The study felt strangely quiet the moment I closed the door behind me.
Not the tense kind of quiet, just the comfortable, muffled silence that came from thick curtains, dark wood walls, and furniture that probably cost more than my old apartment building. The kind of room that made you instinctively lower your voice even when you were alone.
Honestly… a world like this, I should enjoy areas that actually felt private more often.
No nobles staring.
No servants hovering.
No Faye looking at me like I might accidentally change her life again.
Just me.
And the reward.
The book rested neatly on the desk as if it had always been there. Glossy cover, crisp edges. Not even a speck of dust.
Funnily enough, it even matched the color of the furniture it was summoned on.
It was completely brand new.
Which was a little unsettling, considering this was technically a copy of something I'd already read years ago. Seeing it physically here, in this world, made it feel less like fiction and more like some kind of official document detailing my future mistakes.
The title practically screamed at me.
A Knight After My Heart.
"…Man, that title is still as corny as ever," I muttered.
I pulled out the chair and sat down, elbows resting on the desk. For a few seconds, I just stared at it.
This was weird, right?
Opening a book about the world you're currently living in felt like checking spoilers for your own life. Part of me wondered if I'd see something like 'Chapter 392: The Duke Goes Bankrupt' and just ruin my week immediately.
But avoiding it wouldn't help either.
If anything, not reading it would probably get me killed faster.
"…No point being dramatic about it."
I flipped it open.
The familiar prologue greeted me instantly. The empire, the corruption, the war, the righteous knight destined to fix everything. Standard romance fantasy stuff. I skimmed most of it without much care. I already knew the broad strokes, and rereading every single line would take all day.
Still, bits and pieces came back to me.
Names I half remembered. Places I forgot existed. Political jargon I definitely skipped the first time.
Eventually, I flipped ahead until something caught my eye.
The chapter title made my hand stop mid-turn.
The Conclave of Dawn.
That was today.
Or… technically earlier today.
I leaned closer and started reading more carefully.
The opening paragraphs described the nobles gathering, the imperial hall, and the tension in the air.
Then me.
Or rather, him.
The duke arrived last, his presence alone enough to silence the hall. Cold, distant, untouchable. No one dared approach him, for fear of drawing his displeasure.
"…Yeah, that's expected"
I frowned.
Okay, maybe I should have expected that more. Considering the original owner of this body. Still... it didn't feel great reading about it though.
I kept going anyway.
When ordered to choose a political partner, Duke Noctierre rejected every offer without hesitation. Several houses attempted negotiations, yet all were dismissed. Lady Faye Amberlyne was not chosen. Instead, she remained among the lesser nobles, unnoticed.
"Yeah, makes sense... the actual Duke Noctierre wouldn't pick anyone in a whim like that, even the widowed Duchess."
Without backing from a greater house, the Amberlyne estate gradually fell into debt. Contracts went unpaid. Portions of the household were liquidated. Several servants were dismissed. Eventually, Lady Faye left the capital to seek work under the Imperial Knights' auxiliary corps.
My stomach sank slightly.
Seized?
Servants dismissed?
She left the house?
I couldn't help picturing that bright, cozy mansion suddenly empty and quiet.
Yeah… that didn't sit right with me at all.
The next line made everything click.
There, she met Leon for the first time.
Ah, the main character. Black-haired, blue-eyed knight guy back from the conclave.
Literal justice incarnate.
"So that's how they originally met."
Not some dramatic noble romance. Not a political engagement. Just two people at rock bottom bumping into each other.
Debt, hardship, shared struggle… then feelings.
Classic.
Now I feel terrible. I literally needed to read the entire introduction again to remember the main plot. How terrible was my memory in my past life?
No use in talking about the past, I guess...
"…So if I hadn't interfered," I muttered, "she would've lost everything first."
And instead of letting that happen…
I basically showed up and threw money at the problem like a clueless rich guy.
I leaned back in the chair and rubbed my face.
"…Did I just skip her entire character development arc?"
Because that's what it felt like.
All that struggle that would've shaped her into the future heroine?
Gone.
Deleted by one signature and eight thousand gold.
Great.
Nice job, me.
I wonder if her personality will change due to this departure from the original plot. That thought alone made me shiver, to be honest.
"Imagining her as something other than just a kind heroine kinda creeps me out..."