“Here…?”
Maxis, a small city in the northeastern part of the Einsterne Kingdom.
I wandered around in disguise, wearing a hood and concealing my appearance.
Perhaps due to its location near the edge of the continent, there were few people coming and going.
“The alley indicated in the information should be around here.”
The streets were so complex that I wasn’t sure if I had come the right way. After hesitating for a moment, I cautiously entered a narrow alley, clutching the magical device Arwyn had given me for communication in case of emergencies.
“The third door painted with blue paint… Is this it?”
I had to knock five times, as instructed.
Grasping the copper door handle, I knocked gently but firmly, tap-tap-tap-tap-tap, at a moderate pace, ensuring the correct count of five.
Soon, a clinking sound followed, and the shutter of a small window above the door opened.
Behind it, only the curious gaze of unknown eyes was visible.
Those eyes, with a suspicious glint, scrutinized me carefully. Then, a meticulous and rigid voice was heard.
“The password?”
“Thistle, Forget-me-not, Sea Duck, Rhinopias, 1014532.”
I swiftly recited the prearranged password from the information I had received. The eyes that were observing me seemed to soften a bit, and the side door closed.
After a series of clinking sounds, the worn-out door opened with a creaking noise.
“Enter.”
I nodded briefly to the gatekeeper and stepped inside. The interior was more spacious than I had expected and surprisingly pleasant. Although similar to a shelter or hideout, passing through the dark corridor and opening an inner door revealed a room decorated like a conference room.
“What’s this? Was there someone else coming?”
“Who are you?”
People who were gathered or seated, around five or six, looked at me and mumbled.
I revealed my face by taking off the hood, wearing a kind-looking smile.
Since I currently appeared as a maid working in the Solzberrycastle, no one here could recognize my true identity.
“Hello, everyone. I came from the Elowen Kingdom.”
“From Elowen?”
“Um… Whose recommendation brought you here?”
Upon my words, their attention seemed to focus more. I calmly answered their questions.
“To be honest, I came under the orders of Duke Solzberrycastle.”
This was a part agreed upon with Graian.
Naturally, he knew all about my plans and actively wanted to assist.
“Solzberrycastle…?!”
“How does Duke Solzberrycastle know about this place…?”
“If it’s a noble of that level, they would know everything.”
“This is unexpected…”
People looked at me with a mixture of curiosity and caution. It seemed like they were curious about why Duke Solzberrycastle sent me here.
With a bright smile, I calmly continued my explanation.
“You oppose the slave system in the Einsterne Kingdom, right? Duke Solzberrycastle wishes to join forces with you.”
“What does that mean?”
“That you will support us, or something like that?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
I replied promptly, took out a purse from inside my outer garment, and placed it on the table. When I untied the knot to reveal the contents of the purse, gold coins inside sparkled, emitting a gleam.
“This, this is…”
“Heuk…”
The eyes of those who saw the gold coins widened. It was inevitable, considering that this amount of gold coins represented ten years’ worth of living expenses for citizens in Einsterne’s capital.
“I understand that your activities within Einsterne are illegal, making it challenging to secure funds.”
Illegality here meant operating undercover to avoid detection. However, receiving financial support from wealthy nobles or merchants would easily expose the organization.
Hence, the operational funds for this group were collected through the modest membership fees paid by the members.
“The members of this organization include citizens, merchants, journalists, professors, students, and artists, diverse in their backgrounds.”
Among them were also wealthy merchants or disguised aristocratic members, but…
“Even with the membership fees they pay, it must be challenging to manage funds. Pouring in a large sum would attract tax investigations, eventually leading to the exposure of this organization.”
Therefore, what they needed was an external source of funds not subject to Einsterne’s jurisdiction.
Even if exposed, it would be a powerful force not under the control of the Einsterne royal family.
“Just the Solzberrycastle family.”
Smirking, I slowly observed the astonished people. Then, unexpectedly, I spotted a familiar face.
“That person is…”
Doctor Tena Wisbell.
The very person I had encountered at the Fioren Duchy, a professor at the Einsterne Royal Academy.
“They said he had a friendly attitude towards the anti-slavery cause, but he is also active in this organization.”
Had I seen him too conspicuously? Dr. Wisbell nodded slightly. I pretended not to notice and casually shifted my gaze. It wasn’t the right time to reveal my true identity.
Male lead is a Destined Young Husband (Female-dominant)
One-sentence summary: Wife-master, listen to my explanation!
Li Ruantang, a young lady from a prestigious family, stumbled and fell. When she woke up, she saw a noble and beautiful young man sitting by her bedside, wiping away tears.
The young master had slightly reddened eyes, and his every move exuded charm.
The sight made Li Ruantang’s eyes hot and her heart flutter. After all, she had made a bet with the young master Meng from the neighboring family. If she couldn’t marry a husband before the end of the year, she would have to admit defeat and give up the jade she had worked so hard to obtain.
Outside the window, the flowers were in full bloom.
Rather than losing the bet, the jade, and her face, Li Ruantang calculated that it would be better to seek marriage with the young master in front of her, killing three birds with one stone.
…
Meng Jun never thought that an accident during a spring outing would lead to them rolling down a cliff and into a river, yet still survive.
Now they were trapped in an unknown village, and Meng Jun had overheard that the family who had rescued them had their own intentions.
After all, it was Li Ruantang who had lost her mind and sought marriage first. He was only trying to protect himself!
Glancing at Li Ruantang, who was listing her own merits, the young husband’s voice softened, and he blushed as he lied, “W-wife-master, Wife-master, don’t you remember me?”
The young husband’s voice was clear and handsome, coaxing Li Ruantang’s heart to be soft and sweet, and she spared no effort to protect him.
It wasn’t until they returned to the capital that Li Ruantang suddenly remembered.
When they had fallen off the cliff, in order not to implicate Wei Yunruo, whom he secretly admired, the young husband had instead pulled her, who was slightly farther away, down the cliff with him…
Short summary by Yuushi L: Initially, the male lead (ML) liked another girl, while the female lead (FL) liked the ML. Both fell off a cliff. The FL temporarily lost her memory, and the ML, fearing others might take advantage of him, claimed FL was his wife while they were staying in a village. Later, when they returned home, the FL regained her memories and remembered that the ML liked someone else, so she kept her distance from him. However, during their time living together in the countryside, the ML’s view of the FL had completely changed. From this point, his pursuit of the FL begins.
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