Chapter 2Silence Is My Last Defense

What game could I be playing?

This past year, major companies had blacklisted me everywhere. I ended up delivering packages, doing food delivery, and even live-streaming. The spirit of a princess was long gone.

Now, I was a hedgehog stripped of its quills, yet he still feared I might prick someone.

He, uncharacteristically, started explaining.

"Scarlett felt dizzy last time, so I let her rest on the bed. The necklace must have fallen off then."

"Her being my personal assistant was Mr. Hayes's arrangement, to have her learn from me. Don't overthink it."

I kept my eyes closed and murmured a soft, "Mmm."

He stood by the bed, silent.

After a long while, I thought he'd left, but then I heard his voice again.

"My dad's birthday is coming up. The party is the day after tomorrow."

"You'd better not make things difficult for Scarlett there, or you won't even have the title of Mrs. Miller anymore."

I sighed lightly, my mind racing to calculate how many deliveries I'd need to make tomorrow to afford a gift.

Utterly exhausted, I managed only a few words.

"Mmm, got it."

I scraped together enough money at the last minute before the store closed and rushed in to buy a gift.

By the time I arrived at the hotel, I noticed everyone's expressions were grim.

Scarlett was the first to laugh out loud.

"Aria, how could you come to a party dressed in your delivery uniform? So many people are here today; at least give Barry some face."

I looked down, realizing in my hurry, I’d forgotten to change.

The uniform felt like a stinging slap across my face. I extended my chapped, red hands from the cold and gently placed the gift on the table.

"Dad, I'm sorry. I had something... I'm late."

"This is just a small token of my affection. I wish you good health and many more happy years."

Mr. Miller's expression didn't soften one bit.

Mrs. Miller picked up my gift, opened the box, glanced inside, and then casually tossed it to the ground with a dismissive flick.

"If you truly wished him a happy birthday, you'd agree to divorce Barry."

"How dare you bring such a cheap gift? It's so tacky, truly an embarrassment to the Miller name."

"Sigh."

Her soft sigh felt like a heavy stone dropped into the quiet pond of my heart.

My dad lifted his head, indignant.

"She's not our biological child after all; you can't change that inherent low-class nature."

"When my wife was giving birth at the hospital, there was a mix-up. My poor Scarlett struggled out in the cold for twenty-five years before coming home... but by then, Barry had already married someone else..."

My mom couldn't help but wipe away tears.

"And the worst part is, this wretched girl, who stole another's life, still shows no remorse!"

I looked up, seeing the parents who once doted on me now despise me to no end, seeing the scorn on Barry’s parents' faces.

It was all so utterly pointless.

The chilblains on my hands were getting itchier, and I lowered my gaze.

I desperately wanted to tell them how I’d spent every minute from dawn till dusk making deliveries for this gift, how I'd almost fallen off my e-scooter multiple times from speeding.

But in the end, I just opened my mouth, chose silence, and turned to leave.

I forced myself to walk for a long time before Barry's voice drifted from behind me.

"Dad, actually, that vintage fountain pen... it's quite nice."