worries were trivial things like ‘What should I make for dinner tomorrow?’

‘This… this isn’t right!’

According to the content of the dream I just had, this world is actually inside a book.

Moreover, it’s inside a romance fantasy novel I read in my previous life.

『The Villainess Princess Will No Longer Be Mistreated』

To summarize the novel’s content, it goes roughly like this.

The female protagonist Cecilia, the only daughter of the empire’s greatest family, the Rusert Ducal Family.

But Cecilia wasn’t actually the ducal family’s real daughter.

After losing her real daughter, the Duchess, unable to bear her loneliness, adopted her as a substitute for her own daughter.

Afterward, Cecilia makes all sorts of efforts to be loved by her family.

Nevertheless, her family coldly turns away from Cecilia.

“Instead of that child, you must always strive not to bring shame to Lusert’s honor.”

The Duke, always cold as ice.

“I wonder where that child is and what she’s doing right now…”

The Duchess, who sheds tears thinking of her lost daughter whenever she sees Cecilia.

“Ha, still don’t get it? How could someone like you ever become my real sister!”

Even the young duke Elias, who constantly shouts angrily.

But Cecilia couldn’t let go of her faint hope and desperately tried.

‘No, someday they’ll accept me as their real daughter.’

Cecilia, who came from an orphanage, had always dreamed of having a family.

However.

“Oh my goodness, our daughter!!”

One day, the ‘real daughter’ returns to the ducal house.

The family goes wild over the returned real daughter, and even the man who had shown interest in Cecilia flips like a palm and confesses his love to the real daughter.

…By now, everyone must have caught on, right?

The mortal enemy who steals everything from Cecilia.

The villainess who enchants everyone with her sunshine-like charm.

That’s me.

I’m that damn real daughter!!

‘H-how is this possible?!’

I clutched my head and screamed silently.

Of all the many characters, why did it have to be ‘that’ real daughter!

You have no idea how annoyingly Milena acted in the original story.

The way she smiled brightly while scratching at people’s hearts was just….

“Oh, Oppa didn’t accept your greeting? That’s strange, he always greets me with a smiling face.”

“Didn’t you misunderstand something? It’s weird that such a kind Oppa would only be cold to you.”

“I think you’re being a bit too sensitive!”

Milena’s precious words flashed through my mind, and finally the novel’s top comment floated up mockingly.

I don’t care if Milena suddenly trips over a stone and gets written out, so please get rid of her quickly, I’m begging you….

…I’m sure I had passionately agreed with that comment and even hit the recommend button.

I never knew I’d end up living as that ‘Milena’!

‘This has to be a lie, right?!’

Just as I fell face-first onto the bed in despair.

Slam!

The door opened.

And a familiar face poked its head in.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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