Chapter 2

…Let alone being a supporting role in the novel, the fact that the main story didn’t even start yet was giving me a headache.

According to the original novel, Petunia had lied down due to lovesickness.

Sonot, the greatest trash bag, who doesn’t care about Petunia at all, cancels the annulment and pretends to be merciful when his plans go awry.

His plans were, as expected, making the male lead suffer.

Petunia, unaware that she’s being used, willingly offered herself to her beloved Sonot.

“Mad woman.”

I shook my head as I put a big X on today’s date on the calendar. It was to commemorate the day which the trash hag was finally taken care of.

The sight of Sonot repeating “You…!” like a parrot came to my mind. She had to be as stupid as him to like him. That was all I felt about both of them.

Anyhow, it was obvious that the bastard would come back to me. For the villain, Petunia was an indispensable piece.

People were supposed to not repeat their mistakes, hence I had no plans of being around the villain.

For now, I was planning to relax and think about ways to meet with my favorite male lead.

Countess Inkledov has been extra cautious around me since the day of the approval of the annulment. Obviously, she was worried about her daughter, Petunia, and not me.

It was not good to worry the elderly. Every time they worried about me, guilt rose within me.

One of the reasons for that guilt was me not being the real Petunia.

So I had to put a lot of effort to look both heartbroken yet staying strong.

In front of everyone, I played the role of a good daughter, yet in secret, I tried to learn manners. It was to lessen people’s doubt for my actions. Even if I might not be able to act like Petunia perfectly, I should at least be able to imitate her.

Fortunately, Petunia kept multiple culture books in her bookshelf which she read in her childhood. Thanks to that, I could quickly learn various manners and common sense. Yet obviously, these were not enough compared to Petunia.

Not long after, the Count’s family, aware of my efforts, stopped being cautious.

My daily routine was to sit around as I have snacks, read books or look around the mansion. And when I got really bored, I would sit under a tree watching the knights’ training while I pretend to read a book.

As days passed by, it got hotter which made it hard for the knights to train. Them, training with their bare torso made the atmosphere heat up.

“I think it’s fine for the weather to get a little hotter…”

I murmured as I recalled the fable 「The North Wind and The Sun」*. It was the heat of the sun and not the harshness of the wind that undressed the traveler.

The maids, who were shy at first, were now following me to appreciate the Knights’ muscles.

“How can Sir Wayne be so excellent?”

One of my maids, Selena, muttered while looking far away.

“Sir Wayne? Who is Wayne?”

“The black haired man on the left.”

“Oh.”

A black haired, tanned skinned man was wielding a wooden sword with his big posture. Every time he moved his arms, his firm muscles seemed to twitch.

“Sir Rohan too. Look at that white skin which shines like a torch under the sun.”

Renee said as she blushed.

“Ah, Rohan you say. He is the one with light pink hair that’s on the front line, right?”

“Yes. You’re right.”

Just like Renee’s words, his skin color was unique among the other knights. No matter how weak the sunlight was, his skin would turn red almost immediately yet turn back to its original color not long after.

He was a handsome young man with clear eyes and thick lips which matched with his white skin.

Yet Rohan wasn’t just a handsome young man. In contrast to his pretty looks, his body had firm muscles.

“He used to be a dull boy, but now he has changed.”

“How come?”

“He became handsome.”

Renee said as she buried her face into her palms which made her voice sound low. Other maids too gazed at the man they liked the most as they blushed.

At first… they were scared of me. Yet now they liked me more than I liked myself.

I was smiling as I gazed at the maids until my eyes caught a servant rushing this way.

“My Lady, my Lady!”

“What is it? Is there a problem?”

The servant, who took a moment to catch his breath, held out a letter to me. The tulip shape on the seal annoyed me.

“Is… that from Sonot Quinton?”

“Yes.”

I opened the envelope. It was more like tearing than opening.

「—To my ex-fiancée Petunia.」

Wow. 

The first sentence was enough to make me sick. Now thinking about it, it must have been hard to write such a lame sentence.

I continued to read the letter, barely holding back the urge to crumple it.

「Petunia, I’ve heard about how you are doing. You lost your will to eat and drink, didn’t you? It’s quite overwhelming to hear that. Now that I know how hurt you are, I understand why you splashed coffee on me.

Oh, without you Petunia. You were once everything to me. How did we end up like this? If only you understood me a little more… Wouldn’t we be watching the summer flowers bloom by now?

Whenever your helpless face comes to my mind, my heart aches and my eyes start burning because of tears. So I decided to forgive you once again. This will be the last time I’ll be giving you a chance. No one in the world cares about you as much as I do… Blah blah blah…」

I read halfway through the letter before tearing it as the servant watched at the scene in shock.

He wrote about meeting again after a long time.

How dare he say he’ll forgive me on a matter he was in the wrong. No matter how I looked at it, he was putting me in the wrong.

“Ah, my lady. It wasn’t Prince** Quinton’s letter?”

“No. You brought the correct letter.”

“But why… wasn’t this letter what my Lady has been waiting for?”

“…”

“What I’ve been waiting for?”

“Wasn’t my Lady waiting to hear from Prince Sonot?”

“Why would I?”

I opened my eyes wide and stared at the servant. Perhaps it was an unexpected question, the servant’s face got pale.

I asked since I was genuinely curious. Why would I wait for that bastard’s letter?

“I’ve been into Sonot for quite some time. But it’s all in the past now.”

“…”

“Why wait for him when we ended everything between us? I don’t even wonder whether he is alive or not.”

“…”

“And I feel sick even when I hear Sonot’s ‘So’. From now on, ignore every call from House Quinton.”

“Is my Lady serious…?”

“Yes, also I would really appreciate it if you could deliver House Quinton that I don’t want any more relationship with them.”

“…U-understood.”

The servant who nodded still being in shock quickly got away from the way he came.

I took a sip from my black tea ignoring the maids chattering.

I expected him to contact me, just didn’t think it would be this soon. The plan I’ve made seemed to be completely ruined because of this.

I could imagine Sonot’s face all pale and flustered if he were to come to the Count. I got up from my seat thinking of preparing salt to sprinkle on him next time.

I left the maids on the training ground and returned to the mansion alone. I didn’t want to be accompanied by the maids while being in this mood.

As soon as I entered the mansion, I found my father… no, the Count, talking to my servant.

No matter how much time I spent here, it was still difficult to call a stranger, and a foreigner with blond hair and blue eyes at that, father.

I didn’t know how to call this man father…

Then, I saw my reflection in the window.

I, too, had blond hair and blue eyes. I touched my cheek as I felt weird suddenly.

“Father.”

I approached my father with a gentle smile.

My father, who noticed me too late, startled and dismissed the servant he was talking to.

Was it such a surprise to see your own child in your house? His behavior was quite different from usual hence I couldn’t help but get suspicious.

“Oh, yes. Petunia.”

I was sure that his eyes were shaking as if there was an earthquake going on in them.

My suspicion got worse when he hid the envelope on his hand to his back.

I pushed back my curiosity for a moment and spoke in a friendly manner.

“Alright. So! I heard father ordered to put a table under the tree in the training grounds. You didn’t even tell me.”

“Haha, that’s not something to brag about.”

“What do you mean it’s not? It helped me relax. Thank you so much, father.”

“I am glad to hear that.”

The shock of the past disappeared from the Count’s face. I didn’t miss the chance and asked.

“Also.”

“…hm?”

“What’s the envelope you’re holding?”

“…”

“I believe it’s not about work, since it doesn’t have an official seal on it.”

I asked with an innocent face. What I learned by the time I stayed in this mansion was, the Count’s family members were quite weak towards Petunia.

The beautiful and intelligent Countess, who already had a gentle nature, cared about Petunia very much. Because she raised her without scolding her, the affection between them was bound to be great even after she grew up.

It was the same with Petunia’s older brother, Forte.

Petunia and her older brother of three years, Forte, were kind and friendly, as they inherited the characteristics of the Countess. For Forte, Petunia was a cute and lovely sister as well as a good friend that he can share his troubles with.

Petunia and Sonot’s engagement was allowed with the help of Forte. He helped because it was the first time Petunia, who had always been calm and decent, wished for something so much.

Because of these examples, I knew everyone in the Count Family loved Petunia as much as to make her their weak point.

I felt guilty for using them, but I was going to use it frugally.

‘If I ask a little more, he will say it in the end.’

I made eye contact with my father, which I usually never make.

「The North Wind and The Sun」*: https://fablesofaesop.com/the-north-wind-and-the-sun.html

Prince**: He is the Prince of a Dukedom.