I Became the Male Lead in a Romance Fantasy Novel

001. Garden Party (1)

“…Directly, you say?”

The butler asked with widened eyes at my response.

It was a sight of someone who had seen something unbearable and might collapse, even in their expression.

“Is there something wrong?”

I asked, wondering if I had done something wrong, and the butler shook his head.

Thankfully, it seemed I hadn’t made any mistakes.

That was fortunate, but…

The butler’s expression was still strange.

As I furrowed my brows, the butler hesitated before speaking.

“Didn’t you usually not discard what Lady Edelt sent.”

“….”

Ah.

Right, of course.

I acted on my own without considering the usual behavior of the main character, Owen.

In the original, Owen found Lucia bothersome.

So, he threw away all the things she had given him, and burned all the invitations and letters he received in the fireplace.

He thought that by doing so, she would stop trying to get close to him.

Unfortunately, his thoughts were completely wrong.

“…I thought I might have been a bit too much.”

Since there was no particular reason to bring it up, I made up an excuse casually.

At that, the butler’s expression became even more peculiar.

It was as if he was saying, ‘Now you realize?’

Well.

Lucia starting to want Owen wasn’t recent.

Even if we calculate from the start of the original, it’s been almost three years….

Wait, hold on.

Wasn’t the time when the original started now?

“Did Viscount Taylor adopt a daughter?”

I wanted to check the calendar to find out, but unfortunately, I didn’t know the exact date the original began.

Helplessly, although it might seem suspicious, I asked the butler.

“Viscount Taylor… adopted a daughter?”

At my question, the butler made a face as if to say, ‘What a strange thing to ask.’

“No. There was no such news.”

With a firm denial, I let out a sigh of relief.

“In that case, it’s a relief.”

“A relief…?”

“It’s just me talking to myself. So, about the invitation?”

Boldly demanding the invitation from the flustered butler, he handed it to me despite his confusion.

I cautiously accepted the red envelope that the butler handed to me.

Inside was an invitation written by Lucia herself, and the thought made my heart tremble.

“I’m actually seeing an invitation written by Lucia.”

There were too many limits to fangirling over characters from novels.

Even if it was a popular web novel turned webtoon, the character I fangirled over was an unpopular villainess.

There were limits to whom I could fangirl over.

But this was no ordinary letter; it was handwritten by her.

It was like owning an official merchandise instead of the fan-made goods I usually created.

I tried to calm myself down as much as possible, taking slow breaths.

Carefully, I opened the envelope and took out the invitation inside.

[To His Grace, Viscount Verdin.

We are planning a garden party at the Edelt Mansion next week to welcome spring.

If it suits Your Grace, please do attend.

The garden party is scheduled for next Wednesday at 3 p.m.

Looking forward to seeing you on that day.

Lucia Edelt.]

Even though it was a letter addressed to Owen, my heart strangely fluttered.

I read and reread the invitation several times.

The elegant and dazzling handwriting, every single word inscribed on the invitation, felt too precious.

I tenderly stroked the invitation before putting it back into the envelope.

Then I asked the butler.

“Do we have any plans next Wednesday afternoon?”

“Yes, there is a business meeting scheduled.”

“Cancel it.”

“Yes…?”

The butler, after a brief moment of confusion, eventually gave an affirmative response.

“…Yes.”

Whether it was Owen’s composure or his profound trust in Owen, the butler didn’t even question my request.

I averted my gaze from him and focused on the envelope once more.

“Is there a suitable place to keep it safe?”

I pondered carefully but couldn’t come up with an answer.

With no other option, I turned to the butler again.

“Do we have something like a display cabinet?”

“A display cabinet, you say?”

The butler, with a puzzled look, seemed to give up on deep thought and took a short breath.

Then he provided an answer to my query.

“Your Grace, since you have never shown a particular interest in collecting items to warrant a display cabinet, there is currently none in the mansion. If you require one, I shall arrange for it.”

“No, that won’t be necessary.”

The butler’s absolute deference was somewhat disconcerting.

Perhaps he had never encountered someone like me before.

Just as I was about to refuse, the original content came to mind.

In “Empire’s Flower,” Lucia had sent numerous gifts to Owen.

Though I had already discarded many, there were still more to come.

After a brief moment of hesitation, I changed my mind.

“That wouldn’t be a bad idea. Please prepare a display cabinet.”

“Yes, understood.”

With a display cabinet, I could carefully store the gifts Lucia would give in the future.

The thought was satisfying.

The issue was whether this was a dream or reality.

If it was a dream, I would wake up in the middle of it and miss out on Lucia’s gifts.

If it was reality, I could receive them.

Lost in somewhat serious thoughts, the butler called me again.

“Your Grace.”

As I turned to look at him, the butler spoke.

“Breakfast time has already been delayed by 30 minutes.”

While I was excitedly looking at Lucia’s invitation, 30 minutes had passed.

Indeed, time flew by swiftly when fangirling, I thought, as the butler continued.

“In 30 minutes, today’s schedule will begin.”

“….”

“You must hurry and have your meal. While Your Highness was away on a business trip, a lot of documents piled up.”

Suddenly, his words brought a jolt of reality.

Handle the workload.

This couldn’t be a dream.

If it was a dream, it must be a nightmare.

I forced myself to nod, thinking that reality was indeed cruel.

◈

I came to a conclusion.

This was definitely reality, not some dream.

Otherwise, after waking up from sleep countless times, the Owen I continued to be made no sense.

Moreover…

“Today, there’s a business meeting scheduled.”

“…I see.”

The workload was disgustingly heavy.

Very, extremely, heavy.

Could there be a more realistic situation than this?

For a moment, memories of my college days before embodying Owen resurfaced.

‘Back then, it was hard to juggle part-time work and studies, so I was considering taking a break…’

To maintain the scholarship, I needed to keep my grades up, and juggling work along with studies left me with no time or energy.

Even amidst that, I was reading web novels and indulging in fandom, so there was no room for complaints, but I had to find a way to relieve the stress.

I had no choice but to take a break and ended up temporarily becoming Owen, planning to work part-time.

Initially, I was elated at the thought of meeting Lucia, but now-.

It was half joy, half agony.

‘No matter what I do, the documents won’t disappear…’

Burdened with piles of work, I couldn’t sleep for hours, and under the guise of business trips and meetings, I had to run around everywhere.

Luckily, having read the original work dozens of times and memorized the settings separately was helpful, and there weren’t major issues with work.

Of course, there were minor problems, but those were within reach of the butler’s assistance.

Moreover, Owen’s physical abilities and stamina were at a monstrous level, so physically, I didn’t feel strained or tired.

It was just mentally exhausting.

‘Not even a single day off.’

I let go of the pen I was holding as if throwing it and slumped onto the desk.

In a moment of deep exhalation, my eyes caught sight of the calendar.

There was a red circle drawn on the calendar.

“…Finally.”

The day of Lucia’s garden party.

Finally, it was tomorrow.

◈

Owen sighed as he got into the carriage.

Though the invitation sent by Lucia clearly stated that the garden party started at 3 p.m., the meeting ended later than scheduled, making him already late.

The master of the mansion was always busy, but today was the day to meet Lucia, so he paid as much attention as possible.

To ensure his work didn’t overlap with the time of her garden party.

‘Yet it turned out like this.’

Despite his efforts, the plan had gone awry.

It was because the business meeting counterpart from overseas arrived later than planned.

He wanted to say something to that person, but being a business associate, Owen simply endured.

Scolding or blaming the counterpart wouldn’t change reality.

It was more efficient to hurry now than to expend emotions needlessly.

“Please hurry to Edelte Manor as quickly as possible.”

Owen checked his wristwatch and urged the coachman.

In response to Owen’s urging, the coachman nodded and started driving the carriage quickly.

Inside the fast-moving carriage, Owen did a final check of his attire.

He wasn’t particularly interested in dressing up, but today was an exception with a splendid outfit.

It was because Lucia liked elaborate clothes.

Whether it was hers or her partner’s.

Of course, due to Owen’s charismatic appearance, almost anything he wore wouldn’t look odd.

His face was very beautiful, and even his body proportions were perfect.

However, that didn’t mean he could wear just anything.

‘On the way to see Lucia.’

Almost going to see her.

It wouldn’t do to wear anything without thought.

So Owen carefully chose and put on his clothes, even attaching a brooch.

“We have arrived, Your Grace.”

While Owen was lost in such pointless thoughts, the carriage reached its destination.

The groom descended first to open the carriage door, and Owen, taking a deep breath, stepped out of the carriage.

Just a while ago, he was in a rush and flustered due to being late, but upon arriving at the mansion, his whole body tensed up.

As Owen stepped down from the carriage towards the entrance of the Edelte Manor, the gatekeepers widened their eyes and stuttered in surprise.

It was understandable since Owen was an unexpected guest to them.

The story of their lady wanting to win over Duke Verdin was quite famous, but no one believed it would actually materialize.

Duke Verdin was someone who had no interest in building relationships with others, and he seemed to find Lucia, in particular, quite bothersome.

Therefore, despite Lucia sending invitations daily, no one truly expected Owen to come.

Even Lucia herself must have felt the same.

The gatekeepers had even doubted upon seeing the grand carriage.

Despite the black wolf symbol representing Duke Verdin engraved on the carriage, they couldn’t believe it was actually the Duke.

It was such an unrealistic situation.

Duke Verdin visiting the Edelte Manor.

“Why are they here…”

They muttered with blank expressions.

Seeing their half-hearted and bewildered reactions, Owen felt puzzled.

Surely, they were well aware of Lucia’s desire to have Owen.

“Do they not know Owen’s appearance?”

For a moment, he even had such thoughts.

Considering the rumors across the empire about Lucia setting her sights on Owen, there was hardly anyone who hadn’t heard.

“No, it can’t be. Black hair and dark eyes are unique to the protagonist.”

Upon contemplation, Owen was the only one on the continent with black hair and dark eyes.

So, everyone must know who he was.

But not opening the door was a bit strange.

However, Owen decided to think that the gatekeepers were just diligently doing their job.

So, instead of asking what was wrong, he simply presented the invitation sent by Lucia.

As Owen showed the invitation, the gatekeepers were even more surprised, gasping in astonishment.

“…Is there a problem?”

Their reaction was so odd that Owen furrowed his brows and asked, to which they quickly shook their heads.

“No, not at all. Please, come in.”

Owen was an exceptional noble and knight but was also known for his extreme coldness.

The gatekeepers, who feared some kind of punishment from him, denied any issues and ushered Owen inside.

Though their strange reactions puzzled him, Owen obediently entered the mansion.

More than the gatekeepers’ odd behavior, what was far more important to him was seeing Lucia.