I was possessed by the villain’s daughter.

EPISODE 9

The big day has arrived.

It was my long-awaited birthday. I woke up at the crack of dawn, yawned, and followed the maids’ lead to soak in a bath filled with flowers.

I’ve been getting regular skin and hair treatments for the past few days, but today’s pampering was even more intense.

From the morning’s scented oil massages to the head packs and nail and toenail filing, I wondered if it was too much for a child.

But knowing that everyone in the household was doing this purely out of the goodness of their hearts to make me look better, I meekly surrendered myself to the hands of the maids.

As I sat down at the dressing table to have my hair done, I realized that the person I was now was very different from the person I was three months ago.

I had lost some weight and gotten proportionately taller thanks to my daily running and stretching, and my body had become more flexible.

I was always cute, so even before I lost weight, I was the center of attention of my family and friends.

Now that I’ve lost weight and gotten taller, the word ‘beautiful’ is more appropriate than cute.

I was getting compliments all over the place, and I was told I was looking more and more like the former Duchess.

Moreover, it wasn’t just my appearance that I filled in during these months.

To fill in the gaps in my memory, I learned politics, economics, history, and literature from Lloyd daily, as well as social etiquette from the Marquise, who was related to our duke.

I was often overwhelmed by the new things I had never done before, but the Marquise was so gentle with me that I quickly mastered everything.

Best of all,

I no longer felt lonely or insecure, knowing that I now had a family by my side who cherished me.

I looked in the mirror and smiled.

Visions of Lupe and her followers flashed through my mind. How would they react if they saw me now?

The maids’ hands were busy. After applying makeup and smoothing my face, they finished my basic care. They had been busy all morning, and it was almost time for lunch.

I’ve heard that some noble families even starve their youngsters on the day of the ball, but my father is very strict about health.

It was unthinkable not to eat three meals in a row. We were very fortunate that our duke’s chef is one of the best in the world.

As I walked down the hall, the mansion was bustling. It was the day of the banquet, and the maids and servants were running around like their feet were on fire to put the final touches on the arrangements.

“More flowers there! No, not there! That’s three centimeters off-center!”

“Can’t you tie the curtains a little more gracefully, it’s little things like that that make or break the image of our duke!”

“I assume the birthday cake is ready?”

“Wait, you can’t touch it there!”

And so on.

The scene resembled a battlefield, and I couldn’t help but cluck my tongue.

The ballroom was decorated in a romantic pink and green color scheme. I loved the calm yet cheerful colors.

The banquet started at three o’clock.

As I was still young, I didn’t think it would be possible to have a banquet that late at night, so the time was set to accommodate the arrival of people.

My brother Yit and my dad, who couldn’t get off work due to busy official duties, were in tears,

“As soon as I finish my shift at 6:00, I’ll come running to the teleport scroll.

to me.

I shakily replied, ‘Please don’t do that, come by carriage as usual. Do you have any idea how much a teleportation scroll costs? I can’t believe you’d spend that much to come to a birthday banquet…

In any case, it seems that even if you were the Lord of the Gate and the head of the Imperial Guard, government officials can’t help it. It was a sad reality.

Even though I have the title of Count, I have no official duties, so my escort is Eddie’s brother.

As I walked into the dining room, Eddie greeted me.

“Happy birthday, Lara.”

Eddie beamed, and I smiled back.

“Thank you, big brother.”

Eddie’s hand was very warm as he stroked my hair.

Lunch was delicious, as always. As I walked upstairs after the meal, Eddie said he would pick me up later. When I returned to my room, the maids, who were pacing, said to me.

“Come on, Laila, you’ve only got two hours left.”

“Ugh.”

The mansion was in an uproar. The gardens beyond my window were filled with carriages of people who had already arrived.

“Wow, how long have they been here?”

I stuck my tongue out. At the same time, I could feel my heart beating a little harder in my chest.

They all came to celebrate my birthday.

I hadn’t had a birthday celebration at home since my parents and brother died, and now this many people were here to celebrate me. I was thrilled.

Once again, my face is smoothed with makeup, and after applying light makeup, the maids braid my hair and place several green emerald hairpins in it. Of course, they also added a cherry blossom hairpin from Lloyd.

It was pink and green, the perfect color for the theme of the banquet. Then, with the help of my maids, I put on a silver dress and a peach-colored robe.

Finally, I slipped on my peach-colored shoes, and the long process was over.

I took one look in the mirror. I looked at myself in the mirror and I didn’t recognize myself.

“Is this me?

I’d always thought I was pretty, but the way the maids had made me look was something else entirely.

“Thank you, everyone.”

I smiled and thanked them. However, the expressions on the maids’ faces were strange.

“…? What’s wrong?”

When I shook my head, the strange-looking maids shouted, fists pumping. The screams were a bonus.

“Kaaaahhh, Laila-sama, you’re so beautiful!!!”

“Truly, you are the best! There is no one more beautiful than you, Lila!”

“Please make me Laila-sama’s exclusive foot rug!”

“…Huh?

I shook my head and glanced at the clock.

It was already approaching three o’clock.

If I didn’t hurry, I’d be late. I trudged along behind the maid who opened the door.

At the front of the doorway stood my brother Eddie, his silver hair slicked back and tied together with a green ribbon. His dark green suit matched his elegant air.

“Hey, brother!”

I smiled broadly as I approached, and Eddie gave me a quick hug.

“You look so nice today!”

At my comment, Eddie just smiled sheepishly.

“Shall we go, my lady?”

He bent slightly and offered me his arm politely. I said vigorously.

“Yes!”

***.

The party was roaring. People looked toward the door each time the doorman called out the name of someone entering, then turned away in disappointment when they realized it wasn’t the person they were looking for.

“The Princess’s birthday banquet….”

A noblewoman spoke up. She lifted a white feathered veil to cover her mouth as she spoke, drawing the attention of the crowd.

“No matter how dear the Duke is, this is truly a grand affair….”

The lady finished, her words trailing off. Most people agreed with her.

It was the nature of the common nobility to attach themselves to the butt of the powerful, but they never expected such a large banquet with so many nobles invited for a little girl’s birthday.

Some were curious about the princess, some felt inferior, and some were purely envious.

The duke’s largest hall was beautifully decorated in bright pinks and chartreuse.

It was mid-autumn, so fresh flowers should have been hard to come by, but the ballroom was filled with them as if it were a fairy banquet.

Those with a keen eye recognized at once that they were all fresh flowers imported from the southern kingdoms, and they clucked their tongues at the duke’s wealth.

The food at the banquet, prepared by a former imperial chef who had been invited by the Duke himself, was tongue-melting.

In the center was a fountain of sweet liquors, drinks, and precious chocolates.

People rushed to dip in and savor the flavors. At the entrance, boxes were piled high with handkerchiefs and crystal cufflinks made of eastern silk that cost a thousand gold pieces to buy, as gifts for visitors.

Even the knots on the curtains in the corners of the ballroom were elegantly tied, and there was not a speck of dust on the crockery, thanks to the skill of the maids and servants.

This is indeed the Duke of Roshahil.

The Dukes of Roshahil had always been known for their tradition, wealth, and honor, but it was clear that they had become even more prosperous in this generation.

What would a princess who claimed to be the love of the House of Rothschild look like?

People wondered.

In the corner, there was a group watching the scene.

It was Lupe Ying’er and her entourage.

Her fiery scarlet hair didn’t go well with her pink dress, which was the latest in fashion.

Lupe chewed on her nails, even though she knew in her head it was against etiquette and withdrew her hand in dismay when she felt the stares.

“Not really.”

Lupe said.

“It’s a pearl in a pig’s neck.”

The malice of the girls her age was strong. Lupe, though she had a muffled voice, spoke unabashedly about the princess, and half of the girls in the group took notice and half agreed.

The sympathizers were mostly envious of the Duke’s wealth and inferior to Laila.

Not being better than Laila in any way, they criticized her for every flaw they could find. Laila’s fatness was one of them.

“You’re right, it would have taken quite a bit of fabric to make the princess’s dress fit.”

“Is that all? I’m sure it’s not even the latest fashionable slim dress, like Lupe’s here.”

“High status doesn’t necessarily mean you can be the pinnacle of society.”

The young women chimed in. The current fashion in social circles was for pink, flowing dresses that clung to the upper body and puffed up the lower body with petticoats.

Normally, Lupe would have agreed, but she couldn’t stop an uneasy premonition from creeping over her.

“Something, something was different.

Lupe clenched her hands to resist the urge to chew on her nails. She could feel her manicured nails digging into her flesh.

“His eyes didn’t tremble when he looked at me, and his voice was confident.

What bothered her most was that the first emperor was attending this banquet.

And no one was escorting her. It was obvious that he intended to ask the princess to dance.

Lupe’s eyes darted to Cerne, who was surrounded by other lords and ladies, blushing shyly and chatting.

Her last escort had been Serene.

Just once, Lupe wanted to catch the First Emperor’s eye and take his side. Just once. ….

Time was ticking away. People were chatting, tired of the main character’s absence,
the door opened.

“Princess Laila Roshahil and Duke Edwin Roshahil are here!”