Chapter 2
There were two heads of the Valentine Duchy.
Fifteen years ago, Castro Rem Valentine earned the title of Hero during the Conquest War. Later, when the Empire was struck by a terrible plague, Clarice Rem Valentine, a high priest, appeared like a miracle and saved countless lives.
Both of them had made history — beloved by the people, respected by nobles, and honored by the Emperor himself with the Imperial Medal, the highest distinction for a subject. They were the Empire’s pride and glory.
But not long after, because of them, a historic event occurred — one so great that the Emperor had to revise the Empire’s laws.
That event would later become the most famous story in Valentine family history.
“Nice to meet you, Duke Valentine. I’m Penelope of House Leranswell.”
“……”
The hero who had once shaken the entire Empire.
The man who became the first in Imperial history to enter a same-sex marriage.
The two current heads of the Valentine Duchy were—
“Sit.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
—the two male leads of this novel (the Gong and Soo).
“Why did you ask to see me?”
His voice was cold and intimidating.
No—terrifying.
This was what true authority felt like. Even though he wasn’t yelling, the air itself felt heavy.
‘So this is what it feels like to be glared at by a hero…!’
Her small-citizen heart shrank instantly.
“…There’s something I’d like to ask of you, Your Grace. I apologize for the intrusion.”
“At least you know it’s an intrusion.”
“……”
Damn. How do you even respond to that?
Well, she couldn’t blame him. The current Duke of Leranswell — her father — had tormented these two mercilessly in the original novel. The fact that this man hadn’t killed her on sight was already something to be grateful for.
She knew it, too. She was lucky just to be breathing in front of him.
Still, not knowing when she might die made her heart pound with fear.
“Speak directly. I don’t like wasting time.”
His sharp eyes narrowed dangerously. Instinctively, Penelope flinched. It stung her pride a little, but this was pure survival instinct — like a deer frozen before a predator.
‘It can’t be helped. He’s scary!’
To her surprise, he gave a small, amused smile. Those golden eyes, rumored to have seen rivers of blood in war, glimmered as they studied her.
‘Am I really going to survive this?’
‘No, focus. I’m on my own path. Just say what I came to say.’
She couldn’t forget her goal.
Penelope picked up one of the macarons placed before her and took a small bite.
‘If I keep my mouth busy, maybe I won’t panic.’
She was terrified — honestly, she wanted to grab her skirt and run away right now. But this was her last chance.
If she failed today, she would be branded the daughter of a traitor and die in prison for attempted regicide.
“…Lately, there have been all kinds of rumors about my family,” she began.
Of course, he must have already heard.
Everyone in the capital knew — even the street kids.
“What about them?”
He leaned back against the sofa, crossing his long legs and resting his clasped hands on his knee. His gaze was steady, unreadable.
“All of them are true.”
“…!”
His lips parted slightly in surprise, but he didn’t interrupt. That silence — that he hadn’t kicked her out yet — meant there was still hope.
“At this point, everyone knows three things,” she continued calmly.
‘The three rumors that signal the fall of Leranswell.’
“First, our family’s corruption has started to leak.”
That was already being investigated by the Imperial administration.
“Second, the current Duke of Leranswell replaced the Empress’s royal physician with one of his own men.”
That same physician had already been arrested.
“And lastly — people all over the Empire, even in the distant provinces, are saying the Empress’s illness was caused by the Leranswell family’s wickedness.”
She smiled faintly. “I’m sure Your Grace understands what I mean.”
She took another bite of the macaron. The strawberry sweetness exploded across her tongue — a reminder that she was still alive, for now.
And now, the real gamble began.
“So, there’s something I’d like to ask of you, Your Grace.”
“What is it?”
Penelope straightened her stiff neck and forced her shoulders back.
It’s okay. You can do this.
“Please adopt me.”
‘If that’s what it takes… I’ll give you what you want in return.’
Watching his face darken, she smiled inwardly. Good. If he was reacting emotionally, it meant she’d hit the mark.
Better to shock him than to dance around the topic.
No one — not even these two powerful men — would have expected the daughter of Leranswell to attack their weak point so directly.
‘So this is why transmigrators always use dramatic lines like this in contracts.’
She thought wryly. Even if she didn’t know every detail of the future, she knew the story — she’d read this world in a book.
‘Ha…’
That knowledge — of people, events, and even natural disasters — was her one advantage.
It couldn’t save her from everything, but it was better than nothing.
“Why should I?” he asked coldly.
‘Because I want to live.’
“My father will be arrested soon. For the Empress poisoning case.”
“What?”
Once he was caught, House Leranswell would collapse.
And her father — selfish as ever — wouldn’t protect her. In court, he would probably use her as a shield, begging for mercy by saying, ‘Please spare me, I have a daughter to care for.’
If he got leniency, he’d likely lock her away somewhere and forget about her.
‘Mercy?’ she thought bitterly. ‘Who gave you that right?’
“Forgive me, but… please save me.”
She refused to wear her father’s chains any longer.
‘Even if people curse me for betraying my family, that’s fine.’
Her father’s filthy greed wasn’t worth her life.
That night
In his study, Duke Castro Valentine sat silently at his desk, lost in thought. After a while, he stood and walked to the window.
He threw it open wide. A thin crescent moon hung in the night sky, and the cool air filled his lungs. He exhaled deeply.
Right then, a familiar voice spoke behind him.
“What are you going to do?”
He turned slightly at the sound.
Under the flickering candlelight stood a graceful man — silver hair glowing faintly red in the flame.
It was Clarice, his spouse and co-head of the Valentine Duchy, currently serving as the Empire’s High Priest.
“What do you mean?”
“The Leranswell girl who came earlier.”
A faint smile played on Clarice’s lips. The closer he walked toward Castro, the more amused that smile became.
He still couldn’t quite believe what had happened that afternoon.
“…Who did you say came?”
“Leranswell.”
“That damned duke wouldn’t dare come here himself. Wait—ah. Right, all his relatives are dead.”
“…It was his daughter.”
“His daughter?”
He remembered her voice clearly.
‘Please adopt me.’
‘Please save me.’
‘I can help you. I can solve a problem no one else can.’
Her golden hair and desperate eyes flashed through his mind.
He hadn’t been expecting any visitors today. So why had that pretty little girl been standing in his cold, lifeless mansion?
When he’d asked the butler who she was, the answer was:
‘Penelope Leranswell.’
He had been speechless.
“How bold,” Clarice chuckled.
That the daughter of that mad duke had come herself asking to be adopted—what audacity.
“In a way, she’s like her father — always doing reckless things. But unlike him, she seems to truly despise the man.”
Maybe it was just a family that hated each other.
‘Not surprising, given that entire house is insane.’
Still—
“She’s… interesting.”
Clarice reached Castro’s desk, glancing through the documents his partner had been writing.
‘Penelope,’ huh?
Normally, the name Leranswell made him grit his teeth. He would have gladly torn those monsters limb from limb.
So why did that girl feel less hateful… and more intriguing?
Was she simply too young to know fear, or foolish like her father?
“You signed it?” Clarice asked casually.
‘What, really? That paranoid man actually signed something?’
Castro turned his head away, pretending not to hear. His expression practically said, ‘I’m not answering that.’
Clarice laughed softly.
“Well, if she turns out to be a spy, we’ll just kill her the moment she slips.”
He added playfully, “As long as she’s not a nuisance, she might be entertaining.”
“……”
“If it’s sympathy, that’s fine. If she betrays us, that’s fine too. Honestly, she’s so audacious that part of me wants to strangle her, but…”
He smirked faintly.
“She’s worth watching.”
Clarice dipped the pen in ink and, with a satisfied smile, signed the document beside him.
“Our daughter.”
