Chapter 3

The next afternoon, after politely seeing off the members of the noble family, who had various expressions on their faces, Margaret welcomed the Earl and Countess of Stroud—Percival’s parents. Despite finishing her urgent work and returning home early, Margaret greeted them, but her expression remained tense.

It was Margaret herself who had suggested formally apologizing to the two of them.

Percival said there was no need to worry, but it couldn’t be that simple. They had trusted the Wordsworth family and chosen Julia as the bride for their precious son. It was necessary to take responsibility for completely betraying their expectations and even attempting to deceive them.

Margaret had originally intended to go to them to apologize, but the Earl and Countess expressed their desire to visit the estate, saying they wanted to see how it was doing after a long time. With the added fact that they planned to return to their territory in a few days, the sudden visit was decided.

"---I am truly very sorry for this."

In the parlor, Margaret, facing them, bowed deeply after explaining the situation in her own words. For the Earl and Countess, this was far from a surprise; the situation of the sisters switching places, not just at the ball but even before that, was highly unusual. Due to Percival’s strong request, the explanation of Margaret’s unique magic was kept to a minimum, making it hard to believe.

However, throughout Margaret’s explanation, the Earl and Countess, though surprised, did not interrupt her. After listening to the end and receiving Margaret’s sincere apology, the Earl finally spoke.

"…So, it was you, Miss Margaret, who has been with Percival from the day of the wedding until today, correct?"

"Yes, my lord… I deeply apologize for deceiving everyone for over five months."

"And in society, you played the role of Miss Julia, while Miss Julia herself pretended to be you and indulged in nightlife?"

"Yes."

"Hmm… But, according to the story, Percival realized the switch early on, didn’t he?"

When the Earl directed this question, Percival, sitting next to Margaret, nodded calmly.

"Yes. I could see Margaret’s true self from the beginning. I decided to protect her and love her as my wife on my own accord."

"Oh my…!"

The Countess exclaimed with a mix of joy at Percival’s response.

"Listen, my dear! Percival is completely smitten, isn’t he!"

"It seems so. I knew I wasn’t mistaken in my judgment."

The Earl and Countess exchanged smiles, a situation that Margaret found hard to understand. She was unsure whether it was appropriate to interject and was inwardly flustered. Then,

"It’s alright, Margaret."

Percival, elegantly sipping his tea, said.

"Your apology has been accepted, I think. You can see that they don’t really mind, right?"

"!? How can that be…"

"No, Percival is right; we don’t really mind."

Margaret’s eyes widened at the Earl’s agreement.

"I mean, we don’t mind about you, Miss Margaret, but we do have some thoughts about the Wordsworth family."

"I will take the necessary steps on my end, so please leave it to me."

Percival quickly interjected, and the Earl nodded in satisfaction, while the Countess chuckled beside him.

"I really like you, Margaret… I feel very relieved."

The Countess then directed a loving gaze at Margaret.

"May I call you Margaret?"

"…Yes."

"Thank you. You already know about Percival’s unique magic, right?"

"Yes, I have heard about it."

"And you still want to be by his side… Is that what you wish?"

"? Yes, if you can forgive me."

Margaret answered honestly, not fully grasping the intent behind the question, and the Countess’s smile deepened.

"You see, Margaret, a normal person would be a bit hesitant when they realize their partner can’t be fooled by lies, right?"

"…? Is that so…?"

For Margaret, who found lying painful, the Countess’s words didn’t quite resonate. She no longer had anything to hide from Percival and didn’t plan to in the future.

"…But, rather, it means that Percival can understand my true feelings. In the sense that there’s no room for doubt, it should be a good thing, shouldn’t it…?"

Her casual comment caused everyone in the room to focus their gaze on her. Even Percival was surprised, his eyes widening. Realizing she had unexpectedly confused everyone, Margaret’s face turned pale, wondering if she had said something wrong.

But the next moment,

"Ah!?"

"Ah… You’re really cute. I love you. I won’t let you go."

Suddenly, Percival hugged her tightly, completely stripping away Margaret’s ladylike facade. The fact that his parents were right there made the situation incredibly embarrassing.

"Lord Percival!? Let me go!!"

"No, can’t, too hard."

"Wh-What!? Are you feeling unwell!? What should we do, someone—"

If he was unwell, the situation would be different. Margaret tried to get help from Graham, who was supposed to be standing behind, but as she raised her head,

"Ha ha ha ha!!"

The parlor echoed with hearty laughter. Startled, Margaret turned her gaze to the source of the laughter, seeing the Earl with tears in his eyes, laughing loudly. The Countess, though hiding half her face behind a fan, was also shaking with laughter, unable to contain it.

On the other hand, Percival, despite claiming to be unwell, was energetically rubbing his head against Margaret’s shoulder. The more energetic he seemed, the more confused Margaret became.

(…What is going on here…!?)

Margaret was at a loss.

She couldn’t understand why such a chaotic situation had arisen during an apology.

Then, after a moment of laughter, the Earl said to Margaret in a light tone, "Sorry, sorry."

"Miss Margaret… No, Margaret. I’m really glad you came to Percival."

"Huh…?"

"It’s simple, really."

The Earl smiled warmly.

"If you’re willing, Margaret, I hope you will continue to be by my son’s side. It seems Percival can’t be happy without you."