Chapter 18 (Part 2)

An idiot, he said.

Nicholas knew what Raymond Fernandez thought of his second son. While it didn’t seem like he considered him as his successor, he was always proud of him. After all, wasn’t he the one slated to become the next Tower Master? It would be a lie to say he wasn’t proud of his son.

“Is that all he said?”

Though Leonardo hesitated slightly, his expression, which had remained calm throughout, faltered a bit at Amelia’s question.

Nicholas’ face showed a glimmer of hope. Perhaps, there was nothing more.

“He told me to leave immediately.”

Leonardo’s face drooped as he fell silent. Of course, there was much more said than just that, but the conclusion was to leave, so there was no need to elaborate.

Nicholas, faced with an answer he didn’t expect—or perhaps had expected—collapsed into his chair with a drained expression.

“Did he disown you?”

“…I’m not sure about that.”

At Leonardo’s response, Nicholas’ expression grew complicated.

It’s not as though a man’s purity being slightly tarnished would drastically reduce his value in the marriage market. Besides, isn’t free love becoming more common these days? There’s even talk about official purity standards.

“Was the Duke of Fernandez always such a rigid man?”

At Nicholas’ muttered words, Leonardo subtly turned his head away.

By now, his father was probably lying in bed, groaning from his skyrocketing blood pressure, but what did it matter? His mother would be nursing him diligently.

‘That’s not my problem.’

Seeing Leonardo’s somewhat lonely expression, Nicholas sighed and said.

“Rumors tend to die down with time.”

At his words, Leonardo hesitated briefly before replying.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“I want Sir Grace Lowell.”

When the words Nicholas least wanted to hear finally came out of Leonardo’s mouth, Nicholas pressed his temples as if he had a headache.

As he pressed harder, Leonardo spoke again.

“Even if I have to marry in as a son-in-law, I hope you’ll accept me.”

At his words, Nicholas fell silent.

The inevitable had arrived.

Amelia, who had already anticipated those words, gently patted her husband’s shoulder, which was brimming with all sorts of emotions, and said to the butler.

“Prepare a guest room for Sir Fernandez.”

“Yes, Madam.”

Amelia, who gestured for Leonardo to follow the butler, watched his retreating figure for a while before embracing her husband and saying.

“It seems we’re getting quite an extraordinary son-in-law.”

“I didn’t wish for such an excessive son-in-law.”

“I’ll meet with Charlotte to discuss the aftermath.”

“…Do as you please.”

Amelia chuckled lightly as she looked at Nicholas, who seemed somewhat melancholic but agreed that the situation needed to be addressed.

* * *

After a busy day outside, Grace returned to the Knight Order headquarters and let out a deep sigh.

She had intended to talk to Leonardo, but for some reason, the newly built tower was completely deserted, not even a shadow of a person in sight.

After lingering in front of it for a while, she noticed the strange looks from passersby and finally turned away.

‘I can’t keep wasting time like this.’

Leonardo wasn’t just a little persistent—he was extremely persistent. Having upset such a person, she couldn’t predict what might happen.

Completely unaware of the events that had already unfolded, Grace sighed and led her horse back home.

“Butler, where is Father?”

When she asked the butler who came to greet her where Nicholas was, he looked troubled.

“The master complained of a headache and retired to his bedroom.”

“Father? That’s why I always tell him to exercise.”

The butler, who would usually retort to her remarks, remained silent, causing Grace to glance at him.

The butler only looked troubled and said nothing. It was then that Grace noticed the peculiar atmosphere among the other servants as well.

“What’s going on? Did something happen at home?”

Unaware that this was related to the conversation she had with Becky that morning, Grace frowned as she looked around.

But no one met her gaze.

“Bring Becky to me.”

Though she wanted to question the unsettling atmosphere, Grace, exhausted from her day, didn’t have the energy to press further.

Waving her hand dismissively, she scattered the servants and trudged upstairs.

‘Where on earth did Leo go? He’s not answering my calls. Could it be… he’s so angry that he doesn’t even want to see me?’

As she entertained the thought she didn’t even want to consider, Grace roughly loosened the cravat that was tightly choking her neck.

Swinging open her bedroom door, she frowned at the unlit room.

“Why are the lights off?”

Turning on the lights was a simple task, but for some reason, she felt unusually irritable today.

Ignoring the fact that she could light the room with a flick of her hand, Grace threw the cravat she had been holding onto the bed.

“—Ugh, damn it.”

She had acted according to her judgment to be with Leonardo, but everything seemed to have gone horribly wrong.

But giving up wasn’t an option.

‘I have to find a way to be with Leo, no matter what.’

If all else failed, she’d have to storm into the Duke’s residence and demand he hand over his son.

By now, she couldn’t even imagine a life without Leonardo.

Throwing her clothes haphazardly onto the floor, Grace waited for Becky in the dark room, but strangely, she didn’t come.

“…I’m so tired.”

Dealing with people was something she could never get used to, no matter how much time passed. She would have preferred hours of sword training over this.

Her final task for the day had been meeting with the family elders to gain recognition as the young master. They had bombarded her with endless questions, doubting her qualifications as a knight, and even brought up the rumors circulating in society to tarnish her honor.

“Those stubborn old fools.”

She finally understood why her father would always return furious after meeting with the elders.

Pressing her temples as if trying to alleviate her fatigue, Grace spoke in a cold voice.

“I’ve been pretending not to notice for a while now, but who exactly is the guest in my room?”

With those words, a sharp killing intent filled the room.

Still staring at the door, Grace added.

“If you’re going to attack, do it quickly. If not—”

She cut herself off and moved.

In an instant, she subdued the intruder and pinned them to the floor, her sword at their throat.

“Want to die—Leo?”

In truth, Grace had known there was an unfamiliar presence in the room the moment she entered. That’s why she hadn’t bothered to turn on the lights and had shown a relaxed demeanor, as if she were letting her guard down.

She had waited for the right moment to eliminate the intruder in one swift move. But the cautious individual hadn’t made any moves, forcing her to strike first.

“Leo, how are you here—no, why are you in my room?”

At Grace’s flustered voice, Leonardo let out a low chuckle and snapped his fingers.

With a cheerful sound, light returned to the room that had been engulfed in darkness. In one corner sat Becky, trembling.

Seeing this, Grace frowned and said, 

“Did you threaten my maid?”

At Grace’s icy tone, Leonardo raised his hands with an innocent expression. 

“I merely made a request.”

At his words, Grace sighed and gestured for Becky to leave. Becky, as if her tail were on fire, dashed out of the room. Watching her flee, Grace plopped herself down on top of Leonardo’s stomach and pressed her finger firmly against his chest.

“Now, tell me. What is going on?”

“You didn’t tell me the truth, Gracie.”

At his words, Grace narrowed her eyes. The moment she heard this, she immediately understood what was going on.

Leaning closer, Grace whispered in a low voice,

“It was you, wasn’t it?”

At her words, Leonardo smiled faintly, as if confirming her suspicion.

While it was outrageous for Leonardo Fernandez to pull such a stunt, part of her understood. After all, she hadn’t told him anything.

“Should I interpret this as desperation, enough to resort to such petty tactics?”

When Grace smiled brightly, Leonardo stretched his arm out and wrapped it around her neck.

“My unfeeling lover left me all alone, so I couldn’t help myself.”

At his words, which lay somewhere between sulking and pleading, Grace burst into laughter. Just talking to him seemed to erase the fatigue that had piled up throughout the day, and it felt wonderful.

“…Now, come down, my daughter.”

That is, until she heard an ominous voice filled with anger coming from behind her.

Grace, startled, slowly turned her head to see Nicholas, his face filled with suppressed fury. Standing beside him was Amelia, looking troubled. And behind them, Becky stood with her head bowed, unable to do anything.

No, to exaggerate a little, it felt as though all the servants of the Marquisate had come out to witness the scene.

“Hurry.”

Caught off guard by the unexpected situation, Grace flinched and hesitantly climbed off of Leonardo.

The moment she stepped down, Leonardo carefully adjusted his clothes. Watching this, Grace’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Seeing her eyes, filled with betrayal, Leonardo smiled faintly.

“Sir Lowell, it’s time… to take responsibility.”

At those words, Grace grabbed her head and shouted, 

“How could you say that?!”

“I never ran away!” she added, yelling in frustration. But the more she protested, the more Leonardo’s expression grew wistful.

It didn’t take long for the gazes that once saw her as the precious young lady of the Marquisate to shift, as though they were looking at a thief.

“It’s really not true!”

But no one believed her words, filled with injustice. Truly, no one.

<I’ve Swapped Bodies with My Nemesis! (Volume 3 END)>