Chapter 1
“So, there’s something I’d like to ask of you, Your Grace.”
Her speech was a little muffled because her mouth was full, but it didn’t matter. Penelope kept chewing the macaron in her hand and took a sip of milk.
The soft sweetness relaxed her stiff shoulders a little.
“…What is it?”
The man sitting across from her frowned in displeasure. His already sharp features looked even fiercer, making him seem scarier than before.
Don’t shrink now…! she told herself. Forcing herself not to cower under his piercing gaze, Penelope straightened her back.
She had come this far—she couldn’t just turn back empty-handed.
I have to make this contract count.
“Please adopt me.”
With that, she dropped the biggest bomb of her life—and smiled as brightly as she could. It was a survival instinct. She had to look as harmless and cute as possible.
“Adopt you?”
The man let out a short, disbelieving laugh, as if to say, ‘You? Seriously?’
It was his first real reaction since she’d started talking, and it made her nervous inside.
Wait, was that not the right approach?
“Why should I do that?” he asked flatly.
No—she couldn’t back down now.
Just a bit more.
She put down the half-eaten macaron, took a deep breath, and spoke carefully. She knew the kind of man he was—someone who hated beating around the bush or hearing lame excuses.
If she slipped up now, it wouldn’t just be rejection—she might actually lose her head.
You can do this.
She had no desire to die.
“My father… will be arrested soon. For trying to poison Her Majesty the Empress.”
“…What?”
She had come here to live, not to end up as a corpse.
At this point, there was no choice left. She had to survive—no matter what it took.
“I’m sorry, but… please, save me.”
One hour earlier
“Hyah!”
Clop-clop!
At the coachman’s shout, the two pairs of horses began to run, pulling the carriage forward.
The golden carriage left the grand mansion, passed through familiar streets, and rumbled over dirt roads into the open countryside.
When the city noise faded away, Penelope opened the window and looked out at the changing scenery.
The wide green fields and sparkling stream made her feel even more miserable.
“…Those bastards.”
She clicked her tongue, summing up her family—the household she’d lived in for years—in one short sentence.
Her maid, Lily, flinched at the sound, but Penelope didn’t care.
Damn that father of mine.
She sighed, shoulders trembling. Just thinking about him made her skin crawl.
Alexander de Leranswell.
Duke of the Golden House. Head of one of the Empire’s oldest and richest families—and, unfortunately, her only living relative.
…Well, that was technically true.
Ugh, I really hate him.
Some might scold her for speaking so harshly about her father, but honestly, she couldn’t care less. To her, he was nothing but a mortal enemy.
Why? Because she knew just how rotten he was.
She’d first learned about him from a novel.
Yes, a novel.
The House of Leranswell, “The Golden House,” “The Immortal Line of a Thousand Years”—all those cringey titles came from a book.
In that story, the Leranswell family was portrayed as one of the Empire’s pillars, secretly controlling the nation from behind the scenes—until the main characters appeared and tore it all down.
Readers hated them. Comments under every chapter were filled with curses toward that villainous family.
They were ruthless and cruel, always scheming to separate the protagonists and ruin their lives.
And now, Penelope was the only heir to that same house.
What am I supposed to do?
“Ugh…”
Suddenly, she didn’t want to live anymore.
Diamond spoon? Please. More like chalk dust.
At first, she’d tried to see the bright side. At least she had a powerful family, right?
She’d even tried to grow close to her father once—but that hope died when she was five years old.
That’s when her innocent dreams were crushed.
Should I just run away?
Even as a noble lady, she wasn’t safe.
When she first realized she’d been reborn inside a novel, she thought it wouldn’t be too bad. Surely, she could survive if she was careful.
But that was naïve. Wanting affection from that man was impossible.
Duke Alexander was a man consumed by greed and power—tax evasion, gambling, corruption, back-alley deals—he did it all.
And those crimes were exactly why their downfall was coming.
He was doomed from birth.
Before she was born, he’d been obsessed with the Emperor. Feeling inferior, he wanted to elevate himself by marrying his sister into the Imperial family.
His younger sister actually liked the Emperor, and it might have worked—if only the Emperor didn’t hate the Leranswells.
He refused and married another woman instead.
And Alexander… snapped.
“Call the royal physician! Now!”
“Your Majesty! Please wake up!”
“Search the entire palace! Someone tried to poison Her Majesty!”
Yes—he tried to poison the Empress.
Technically, it was still attempted murder, since she hadn’t died yet.
Either way, the outcome was clear.
“…We’re screwed.”
“What was that, my lady?” Lily asked.
“Nothing.”
Their family was finished.
After eleven years in this second life, this was her greatest crisis.
“Phew…”
By next Monday, the Emperor would move. Knights would storm the mansion, arrest her father, and either take her away or lock her up in the empty house.
After that—well, she knew how the story went.
The Leranswell Massacre.
The fall of the family.
“….”
“My lady, we’ve arrived.”
The carriage stopped. Leaning on the window, Penelope brushed her messy blonde hair with her fingers.
So, this was the place.
“Please be careful getting out, my lady.”
The door opened, and Lily stepped down first. She reached up a hand to help Penelope out.
An old man with neatly tied white hair was waiting for them.
“Welcome, Lady Leranswell,” he said politely. “I am Zebino, the butler of the House of Valentine.”
He must have been informed of her visit beforehand, since he treated her with great respect.
At least he’s not hostile. That’s a good sign.
“Thank you for coming out to greet me. I’m Penelope of House Leranswell,” she replied politely.
“Not at all, my lady. Please don’t speak so formally.”
Penelope smiled, shaking her head. She needed to make a good impression.
“How could I be informal? The House of Valentine is home to the Empire’s greatest hero.”
The butler’s expression twitched slightly—apparently, he hadn’t expected ‘hero’ to come out of her mouth.
“…Please, come inside. His Grace is waiting for you.”
He coughed lightly and turned around. At his signal, the knights at the door pulled the heavy mansion doors open.
Penelope clenched her jaw, forcing down her racing heart.
You can do this.
This was the only way she could save herself.
Because this wasn’t just any world—it was the setting of a cheap BL novel called “The Whereabouts of the Beautiful Flower.”
And today, she was going to meet that novel’s main couple in person—
—to make them sign an adoption contract.
