~Chapter 3~
“…I-I just had some extra documents I needed to check.”
He stuttered, which meant he was clearly hiding something.
“And why would a servant deliver such an important document? Where’s Uncle Henrik?”
“H-Henrik… took sick leave today…”
Just then, a large man walked in, receiving greetings from the staff. It was Henrik—the very man who was supposedly sick. He was my father’s aide. He noticed me standing in front of the count and gave a polite bow.
“Lady Petunia, you’re here as well.”
“Oh my, are you sure it’s okay to walk around when you’re unwell?”
“Pardon? What do you mean?”
“My father said you were on sick leave today. Isn’t that true?”
“…Did I… take sick leave?”
Henrik turned to look at the Count. When I followed his gaze, I saw my… no, Father, trying his best to send desperate signals with his eyes.
“Father?”
“…”
“What exactly are you hiding?”
“…I’m not hiding anything.”
“You’ve been lying from the start.”
“…”
“Are you going to keep deceiving me?”
At my stern tone, Father sighed in defeat.
“…I’m sorry. Let’s go inside and talk. Please, come in.”
Ha. I win.
With a victorious smile, I followed him to the study.
Inside were the Countess—my mother—and Forte, my older brother. They looked shocked to see me and turned to my father.
“Petunia, why are you here…?”
My mother’s voice trembled.
“It’s an important matter. I thought the person involved should be here too, so I called her.”
My father blinked repeatedly while talking, as if sending a secret code.
Seeing this, my mother and Forte exchanged awkward glances, clearly grasping the situation.
“Petunia, please have a seat.”
“Yes, Father.”
I gave a graceful smile—just like the real Petunia—and sat down in the open seat.
We had a bit of small talk, but it didn’t last long. My mother and Forte kept watching me nervously.
After delaying and delaying, my father finally gave in and opened the envelope. And when I saw what was inside, I was completely stunned.
***
“What… is all this?”
No one answered me. All three of them had their heads bowed, so I could only see the tops of their shiny blond heads.
I blinked at the stack of papers on the table. There were even a few letters addressed directly to me. There were so many documents that I was honestly speechless.
“Can someone please explain?”
Since no one spoke, I picked up the closest paper.
At the bottom was a noble family’s crest, and the page was filled with details about a young man—most likely the next heir.
It looked exactly like a profile from a matchmaking agency.
“…Huh?”
I hurriedly looked through the other documents. Some were sent directly from family heads; others were formal documents from professional matchmakers. Most had similar content.
Staring in disbelief, I looked at my father. When he avoided my gaze, I turned to my mother. She avoided it, too, so I turned to Forte. But not one of them met my eyes.
They all looked guilty and turned away.
They were just sitting there like statues—yet still had the guts to plan something like this?
With my temples throbbing, I picked up one of the letters addressed to me and opened it with a paper knife.
As expected…
“A marriage proposal…?”
“…”
“Would someone please answer me?”
Whoever said “silence is golden” clearly never had to deal with this. For me, silence just made my blood pressure rise.
Trying to stay calm, I went through the rest of the letters. There weren’t many addressed to me directly, but they were all marriage proposals.
In the original story, nobles handled marriage talks through proposal letters. In love marriages, this wasn’t needed, but for political marriages, it was normal.
Usually, the man’s side sent the proposal, and the woman’s side responded.
It wasn’t a law, but because this was about marriage, not just courting, it was only done if the families had already discussed the idea—or if the man was so in love he couldn’t wait.
But even without either of those reasons, someone could send a proposal if there was a clear benefit to both families.
Everyone knew Petunia had been obsessed with Sonod. And now that news of their breakup had spread across the capital, there was only one conclusion.
These were marriage proposals sent to gain political benefits.
Once I understood that, I felt all the energy drain from my body. So that’s why they were all secretly meeting without me.
I swept my long hair back and set down the letter.
“Could someone please explain what’s going on?”
“…”
“…Well, since no one’s talking, I’ll just assume the worst and make up my own story.”
“Petunia!”
“We’re sorry…”
“We’ll explain everything!”
Finally.
I looked at them with a serious expression. Unlike Forte, who looked soft and kind like our mother, Petunia had inherited her father’s cold and sharp features. With a stern face, she gave off an icy aura.
As I leaned back in the chair silently, my family nervously searched for a way to start talking. My father spoke first.
The Count and his family spoke carefully, trying their best not to upset me.
In the end, they said everything they did was to comfort heartbroken Petunia.
After every fight with Sonod, Petunia would become gloomy and withdrawn. Though it wasn’t really a fight—it was just her enduring Sonod’s constant bad mood.
She had always struggled emotionally, and now, being dumped, they assumed she was heartbroken. After all, she had stayed locked in her room for ten days.
But I wasn’t Petunia.
For me, breaking up with Sonod was something worth celebrating.
Still, in everyone else’s eyes, I was the sad, abandoned noble lady. No matter what I did, people assumed I hadn’t recovered from the heartbreak.
Every time I went out, I heard whispers—“Poor Lady Incleldove…”
That’s why I hadn’t attended any social gatherings.
I thought at least Petunia’s family would understand how I felt… but I was totally wrong.
“They say the best way to get over heartbreak is to find new love.”
“…But I was never heartbroken in the first place.”
“It’s okay. You don’t have to pretend with us. We know how you feel.”
“Mother…”
No, you really don’t. Not even close.
It’s not like I was unwilling to date. The men in this world were objectively good-looking.
Just look at the Count’s knights—so many muscular, handsome men. Why wouldn’t I want to enjoy romance at my age?
But then…
“Petunia, I saw you staring at half-naked knights at the training grounds.”
Oh my god.
“B-brother…!”
“You were totally lost in thought.”
I looked at Forte with panicked eyes. I thought only the maids knew about my little hobby. I was wrong.
“Your eyes were half-dilated, too.”
A horrifying memory flashed in my head—getting caught watching adult videos in middle school.
So that’s why I felt déjà vu!
Of course, watching (half-naked) knights wasn’t a crime. They were the ones undressed in public, and I wasn’t secretly spying—I was openly admiring.
There’s no shame in looking at something beautiful.
I had nothing to hide and no creepy interests. I simply enjoyed watching them train, openly and honestly.
But still… getting caught by family was incredibly embarrassing.
It felt like when a kissing scene pops up on TV and everyone in the room suddenly gets awkward—your parents cough, and you suddenly remember to check your phone.
This was like that, only worse.
This wasn’t modern Korea. I was now a noble lady of a highly respected family.
If people found out that quiet, refined Petunia enjoyed watching shirtless knights… it wouldn’t just be embarrassing. It would be a scandal.
The daughter of House Incleldove, with her high status and spotless image, couldn’t afford rumors like that.
I didn’t care what people said about me—but Petunia did. And I was living in her body now.
Incleldove was one of the Empire’s most prestigious families. They had wealth, reputation, and a long history of achievements.
If my harmless hobby got misunderstood and turned into a scandalous rumor…
It would stain the family’s name.
I couldn’t allow that. Not while I was using Petunia’s identity.
To escape this mess…
I’d have to do something. Anything.
