Instead of My Stepsister, I Have Become Engaged to the Son of a Marquis, Who Is Said to Only Have a Year Left to Live - Chapter 1

Chapter 1
The day the Marquis’s son and her stepsister met

“Edith, from now on, you must not set foot in this house under any circumstances. Whatever happens, you must maintain a low profile, leaving no trace of yourself, and remain in the annex. Got it?”
“Alright, my stepsister. I have finished preparing the medicine to sell to the company, so I will return to the annex immediately.”

　Edith was amazed to see her always glamorous stepsister Dahlia dressed even more extravagantly than she had ever seen her before, but she nodded obediently. Dahlia had bright blonde hair and deep blue eyes, and although her face was somewhat stern and had slightly slanted corners, she was still quite beautiful. Her blue silk dress, which matched the colour of her eyes, was lavishly decorated with fluttering lace, and around her neck was a huge sapphire necklace surrounded by diamonds. Edith thought that Dahlia, who was also perfectly dressed in makeup, was certainly very beautiful, but she felt a little dizzy when she thought about the number of gold coins that must have flown to pay for all of this.

“Excuse me, stepsister. That expensive-looking… no, beautiful dress and necklace, were they custom-made for today?”
“Yes, of course. I’m about to meet my future husband, so it’s only natural that I should dress to look my best. Hehe, aren’t I pretty?”

　Edith nodded with a sigh as her stepsister, Dahlia, smiled proudly.

“Yes, very”

　Edith somehow managed to swallow the words that were on the tip of her tongue about how the Oak Ridge Earl family could possibly have the luxury of such a thing.

　About a year and a half had passed since Edith had been adopted by the Oak Ridge Earl family.
　Edith is Dahlia’s cousin by blood. Edith’s father was the eldest son of the Earl of Oak Ridge, but he fell in love with Edith’s mother, who was a commoner, and ran away from home. Edith’s parents ran a small pharmacy in a lush rural town. Edith thought that both of her parents were of commoner descent until she lost them in a sudden accident and was sent to live by the Earl of Oak Ridge. She was very surprised to learn that her father was of Earldom.
　Edith’s paternal grandfather, regretting his opposition to Edith’s father’s marriage, had searched for her father for a long time. When he finally found his son’s whereabouts, he cried when he found out that he had already lost his life, but he quickly welcomed his granddaughter, Edith, into the Oak Ridge family.
　At Edith’s grandfather’s suggestion that it would be better for her to have a parent to back her up, she was adopted by her uncle and aunt, who already had a daughter named Dahlia, who was older than Edith. However, she was not at all welcomed by her new stepparents.

“I have taken her as my daughter, a child with lowly commoner blood.”
“She didn’t even receive a proper aristocratic education. I would be too embarrassed to show such a child in public.”

　Edith was even more hated by her stepsister, Dahlia, who treated her coldly. After Edith’s grandfather, who she relied on, died six months ago, Dahlia said she didn’t want to live in the same house as her and didn’t recognise her as her stepsister, so she was banished to a small annex. Edith repairs the surplus clothes for the servants and eats the same food as the servants.
　Dahlia used to spend money on herself like water. Her uncle and aunt, who loved her so much, tolerated her behavior, but it was obvious that this was one of the factors that was causing the Oak Ridge family to fall into disrepair. Since Edith’s grandfather’s death, the family’s financial situation has worsened and their debts have ballooned.

(They always say that I am uneducated, but I wonder why my stepfather, stepmother, and stepsister don’t do the simple things of living within the range of income and then make a fuss about not having money…?)

　Edith, who had grown up in a modest family and had acquired a financial sense and business acumen, found this very puzzling. To prevent the house from being completely bankrupt, Edith had been managing the sloppy care of Earl Oak Rodge’s medical business behind the scenes, since the day she came into this house. However, the income from the pharmaceutical business that Edith was trying to turn around was barely enough to cover the interest on the debts caused by Dahlia’s and her family’s extravagant lifestyle.

　Seeing Dahlia’s extravagant dress and necklace, Edith was shocked and lost her thoughts for a moment, but then Dahlia smiled.

“I can vaguely imagine what you are thinking about, though.…The person I am meeting today is Lord Lionel, the eldest son of the Marquis of Granvelle. I got a marriage proposal from over there. If our engagement goes through, not only will they forgive my family’s debts, but they have also promised to provide me with further financial support.”
“Well, that’s what happened.”

　The Marquis of Granvelle family was the household to which the Earl of Oakridge family owed the most money. Edith sighed in relief at her stepsister’s unexpected words, thinking that everything might be okay. Dahlia continued.

“And also…”

　Dahlia narrowed her blue eyes in ecstasy.

“I only met Lord Lionel a long time ago, but he was very handsome  even when he was young…! He seems to have been feeling a bit unwell recently, so he hasn’t been showing up in high society very often, but I’m looking forward to meeting him. So, that’s why…”

　Dahlia then looked Edith up and down, this time with cold eyes, taking in the contrast between the glamorous Dahlia and the modest Edith’s pale blonde hair inherited from her mother, her lilac-like light purple eyes, and her simple clothing, before she began speaking to Edith again.

“Please never show yourself in front of Lord Lionel. Having a plain, commoner, uneducated child like you living in the same household would only lower the reputation of the Oak Ridge Earl family. If, by any chance, you do meet Lord Lionel, you should act like a servant of this household. Is that okay?”
“Yes, I understand, stepsister.”

　Edith nodded again to Dahlia. Dahlia’s advice was consistent with Edith’s usual behavior. In other words, Edith interpreted it as a warning not to visit the main house when Dahlia’s suitor was visiting, and that she should instead spend her time in the annex as usual.

　As Edith hurried back to her room away from the main house, she heard horses’ hooves and the rattling of a carriage wheel outside the outer gate. Just as she was about to sigh with relief that she had arrived just in time, she heard Dahlia’s shrill scream, which seemed to reach the heavens.
“……!?”

　Edith instinctively looked out the window in the detached house and saw Dahlia, pale as a ghost, and her stepfather, red-faced, both running towards the detached house.

“Edith! Get out of there right now!!”

　Edith’s shoulders jumped in surprise at the force of her stepfather’s angry voice.