Let me start from the beginning.
In my first life, I was nothing special. I graduated at twenty-two, searched for a job until twenty-three, and by twenty-five, I died from overwork. How anticlimactic, right?
The memory returned all at once, but I didn't panic. I simply ran through the narrow hallway and into the main hall, where two people stood talking—my parents. My father's green eyes were sharp, his red hair catching the dim light, while my mother stood beside him, as elegant as always. But their expressions were a tense. "The Duke has asked for a daughter's hand," my father said. "He wants a fiancée for the young Duke. If we refuse, we risk offending him." My mother stayed silent for a moment before her expression broke slightly. The woman who always wore a perfect smile looked… tired. "We have no choice," she said quietly. "We'll send her."
That was enough to understand. They weren't talking about me. They were talking about my sister.
I turned and walked back to our room. She was still asleep, completely unaware that her future had just been decided. Ten years old. Small. Quiet. I was twelve—old enough to understand how things worked.
I shook her gently until she stirred. "What happened…?" she asked groggily, still half-asleep. I grabbed her hand and spoke clearly, "No matter what happens, you must not fall in love with the young Duke—the hero, Leonard Christopher. You must act loyal to his stepmother and help the hero avoid danger. Stay close to him, even if his stepmother makes things difficult… but don't fall in love. No matter what happens." As I spoke, my eyes began to glow faintly green. Her gaze lost focus, and she repeated my words slowly before drifting back to sleep. That was enough. It wasn't hypnotism or mind control just a suggestion which will be remembered in her subconscious mind.
You're probably confused about what just happened. Let me explain. This world—remember I said "reborn again," not just reborn? This is my third life. My first life was on Earth, and my second life was… a mess. Regret, pain, burden, guilt—nothing worth going into right now. To understand things properly, it's better to start from my first life.
Back then, I had read a novel. Not because it was interesting, but because I had nothing better to do. Around that time, there was someone I liked in high school. Only for a month, but it felt important at the time. Being an orphan, I thought relationships were supposed to matter more. Apparently, that wasn't the case. By the time I reached college, I started feeling like a burden. He never said it, but the thought stayed. So I ended things. He kept asking why, and I told him the truth—it wasn't his fault. I just wasn't interested in continuing a relationship. He didn't accept it easily. He cried, called repeatedly, and eventually said something about not wanting to live anymore. I didn't take it seriously. It didn't make sense to me why someone would go that far over something like that.
The next day, I found out he had tried. His parents called me. He was still alive, but barely. I visited once. He looked weak, pale—almost like a different person.
I didn't feel sad. If anything, I felt a little disgusted. He had everything—good parents, a comfortable life, good looks. It didn't seem like something worth throwing away. The months that followed were exhausting. Dealing with him, his emotions, his expectations—it felt like something I was forced into. Eventually, I left. Completely.
After that, life didn't improve much. I graduated, struggled, and somewhere in between, I came across that novel—
Succubus and Her Four Suitors.
This world I'm living in right now is based on that novel. A predictable one—a heroine surrounded by four suitors, filled with drama, betrayal, and unnecessary complications. In the end, the Duke—the male lead—breaks off his engagement, punishes his stepmother, and lives happily with the heroine.
And my sister?
In the story, she barely appears. She is manipulated by the stepmother and stands against the hero. When he gains power, she is discarded without a second thought.
And me?
I'm the hero's fiancée's sister.
Barely mentioned. Just a single line.
The only reason I was even there was because I was in love with one of the suitors—the second prince. I appeared twice. Once, when the Duke mentioned that his fiancée, her family, and even her sister had gone bankrupt after offending him. And again, when the heroine teased the second prince, asking, "Don't you have a fan girl who was always by your side?" He replied, "I don't like her," without much emotion.
That was it.
My entire existence.
I looked at my sister, still sleeping peacefully.
Then I turned away.
"This time, I won't interfere with the story."