Chapter 01
It was raining heavily.
His long one-sided love had finally come to a wet and gloomy end.
All the feelings he had built up for Elena washed away with the rain, pooling on the ground like water.
Someone stepped on that love.
“Hello.”
When he slowly lifted his head, he foolishly hoped it was the girl he loved, coming to choose him.
But the person he saw was the Grand Duke’s daughter.
In the pouring rain, she silently held out her only umbrella.
“Come to me. I will never leave you alone.”
“……”
“I’ll take responsibility for you until the day I die, Jay.”
Jay’s trembling eyes stayed fixed on the umbrella in front of him.
* * *
“Grand Duchess, you look so beautiful today!”
“Yes, you’ll be the most dazzling person at the ball tonight.”
Compliments filled the Grand Duke’s mansion, but Pdea, the one receiving them, looked bored.
“Is this finally over?” she asked in an icy voice.
The maids fell silent, afraid she might think they were doing too little.
She had always been cold, never smiling.
But instead of lashing out as she once would have, she simply said, “That’s enough. It’s almost time to leave.”
The maids, surprised, began to think the rumors might be true—that the once-cruel Pdea had somehow softened overnight.
Pdea herself was not the original Pdea anymore.
She had been transported into a novel, taking over the body of the villainess.
In the story, Pdea was beautiful but jealous, always bullying the heroine because the male lead loved her.
In the end, she was only hated and never loved.
‘Well, I’m not going to live like the original,’ she thought.
When her preparations were done, she left for the Imperial Palace ball.
* * *
The ballroom glittered with golden decorations, chandeliers sparkling above.
As the maids had said, she was still the most eye-catching person there.
“Thank you,” she replied briefly to the endless compliments.
People were shocked—Pdea usually didn’t respond at all.
Some young noblemen began to think she might be interested in them.
But Pdea wasn’t thinking about them.
She was remembering that the main characters of the novel would be at this ball.
She had no plans to interact with them—she wanted to live quietly without getting involved.
While she was bored, a young noble sat beside her, bragging about his business success.
She barely listened.
Then the guard at the door announced,
“Count Jay Letter is entering!”
Pdea’s eyes instantly went to the man walking in.
That name was familiar—he was the second male lead from the novel The Gentle Lady is Always Protected.
She froze.
In the book, she had never cared for him—too gentle, too foolishly in love with the heroine.
But seeing him in person changed everything.
He was tall, broad-shouldered, with golden hair, blue eyes, and a kind face—completely her type.
Without thinking, she began walking toward him.
Jay noticed her approach and politely greeted her.
“Hello, Grand Duchess. Do you have some business with me?”
Pdea sighed softly.
Even his voice was perfect.
Then, with a mischievous look, she asked,
“I don’t want to waste time, so… have you decided what to name our child?”
