1: 1
The moment I learned my family was giving me company shares worth 300 million as my dowry, the poor scholarship student my brother sponsored suddenly announced she wanted to be my bridesmaid.
I was about to say yes when a few lines of text drifted across my vision:
【Send her far away! She wants to use the bridesmaid role to trick you into eating the parasitic curse. Once you swallow it, you'll be forced to swap bodies with her, and everything you have will become hers!】
【She's insanely jealous of you! She's the one who framed you for cheating on the SATs!】
【She's also been secretly in love with your fiancé for ten years, and she wants to use black magic to rewrite her fate! Just don't agree, and her whole plan falls apart!】
The next second, Sophia Swanson did exactly that. She pulled out a delicate box of pastries and held it up to me, stiff and awkward.
"Millie, I couldn't afford a wedding gift, so I made your favorite sweet almond cakes by hand. They're still warm, hurry and try one!"
The captions went wild.
【See! I told you I was right!】
【Get her out of here, and destroy that box of cakes too!】
【Only if you destroy the parasitic curse hidden in those cakes will everything you have stay safe!】
But I didn't listen to the captions. Instead, I took the cakes at once and finished every last one without hesitation.
My family was about to go bankrupt, and to fill the hole, my parents were forcing me to marry the scum who'd bullied me.
Even when I was diagnosed with late-stage stomach cancer, they insisted it was just an excuse to dodge the marriage.
A life like this. If Sophia wanted it, then she could have it.
……
"Millie, I heard you're getting married tomorrow. Could I be your bridesmaid?"
Sophia stood in front of me, twisting the hem of her clothes between her fingers, testing the waters.
I froze at that.
Sophia was the scholarship student my brother sponsored. We'd been in the same class for three years of high school, but she was shy and reserved, and the two of us weren't close.
On top of that, the bridesmaids had been chosen half a year ago. A last-minute switch would have that whole squad of girls cursing me to death.
I scratched my head. "Sorry about this, but the bridesmaids are already set…"
Her eyes reddened in an instant.
"Is it because you think I'm too shabby? Are you afraid I'll embarrass you?"
I was about to explain when my brother, Otto Fox, came down from the second floor.
"Sophia traveled all this way to be your bridesmaid, and this is how you treat her? Is this how we raised you? Where are your manners?"
I rolled my eyes. "Otto, bridesmaid dresses have to be custom-made in advance. There's no time."
"You've got so many evening gowns. Just pick one, problem solved." Otto walked over and patted Sophia on the shoulder.
"Sophia, don't take it to heart. My sister's just like this, spoiled rotten, no filter."
Sophia looked up at my brother. "Otto, thank you. I don't blame Millie. I'm sure she didn't mean it."
"If I'd had everything handed to me since childhood the way she has, I'd probably find it hard to think of other people too. If it's really too much trouble, then never mind."
My mother heard the commotion and came out of the kitchen carrying a fruit tray.
"You're already here, so I'll make the call on this. Millie, don't be difficult. One more bridesmaid just makes it livelier."
"Besides, your brother has sponsored Sophia for all these years. She's practically family. Doing this to her, don't you think it stings?"
I drew in a deep breath, figured it was easier to avoid a fuss, and was about to nod.
Then a few lines of text drifted across my vision again.
【Millie Fox, whatever you do, don't agree!】
【She isn't here to be a bridesmaid at all. She's using it as an excuse to get close to you, to trick you into eating the parasitic curse so she can swap bodies with you! And then everything you have becomes hers!】
【The cheat sheet in your jacket pocket during the SATs, she planted it! She's jealous of you. She wants to destroy you!】
【She's also been secretly in love with your fiancé, Caleb Gilbert, for ten years. The moment she heard Caleb was getting engaged to you, with company shares as your dowry, she completely snapped. She got hold of the body-swap parasitic curse. She's already eaten the mother parasite, and once you eat the child parasite, she wins!】
【In your last life, this is exactly how you were destroyed. After the swap succeeded, she took your place as the Fox family's eldest daughter, as Mrs. Gilbert, while you were sold off to the underground casino by Sophia's gambling-addict father to pay off his debts!】
【So whatever you do, don't eat anything Sophia gives you!】
Looking at those dense lines of captions, my mind churned.
After the SATs, I really had found a cheat sheet in my jacket, and I'd assumed it was some classmate's prank.
Thank god I hadn't worn that jacket to the exam.
But the next second, Sophia really did pull a food box out of her backpack.
"Millie, I couldn't afford an expensive gift, so I made your favorite sweet almond cakes by hand. They're still warm. Have a piece?"
The captions went berserk.
【Don't eat it! There's a parasitic curse in those cakes!】
【Throw it out, now! Burn it if you can! This kind of parasite fears fire most of all!】
I looked down at that almond cake, and suddenly I smiled.
"Sure. But I just had dinner, so I'm not hungry right now. I'll save them for a midnight snack when I get back tonight."
The captions completely lost it.
【Are you insane? You know it's a trap and you're still walking into it?】
【Is she stupid? Wasn't the lesson from your last life enough? How do you not learn?】
【Forget it, she can't be saved. Typical rich girl, tiny brain, won't listen no matter what you say.】
The corner of my mouth curved.
Late-stage stomach cancer, coughing up blood every day, and my parents thought I was putting on an act to dodge the marriage.
My future husband was the animal who'd bullied me back in middle school.
My brother had a theatrical personality, only bothering to play the part when he needed to use me.
Every single day I wondered when I would finally be able to escape all of it.
And now someone wanted my life?
Wonderful. Nothing could suit me better.
