: Death

I floated in mid-air, watching the four of them sitting together in blissful harmony, but my heart was filled with despair.

I wanted to go to them and ask why. If they never loved me, why did they bring me home? Why did they do this to me?

But they couldn't hear my voice anymore.

After all, I was already dead.

I died in that sunless wine cellar.

Only at the moment of death did I finally break free from that cramped wine barrel.

From the outside, I watched as the vessel once filled with red wine was now stuffed with my tiny body.

Even the barrel's only air vent had been maliciously plugged, as if to trap the person inside for all eternity.

For all of eternity, never to be reincarnated.

So even as a soul, watching this scene unfold, I couldn't stop myself from trembling.

And my brothers, separated from me by only a single floor, were whispering softly, coaxing Elara Vaughn to take another bite.

"Didn't you say yesterday that your stomach was bothering you? Hurry and drink your soup, or you'll be in pain again tonight."

Elara Vaughn ducked coquettishly behind Second Brother, Julian Vaughn, her expression reluctant as she spoke.

"But I don't want to, Eldest Brother. I'm really full. I can't eat another bite."

But Second Brother simply pulled her out in front of him, patiently coaxing her with the promise of buying her the latest designer dress.

Even Third Brother, who was always so cold and aloof, was smiling at the scene.

Only I stood behind them, my heart already in ruins.

But perhaps because of the immense grief, an ache actually began to spread through my otherwise empty chest.

The wine barrel was small, so to stuff me inside, they had deliberately shattered my limbs with a hammer.

The broken bones dug into my flesh, making every second an unbearable agony.

But in their eyes, all the pain I had endured was nothing compared to Elara Vaughn's hangover from a banquet.

But I was the real heiress of the Vaughn Family, their true sister, connected by flesh and blood...

Even in the very last moments, as my life slipped away.

I was still hoping.

Hoping they wouldn't actually hurt me, hoping they still loved me.

After all, I was their real sister.

So, in the final moments of my life, I kept trying to defend myself, to prove that I had done nothing wrong.

But the only answer that came was...

"Butler Cole."

"Get some men to stack all these other barrels on top. When Second Miss Vaughn finally learns her lesson, you can move them."

At that moment, I pounded on the side of the barrel in utter despair,

until the barrel was hoisted up and countless heavy objects were piled on top, the weight so immense I couldn't even breathe.

That's when I heard them say.

"If she still won't behave, turn on the cellar's refrigeration. Let her cool off for a while."

In that moment, despair flooded the small space.

Leaving me alone to stare into the endless darkness, completely and utterly hopeless.

Until the pain in my body slowly faded, until my life finally came to an end...

: Three

After dinner, Elara Vaughn walked over to the sofa and leaned against her Eldest Brother, Devon Vaughn.

She spoke, her voice brimming with grievance.

"Eldest Brother, even though I was the one who got drunk at the banquet, it has nothing to do with my sister."

"So, can we please let her out now?"

At the mention of me, Devon Vaughn's expression immediately soured, and he said in a cold voice,

"The banquet was crowded. What if something had happened to you when you were drunk? I'm sure she did it on purpose. She was probably waiting for the right moment to pull some nasty trick on you."

"And you're the only one foolish enough to still be pleading her case."

Second Brother Julian Vaughn's eyes were also filled with rage as he snapped,

"If we'd known that bitch was so malicious, we never should have brought her back in the first place!"

When Elara Vaughn heard this, a flicker of triumph flashed in her eyes.

But her own eyes welled with tears as she said,

"Second Brother, how can you say that? After all, she is your biological sister."

Third Brother Adrian Vaughn immediately pulled Elara Vaughn into his arms, patting her back comfortingly. His voice was full of tender concern as he said,

"What nonsense are you talking about? *You're* our real sister."

Elara Vaughn lowered her head, burying her face in Third Brother Adrian Vaughn's chest.

She sobbed,

"I know, but... Elara just wants her brothers and sister to be happy... I don't mind being wronged a little."

As she spoke, she casually revealed a scratch on her wrist—a single, clean cut that was clearly meant to look accidental.

Third Brother Adrian Vaughn's eyes immediately fell upon the faint mark, and he grabbed Elara Vaughn's wrist.

He stroked the wound tenderly, the rage in his eyes becoming almost palpable.

"That bitch! How dare she scratch you!"

Elara Vaughn kept her head down, her voice thick with unshed tears and feigned hurt.

"No... Don't blame my sister. I must have done something wrong to make her treat me this way."

This completely ignited the fury in Second Brother Julian Vaughn's heart. He smashed the wine glass in his hand onto the floor.

He turned to Butler Cole, who was standing nearby, and ordered furiously,

"It looks like that bitch has it way too easy!"

"Butler Cole, go right now and drag that girl here. I want her on her knees, apologizing to our Elara!"

Butler Cole looked at them, a troubled expression on his face.

But my Eldest Brother had already turned to another servant behind him, his expression dark. He spoke, his voice cold as ice.

"You, go."

"Bring the cane from my office. Since she enjoys hurting Elara so much, today I'm going to teach her a thing or two about what proper ladylike virtues are!"

Seeing this, Butler Cole dared not delay any longer and could only head toward the wine cellar in the basement.

I, however, found the whole scene laughable.

The truth was, at the banquet one week ago, Elara Vaughn had been upset simply because the man she had a crush on had asked me for directions.

That was why she had deliberately come up to me and said with a haughty expression,

"Who the hell do you think you are, daring to make a spectacle of yourself here?"

"Believe it or not, with just one word from me, you'll be on your knees apologizing!"

I didn't want to get tangled up with her, so I turned to head back to my room.

But she blocked my path, a look of smug certainty on her face. As I stared at her in confusion,

she turned, walked to the center of the banquet hall, and started downing glass after glass of wine.

Then, once she was in a drunken haze, she deliberately sought out my three brothers and told them it was all my fault.

She claimed that was why she'd had too much to drink, and then begged them not to blame me.

Anyone with eyes could see it was a deliberate ploy to frame me.

But in the eyes of those brothers of mine, it was just more proof of my wickedness.

'I suddenly found myself wondering... what expressions my three brothers would wear when they received the news of my death.'

'What kind of expressions would they have?'