Lauren felt as though she were drifting in a void, weightless and lost. She didn’t know how long she floated there until, faintly, she heard someone calling her.

  “Miss… Miss, wake up. Please wake up.”

  The voice tugged her back, pulling her out of the darkness. Her eyes fluttered open, and what she saw left her stunned.

  A familiar room. Familiar curtains.

  My boudoir? She wasn’t dead?

  Blinking hard, she turned her gaze to the little girl tugging at her sleeve. Two neatly tied pigtails, a round, youthful face.

  Uma. Her maid. And she looked so young.

  Reborn? Her heart skipped a beat.

  What was heaven playing at?

  The first time she had entered this world, she’d thought she understood her role. She’d clung desperately to the heroine, trying to rewrite her fate, trying to live as the good sister instead of the villainess. And yet—she had still ended up twisted, still died in agony.

  Was this her punishment? Did she take the wrong path last time, pick the wrong “guide,” and now heaven was forcing her to reload the game?

  Start over?

  Her lips curved into a smile. Fine. This time…

  This time she remembered Indiana’s cruelty. The bone flute carved from her body. The blood. The betrayal.

  Rage burned in her veins, hot and sharp.

  Yes. She would kill her.

  Kill the so-called heroine before she could ever rise. This time, Lauren would not be the heroine’s lackey. She would become the heroine herself.

  With sudden clarity, Lauren threw back the covers and leapt out of bed.

  Except—her body wasn’t what she expected. She nearly toppled over, her balance all wrong, her legs shorter, weaker.

  She looked down.

  A child’s body.

  She wobbled on her feet, caught herself, then turned to Uma. “Uma, how old am I?”

  Uma blinked in confusion. “Miss, you’re ten.”

  Ten?

  Lauren’s chest tightened. Ten was the age Indiana was first brought into the Evercrest family.

  So… had Indiana arrived yet?

  Her voice sharpened. “Uma, what’s my rank?”

  The little maid tilted her head. “Fourth Miss! Miss, what’s wrong?”

  Fourth. Lauren’s heart skipped again. She understood instantly.

  In her last life, when her father brought Indiana into the Evercrest family, Indiana was older, so she took the rank of Fourth Miss, bumping Lauren down to Fifth.

  But right now… Indiana wasn’t here yet.

  She was probably still scrounging scraps behind some brothel, or living in that shabby little courtyard her father had thrown together for her and her mother.

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  Lauren let out a low laugh, shaking her head.

  “No problem,” she said lightly, masking the storm raging inside her. “Just testing you.”

  Lauren darted behind a screen, yanking open drawers and shoving everything she could grab into her storage bag—magical instruments, talismans, elixirs. It didn’t matter if she needed them or not. She was taking everything.

  Then she bolted.

  “Miss, where are you going?” Uma scrambled after her.

  “Don’t follow me.”

  Lauren sprinted through the courtyard until she found Leonard, her third brother.

  “Third Brother, I need a favor.”

  Leonard, only two years older than her, was someone she had always been close to. They had grown up side by side, played together more than with anyone else. When she came to him for help, he grinned and thumped his chest.

  “Of course. Why are you being so formal with me? Tell me what you need.”

  “Kill someone.”

  Leonard froze, the color draining from his face. “Kill… kill someone?”

  Lauren nodded, eyes hard. “Yes. A beggar girl stole from me. I’m going to kill her.”

  His sister had never spoken so coldly, not even in play. For a moment, curiosity and unease warred in his chest.

  “Fine. Take me to her.”

  Lauren’s lips twisted faintly. “I won’t ask you to lift a finger. I’ll kill her myself. But you know Father and Mother never let me out alone. I only need you to take me past the gates.”

  Leonard snorted. “That’s all? Don’t worry. With your jade family token, no one in Mistvale would dare touch you.”

  “I’m not afraid of those who see it,” Lauren murmured. “I’m afraid of those who don’t.”

  Leonard blinked, then chuckled. “Fair enough.”

  He took a talisman from his sleeve, pinched it between his fingers, and whispered the incantation. At once, the paper shimmered, swelling in the wind until a magnificent Lion emerged in a burst of light.

  Lauren climbed onto its back beside him.

  The Evercrest family were renowned for their mastery of talismans. Even at twelve, Leonard was already gifted, crafting first- and second-level talismans with ease.

  “Look! The Evercrest family’s Lion talisman!”

  “So majestic…”

  “Who are they?”

  “The third son and the fourth daughter.”

  Whispers followed them all the way to the edge of town, until they landed before a small courtyard Lauren remembered all too well.

  This was where Indiana and her mother would one day be brought to live.

  But now it was deserted. A weathered for sale placard hung on the gate.

  So—they hadn’t been redeemed yet. Indiana was still trapped in the brothel.

  Leonard frowned. “Fourth Sister, it looks empty.”

  Lauren’s eyes hardened. “Then take me to the biggest brothel in town.”

  Leonard choked. “The… the brothel? Are you out of your mind? If I’m caught there, I’ll get skinned alive!”

  Lauren ignored him. She only needed him to get her outside. If he refused to go further, she would go alone. She had to. She had to kill Indiana before she could ever become the heroine.

  But Leonard cursed under his breath and chased after her. “Like hell I’m letting you go in there by yourself. Fine—I’ll come. But not dressed like this. We’ll be recognized instantly.”

  They changed into plain clothes—Leonard into rough commoner’s garb, Lauren pulling simpler clothes from her storage bag. The two slipped through the streets until they reached the House of Roses, the grandest brothel in Mistvale.

  And there—standing at the entrance—was their father.

  Nelson Evercrest.

  Lauren’s blood ran cold.

  He hadn’t seen them. He stood at the door with a troubled look on his face, caught between hesitation and shame.

  No… today is the day. Today he redeems Indiana and her mother.

  She grabbed Leonard’s sleeve and hissed, “Later, pretend we’re just passing by. Greet Father, distract him. Hold him there.”

  Leonard blinked at her intensity. “What are you—”

  “Don’t ask. Just do it.”

  “…Fine.”

  He straightened, strolled past casually, and bowed. “Uncle.”

  Nelson stiffened.

  “What a coincidence, Uncle. What are you doing here?”

  Nelson’s face tightened, and he stepped back hurriedly, flustered to be caught in front of such a place.

  “Why are you here?” he demanded.

  Leonard smiled innocently. “Just wandering. It’s lively here. Uncle, what is this place? Anything good to eat?”

  Flustered, Nelson grabbed him by the arm and pulled him away.

  Lauren slipped past them, darting into the brothel’s backyard.

  And there—scrubbing a latrine—was Indiana.

  She was small, thin, her limbs bony from malnutrition. Only a month older than Lauren, yet she looked years younger.

  Lauren’s breath caught. Hatred surged in her chest, scorching hot.

  Indiana glanced up, startled by the sight of such a clean, well-dressed girl.

  “Who are you? Why are you here? Did you get lost?”

  Lauren’s hand slid to the dagger hidden in her sleeve.

  Indiana dropped her brush and straightened, still confused. “You are—”

  The blade sank into her body.

  Indiana’s eyes went wide. She didn’t even manage a scream before Lauren clamped a hand over her mouth.

  Just like that day. Just like the day she herself had been stabbed to death. Strike after strike, relentless, merciless—Lauren drove the dagger into her again and again.

  Indiana’s gaze trembled, disbelieving, her small body shuddering with every blow, while Lauren’s grip never loosened.

  This time, she wouldn’t hesitate. This time, she would kill her first.