I Quit Being The Male Lead’s Rival

When I saw the Rainfield dressing room in the distance, a sense of tension washed over me.

I had never thought of them as part of my family, and I had no idea how to approach them.

As I considered stepping into the dressing room, my mind went blank.

If I had known it would feel this way, I would have asked Ian what to say.

Ian, who was always so composed and exemplary, would surely have given me the perfect response.

As I hesitated in front of the dressing room door, taking a slow, deep breath, the door suddenly swung open.

"Oh my god!"

My heart nearly stopped, but the other person seemed equally startled. Aaron, who had been about to step out, froze with wide eyes.

"Annabelle… No, sister!"

I found myself staring into deep blue eyes—the same color as mine.

Sister. It sounded so unfamiliar, yet it was a title I needed to grow accustomed to.

With an awkward smile, Aaron said, "I was just about to go look for you, wondering if sending Ian was a mistake. I thought maybe you two were arguing."

After a moment of silence, he sighed and added, "Seeing you here alone, I guess I was right. You must've been fighting. Honestly, I expected it."

"No, not at all. I just told him I'd come alone," I replied with a sigh.

"I felt like a scared puppy during the day."

Aaron chuckled. "Let's aim higher than a scared puppy. Be a hyena! Although, why didn't you just come in to chat?"

"Uh… Well…" I avoided his gaze, suddenly shy. "I didn't know what to say, so I was thinking…"

Aaron's eyes widened, and he exclaimed, "You just have to say what's on your mind!"

What's on my mind? I glanced at Aaron, unsure.

Oddly enough, this was the first time I felt like I could connect with him. His talkative nature had always been intriguing, and I'd seen him around often.

"Well…" I decided to speak my truth. "I'm sorry. I didn't know. Were you upset?"

"What? Upset?"

"Yes."

"Why would I be?"

I recalled the last time we had dined at Rainfield's restaurant. With Oscar and Marilyn absent, Aaron had hurriedly greeted me as their representative. In a complicated tone, I continued, "Now that we unexpectedly share inheritance rights... someone like me…"

Aaron's mouth fell open.

As soon as I saw his expression, a thought crossed my mind.

"…might take the inheritance."

Coincidentally, Aaron and I had overheard Elburn before the ceremony.

"We didn't grow up together or spend time with our family, but because of our shared blood, we're forced into this situation. Why?"

At the time, I had thought Elburn's words were valid.

I had been raised by Caitlyn and Reid, who always reminded me that shared blood gave me the right to inherit. But they never wanted to lose anything to me.

When I was very young, Caitlyn had made me write a memorandum renouncing my inheritance, calling it "education."

"Annabelle, it's not your time to think about inheritance. Focus on swordsmanship instead. If you get distracted, it'll cause unnecessary strife between you and Reid. We need unity, not conflict."

It had been hard to refute her words then, especially with Reid encouraging me from the sidelines.

"If you win first place in the swordsmanship competition, everything will be yours. Just promise me we'll avoid unnecessary pain."

I never imagined this day would come. Of course, I couldn't blame them for feeling upset about me suddenly appearing and disrupting their lives.

Marilyn rushed out from the dressing room and stopped abruptly.

"Oh my god."

Aaron, still flustered, looked at her while Marilyn blinked in disbelief.

"Caitlyn abandoned her child… How can your first thought even be about inheritance?"

I realized it again—they were people who grew up righteously, despite their challenges.

But I wasn't like them.

When Marilyn referred to me as an "abandoned child" after 22 years, I kept my expression neutral, folding my hands politely.

"Sorry for growing up this way…"

And so, our family reunion began on a chaotic note.

*

My unconscious father still hadn't fully woken up.

He had briefly regained consciousness to mumble, "My daughter… only ate frozen meat…" before passing out again.

"He's usually a bit fragile," my mother sighed, looking unaffected despite her colorful attire and heavy makeup.

"But he was popular at the nursery because of his looks."

"I see…"

With my father out cold, the rest of us gathered around the table.

Quietly, I said, "Speak freely."

Marilyn smiled faintly. "As I mentioned last time, I've been watching you for a long time. Few in the capital haven't heard of Miss Annabelle."

Embarrassment crept in. I'd never cared about my reputation, but now I wished I had.

"I always thought of my dead child when I saw you," Marilyn continued, her voice trembling. "She was born on the same day, in the same hospital."

"Ah…"

"It broke my heart to see you in gray clothes all the time. I can't believe I never recognized you." She bit her lip, tears threatening to fall.

"…I don't deserve to be a parent."

"Then I don't deserve to be a child if you're ashamed of me…"

"You do!" she exclaimed, her voice shaking.

Marilyn's strong personality shone through as she grabbed my hand, her tear-streaked makeup only adding to her intensity.

"It's true this is all strange, but you're my child. Don't ever say otherwise."

Her words left me stunned, my mind blank.

Aaron interjected with a grin. "If you're worried about being strange, don't bother. I'm already the weird one here."

To my surprise, I found their presence oddly comforting.

Marilyn wiped her tears and added, "Annabelle, I'm proud of you. Second place in the swordsmanship competition…" She smiled warmly. "But even if you hadn't achieved that, I'd still be proud. Just because you're here."

Tears welled up in my eyes.

No one had ever told me they were proud of me before.

For Caitlyn and Reid, I was always lacking. To the capital, I was a laughingstock.

But now, in this moment, I felt acknowledged—truly seen for who I was.

"Our precious child," Marilyn whispered, brushing her hands against my cheeks. "You've endured so much among bad people. I'm so sorry I didn't recognize you sooner. Please forgive me."

My tears fell freely as her words reached a place in my heart I thought had long been closed.