As soon as the carriage came to a complete stop, I opened the window and hastily grabbed the squirrel.
I’m so glad it’s safe…… If it had fallen from the moving carriage and been run over by the wheel—.
“Ah!”
I screamed inwardly at the horrible thought and then slowly took a deep breath and opened my eyes.
“Phew, calm down.”
I then examined the squirrel in my palm. Not a scratch on it. What a relief.
With a somewhat reproachful tone, I asked.
“Why did you do something so dangerous? You almost caused a terrible accident.”
“Chittering…….”
Constable Baron, in squirrel form, looked at me pitifully with his round eyes. Is this expression of pathos a family trademark? Are all the squirrel nobles like this?
“I can’t understand you since my translation earring isn’t working right now…… Can you please speak in human form?”
I wanted to touch the softlooking squirrel fur, but I summoned my patience, reminding myself ten times that this was not appropriate.
This squirrel is Constable Baron……. Someone much older than me! Touching him would be very rude and disrespectful! Hold back!
“Chirp.”
The squirrel responded briefly, then quickly moved to the other side and transformed back. Seeing Constable Baron’s face, I let out a sigh of relief.
I’m glad it’s not the cute squirrel anymore……. I won’t be tormented by the temptation to touch it!
“Duchess Salisbury……. You’re going to the abandoned cabin in the western forest, aren’t you?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Seeing no reason to hide it, I answered immediately, and Constable Baron let out a deep sigh as if he knew that would be my response.
“Duchess. The wolf that haunts that cabin is not…… the Duke.”
“Then who is it? So, the rumor about the wolf haunting the cabin is true?”
“Kiyang!”
The rabbit chimed in with my words, and Rodri and Jade also stared intently at Constable Baron.
Caught in an intimidating atmosphere, Constable Baron opened his mouth after a moment, looking resigned. As things have come to this, there’s no other way.
“I’ll tell you the truth, Duchess. The wolf in the cabin is not the Duke but his servant. The Duke is somewhere else.”
“Somewhere else……?”
“Yes, there…… I will guide you now.”
(This is a time marker.)
The place Constable Baron guided us to was none other than a magnificent villa in the forest. Not an abandoned cabin at all.
It turns out the cabin was a kind of smokescreen, and Grayan’s servant deliberately went back and forth to it, spreading the rumor that ‘a wolf haunts the abandoned cabin.’ To hide the real location where Grayan was.
‘In other words, the real Grayan is in this villa.’
Constable Baron opened the iron gate leading to the villa’s garden, and I confidently stepped inside. Grayan……. Today, I must meet him no matter what!
“Ah, Baron! You’re here again? You’ve come at a good time! I tried cooking the turnip you gave me, it’s quite edible― Huh?! Du, Duchess?!”
The knight of Grayan, who happened to discover me, screamed in surprise. I narrowed my eyes and glared at the knight. What’s so surprising! Am I a ghost or something!
“Grayan, where is he?”
“Ye? Ah, that, that’s―.”
As I questioned, the knight fumbled with his hands and feet. I glanced at the knight and swiftly passed by, and only then did the knight seem to come to his senses and hurriedly followed.
“Wait, Duchess! You must not go in!”
“Move. If you don’t move…….”
I summoned the butterflies at once. The knight retreated, startled by the dazzling waves of light emitted by the splendid butterflies.
……Actually, the butterflies didn’t possess physical attack power, but they definitely had the power to overwhelm people. That’s why I was using them for intimidation for the second time now.
Brushing past the dumbfounded knight, I opened the door to the villa. At the same time, a delicious smell stimulated my sense of smell.
The rabbit in my arms twitched its pink nose. ……Did he say he cooked with turnips? Then is Grayan also in the dining room?
I hurriedly moved to find the dining room. In a villa with this structure, the dining room is usually next to the living room…….
‘Found it, here it is.’
The door to the dining room was open. The dining room and kitchen were connected by a door, and the knights were bustling, carrying food to the table.
I closely examined the food arranged on the table. Turnip salad, fried turnips, chicken turnip soup, roasted turnip, stirfried turnip, turnip sandwich…….
It was indeed a feast of turnips.
“Kyaaang!”
The rabbit cried as if it were terrible. The carnivorous rabbit doesn’t like turnips that much. Upon hearing the rabbit’s cry, the knights turned to look at me, stiffened, and then paled.
“Du, Duchess?! Princess?!”
“Ho, how did you……!”
I stared coldly at the flustered knights and asked,
“Where is Grayan?”
(This is the time separator.)
The knights followed the nonono cliché. After refusing and eventually giving up, they told me where Grayan was.
‘Grayan is here.’
A shelter in the backyard of the villa. Following the advice of the knights and Constable Baron, I came here alone.
Grayan as a wolf doesn’t have aggression, but they explained that he has become sensitive ‘in another way.’ So I must go alone, whatever that means…….
‘What does it mean by being sensitive “in another way”…… Huh?’
While cautiously moving, I noticed a black tuft of fur slipping out from between the bushes.
……No, upon closer inspection, it was not a tuft of fur but the tail of a beast. Furthermore, the tip was slightly mixed with white fur, making it look very cute.
I felt my heart beating fast as I slowly approached. This tail is…… undoubtedly the tail of the wolf Grayan!
‘I, I want to touch it……!’
The Male lead Always Seduces Her with His Beauty (Matriarchy)
Xin Jiao Zhou is the leader of the world’s premier sect. She has just experienced betrayal from all sides, was poisoned in an assassination attempt, and faced death squad attacks while the poison was taking effect. After finally clearing out the scum from her sect, she was drugged again while trying to detoxify.
After waking up from a night of unconsciousness, she gained a “beautiful and kind-hearted” husband.
Xin Jiao Zhou: “???”
He fell ill.
She came to see him, bringing breakfast.
As she put down the breakfast and was about to leave, his hand slipped while holding the spoon. “Clank!”
She turned around upon hearing the noise.
He looked up at her, his eyebrows drooping: “My hand… has no strength.”
“Shall I… feed you?” she asked tentatively.
He opened his mouth cheerfully: “Ah—”
Thinking she was drowning, he jumped in without hesitation to save her, but nearly drowned himself. In the end, it was she who swam over to rescue him, giving him air underwater.
After emerging from the water, his ear tips turned red. He lightly brushed his cheek, tucking his sideburns behind his ear, revealing delicate, pink-tinged ear tips. He lowered his gaze, too embarrassed to look at her.
Xin Jiao Zhou: He’s truly beautiful, kind-hearted, and adorable.
A certain someone when disciplining subordinates behind the scenes: “If they don’t obey, just kill them.”
What’s that? She might already have someone she cares about in her heart? A certain someone: Find out who it is, kill them, and then there won’t be anyone.
What? She met a man by the riverside? What? That man even hurt her? A certain someone: Whichever hand hurt her, chop off his entire arm.
Love at first sight without realizing it, gradually falling in love, slowly getting closer…
Family and national grudges, schemes and desires, good and evil, crime and punishment, she and he face the future together, seeking justice with passion!
A naturally dark female lead who could accidentally destroy the world but is actually an honest person VS a weak, pitiful, and helpless but skilled fighter, beautiful white-cut black male lead
My heart is not of stone, how steadfast is your love? — Tao Yuanming “Imitating the Ancients (No. 3)”
— Reading Guide —
Cold female lead & dramatic black lotus with hidden yandere traits male lead
