Episode 5
It was his stepmother who cursed Apollion in order to make her own son the duke.
Apollion doubted his stepmother but secretly hoped she wasn’t the culprit.
However, as the novel progressed and the curse was lifted, Apollion learned the truth and fell into despair, realizing he never had anyone on his side.
Poor, kind-hearted Apollion. They say there’s light at the end of the tunnel, but Apollion’s path to happiness was too arduous.
Now, before meeting the female protagonist, it was his last time searching for a marriage partner.
Who was Apollion’s third prospective bride? Nobles with daughters were extremely reluctant to get involved with the Theabrite duke, given the two previous broken engagements.
Nevertheless, Apollion persisted and sent marriage proposals to several noble families. I was surprised to learn that one of them included Petunia, who had recently broken off an engagement.
If it had been the original Petunia, she would probably have been with Sonode by now, so naturally she wouldn’t have known. It was probably just a passing gesture, not an important event in the original story.
The remaining nobles were all just greedy for wealth and power, and eventually, it was remembered that he ended up with the youngest daughter of the Hanmihan family.
Of course, she also fled abroad a week before the wedding. The shock must have been considerable, as he did nothing to pursue marriage for the following two years.
And then he meets Sonia, the maid, and the love story begins.
Despite there being a very easy way to lift the curse, just thinking about Apollion waiting until the female protagonist appears makes me feel impatient.
So! I decided to lift his curse two years early!
I was impulsive, and I loved Apollion, the perfect male protagonist in the book, so it was possible.
“Petunia…?”
At my parents’ call, I quickly collected my thoughts, which were immersed in the sentiment of the original work.
“Yes?”
“You don’t need to see that letter. Come here.”
My father reached out his hand towards me. I alternated my gaze between the letter and my father’s hand, then without responding, I opened the letter.
“Petunia!”
“You don’t seriously think of meeting Duke Theabrite, do you…?”
“Why not?”
“That’s… of course…”
“I happen to like this person.”
I blushed shyly.
“Why on earth?!”
Then, Forte slammed the table and stood up from his seat.
“Brother, why are you so upset?”
“Am I not allowed to be upset? Of all the men out there, why does it have to be Duke Theabrite! Do you even know who he is?”
Of course I did. He’s a modest and affectionate man who will soon become the empire’s most handsome man.
…But I couldn’t bring myself to say it, so I just nodded in response.
Then Forte sighed and rubbed his forehead.
“Petunia, is there another meaning behind this?”
My father asked me with a concerned tone. Another meaning…?
“No, there isn’t. I just happen to like this person.”
I smiled as I held the letter with the Theabrite duke’s crest. “You must know about the duke’s reputation. What is it about him that you like?”
There are many things I like about him. He’s kind, affectionate, modest, physically fit, and on top of that, he’s abstinent…
I shook my head involuntarily as I followed my train of thought. Then, channeling the spirit of the previous conversation with my mother, I began to speak.
“People judge Duke Theabrite based only on his appearance. But how many of them have actually had a proper conversation with him among those people?”
“…”
“Talk of lifting the curse and rumors of dealing with demons are all just speculation. Talking about it without knowing what’s under the mask or what’s in his heart is low and reckless behavior. We should maintain our dignity and discretion amidst the countless rumors. That’s the intention of our House Incladove.”
The last sentence was a quote written on a painting in the hallway. I didn’t expect to come up with that.
“…What you’re saying isn’t wrong, but we don’t know anything about him. Even if we don’t pay attention to the rumors, it’s not something we can just send you off to someone we have no information about.”
My father said with a serious expression. I decided to embellish my speech with a mix of current trends and classic proverbs.
“If his character wasn’t reliable, the Ignite Empire wouldn’t be thriving.”
“What do you mean?”
“The Theabrite family’s territory is located near the border. Beyond the territory, there’s the enemy kingdom of Crown, and the nearby forests are often frequented by monsters. If I were Duke Theabrite, I would have chosen to relocate to the safest territory closest to the capital, rather than risking my life fighting on the border.”
“…”
“In this empire, only the royal family is hospitable to Duke Theabrite. Everyone else is busy treating him like a plague or a monster. Yet, despite knowing about such rumors, Duke Theabrite always goes to the battlefield to protect the empire. If he wasn’t a good person, he wouldn’t risk his life to protect those who despise him.”
Ah, even I thought it was a wise saying. As I confidently uttered what seemed like profound words, I felt like a master strategist.
“But still, how can you trust someone you’ve never seen before…?”
“You haven’t seen the faces of others either.”
“…”
My father’s eyebrows twitched. After briefly meeting my mother’s eyes, he took a step back and sighed.
“Well, if you like him, there’s not much we can do… But I don’t like that this is your third engagement.”
“I feel the same way.”
This time, even my mother supported my father’s words.
“You must know how careful one must be when sending engagement letters.”
“Yes.”
“The engagement letter sent by the duke is different from those sent by other families. It wasn’t sent with only you in mind. Surely, it was also sent to potential brides from other houses. Sending such an important document to multiple people… isn’t exactly pleasant from a lady’s perspective.”
That’s true, but…
I was someone who preferred guaranteed safety. That’s why I was preparing for a Level 9 civil service exam that had nothing to do with my major.
I wasn’t keen on unnecessary adventures when the ending, where I would solve the curse of a good-natured and wealthy male lead and live happily ever after, was already predetermined.
Moreover, this country was much more conservative than South Korea in the 21st century. While dating was free, it was strict regarding social status and divorce, and there were no media outlets to report unfairness.
Just look at the current situation. It was a world where someone who attempted a sham marriage with a homosexual and fooled around with an engagement fiancee walked freely while whining, all while I couldn’t even afford a decent phone.
Meeting strange people and suffering emotionally was unnecessary when compared to choosing a clean and safe future from the beginning.
Even though the female lead was said to appear, it was scheduled for two years later. I didn’t want to make Apollion suffer for two more years when I knew an easy way to lift his curse.
While I knew him as a fictional character made up of letters, in this world, he was a living, breathing person. His curse was too painful for an ordinary person to bear.
Besides, Apollion was like a sunflower, basking in the sun with his handsome male lead buff. I was confident that my feelings for the one who lifted his curse wouldn’t diminish just because the original female lead suddenly appeared.
“Still, I believe in Duke Theabrite.”
Ultimately, that was the only thing I could say.
I didn’t feel particularly disappointed or jealous just because others received engagement letters. Apollion wasn’t someone who went around playing with other people’s emotions. It was undoubtedly a carefully written engagement letter, considering his numerous concerns and polite demeanor.
Originally, there weren’t many people who sent engagement letters, so I was actually relieved to be included among them.
Opportunities to get involved with the male lead don’t come around often, do they? This was clearly a chance to seize given by the heavens.
And if someone went as far as to send me an engagement letter, could it be that they have feelings for me?
Turns out, they were looking at me from afar all this time. Maybe they couldn’t approach me first because they already had a lover.
Once the cycle of positivity started, it didn’t stop, and I couldn’t help but burst into laughter like a crazy person.
“P-Pa… Petunia…?”
After realizing that the three people were looking at me with concern, I finally managed to calm down and bring my skyrocketing laughter back to normal.
