I Became The Male Lead’s Female Friend

 ‘Duchess of Averine.’ 

How my heart leaped to my throat when I heard that.

For a moment I was speechless, biting my lip to keep my excitement in check, while the people 

in the room gazed at me warmly.

The chairman looked at me kindly and then spoke up.

He extended his hand to me and said,

With trembling eyes, I looked at his hand, but my hesitation was short-lived.

Without hesitation, I jumped to my feet and took his hand in mine. I shook it warmly, thanking him for his trust and telling him that I would repay it.

I also wished him well in the future.

If only the world around me hadn’t suddenly turned 180 degrees.

The next thing I knew, I woke up feeling a little dizzy, and before I knew it, I was lying face down on the floor.

Suddenly, there was a commotion around me. No, it seemed to have gotten louder. The surrounding noise was muffled, like I was wearing earplugs, and I couldn’t feel anything.

It was almost like a dream, as if I hadn’t been moving at all just a moment ago.

My mind began to blur as I didn’t even realize what was wrong.

There’s no way I should be falling asleep like this, and I still have a lot of work to do.

I had to see my parents, who would be on their way to the meeting in a few minutes, I had to tell them the good news, and I had to figure out how to screw Marquis Myers over.

Against my wishes, my consciousness was quickly sucked back into my sleep. I finally lowered my heavy eyes and thought.

I heard a familiar cry in my ear before I finally let go of the strings of consciousness.

It lasted about three days.

Actually, I only blacked out for one day, and after that, it was a series of passing out and waking up again.

And when I would briefly regain consciousness, I would see different scenes.

Jeron clawing at my head, the doctors tending to me in a frenzy, my parents looking down at me with tearful faces, wondering when I’d gotten home, and then…

The warmth I sometimes felt in my hand in the middle of the night.

Suddenly, I remembered an incident from my childhood that was similar to this one: the first time I got into an argument with Rudrick and spilled tea on myself.

My young body couldn’t handle the burn, and as I lay there, feverish and delirious, I felt like someone was holding my hand.

At first, I thought it was a dream, but it wasn’t.

This was definitely happening again.

Regaining full consciousness for the first time in about three days, I lifted my stiff eyes. Judging by the unfamiliar landscape, I was in a bedroom in a manor house. I scanned my surroundings for a moment, then slumped back down and muttered.

My voice cracked, and I smiled wryly.

My parents were freaking out for the first time in a long time.

They’d gotten word that I’d been injured in an accident on the way to the estate, and that I’d been kidnapped halfway there.

It’s a good thing I got out of there so quickly because the sight of my parents after a few days was unbelievable.

Seeing my father with his newfound weight and skeletal appearance startled me once, and seeing my mother slap me on the back as soon as she saw me was a second surprise.

Hastily shaking my head, I tried to make an excuse. But when I saw the look on my father’s face, I shut up.

Although he tried to sound stern, his reddened nose and sobbing made it obvious that he was crying. In the end, I could only bow my head like a sinner.

After that, I was scolded by my parents for a while longer.

My parents took the opportunity to air all their grievances as if they had a chance. 

They told me that I was too serious about my work, that I should take things a certain way, that I should play around a bit, that I should lean on them when things got tough, and so on.

My parents were stern and serious, but I couldn’t stop the laughter from escaping my lips.

Whether it was because they had been through so much when I was kidnapped, or because they were still alive and mad at me, I couldn’t help but feel a tingle in my chest.

As I listen to them quietly, I blurt out.

My parents looked at me incredulously, but when I opened my arms without a word, they sighed deeply and hugged me tightly.

Then I breathed deeply in their scent, which I hadn’t smelled in a long time, and burrowed into their arms like a fool. 

They didn’t hug me that tightly, and I felt tears welling up in my eyes because I wasn’t feeling well.

My parents stared at me wordlessly, until finally their faces softened, and they smiled, as if they couldn’t help it.

And I cried a little.

It’s been two weeks since the meeting.

I’ve been boringly idle since then.

Having been so busy running around, I hadn’t gotten used to this long-awaited peace.

So when I was able to move around a bit, I tried to wander around, but I was quickly caught.

When I woke up, I cried and laughed a bit emotionally, so I guess they thought it was more serious than it was.

Of course, they weren’t wrong, but I had only been sick for a week. I’ve always been a pretty healthy person, so I recovered quickly, and after a few days of lying around in bed, I was back on my feet.

While my arm still throbbed a bit from being ripped off and my head still ached from the blow, most of the minor cuts and bruises had healed.

Putting on my first dress clothes in a long time, I looked at myself in the mirror. The short hair that tickled near my neck felt awkward, and the destination I was about to visit after rising from my sickbed was somewhat obvious.

In fact, I had never met Rudrick until now.

It was ridiculous. One day he’d told me he’d wait for me when things were done, that he had something to say to me, and now there he was, jumping into the water again.

Somehow, it seemed like things hadn’t changed at all since I was a kid, but if there was a difference, it was for a good reason.

After an emotional reunion with my parents, the more sober me immediately asked about Rudrick. He must have been with me from the time we arrived at the manor until after I collapsed, but when I woke up, he was gone.

At my question, Mother shook her head and said,

I was suspicious of my Father, who broke out in a cold sweat.

But only now do I realize why. It was when I tried to tell my father about the person who had arranged my kidnapping.

If it had been someone who had nothing to do with us, I would have gnashed my teeth to get back exactly a hundred times what I got. But this was more complicated than that.

The

was involved.

My Father’s sister, that was. He hadn’t seen much of her, but from what I’d seen, their relationship wasn’t too bad.

However, I could not do anything that involved my Father’s sister. I thought it would be better to discuss this with my father, but his response was even more cold.

That’s my father’s biological sister…?

Looking at my father with complicated eyes, he looked furious like I’ve only seen a few times, so I kept my mouth shut. Suddenly, a scene flashed through my mind.

Rudrick, who spoke in the most murderous way in the world.

Father and Rudrick joining forces for revenge?

It’s not out of the question, but I had mixed feelings about the idea of the two of them being together in the first place.

But in the end, I shook my head and brushed it off.

My father may be the head of the household, but he’s also the head of the company, and he’s a man of action. And if he’s that angry, even I won’t be able to stop him.

For the sake of my mental health, let’s just move on. I’m not saying I wasn’t upset, but for the time being, I was satisfied that I had won the succession battle.

At least once a successor was chosen by unanimous consent, it would be untouchable.

With one last check of my attire, I left the mansion.

As recently as yesterday, my parents had urged me to leave when I felt better, but I was stubborn this time. I had heard that Rudrick, who was in the north, had come to the capital.

I must seek further learning.

But before I do, I wanted to tell Rudrick what I promised him.