Chapter 1

I was born and switched by the housekeeper.

She stuffed me in the servants' quarters, claiming I was a servant's illegitimate daughter.

She placed her own daughter in the gold-trimmed crib, making her the envied true heiress everyone adored.

For three years, I watched her wear princess dresses, drink imported formula, and be cherished by Mom and Dad.

While I slept on the floor and ate leftovers.

That night, the housekeeper got drunk and let something slip—she said even my name was randomly chosen.

I heard every word crystal clear.

That very night, while everyone slept, I crawled into the master bedroom.

In the crib, the fake heiress slept soundly.

I climbed up, aimed at her, and raised my foot.

A dull sound of a body hitting the carpet.

Then came Aria's heart-wrenching cries.

Every light in the villa blazed on instantly.

I heard chaotic footsteps thundering down the hallway.

Dad—James Reed, Mom—Grace Hartley, and the housekeeper Victoria Hayes.

They burst in together.

The scene before them froze them all in place.

Me, Juniper Reed, the servant's illegitimate daughter in their eyes, lying peacefully in the crib meant for the Reed family's true daughter.

While their treasured daughter, Aria, lay on the cold carpet, crying so hard she could barely breathe.

"Aria!"

Mom Grace was the first to react, screaming as she rushed over to scoop up Aria.

James's face turned ashen, his gaze stabbing toward me like a knife.

The housekeeper Victoria's face drained of all color in an instant.

She knew better than anyone what this meant.

"Aria, my baby, where did you get hurt? Let Mommy see."

Grace held Aria, tears streaming down her face with heartbreak.

Aria's little face was streaked with tears as she pointed her finger at me.

"It was her! She pushed me!"

Her words were garbled but the meaning was unmistakable.

All eyes focused on me again.

James's gaze grew even colder.

"What happened?"

His voice simmered with fury.

Victoria's body trembled like a leaf in the wind.

She rushed forward and yanked me from the soft crib.

Her grip was strong, squeezing my bones painfully.

"I'm so sorry, sir. I'm so sorry, ma'am."

"This is my fault. I didn't watch this wretched child closely enough."

"She must have been sleepwalking and wandered up here on her own."

She spoke while digging her nails into my arm, her eyes full of warning.

I endured the pain.

I said nothing, only staring at this couple—my parents in name only—with dark, grape-like eyes.

My gaze was filled with timidity and fear.

Like a frightened little animal.

This was my act.

Over three years, I'd learned exactly how to disguise myself to survive.

Grace's attention remained entirely on Aria, not even glancing at me.

But James was scrutinizing me.

His brow furrowed tightly.

Perhaps he was wondering how a three-year-old child could run from the servants' quarters to the master bedroom and climb into such a high crib.

"Sleepwalking?"

He repeated the word, skepticism lacing his tone.

Victoria's cold sweat immediately broke out.

"Yes, sir."

"The child has had this problem since she was little."

"I'll take her away right now, lock her up, and never let her disturb Miss Aria again."

As she spoke, she started dragging me away.

I sneered inwardly.

Lock me up?

In her dreams.

My goal tonight wasn't just to kick Aria.

I needed to stay.

Stay close to them.

So I started trembling.

My thin body shook violently, teeth chattering.

I looked at James, my eyes filled with extreme terror, as if I'd seen something horrible.

Then I burst into tears.

Crying even more pitifully than Aria on the floor.

My sobs came fast and frightened, carrying an indescribable sense of grievance.

"It wasn't me... it wasn't me..."

I cried while speaking in broken phrases.

"There was... there was a bad person..."

"A bad person in black clothes. He carried me up here."

"He tried to take my sister too. I was scared, so I pushed him away..."

My words were jumbled.

But the core message was clear.

A stranger had broken in.

James's expression changed instantly.

He wasn't concerned about me—he was worried about the Reed family's security.

"What did you say? Someone in black?"

He demanded sharply.

His voice made me flinch, and I cried even harder.

Victoria froze.

She hadn't expected me to fabricate such a lie.

She wanted to contradict me but didn't dare.

Because if she said there was no intruder, how would she explain my presence here?

Could she admit she got drunk and let something slip, and I overheard?

She didn't dare gamble.

"Sir, this child is talking nonsense!"

She could only deny it stubbornly.

"How could a stranger possibly get into the house?"

James ignored her.

His sharp gaze swept around the bedroom.

The windows were shut tight, the door locked.

It didn't look like anyone had broken in.

His eyes returned to me, filled with scrutiny and impatience.

"Enough. Stop crying."

Grace had finally calmed Aria down.

She held her daughter, looking at me with disgust.

"A servant's child only knows how to lie. Like mother, like daughter."

"Victoria, take her away immediately. Just looking at her irritates me."

Victoria felt as if she'd received a pardon.

She immediately grabbed my arm, wanting to drag me out of this dangerous place.

I knew this was my last chance.

Once she took me back to the servants' quarters, even crueler torture awaited me.

I couldn't leave.

Just as Victoria started pulling me, I used all my strength to break free from her grip.

I dropped to my knees.

Not kneeling toward Victoria, nor toward Grace.

I knelt toward James.

The absolute authority in this household.

I lifted my head, face covered in tears, looking up at him.

My eyes no longer held only fear.

There was also a trace of attachment and dependence.

"Daddy... Juniper is scared..."

I called out timidly.

That single word "Daddy" made the entire room fall deathly silent.

Everyone froze.

Including myself.

Wait, I hadn't meant to call him Daddy.

I'd intended to say "sir."

But this three-year-old body seemed to have instincts of its own.

Under extreme fear and desperate need for protection, it called out the deepest name in its heart.

James's body went rigid.

He looked down at me.

At my gaunt little face, at my dark grape-like eyes.

I saw an extremely complex emotion flash through his cold gaze.

Shock, confusion, and a trace of... emotion he himself hadn't even noticed.

Victoria's face had turned white as paper.