~Chapter 9~
“Miss.”
“Hm?”
“Your leg.”
“Oh.”
At Rene’s words, I stopped shaking my leg. I must have been so nervous that I didn’t even realize I was doing it.
I opened and closed my eyes—when I looked again, I was in the bridal waiting room. Sitting on a sofa in a wedding dress, holding a bouquet. The wedding was about to begin soon.
“This is all happening so fast…”
“Pardon?”
“Nothing.”
I shook my head and gave an awkward smile.
Suddenly, I remembered what the man claiming to be Apollyon’s representative had said:
“Please don’t worry. Everything will be thoroughly prepared under the name of the Theabridte family.”
And he had kept that promise perfectly.
All I had to do was choose the dress and select the servants who would come with me to the duke’s mansion. That wasn’t hard either, since I was only taking a few, including Selene and Rene.
My mother made the guest list, my father double-checked the preparations provided by the duke’s family, and Apollyon supported everything we needed for the wedding—both materially and financially.
The wedding venue was set at the imperial outdoor banquet hall, a decision heavily influenced by the emperor himself.
Everyone in the empire knew the strong relationship between the royal family and the Theabridte Duchy. Especially the current emperor, Blicsheir Ignacite, who had a deep affection for Apollyon—almost like a younger brother.
He was deeply saddened that Apollyon had failed in marriage twice due to his curse. So when Apollyon finally said he wanted to have a proper wedding this time, the emperor gladly lent his full support.
As soon as the marriage was arranged, the emperor took the lead. He offered the royal outdoor banquet hall—normally reserved for royalty and national heroes—and even provided royal musicians and chefs.
This wasn’t just to honor Apollyon. It was also a warning to me: now that the stage is fully set, don’t even think of running away.
But I had no intention of running away, so I was actually grateful for all this. I couldn’t help but think of the original story, where the third fiancée fled the country just a week before the wedding. To try escaping a wedding that even the emperor was involved in… that took guts. Honestly, someone that bold would probably succeed no matter where they went.
Well, Apollyon was marrying me now. Everyone else could just move on with their lives.
I may have accidentally taken the female lead’s role, but it didn’t really bother me. I mean, she’s not the only main character. In my life, I am the main character.
They say life never goes the way you plan. And so, I had no choice but to twist the plot of the original story written by the author, this so-called author.
Still, you only live once. Why live like a side character, shrinking away from everything? That’s just too sad.
In my original life, I was a broke civil service exam student with no luck. So in this world, I wanted to live fully—happily and with purpose.
Anyway, the female lead, Shurael, hadn’t even entered the household as a maid yet. And it would take another year for her noble family to fall. So rather than waste that year doing nothing, I figured I might as well do something.
I did feel a little guilty about unintentionally blocking the original heroine’s rise in status. If she does come in as a maid, I’ll be nice to her. Maybe we can go out for good food together.
Actually, wouldn’t it be nice if her family didn’t fall? I wonder if there’s a way to help that declining noble house?
As I felt the hairdresser’s delicate hands adjusting the ornaments in my hair, I wiggled my ankle slightly. If Rene or Selene had seen, they would’ve scolded me, but the full skirt of the dress hid it well.
Thinking about all this helped calm my nerves a little.
“Did you talk a lot last night?”
“Huh?”
“I mean, last night—your whole family slept together, right?”
“Oh, yeah.”
According to the customs of the Ignate Empire, it was considered improper for the bride to be with her family on the wedding day.
So last night, I had to spend my final moments surrounded by my entire family.
I’m not sure if the Count’s family was just normal or kind of quirky, but honestly, they acted just like a typical family in Korea.
Just like how families gather in the bride’s room the night before the wedding, laughing and crying over childhood memories—we did exactly that.
They took turns sharing stories about young Petunia, laughing, crying, and then laughing again. Forte cried so much that the trash bin was soon overflowing with tissues.
I couldn’t relate to their memories—after all, I wasn’t really Petunia. But their warm gazes toward me made me smile without even thinking.
Petunia’s family was truly wonderful. Seeing them all squeezing into one bed like kids was kind of adorable.
When my dad tried to pull up the blanket and fell off the bed—it was hilarious. Even though I wasn’t the real Petunia, I couldn’t help but feel deeply loved.
Still, I felt a little bittersweet. While not as close as Petunia’s family, I had a family back in Korea too—a dad, an older sister, and a younger brother.
Would they have reacted the same way if they heard I was getting married? What happened to my body in that world? The thought made me a bit sad.
Now, I’ve come to believe there’s no going back. It’s been two months and nothing’s changed, and I’ve adapted pretty well to this world.
They say everything happens for a reason. There must be a reason I was brought to this strange world.
…Or not. Whatever.
I guess this is what weddings feel like—full of mixed emotions. I smiled at my reflection in the mirror. It looked like a bittersweet smile.
“Miss, your hands are so cold.”
Rene said, gently rubbing them. She was careful not to tear my lace gloves.
“Oh! Should I bring you some herbal tea?”
Selene, holding my other hand, asked. They must have noticed my dark expression.
“I’m okay. Drinking tea would mess up my lipstick anyway. The ceremony’s starting soon—I can wait.”
I smiled at their kindness. These two really were like angels.
Except for Sonod, Petunia really had good people in her life—her family and her servants. Nothing like the villains in the novel.
“If you feel even a little unwell, you have to let us know, alright?”
“Okay. I will.”
I was glad I could take Selene and Rene with me to the duke’s estate.
“When will cameras finally be invented?”
“I heard the Noctian Marquisate is working hard on developing one. Let’s just be patient.”
Selene said in a calm voice, trying to soothe Rene.
“It’s such a shame. Our miss looks like a fairy today. I wish we could keep a record of it.”
Rene pouted. Her grumbling made me feel a bit more relaxed.
“Rene, that was a good line. You’re getting a bonus this month.”
“Ah!”
“I didn’t say it for that reason though…” Rene mumbled quietly, covering her blushing cheeks with her hands. Her ears turned red.
“The ceremony will begin soon! Please be ready!”
“Yes!”
A manager from the royal banquet hall peeked his head into the waiting room and called out. Even though he was part of the royal staff, it seemed he had been assigned to manage this wedding too.
Well, it was the emperor’s order. Hopefully his pay matched the effort.
I stood up, holding Selene and Rene’s hands. The boutique workers quickly fixed my dress and the decorations in my hair with great care. Thanks to them, I looked absolutely flawless.
“In the end, I’m getting married without even seeing the groom’s face.”
My quiet mutter made the room suddenly feel chilly. That wasn’t what I meant…
“W-Well, you’ll see him in 10 minutes!”
Rene tried to cheer me up, but the mood didn’t quite bounce back.
I had expected at least a moment to talk to him before the ceremony. But I hadn’t even caught a glimpse of Apollyon’s hair.
My family wasn’t happy about that either. The Count’s family felt the duke’s side was being rude.
But the duke’s house acted so apologetic that we couldn’t really argue.
“The Duke is very worried. With all the wild rumors about his curse, he’s been hurt deeply…”
When someone says that so pitifully, how can you be mad? Our kind-hearted family ended up just feeling sorry for him.
They even praised him, saying it was amazing he was still willing to get married at all. In noble society, where reputation is everything, skipping the wedding would’ve made sense, given his situation.
My parents had seen him a few times during the marriage discussions. So I thought maybe I’d get to see him before the ceremony.
Of course, as someone who knew the original story, I already knew what he looked like. But reading about someone and seeing them in real life are two different things.
They say seeing is believing. No amount of descriptions could beat actually meeting him in person.
Sure, he’d be wearing a mask, so I wouldn’t get to see his face properly—but I wasn’t interested in his face anyway.
What I really wanted to see was his body—the one described in painful detail in the novel.
Apollyon’s physique was said to be absolutely perfect. He was 186 cm tall, had broad shoulders, a thick torso and thighs, and sexy spinal muscles.
How do I know his spine muscles are sexy? I read about them in the R-rated side story.
When he and the female lead made love, it described everything—his spinal muscles this, his chest muscles that!
I don’t know much about muscle anatomy, but I could tell he was very well-built.
…And today is our wedding night.
Thank you very much