Everyone said that I picked up the engagement that my sister didn't want. No matter how many times I flirted with Benedict Ermintrude, his hands that twisted the rosary beads were unwilling even to touch the corner of my coat.

Until that night, I saw him with my own eyes kneeling in front of Charlotte Winifred's hospital bed. He held my sister's hand, who was in a vegetative state. Benedict pressed it against his burning desire. His voice became hoarse.

“Charlotte, I'm willing to agree to marry your sister so that I can see you every day.”

The next day, I cancelled my engagement with that man. “I won't be marrying Benedict anymore, I want to marry Dominic Roussel.”

My mom was shocked. “Gaudentia Winifred! Dominic's life was ruined and made extremely miserable by his family's rival several years ago. So now he has long been a useless person.”

I was disheartened. “Mom, it doesn't matter who I marry.

——

I swear I won’t marry Benedict, because I only want to marry Dominic.”

I put down a cup of tea in my hand. My voice was very soft but also very determined.

My mom's face changed drastically. Her hand gripped mine.

“My daughter Gaudentia! Are you crazy? Do you know what happened to Dominic three years ago?”

She lowered her voice and leaned close to my ear. “His life was turned upside down by his opponent. Now he is just a subordinate who continues to try to lead his life.”

“Moreover, I heard that his personality has become particularly horrible after he was ruined and disabled. He will go crazy and beat people at any time. Aren't you looking for death if you marry that person?”

I gently drew back my hand. I revealed a bitter smile.

“Mom, it's all the same to me, whoever I marry now. Let’s talk about it.”

I nudged towards the living room. “Do you think we can refuse the Roussel Family?”

On the other side, my dad was pouring tea for two men in suits with a big smile on his face in the living room.

“It's a great blessing for us that Mr. Dominic can fall in love with my daughter. It's just that…my eldest daughter is in a coma right now and my second daughter has long been engaged to the Ermintrude Family.”

The man sitting in the main seat slowly put down his coffee cup. “It’s just an engagement, just cancel it.”

My dad rubbed his hands together. Fine beads of sweat were visible on his forehead. Although the Roussel Family was very powerful, their reputation was a real consideration among the people in Liechtenstein.

The man suddenly said, “If Ms. Gaudentia is willing to marry right now, then the Roussel Family is willing to give a six-petal crystal flower as an heirloom as a betrothal gift. I have heard that this medicine has miraculous effects on vegetative patients.”

I saw my dad's eyes light up instantly. “I'll marry him!”

I stood up violently. My voice was so loud that it shocked everyone. And just like that, my wedding started to be planned and my previous engagement ended.

After the Roussel Family left, my dad frowned. He then asked me, “Gaudentia, haven't you always liked Benedict? Why do you suddenly change your mind?”

I didn't answer and turned around to go back to my room. Ever since my sister turned into a vegetative person, everyone said that I picked up the engagement that she didn't want.

I have liked Benedict for a full ten years, but he always treats me coldly. After my sister got into an accident, the engagement fell on me.

I happily moved into his villa with joy in the name of my fiancée. I was thinking that I could finally make him love me openly. But no matter how many times I flirted with him, he would only politely help me put my clothes back on. He then turned around and left me alone.

Until last night, I ghostly followed him out of the house. I went all the way to the hospital.

I could never forget that scene. Benedict knelt in front of Charlotte's hospital bed. His body trembled. He pressed Charlotte's hand against his burning desire. His voice became hoarse until the last moments of his release.

“Charlotte, I agreed to marry your sister so that I can visit you every day.”

At that moment, I realised that my ten years of infatuation were nothing but a joke.

The elixir given by the Roussel Family was indeed miraculous. In just three days, Charlotte woke up from her coma. My dad was so happy that he immediately wanted to organise a banquet for her.

I stood outside the ward watching the medical staff come in and out. I then deleted and changed the message for Benedict on my phone.

“We're having a party at home tonight, are you coming?”

The message, as usual, sank like a stone. Until an hour before the banquet began, I finally could not help but dial the phone.

His cool and detached voice came from the earpiece and said, “I'm in seclusion and meditation. Is there anything wrong?”

I said softly, “Charlotte. She is awake.”

“Click!”

The sound of rosary beads falling to the ground suddenly came from the other end of the phone. His breathing was obviously messed up. “I will go.”

See, as long as it was about my sister, even the purest of hearted followers of Jesus Christ would break His commandments.

When I hung up the phone, I had just walked to the stairway. I then saw Charlotte wearing the dress that my best friend had specially designed for me. She was talking and laughing in the crowd.

“Gaudentia, you won't mind if your sister wears your gown, right?”

She elegantly spun around with her skirt flying. “I just woke up. I don't have time to customise a new dress.”

My mom carefully pulled me and whispered, “Your sister is just sick, so you can just let her wear it.”

I forced myself to smile. “Yes, of course I don't mind.”

When I turned around, I heard Charlotte say to her best friend, “This dress will fit me better, right? Gaudentia is too thin to hold it up.”

I went back to my room in silence. I wanted to change into a plain white dress.

My dad stood in the centre of the banquet hall with a red face. “My lovely Charlotte has woken up. From today, Charlotte will officially take over as the Winifred Family company!”

The guests applauded. Charlotte smiled and said, “Thank you, Dad. I will definitely run the company well.”

Someone in the corner asked, “What about the second lady?”

My dad looked like he just remembered my existence. “There is a small store in the south of the city for her.”

Charlotte suddenly exclaimed, “Oops, didn't that store say it was going to be for me to open a cafe? Last time, I even hired someone to draw the design.”

My dad immediately changed his tone and said, “That's from the north of the city, right?”

I clenched the wine glass in my hand. “No need, Dad. I don't need it.”

My dad had always favoured Charlotte more than me. Although my mom was explicitly married, she lives like a shadow. When Charlotte gave her sign, my dad couldn't wait to pour his heart out to her.

One day, I saw my mom cry secretly in the middle of the night. I have seen her laugh when she was scolded.  I have also even seen her unable to speak well in front of my dad.

When the banquet reached its climax, the butler suddenly announced in a loud voice, “Mr. Benedict has arrived!”

Benedict walked in wearing a black suit. He was followed by two attendants carrying gift boxes. The attendants opened the gift box. Inside was a certificate of ownership for a resort.

“Congratulations to Ms. Charlotte for her recovery.”

“This is too expensive.”

Charlotte pretended to excuse herself, but clutched the certificate of title tightly to her chest. The whole room was filled with clamour.

“It seems the engagement will soon return to the rightful owner.”

“He is originally the fiancé of Charlotte, so it's only natural that the property now returns to its original owner.”

“Winifred's second daughter must be feeling embarrassed now.”

I walked to the balcony alone. The night breeze couldn't blow away the irritation in my heart. The sound of high heels suddenly came from behind me.

“Are you sad?”

Charlotte walked over and shook her champagne glass. A bright smile appeared at the corner of her lips.

“During the time I was in a coma, you have been having a happy life, haven't you?”

“I heard Dad say that it was the medicine given by the Roussel Family. However, don't expect me to be grateful to you.”

“Remember it clearly, you will always deserve to live only in my shadow.”

She came up to my ear and whispered,  “Just like when I was a child, you could only pick up dolls that I was tired of playing with.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she suddenly raised her hand. She splashed champagne all over her face.

“AH!!!”

The scream attracted everyone's attention. Before I could react, Benedict had already rushed over. He pushed me away fiercely.

“What are you doing?”

I stumbled and knocked over the dining table behind me. The cups and plates shattered all over the floor. The sharp fragments cut through my calf.

Looking up amidst the mess, I was met with a hall full of guests, either sneering or sympathetic gazes.

“Gaundetia Winifred, what are you mad at again?”

My dad had a grey face. On the other side, my mom hid behind the crowd. She didn’t dare to look at me. While Charlotte was protected by Benedict in his arms. She showed me a winning smile.

Benedict looked at me with a strong disgust that could not be dissolved. My eyes felt burned. So, I turned around and left.

When I turned around, I stepped on glass shards, but I still had to straighten my back so that no one could see my embarrassment. I found my best friend, Evelyn Bellamy.

I stayed at her house for a few days. Hearing me say everything, Evelyn was so angry that she stomped her feet.

“Even if Benedict is a block of thousand-year-old ice, you don’t have to marry that useless person from the Roussel Family!”

“You have paid so much for Charlotte. She didn't even have a word of thanks to you. What kind of Christian is that? She is just...”

She was suddenly silenced. At the door of the gallery, Benedict was carefully escorting Charlotte as they walked in. Charlotte was wearing a goose-coat dress, as pure as a daisy.

“This painting is so pretty!”

She suddenly pointed at the painting in front of us. “Benedict, you bought it for me, right?”

Evelyn immediately blocked in front. “We'll take a look first.”

Charlotte's eyes instantly turned red. Benedict had a cold face.

“Let Charlotte have it.”

“On what grounds?” Evelyn was so angry that she was trembling.

I grabbed her hand and said, “Let's go, Evelyn. I don't really like it either.”

For the entire afternoon, Charlotte followed us like a shadow. In the end, all the paintings in the gallery were bought by Benedict.

Just as we were about to leave, the crystal lamp suddenly fell. A child happened to be standing under the lamp.

In the nick of time, I rushed over and pushed the stunned child away. The moment the sharp pain hit, I saw Benedict's hesitant steps.

“Benedict.” Charlotte suddenly held her forehead delicately. “I'm so scared! I'm dizzy.”

Benedict helped Charlotte. They turned away without hesitation.

When I woke up again, Evelyn cursed with red eyes. “Benedict, this beast!”

I opened my cell phone with a pale face. In my circle of friends, Benedict was accompanying Charlotte to enjoy the flowers.

“Stop crying, Evelyn.”

I said softly, “Have you forgotten? The person I want to marry is Dominic Roussel.”

She cried even harder. In order not to let my mom worry, I lied to her and said that I went on a trip. But in fact, I was alone in the hospital for three days.

On the day I was discharged from the hospital, Benedict actually took the initiative to contact me. He asked to meet at the most expensive revolving restaurant in the city centre. He pushed over an exquisite gift box with a light blue scarf inside.

“I will fulfil the engagement, as long as you no longer target Charlotte.”

I laughed at myself. “No need, it was originally my sister's wedding.”

“That day Charlotte was not feeling well,” he explained in an unprecedented way.

Before the words fell, Charlotte appeared with high heels. She held the latest model of the season's bag on her shoulder. The silk scarf, however, was just a matching item that was given to her when she bought the bag.

“Gaudentia.” She affectionately took Benedict's hand. “I purposely asked Benedict to pick out a gift for you. Do you like it?”

That bag of hers was the same colour as the silk scarf, which made my eyes hurt. I forced a smile. I pinched my nails deep into my palms.

When I got home, I saw my mom limping down the stairs with her hands.

“Mom!”

I rushed over to help her, but I felt a bruise on her wrist. “Did Charlotte push you again?”

I couldn't stop my voice from shaking. Over the years, Charlotte had always called my mom a mistress and even made a move. Even though my mom had clearly married after her biological mom died.