Her cries gradually subsided, but her eyes were slightly swollen in pain.

Navia’s fragile body was exhausted from all of this. She laid on the bed weakly.

Rattle!

A strange sound was heard outside the door. Rattling sounds echoed outside the room followed by a peal of laughter.

She stared emotionlessly at the door. By now, all her feelings had dried up. She didn’t even need to try and guess the person who was trying to prank her. After all, she had experienced this prank numerous times in her past lives.

‘Wood.”

Wood had often locked Navia in her room.

“Please unlock my room, brother! If I am late again this time, I have to starve for three days. Please….!”

“Only three days? I thought you’d starve for a week if you are late again! Geez, so annoying.”

Navia had to starve for more than three days a week because of Wood. It became a routine for her to soothe her hunger with water.

She didn’t want to die of starvation, so she used to stand outside her room and wait for the head maid to fetch her for her lessons. This way, she wouldn’t be late or punished.

However, contrary to what she expected, she was still punished for acting unladylike by standing outside her door.

‘As a result, she escaped her lock room through the balcony.’

In order to reach the first floor, she tore apart her blankets and tied them together like a rope. She would hand the rope on the balcony post and then climb down.

It was a dangerous thing to do.

Unfortunately, the bedding she had was made from poor quality cloth. The fabric couldn’t bear her weight and immediately ripped apart when she tried climbing down. She fell and almost died.

Luckily, she managed to survive the fall.

“Hahaha! What a moron!”

Wood laughed and pointed at Navia, whose clothes were all torn and bloody.

“Why do you hate me?” she asked impatiently. 

“Your inferior status has caused my family’s social status to drop. If it wasn’t for you, then I would’ve never been humiliated in front of Sarah…!”

Wood was deeply in love with Princess Sarah Lucia since childhood. However, Wood’s friend had humiliated him in Princess Sarah Lucia’s presence by mentioning Navia and Narvia’s inferior birthright.

In the beginning, Wood already disliked her because of her origin. But after that incident, he began to torment her even more.

Navia climbed off her bed with a cold expression on her face.

Wood had left after locking her in the room.

“Ah, how diligent.”

Wood had always slept in. Today, he woke up at the crack of dawn just to hang the chains outside her room and lock the door.

Nikan and his children lived on the third floor. Navia’s room should’ve been located on the third floor as well since she was his adopted daughter. However, Navia spent the rest of her life on the second-floor guest room from her rebirth to the end of her life.

Even so, she had viewed this place as her precious home.

She believed that as long as she lived under the same roof as them, then she would be considered to be part of the family. It was a heartwarming thought.

Navia burst out laughing at her foolishness.

“Haha!’

She was merely a dog that was thrown away once she became unnecessary. She was a tool of convenience for the family.

Navia walked up to the door and tried turning the doorknob.

Rattle!

Just as she expected, the door was locked. Navia reached out her hand and touched the door.

The door was made from dark wood and it was dirty. There was a distinct indent on the door, but it was never replaced.

Why did she long for a family? What was so great about a family? It was all pointless.

No one would suddenly appear and save her from this nightmare.

She was alone and she only had herself to depend on.

“If you try to harm me, then you have to pay the price.”

Isn’t that right, Wood?