Episode 4
“Well, you see, the thing is, um….”
I racked my brain hard to find a plausible excuse. However, no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t come up with a good reason.
“No need to beat around the bush.”
“Oh, brother…”
“It’s probably because you miss Sonode.”
“…What?”
Just as I thought I was in trouble and felt discouraged, unexpected words flowed out of Forte’s mouth.
“Sonode was also exceptional in martial arts, so it’s natural for you to think of him when you see the knights.”
Forte seemed very convinced even if he misunderstood. I swore to myself that I had never once thought of Sonode while looking at the knights.
What was I thinking when I looked at the knights? I was so absent-minded that I couldn’t even remember. I was just overwhelmed by the feeling of ‘okay.’
“I know your heart, so how could I blame you.”
“Well, that’s not exactly…”
I had to tell the truth. I needed to clarify the situation and dispel the misunderstanding… But for some reason, the misunderstanding was going in a very favorable direction.
Rather than confessing with my mouth, ‘I like muscular men!’ it was much better to let the misunderstanding continue on its own.
Although I felt a pang of conscience, there was nothing I could do. I lowered my gaze to the ground and pretended to be pathetic, my eyes trembling slightly.
“Instead of tormenting yourself by constantly thinking about Sonode, wouldn’t it be better to meet other men?”
“Yeah, holding onto a relationship that’s already over only makes you suffer.”
That’s true. But I never held onto Sonode in the first place…?
“You’re so beautiful and charming. It’s such a waste for you to be tied down to someone like Sonode. There are so many people drawn to your character and personality…”
The Count persuaded me with a soothing voice, as if comforting a child.
Right. It was none other than Count Incladove. Not only was he a renowned noble, but also a father who loved his daughter dearly. He wouldn’t have let me bring home a strange man from somewhere.
T/N: Changing MC’S Surname
Since it had come to this, why not try dating a handsome, fit, kind, and wealthy man?
I nodded in agreement. As soon as I did, the faces of the three people changed.
Father stood up and gestured for me to take his seat at the head of the table, while he instructed Henrik to bring more documents.
Mother recommended several people she had marked with her sweet smile, and Forte began opening the letters in front of me with a paper knife.
It wasn’t like the butterfly effect. Just by nodding once, the three of them moved seamlessly and efficiently.
The status of the Incladove family was quite impressive. Whether it was their lineage or their wealth, the documents sent by the impeccable nobles were abundant. Among them were even some famous families frequently mentioned in books.
The documents they sent were all neat, detailed, and even meticulous. They were far more splendid and substantial than the portfolio I had created during my job search days, staying up late at night.
In a world without computers, it was clear that creating such quality required immense time and effort.
However, most of the documents mentioned that they had arrived at the mansion shortly after Petunia’s engagement was called off. As if they were waiting for Petunia’s engagement to end.
They were such quick-footed people.
“Duke Eugleid seems decent personally. The eldest son of Count Lieno seems good too.”
Duke Eugleid was a giant in the art world, owning numerous galleries and theaters. However, the Duke Eugleid depicted in the book was rumored to have extreme mood swings and sensitivity. In short, he was the type of person who would make others tired just by being around him.
As for Count Lieno, he was a pass since his name was the only thing that came up. I didn’t even know he had a son my age.
When I didn’t react much, my mother handed me a few documents.
“Although wealth and fame are important, I also think external factors are crucial. It might be embarrassing for me to say this, but wouldn’t it be better to have someone handsome if you’re going to see their face all the time anyway?”
“….”
“The same meal tastes better when you’re with a handsome man, and when you’re angry, seeing something beautiful makes your heart gentle, doesn’t it? It’s also good for the next generation to be born.”
Listening to my mother’s words, which were like a refreshing breeze, I glanced between Father and Forte. Surely, having the two handsome men sitting symmetrically made me feel peaceful.
On one side, there was the cool middle-aged man against the warm blond young man on the other side.
Despite having completely different atmospheres, their colors seemed to be so similar that I felt an inexplicable sense of stability.
“There’s a saying that good looks come with good character.”
Indeed, Mother.
I nodded, looking into her sparkling eyes. It was more than evident through the two men in front of me that my mother had an extraordinary sense of aesthetics. It was undeniable evidence that I could trust.
Mother raised the corners of her mouth beautifully and pulled out three small portraits.
“What do you think? Each one of them…”
“Handsome…they are.”
I murmured as if bewitched.
Certainly, there was a different aura coming from the portraits. If the portraits were this good, how handsome would the actual men be? My heart raced for the first time in a while.
Although all three men were incredibly handsome, one portrait on the far left particularly caught my eye. From the thick eyebrows to the line from the forehead to the nose, it perfectly matched my taste.
“The man on the far left is Viscount Reynold. He’s seven years older than you, but isn’t he just right? He has a mature charm too.”
‘What a pity.’
These days, Young Ladies says things change every five years. But seven years older?
At 29, it wouldn’t have mattered much if it was before the transfer, but from Petunia’s perspective at 22, it was too much of an age difference. And I didn’t have the confidence to overcome the barrier of seven years.
The other two men also boasted tremendous beauty. However, one of them, Harbor, would later be revealed to be homosexual a few years later. His marriage was also an attempt to hide his homosexuality.
Since I had no desire to become a victim of a sham marriage, I naturally passed on that option.
The remaining man, the son of Count, Hedrick, had no known information, but since he was handsome, I decided to keep him in reserve for now.
As my mother finished her explanation, Forte, who had been patiently waiting for his turn, leaned towards me.
Even though this situation of choosing a potential lover through paperwork was absurd, seeing Forte, who held a letter in one hand like a lid, made me burst into laughter.
After clearing his throat a few times, Forte handed me a letter. Surprisingly, there was no family crest stamped on the letter. Then that meant he wasn’t a noble.
“Hailos…?”
Of course, it was an unfamiliar name. Of course, I didn’t know the names of anyone other than the main characters.
“He’s about to receive a title, so you don’t need to worry about his status.”
That wasn’t what I was curious about.
“It’s the first time I’ve heard this name. Who is he?”
“He’s the eldest son of Princess Magnolia, the sister of Emperor.”
“Ah…”
I remembered. Princess Magnolia was the only one among the siblings of the previous emperor who had not received a title. She was more interested in traveling around the world than living a comfortable life.
While traveling in the northern continent, she met a magician and married him, giving birth to a son and a daughter.
The Ignite Empire was a country where magicians were very rare, so the royal family tried to catch magicians by granting titles. And now seemed to be the time.
The moment when the Empire’s greatest magician, Marquis Pennadon, was born.
‘Marquis Pennadon’s name was Hailos.’
I absorbed the newly acquired information and put down the letter. Then Forte widened his eyes and looked at me.
“Why, aren’t you going to look at it more…?”
“I’m not particularly interested in that side.”
I smiled confidently at Forte. I wasn’t interested in the infamous magician Pennadon.
Then my mother and father looked at me with shining eyes. I was thankful for their attention, but I wasn’t interested in that side either.
I picked up a letter that I had been eyeing from the pile of documents pushed to one side. When I saw the name written in cursive on the deep purple envelope, my parents’ faces turned pale with shock.
‘Apollion Rain Theabrite.’
It was a marriage proposal sent to me by the male protagonist.
“Wait, why is this here…?”
My mother looked at my father with a bewildered expression. My father was equally surprised.
“It seems like Hendrik suggested considering families with prominent names… Including the Theabrite family.”
“Well, it is a prestigious family, the duke of Theabrite…”
While my mother reluctantly agreed with my father’s words, she couldn’t shake off her uneasiness.
The male protagonist in the novel, Apollion Theabrite, was a young lord of the Theabrite ducal family, which held power and influence akin to the royal family.
However, he was a man cursed, with half of his face blackened, a fate that befell him. Thus, he spent most of his time within the mansion and always wore a mask when he ventured outside.
As with all male protagonists in K-novels, he overcame the curse with the love of the female protagonist and regained his original beauty.
Before meeting the female protagonist, Sonia, he attempted marriage three times.
Despite being cursed, as a duke, he had quite a lot of marriage proposals. Of course, most were from those seeking to exploit his power.
His first fiancée reportedly collapsed in shock while trying to remove the Duke’s mask on the day of their engagement ceremony and was taken to the hospital. It worsened afterward, leading to an inevitable breakup.
Surprisingly, his second prospective bride showed boldness by having a secret rendezvous with her lover the day before the wedding. Thanks to her daring, her family had to appease the Theabrite family multiple times.
By this point, one might think he would give up on marriage, but Apollion continued his search for a suitable partner despite countless heartbreaks.
As long as he remained unmarried, the position of the lady of the ducal household would continue to be contested by his stepmother.
T/N: the marriage chapters are literally soo cute. If our Mc was a man she would have been a top.
