Chapter 1 Part 1. The Two Charlotte

It all began with the disappearance of Charlotte. The only child of the Duke and Duchess of Tiodurop, and the daughter whom they all loved. Charlotte Blanc Tiodurop. Having lost his beloved daughter, the Duke did everything in his power to find her, but eventually he could not find her, and his wife, unable to bear the grief of losing her daughter, went completely mad. The tragedy came suddenly and uprooted a family and threw them into hell. How many years have passed since then? One day, after many hellish days, the Duke finally found his lost daughter. She was a young girl with silver hair, who, despite her shabby appearance, he was very fond of.

When she came back, Charlotte had no memory of the time she went missing, but the Duke did not care. He was always afraid of losing his daughter, and would do anything for her. And Charlotte gradually opened her heart to her father’s devotion. Because she loved her father, she did her best to be the perfect daughter for him. They seemed to be the perfect father and daughter and their story seemed to be eternally happy, like the ending of a certain fairy tale. Until a woman with the same name as the Duke’s daughter appeared… Another Charlotte, of similar appearance and age, and with the same name. Facing her, Charlotte realised that she had been a substitute. And she soon realised.

There was no need for a substitute when the real one appeared. People didn’t love the substitute, they loved the Young Lady herself. No matter how the substitute fell or was broken, no one cared about her. No one listened to her pleas for help as she was condemned. She was just a nuisance to deal with.

Everyone turned their backs on her and erased her from their memories as it was natural. She was the only one who remembered her. She gazed blankly at the dim light beyond the iron cage. At that moment, the door creaked open and she twisted her lips at the sight of Charlotte entering the prison. She had not forgotten that she had been her substitute. And that was my story.

It was just unforgettable.

“Hello, Charlotte.”

She was none other than another me.

“How have you been, sweet sister?”

The real Charlotte, who looked just like me and smiled. Dressed from head to toe to the nines, she looked as if she was a ceramic doll made with great care. Even the smile on her lips looked as warm and lovely as the spring sunshine.

“My father is going to carry out your death sentence tomorrow. It’s just that his two daughters have been mentioned and he’s told me that he prefers a poisoned sentence because of the way people would look at him.”

“…..”

“Of course, don’t let the fact that the poison will put you at ease. I have prepared a special poison for you. You will never die cleanly.”

I would die a miserable death in the agony of my blood drying up all over my body and my organs burning all day.

The corners of Charlotte’s mouth rose upwards.

“Yes, I’m finally going to be a real Charlotte.”

Her cheeks flushed, as if she were happy just to say. “I’m going to be the heir to the Tiodurop family, and I’m going to inherit everything. And I shall be happier than any of the people who love me. Because I am, no matter what anyone says, Charlotte Blanc Tiodurop.”

With her hands on her chest, Charlotte smiled in the most beautiful way.

“Unlike the glamorous me, you will disappear forever, and if anyone remembers you, they will only speak of you as a swindler impersonating the Duke’s daughter.”

Charlotte lifted my chin with the tip of her fan and made me look at her. Her two eyes, twinkling between her lush lashes, shone beautifully in the dirty prison.

“It’s dirty,” she said, “but you look much better dressed like this. When I see you crawling on the floor like a dog, will I feel that everything is finally back in its place? It’s the perfect look for a lowly blood.”

The taunting words could have put me to shame, but I didn’t even feel it. Shame was a luxury for a condemned criminal who was not only got hands and feet bounded, but also gagged like a dog, awaiting death.

“This is usually the case, but you don’t even rebel like that, do you?”

I who knew no shame was no better than an animal.

“Or is it that you are of vulgar blood and do not know shame?”

Knowing that I couldn’t answer anything because of the gag, Charlotte pretended not to know and looked away. It was not the appearance of a Young Miss whom everyone said was like an angel, but I was more used to it. It had been a long time since she hadn’t worn a mask in front of me.

“Don’t be too vexed. It wasn’t yours from the start. You should be grateful for what you have enjoyed so far.”

Charlotte burst into laughter and patted me lightly on the cheek with her fan. I could not look at her and averted my eyes. I knew that it was because of Charlotte’s pitfalls that I was in this state. But I could not stand proudly in front of her.

It didn’t matter if I really did something wrong. I was just a substitute to fill her vacancy. Now that the real Charlotte came back, there was no place for the fake one. Once, I was a Young Miss that everyone loved, I am now a sinner in my existence itself.

“It’s no fun when there’s no response.”

“Oh, yes! Should I tell you something good before dying? Actually, I’m a fake too.”

Charlotte’s face brightened for a moment, as if she didn’t like my consistent silence. She smiled like a child who has just discovered a prank.

“In fact, I’m a fake, too,” she confessed.

I looked up at her in disbelief, but she laughed and tapped me on the cheek with her fan, as if nothing had happened. I wanted to ask her what she meant, but all I could do was making funny noises because of the gag.

“Finally you’re responding.”

A smile spread across Charlotte’s lips as she watched my struggles.

“Why? Because I’m a fake, and do you think there’s any hope for you now?”