Count and Countess Stikoff were furious over Edward Hans’s outrageous behavior. Throughout dinner, they cursed him relentlessly, calling him “a scoundrel” and “an ungrateful wretch.” Their outrage seemed centered on the fact that he had dared to treat Lydia that way.
Perhaps moved by the way her parents defended her, Lydia burst into tears halfway through her steak.
“I thought everyone would hate me,” she sniffled. “He was my sister’s fiancé. I thought people would blame me for hurting Eleanor…”
“Oh, my dear. Everyone knows you’re innocent.”
“That’s right, Liddy. Who could ever hate you?”
The Count and Countess even set down their utensils to comfort their younger daughter.
As Eleanor quietly dipped a roasted cherry tomato into sauce, she silently agreed.
Of course. There was no world where the heroine was hated.
Not even by herself.
Being the heroine’s older sister was exhausting, but Lydia truly was lovable.
Surprisingly, Eleanor genuinely liked her younger sister. Lydia could be painfully oblivious at times, but like a proper heroine, she had no malice in her heart.
It was irritating that anyone associated with Lydia inevitably ended up getting hurt, but as far as sisters went, Lydia was affectionate, obedient, and sweet toward Eleanor.
“I’ll send a letter of protest to Viscount Hans immediately!” the Count thundered. “To think that brat dared to treat my precious treasure so lightly!”
“Yes, dear. Give them a proper scolding.”
The Count clenched his fist tightly.
Edward had made fools of both daughters, yet the Count naturally referred to only one of them, and the Countess agreed without even noticing.
Eleanor, meanwhile, merely hoped they would squeeze more compensation money out of the Hans family while they were at it.
Even if the complaint was technically for Lydia’s sake, any penalty payment would eventually become Eleanor’s share.
Unlike the heroine, she had no miraculous talent for earning money, so it was a fairly useful source of income.
As the Count and Countess raged on, they occasionally glanced toward Eleanor. She had been eating quietly this entire time without saying much.
To them, Eleanor existed primarily as Lydia’s older sister. When she failed to act like one, they found it strange.
Ah. I forgot my role again.
Quickly swallowing the bite of meat in her mouth, Eleanor gently placed a hand on Lydia’s shoulder.
“Lydia, I know better than anyone how unfair this must feel for you. Who would hate you? I would never sit by and allow that.”
In the novel, Lydia was loved by her family. Her mother adored her, her father adored her, and even her older sister adored her.
So Eleanor had to adore Lydia too.
Fortunately, loving someone beautiful was easy.
“Rather, I feel sorry that I misjudged someone and ended up hurting you.”
“That’s right, dear,” the Countess chimed in immediately. “Honestly, I never liked that boy from the beginning.”
“I was worried about marrying my eldest daughter off to someone like him too.”
Eleanor distinctly remembered how pleased they had been when Edward was first introduced to the family, but she didn’t bother pointing it out. Perhaps, like her, they simply realized their poor judgment too late.
Besides, she hardly felt sorry for Edward just because he was getting cursed out after the broken engagement.
Really, who told him to fall for his fiancée’s younger sister?
He deserved to be insulted for the rest of his life.
“Still, the bond between you sisters is truly heartwarming.”
The Countess smiled warmly as she looked at Eleanor, whose hand still rested on Lydia’s shoulder.
“Of course! The pride of the Stikoff family—our daughters!”
“I want to stay with Mother, Father, and Sister forever,” Lydia declared innocently, cheeks flushed pink. “I don’t even want to get married.”
The Count puffed out his chest proudly while Lydia beamed brightly.
Eleanor let out a quiet laugh.
If the male leads heard that, they’d probably cry tears of blood.
“Haha! Then shall the four of us live together forever?”
“I’d like that.”
Eleanor answered smoothly with a gentle smile.
It truly was the perfect, harmonious heroine’s family.
Even if there wasn’t a single person there to comfort Eleanor herself.
“My lady… are you alright?”
Lisa asked cautiously as she brushed Eleanor’s hair.
Resting comfortably with her eyes closed, Eleanor replied lazily without moving.
“What about?”
“Young Master Hans. How could he possibly propose to the younger miss after everything?”
“Seriously. He’s only making things difficult for Lydia.”
“That too, but… you’re the one suffering the most, my lady.”
Eleanor slowly opened her eyes.
In the mirror, she saw Lisa pouting unhappily.
Eleanor’s eyes curved softly.
“You’re worried about me.”
“Of course I am! You’re my mistress—my lady!”
Lisa answered firmly.
Everyone was busy comforting Lydia, but the person most harmed by Edward’s actions was undeniably Eleanor.
After being engaged for two whole years, she had been publicly abandoned for her younger sister.
The social circles were probably already overflowing with ridicule.
And naturally, people would bring up the previous two fiancés who had also broken off engagements because they liked Lydia.
Three fiancés stolen by her younger sister in a row.
There was no way that looked good.
Some people pitied Eleanor, but many others believed the problem lay with her.
Eleanor hated both kinds of gazes equally—the pitying ones and the judgmental ones.
It wasn’t even a divorce. Just a broken engagement.
Everyone was absurdly sensitive about it.
Though then again, this was a world where noble honor mattered more than anything.
“It’s fine,” Eleanor said calmly. “That level of trouble is nothing.”
Honestly, this was already the third time. She barely felt anything anymore.
Society might be losing its mind over three broken engagements, but eventually the gossip would die down on its own.
Lisa carefully combed through Eleanor’s thick, silky hair while continuing to grumble under her breath, as if compensating for Eleanor’s refusal to curse aloud herself.
“That shameless jerk didn’t think about your feelings even once. I hate him. If I ever see him, I’m going to insult him right to his face.”
“What if you get caught?”
“I’ll just say I was talking about shoes or the color of a passing dog. I’ll insult him so cleverly he won’t even be able to complain.”
Lisa looked absurdly determined.
It reminded Eleanor of Stella threatening to beat Edward up if she ever caught him alone at night.
Both girls really were like loyal little puppies.
Lisa set the brush down and rubbed fragrant oil into Eleanor’s hair. A delicate rose scent spread through the room as Eleanor’s long waves were neatly arranged.
“To let go of someone this beautiful… he’ll regret it until the day he dies.”
Lisa sounded utterly certain.
Eleanor quietly stared at her reflection.
Honey-colored hair inherited not from her parents but from her grandmother.
Blue eyes inherited from her father.
Her parents were both attractive people, so naturally Eleanor herself was fairly beautiful too. Even by her own standards, she was pretty enough that compliments didn’t feel undeserved.
But unlike Lydia, Eleanor lacked anything distinctive.
Women as pretty as her were everywhere in high society.
And since noblewomen dressed extravagantly in every imaginable color and style, ordinary beauty failed to stand out.
Eleanor thought of Lydia.
Pink hair unlike anything else in the world.
Bright green eyes inherited from their mother.
A tiny face with perfectly balanced features.
Snow-white skin that never burned no matter how long she stood beneath the sun.
A small, delicate body.
Lydia was dazzling and lovely, like a flower blooming under warm spring sunlight. She naturally drew people’s attention simply by existing.
If Lydia was a living flower, Eleanor was an artificial one.
That was the difference between the heroine and the extra older sister.
“Looks aren’t everything,” Eleanor murmured softly.
Lydia’s cheerful personality also played a large role in why people loved her.
Like a flower blooming in a green meadow, she fluttered around brightly and cheerfully, chattering like a little bird. Everyone fell for her.
Even Eleanor liked that part of Lydia.
She reached up and held Lisa’s hand resting on her shoulder, tilting her head to press her cheek lightly against it.
“Thank you for always taking my side, Lisa. You’re all I have.”
“You’re all I have too, my lady.”
“Really? Then should we get married?”
“I’d love that.”
Lisa answered instantly.
Eleanor burst into laughter.
Her maid truly was adorable.
Unfortunately, same-sex marriage was forbidden under imperial law, so marrying her sweet maid was impossible.
Still…
Thank goodness I have Lisa.
Because of Lisa, Eleanor was not entirely alone within House Stikoff.
In a world where everything belonged to Lydia alone, Lisa was one of the few people Eleanor had been allowed to keep.
Someone Lydia didn’t need.
The only maid who had stayed by Eleanor’s side since childhood.
Living as Eleanor had slowly taught her something important:
If a person wasn’t “meant” for Lydia, then Eleanor might be allowed to have them.
And after losing so many people, Lisa had become precious to her.
The scandal created by Edward Hans clung stubbornly to Eleanor wherever she went.
The whispers that followed her through every corridor made her skin crawl.
She wanted nothing more than to hide away quietly like before, but she couldn’t.
Unfortunately, the tea party she was hosting was scheduled for soon.
Eleanor agonized endlessly over whether to cancel it.
If she held it as planned, people would call her shameless.
If she canceled it, they would take it as silent admission of guilt.
Because of Edward’s careless words, Eleanor had become the center of ridiculous rumors.
People whispered that she had known all along Edward loved Lydia, yet forced the engagement through anyway.
If I’d known he liked Lydia, I never would’ve agreed to the engagement in the first place.
What was she supposed to be—a villainess?
Still, she swallowed her frustration.
Anything she said now would only worsen the flames.
In the end, Eleanor decided to proceed with the tea party exactly as planned.
She refused to feed the rumors further.
Thankfully, everyone already knew the event had been arranged long before Edward’s proposal to Lydia.
On the day of the tea party, Eleanor dressed with careful moderation.
She pinned up her wheat-colored hair and wore a beige dress with a soft rounded neckline.
Pearl earrings and a matching necklace adorned her neck, while white gloves reached elegantly to her elbows.
If she dressed too plainly, people would whisper about heartbreak.
If she dressed too extravagantly, they would accuse her of putting on a show.
And Lydia would be attending too.
Eleanor had to avoid being compared unfavorably to her younger sister.
“Thank you for inviting me, Lady Stikoff.”
The guests smiled politely while openly studying Eleanor with curious eyes.
Eleanor greeted each of them with an equally flawless smile.
If she showed even the slightest crack in composure, tomorrow’s gossip papers would explode with anonymous reports.
“Thank you for attending.”
After greeting the guests one by one, Lydia finally arrived last.
Wearing a yellow dress cinched with a white ribbon, Lydia looked fresh and radiant.
Not flashy, not understated—simply bright and lively, like a cheerful young girl.
“Welcome, Lydia.”
Wise choice.
Eleanor thought so immediately.
The youthful styling naturally melted people’s hearts.
Though Lydia was equally entangled in Edward’s scandal, she still radiated innocence.
Looking at her, people instinctively thought:
Ah, this fragile, lovely girl must have been unwillingly dragged into her sister’s messy romantic troubles.
Judging by the warm looks from the guests, Eleanor was not the only one thinking it.
“Please sit here, Lady Stikoff.”
One noblewoman personally pulled out a chair for Lydia, who timidly shrank her shoulders as if frightened.
As Lydia carefully sat down, a warm atmosphere instantly formed around her.
Eleanor sat across from her sister with a soft smile.
The long oval table was beautifully arranged with white bouquets in crystal vases, gold-trimmed teapots and cups, and delicate desserts displayed neatly on tiered plates.
Once the maids poured the first tea, the tea party officially began.
“Lady Stikoff, things must be difficult for you these days. Are you alright?”
Someone brought up the sensitive topic almost immediately.
Glancing sideways at Lydia, who visibly flinched, Eleanor smiled and nodded.
“Yes, I’m perfectly fine.”
Whether she truly was or not hardly mattered.
She had to be.
But strangely, the young lady who asked looked momentarily confused.
Then she spoke again awkwardly.
“Ah… there are two Lady Stikoffs here, aren’t there? Hahaha… I meant the other one. Are you alright?”
The girl sitting diagonally across turned toward Lydia instead.
Only then did Eleanor realize the question had never been directed at her.
A tiny crack appeared in her smile.
Heat rushed to her face.
Quickly, she lifted her teacup to hide behind it.
Why had she assumed they were asking about her?
Of course they meant Lydia.
Clenching her hidden hand beneath the tablecloth, Eleanor forced herself to appear unaffected.
“I’m alright,” Lydia answered softly. “I’m more worried that my sister was hurt because of me…”
“Oh my, don’t spend all your time worrying about your sister. You should care for yourself too.”
“Exactly. Lady Stikoff worries about others too much. That only makes me worry more about you.”
The two noblewomen seated beside Lydia spoke with obvious concern, and the others quickly chimed in as well.
“I think Lady Stikoff must be the one most hurt by all this.”
Hearing the words directed warmly toward the girl beside her, Eleanor smiled faintly.
Lydia looked deeply moved, eyes already beginning to glisten with tears.
“Thank you,” Lydia whispered. “Honestly, I was afraid everyone would misunderstand me. That they’d think I was a terrible person who stole my sister’s fiancé…”
“Absolutely not. Everyone knows you’re innocent. Only hateful people would spread rumors about you.”
“That’s right. There’s nobody like that here. We all came because we were worried about you.”
“Exactly! Who could ever doubt someone as kind and pure as you?”
Eleanor slowly set down her teacup.
It landed harder than intended with a soft clink against the saucer.
No one noticed.
Lydia smiled shyly, nose and eyes reddened.
Her thick pink braids only made her look more lovable.
It was as though flowers bloomed around her.
“Lady Stikoff is truly such a lovely person.”
Hearing those words, Eleanor finally spoke.
After all, she was the older sister of the beloved heroine Lydia Stikoff.
It was time for her own appropriate line.
“Thank you all for believing in Lydia’s innocence,” Eleanor said gently. “She’s been very worried. I’m truly happy everyone is standing by her side.”
Only then did people finally look toward Eleanor.
Only after she properly fulfilled her role as the loving older sister gazing warmly at her younger sibling.
Only then did their attention reach her.
“My, you two sisters are always so close.”
“This must be what true sisterly affection looks like.”
“I envy you. I’ve never had a sister.”
Eleanor smiled pleasantly at the praise.
Everyone assumed she was happy simply because they were complimenting her bond with Lydia.
The attention on Eleanor lasted only briefly before everyone’s focus returned to Lydia again.
“Lady Stikoff, don’t let this discourage you.”
“Yes, people who say cruel things would criticize you no matter what. None of this is your fault.”
“Stay strong, my lady. I hope you’re not too hurt.”
One noblewoman clasped Lydia’s hand tightly.
Watching them, Eleanor quietly took out a handkerchief and dabbed the corners of her lips.
With the lower half of her face hidden, her expression looked unusually cold.
But when she lowered the handkerchief, her lips had already formed a perfect smile once more.
“See, Lydia?” Eleanor said softly. “I told you no one would hate you.”
Unless they were characters specifically written to hate Lydia, everyone in this world was destined to love her.
Just as Lydia naturally became the center of attention even at Eleanor’s own tea party, people easily adored her.
“Of course! Who could possibly hate someone as kind and lovable as Lady Stikoff?”
One young lady eagerly agreed with Eleanor’s words.
Warm laughter filled the room.
Eleanor accepted with practiced ease the fact that nobody cared about her.
In a world centered around someone else as the protagonist, she was merely an extra.
It would be ridiculous to resent not being treated like the heroine.
And yet…
Eleanor quietly suppressed the emotions rising inside her.
For now, the important thing was ensuring that no ugly rumors about today’s tea party appeared in tomorrow’s gossip papers.
“Sister, this is delicious. Try some.”
“Thank you.”
Accepting the tiny cupcake Lydia offered her, Eleanor smiled.
Just like the kind older sister of the heroine should.
