Chapter 1

"Wait, there's no birthday party for me?"

"I apologize, but Miss Melissa's birthday falls on the same day as Miss Amelia's parents' anniversary. At the master's decision, this year, during the first anniversary, we are observing mourning to consider Miss Amelia's feelings."

It was the 11th birthday next month. Melissa, who had never doubted that there would be a birthday party, had just handed over a list of friends and acquaintances she wanted to invite to the butler.

"But we had a grand birthday party for Amelia six months ago..."

"I apologize, but it is the master's decision."

Melissa knew it was no use arguing with the butler. She couldn't remain silent to hide the pain that felt like her heart was being torn apart.

A year ago, they had thrown a grand birthday party for her as one of the second prince's potential fiancées. The fact that there was no birthday party was bad enough, but what hurt her even more was that her father hadn't even apologized to her directly about it, almost making her cry in front of the butler.

Feeling the stark difference from a year ago, Melissa reflected on the changes over the past year.

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Melissa is the daughter of the Johnston Duke's family. Since the age of six, she has been visiting the royal castle as a potential fiancée of the second prince, Christopher, to receive lessons in manners, history, and other subjects. As a duke's daughter and a future princess, she tries to appear strong to those around her, but in reality, she is timid and shy. She loves playing the piano the most and is so troubled that she can't even ask to reduce her princess education time to increase her piano practice.

Her mother, Vanessa, passed away from illness three years ago when Melissa was seven. Always smiling and kind, her mother was a person who could brighten up anyone's day, and not only Melissa but also her father, brother, and grandmother adored her. After her mother's death, the family consisted of four people: her father, brother, grandmother, and herself. However, this changed when, shortly after Melissa's 10th birthday, her maternal cousin Amelia, who had lost her parents, was taken in by the Johnston Duke's family.

Although the family should now be five, Melissa still feels like it's a family of four: her father, brother, grandmother, and Amelia, excluding herself.

Amelia, with her shining blonde hair and rose-red eyes, is a lovely and adorable girl, like a charming kitten. Despite her naturally bright personality, Amelia can suddenly become melancholic when reminded of her parents' death, which makes her even more endearing and draws people to her.

Amelia's cuteness is further enhanced by her having the same hair and eye color as the late Vanessa, which makes the Johnston family's affection for her even stronger. The Johnston family, who had been grieving after Vanessa's death, gradually regained their brightness by doting on Amelia, who had also lost her family and was grieving.

Melissa's father, Duke Elias Johnston, is a handsome man with silver hair and blue eyes. Her older brother, Patrick, is a beautiful boy with silver hair and red eyes, and her grandmother, Ada, is a beautiful and elegant elderly woman with silver hair and blue eyes. Among them, Melissa has the same blue eyes as her father and grandmother, but her hair is a common brown, not silver, and she did not inherit her mother's blonde hair and red eyes.

Before Amelia arrived, Melissa thought she was well-loved by her father and brother. Her father and brother are taciturn and don't express their love through words. However, looking back, everyone used to spend time with her mother when she was alive. After her mother's death, Melissa, along with her father and brother, had been grieving, and she hadn't noticed that they had loved her mother more than they loved her.

Seeing her father and brother dote on every move Amelia makes, Melissa can't help but notice the difference in how they treat her. She tries to suppress her sadness and force herself to accept that they are projecting their feelings for her late mother onto Amelia.

Melissa and Amelia are the same age, with Melissa's birthday being about half a year earlier. When Amelia first arrived, Melissa sympathized with her cousin, who had just lost her parents, and took care of her like the rest of the family. However, she gradually began to feel a sense of unease.

The first source of unease was the nickname "Mel."

Melissa, who was called "Mel" by her family, including her late mother, experienced a change one day about a month after Amelia arrived. Her father called her "Mel," and Amelia, overhearing this, said with a face on the verge of tears, "Father and Mother used to call me 'Mel' too."

Her brother then said to Melissa, "You have Father and I, but Amelia no longer has parents to call her 'Mel.' Can you let Amelia have 'Mel'?" From that day on, "Mel" in the Johnston Duke's family became Amelia.

Every time she heard the family call Amelia "Mel," Melissa felt as if she had lost her place, and her chest ached.

The unease about Amelia continued.

During family meals, Melissa was often left out of the conversation.

With her taciturn father and brother, her grandmother who often played the listener, and her introverted self, the conversation used to be centered around her mother, who would liven things up. Now, Amelia has taken her mother's place.

After her mother's death, Melissa had tried to brighten the table by initiating conversations. However, her father and brother, who were usually reserved in their conversations with her, were now actively engaging and enjoying conversations with Amelia.

Melissa had admired and envied Amelia's social skills, which she couldn't match. However, she noticed that Amelia never directed the conversation to her. Moreover, it seemed as if Amelia was guiding the conversation to exclude Melissa from it.

Although Melissa tried not to take it personally, it was clear that her conversations with her family had decreased since Amelia's arrival.