I Don’t Trust My Twin Sister - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The door was barely closed. She walked slowly towards it, peeking through the crack at the bright light of the room that permeated into the dim corridor.

Feeling that something was wrong, she opened the door with all her might. As soon as the light emanated her face, she was stunned.

It is said that people could not say anything often when they were shocked, but why is it so accurate? Her eyes silently fell on the man and the woman, who were kissing each other right in front of her.

The man, who was her fiance, shifted his eyes towards her with a look of contempt. The woman, who was clinging to his arm, smiled wickedly while stroking his face with her hand.

“You’re still here? Get out of the house right now.”

His cold, harsh words stung her heart again and again. Oh, how she wished it to be just a nightmare.

It was always a warm house. The house where she made her sweet loving memories, and where she found her reasons to live. It was not an ordinary mansion because it was the only thing left to her by her grandfather, who is the only person she admired and respected ever since she was born.

This spacious mansion was the pride of the Aztane family.

During her childhood, her grandfather used to hug her while showing her around the palatial mansion. She felt like she had the whole world. And when she used to ride on his grandfather’s shoulder, who was exceptionally tall, she felt like she was a giant as she imagined herself getting closer to the ceiling.

But now, the house was no longer her property.

“Didn’t you hear him, sister? You have to leave now. This is not your house anymore.”

What could possibly be more shocking than this? The fact that the man, who told her that he loved her, was now kissing another woman in front of her eyes? Or losing the mansion that was left to her by her grandfather?

All of those were shocking, but the one that shocked me the most was…

“Erusia.”

“Laurentia, wouldn’t it be nice for you to just disappear?”

“Erusia, how could you….?”

Her lovely little sister who always smiled, welcomed, and cheered for her. Her twin sister who looked just like her. Her little sister, who she loved so much, betrayed her. Nothing else could be more shocking than this.

The Aztane family, which owned most of the farmlands and mines in the area, had accumulated enough wealth to be the second most wealthy family in the Empire.

People even said that if money could buy titles, the Aztane family would have become a quasi-ruling family. Laurentia, being the eldest daughter, was the heir of the said family.

She was 18 years old when her parents passed away in an accident. Because of this, she was to become the next leader of the family after her grandfather, who had raised her instead of her parents.

As part of the motto and mission of the Aztane family, her actions were similar to how a businessman would usually act, ignoring emotions and useless things that won’t have a factor on increasing their wealth and influence.

Because her status was beneficial, nobles and commoners always treated her with utmost courtesy and respect.

She sat there for 10 years, tirelessly carrying out her duties over her personal life.

Since their family had immense wealth, they encountered no problems. The only weakness she had was her twin sister, Erusia, who was terminally ill to the point that she couldn’t even get up if no one was there to help her.

However, that one weakness was eventually the reason for her downfall.

Erusia had destroyed all the wealth and reputation of her long-standing family. A total of five gold and four silver mines including numerous farmlands were sold at a bargaining price.

All the mansions that were set up in various places had also been sold. By the time Laurentia realized it, Erusia had already taken care of the rest of their treasures, leaving only the mansion where she was now standing.

Erusia was able to do this without her consent because their faces and voices resembled each other.

Her little sister, who always smiled and cheered for her and said that she valued her, was the person who took everything from her. And that too, along with her fiance, who promised to love her and protect her family. They snatched away her memories, her will, and her reasons to live.

“How could you do this….?”

She uttered with her trembling lips before closing them tightly.

Betrayal, anger, and vanity. All of them came stabbing on her mind at once, making her collapse helplessly.

Somehow, she did not have the energy to stand any longer. It used to be her room, but it was no longer hers.

Erusia had a smirk plastered on her face that looked just like hers before pulling the man’s face and kissing his lips. The two exchanged their glances while kissing each other for a moment and finally pulled apart when they became breathless.

They slowly moved towards the bed before gripping each other’s bodies and exhaling roughly. The groans that were heard from the two were no longer humane. Rather, it belonged to two beasts.

She should have asked. The reason. She should have asked why they did this to her. But she could not utter a single word again. Her brain had already stopped working a while ago.

So, that’s how it ended.

She left the room, leaving the two clinging to each other.

One step, two steps. She walked weakly. She struggled to get down the stairs with a body that wanted to fall down right away. Her body was aching, it had already lost all its strength.

She couldn’t even groan. In comparison to the aches she was feeling all over her body, the pain she felt inside was much more painful.

As she felt her tears that slowly rolled down her cheeks, she slowly raised herself. She could feel her feet twitching and throbbing.

“…..Grandfather.”

The mansion, which was once filled with love and warmth, was now filled with only the worst chill. The moment she realized she had nothing left, a door appeared before her eyes. It was a very long piece of memory.

— The door that had never been opened ever since her parents died. She had failed her grandfather. She was not sure if she had that much desperation or if the conditions were correct. She did not know if it was going to happen, but if she continued to live in this world, it is going to be more painful than anything.

She visualized the face of her grandfather, who was holding his 10-year-old granddaughter’s hand, before her. What did he want to say?

She had always tried to open it, but she remembered that she couldn’t open it even when she used a lot of force.

“…..I.”

‘It must be very difficult for me. Right, Grandpa?’

‘But I’ll open it. I’m a stupid granddaughter who couldn’t even take care of her Grandpa’s house……but I’ll open this door……So please help me.’

She stretched out her hand and grabbed the handle of the old door, smiling faintly at the memory of her grandfather. She pushed it with all her strength, no different than 18 years ago.

“……”

‘Of course. It’s not true. I’m sure you just said it so I can be relieved when I face a difficult situation.’

“Just…..”

Biting her lips, she cried. She was out of breath, feeling sorrow and anguish. She fell to her knees in front of the door, turning the handle over and over again.

“Open….open….open! Open up! Open up! Please….please, open up…..!”

She continued to cry and shout, still struggling to open the door several times.

‘Hey, please…..please open up! Show me what’s in there. Let me know what Grandpa wanted to tell me.’

“Open up! Please….please. Open up….Now!”

She was trying her best.

But there was no answer. She sobbed, holding on to the old, shabby handle.

From above her, she could hear their sinister laughter. It was her evil sister, Erusia, and her bastard fiancée, Barrett Acpencia.

She wanted to raise her head to see their faces, but she did not. She did not want to show herself since she was crying. So, she returned her gaze at the door.

“….Grandpa, if you’re there, please open the door. Please let me know what you wanted to tell me….Grandpa.”

She heard a squeal of laughter, but she ignored it. What she only had now was her desperation to see what was behind the door.

“Wake me up, Grandpa.”

She closed her eyes and turned the handle again.

“Please wake me up. Let this all be a dream.”

At that moment, the handle clicked. Bright light poured over her through the crack in the open door. And that’s how she lost her consciousness.

***

She could smell a sweet fragrance of flowers. The fragrance that she always used to enjoy in the Acacia flower field of her favorite Porillian hill.

A cold but calming breeze was blowing, that caused her warm, smooth hair to gently sweep over her face.

“Roa, Roa.”

The whispering voice that was calling her name was so calming. The soft voice, which she was longing for, was so heartwarming.

“You have to get up now. The sun is already down.”

‘Wake up? But I want to sleep more…..I still feel tired.’

“But you have to get up. If you sleep here, the wolves will catch you!”

‘Yes, wolves are scary. One of them killed my grandpa……wait, wolves?’

She was so surprised that she jumped up from her seat. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw the wide golden field before her that met with the horizon.

“Porillian….hill.”

‘Why am I…..’

‘Wait a minute, the voice is a little…..’

“Roa?”

‘Roa. Yeah, that nickname. There was only one person who used to call me by that nickname.’

She turned her head. A middle-aged man, despite his age, had neatly arranged black hair and was sitting down beside her.

“…..Grandfather?”

“What’s going on?”

“H-How did I get here? N-No, is this heaven? It’s pretty…..but how can heaven look like the Porillian hill? Were you waiting for me, Grandpa?”

“What are you saying? How can this place be Heaven?”

Puzzled, he smiled and stroked her hair before getting up from his seat. He was her grandfather……Felder Aztane.

“You must still be in a daze because you just woke up.”

‘I just woke up? Now? No, I was just in the mansion with Erusia…..’

—Wake me up, Grandpa. Please wake me up.

The voice rang in her head. The voice that was filled with exhaustion, sadness, and despair. It was definitely hers. That’s what she was just muttering about.

“Did you sleep well?”

But what woke her up was the sweet and gentle voice—

“Grandpa…..”

of her beloved grandfather.