Tall sky-rise buildings, towering over the busy city as people leave their homes at the start of another day. Fast-paced footsteps of people crossing the roads, rushed tone in their voices while they are on their phone, and the tense atmosphere in the early morning all seemed to perfectly describe the daily lives of people in the modern society.

Despite the crowd of busy people, there was a teenage girl, in her school uniform, happily chatting on her phone with her best friend, Charlotte. While on her way to school, she was discussing her recent favorite online novel, 'In Love with the Baron's Daughter'. 

"After reading the ending, I am so glad I got to read such a wonderful story!" Emily squealed, reminiscing the part where the main female character finally realized her feelings for her significant other. "Thank you so much for recommending this novel to me, Lottie."

A soft chuckle was heard on the other end.  "I just didn't want to be the only one fangirling. But I have to admit, I was cheering for the second-male lead, Kyle."

Emily gasped, loud enough to receive curious looks from passersby. "No way, not another second male-lead syndrome!"

"...Well, it was bound to happen." Charlotte giggled and Emily joined in, "By the way, don't forget the sequel is coming out today."

"Don't worry, I'm downloading it as soon as it's out." She grinned, giving a thumbs-up sign despite knowing Charlotte won't be able to see it. "Did you remember the part where he-" Before she could finish her sentence, a strong bright light appeared before her, almost blinding her eyes. She immediately covered her face with her hand as a shield from the light.

Before she could give herself time to think, she felt a strong force pulling her. Within a matter of seconds, the light disappeared, along with the existence of Emily in this world.

------------

Once the light faded, she opened her eyes hesitantly. To her surprise, she sees two other people sitting beside her; a man and a woman, probably somewhere between their late-20s to early-30s.

Judging by their behavior, they appear to be a couple. They were dressed in Victorian-like clothes typically seen in movies or TV shows, so she was almost convinced she was in a dream had she not bit her tongue to check.

Where am I?  She looked at them, her head filled with questions to ask. She could feel the mattress of the bed, her head resting on the pillow and noticed the beautiful ceiling above her. The design was in the shape of a flower, though she does not remember seeing it before.

The unfamiliar environment was causing her to panic. Confused, she tried to leave the bed but stopped herself at the sight of her small hands. My hands are not so tiny-wait, how old am I right now?

Her thoughts were soon interrupted by the couple's conversations.

"Good morning, Adelina!" The couple gushed happily as they pulled her out of the bed and took turns in carrying her.

Shock registered on her face. Why did they call me Adelina?

She observed the couple closely, who seem to share their affection quite openly towards her. Amidst the confusion by the couple sudden interaction with her, she noticed the large mirror standing on the side of the room. She tried to point at it by swinging her arms around. The uneasiness must have been her imagination, right?

The woman seems to notice her attempt and smiled as she welcomed her into her arms again. "Wait a minute dear, I'll bring you to the mirror."

Her eyes widened from shock once she saw her appearance. Instead of her usual dark brown hair and eyes, she had striking red hair and light green eyes. It was as if she was looking at a stranger.

Is that...me? She thought, trying her best to remember the unfamiliar face staring back at her. That's definitely a different person!

------------

After living in this place for a month, she eventually understood the kind of situation she is in. To start off with, this world is described exactly like the novel she was reading. Based on the conversations she heard from her parents and the maids at their house, the names of the places and the families of nobles matched the information from the novel.

It also didn't take long for her to realize which family she is from and which character she is supposed to play.

And oh boy, did she regret finding it out.

According to the novel, there was a daughter born into the Corbet family a year ago. The daughter was named Adelina, who turned out to be one of the rivals of the female protagonist, Eleanor. As the only daughter of the family, she was pampered and spoiled from a young age. But after entering the academy, she fell in love with Theodore, and grew jealous of Eleanor's romantic relationship with him. During their time in the academy, she and her followers made several attempts to harass Eleanor and bullied her on a daily basis. 

In short, she is the villainess!

-------- [2-years later] --------

Within a week of begging her parents, the three-year-old Adelina was finally allowed to enter their private library, much to their confusion.

"Do you think she will be okay?" Helena, Adelina's mother wondered as she stood by the entrance of the library, sneaking a glance at her daughter sitting peacefully in the corner while reading a book. "Most children at her age would still be very interested in playing with toys. I worry if she is growing up too fast." She sighed, shaking her head.

"Madam, perhaps Adelina has lost interest in playing?" Her personal maid replied, voicing the same concern for Adelina. "The other maids have mentioned that milady has recently shown great interest in words and is practicing how to speak. They have been surprised many times by the graceful manner Adelina has spoken in."

Helena gasped, covering her mouth from astonishment. This was her first time hearing such news about her daughter's progress. "You don't mean-she teaches herself?"

The maid responded quickly by nodding and Helena smiled, her eyes glinting from delight.

"I shall go and inform my husband, immediately!"

------------

Today was one of those occasions Adelina was able to join her parents' morning walks in their garden. While holding her mother's hands on one side and her father's in the other, Adelina looked around to enjoy the beautiful scenery. Her curious eyes greeted the gentle autumn breeze of the bushes, the vibrant colored flowers, and the stunning view of the water fountain placed in the center of the garden.

They eventually took a rest, and each pulled out a chair to sit on by the table prepared for them in the secluded area of the garden. The table was occupied with two teacups set and a smaller cup. Adelina grabbed the cup and took a small sip of milk.

"I've heard that our Adelina has made great progress at learning how to speak." Her father said suddenly, and Adelina almost spat the milk out. He stared at his daughter, an excited smile on his face.

"Can you try speaking in front of us?"

Great. Adelina smiled nervously. She knew she was going to regret her decision, judging by how both of her parents are staring at her expectantly.

Although she had to remind herself that she is no longer the seventeen-year-old girl anymore, having an adult asking her to do something this simple almost felt like they were telling her a joke. Should she pretend to struggle a bit?

Suddenly, the sound of rushed footsteps came, getting louder and closer as time passes by. The first thing Adelina noticed from the person who interrupted them was his distinguishable peridot eyes, a trait shared by her family. Once his eyes meet hers, the dark-haired boy ran towards Adelina and hugged her, a huge grin on his face.

"Adelina!"

She smiled, hugging him back. "It is good to cie yiu too, brotha Claude."

Translation: It is good to see you too, brother Claude.

As she replied, she did not miss the wide-eyed expression their parents gave her. 

"Woah, so the maids were really telling the truth. Adelina, you're a genius!" He replied, pulling back in shock. There was an amazed look on his face as he stared at his little sister.

After getting over the initial shook, their parents nodded enthusiastically, proud of their cute daughter.

"Indeed." Her father admitted before patting her head. "Our Adelina is doing great."

There was such warmth in his voice, Adelina felt her chest tighten just from receiving a compliment. She experienced the same parental love in her past life, and the nostalgic emotions brought tears to her eyes.

Why did I have to cry so easily, she thought bitterly, rubbing her eyes.

Her parents and brother began to panic from seeing her crying and left their seats to comfort her. Claude was showing Adelina multiple exaggerated expressions while their parents tried making jokes, glancing at one another for help. Although it wasn't funny, seeing their concerned faces and attempts to cheer her up made her smile return a bit.

Even though she missed her old family a lot, Adelina knew she has a new one she loves just as much.