Whitney’s face flushed red, stepping back hastily as Cheston drew too close.
“Did you come out for a walk?”
“I hadn’t planned to, but I saw someone familiar.”
“I came because Prince Carl invited me. My sister is here too, to avoid any misunderstandings…”
“There won’t be any?”
Cheston closed the gap once more, speaking in a low whisper. Whitney, after a brief nod, lifted her head to meet his gaze.
“Were you watching?”
He didn’t respond, just maintaining a slight smile while holding her gaze. It was Whitney who looked away first.
‘Is he used to staring at people like this?’
Despite his nonchalant appearance, Whitney could only offer an awkward smile. Cheston kept his eyes fixed on her.
“Do you dislike greenhouses?”
“…They’re not associated with good memories for me.”
Cheston listened quietly, then extended his hand. Whitney stared at it.
“This place will be a good memory.”
Really? Could such deeply ingrained memories change?
Hesitating, Whitney knew his voice was soothing, and the place wasn’t bad for her. But the nauseating memories associated with greenhouses, different from those at the duke’s, weren’t easy to shake.
“I’m sorry. Maybe next time…”
“Putting it off only makes avoidance a habit.”
His large hand enveloped hers, gently but firmly pulling her along. Whitney’s eyes darted around in panic.
“Your Highness!”
“Shh, if you raise your voice, Carl might hear and follow.”
Whitney clamped her mouth shut, following Cheston into the greenhouse. How many times had she watched his back like this?
Though reluctant, she couldn’t shake off his hand.
Stepping into the greenhouse, Whitney’s heart raced. As the large dome doors opened, she shut her eyes tightly.
Warmth enveloped her from behind. Startled, she huddled up, feeling even more foreign against her back, then quickly straightened up.
“I’m covering your eyes, relax.”
His voice, close behind her, sent tremors through her heart. Blinded, her ears grew more sensitive to his every breath.
This is distracting.
Whitney focused entirely on Cheston behind her. His voice, though merely speaking, sounded softer.
“…Why enter if you’re going to keep me blindfolded?”
“It’s different stepping in than not at all.”
“Ah.”
Slowly, Whitney opened her eyes to pitch black.
“Breathe deeply.”
His low voice brushed her ear, tensing her up.
Whitney inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly. Her rapidly beating heart calmed, various floral scents filling her nose. The rich aroma, almost dizzying, painted a garden in her mind.
“The tulips are to your left, and beyond them, wisteria vines wrap around a bench, lush under the sun, like purple lights. Soon, summer will come, and this sight will be rare.”
Whitney imagined the wisteria climbing and blossoming over the bench.
“I actually dislike wisteria. Quite a lot.”
“Why is that?”
“If wisteria is planted next to a wooden pillar, it entangles and climbs up, blooming at the top and cascading down. It’s like me being set up in a competitive structure to ultimately be dominated by my brother from above. So, how am I any different from that wooden pillar?”
It was undeniable. Asserting the opposite would have meant harboring rebellion, so no rebuttal was made.
‘Cheston truly deserves to succeed the king…’
If Carl becomes king, the country would undoubtedly fall, especially with him and the queen behind him leading to its doom.
“Enough of this dreary topic. There’s a flower resembling you right in front.”
“…Me?”
“But since you can’t see it now, let’s save it for another time.”
Whitney’s body turned at Cheston’s touch, and when his covering hand left, she saw the garden. Cheston then passed by her side.
“Planning to walk more? Would you like to join me?”
“…I should probably return soon. Could you guide me back?”
“Of course, it’s a request from my fiancée.”
Cheston extended his arm, and Whitney carefully took it. They reversed their direction.
The queen’s lips quivered. Unexpectedly, Carl had invited the lady to the garden to impress the king, but she witnessed an unforeseen pairing.
“Who is that girl?”
The king asked a servant, but the queen hastily intercepted.
“…She’s not important.”
“For someone you’ve praised before, she seems significant.”
“She’s the lady from Orleans Dukedom.”
“The girl drawing much attention these days?”
The queen forced a smile, her grip on the fan whitening. The king’s eyes were fixed on Cheston and Whitney.
‘Could she be the one?’
The king saw Cheston’s relaxed smile for the first time, recalling the woman he mentioned for engagement. The Orleans lady was an unexpected choice.
‘The Orleans lady engaged to Cheston would certainly be interesting to see.’
Now he understood why Cheston was confident about his choice. The king feigned dissatisfaction.
“Intending to match him with the Perronts’ princess, but it’s an Orleans lady instead. Not bad, but feels lacking.”
“The Perronts’ princess?”
The queen’s eyebrows twitched, her face cold.
“Engaging a foreign princess might be safer. Cheston, being a threat to the crown prince, is naturally a target. None of this would’ve happened without someone stirring trouble…”
The queen scorned, but the king was unbothered.
“Maintaining our dignity would’ve prevented this mess.”
“It was an international transaction. National interests are more important than personal feelings, aren’t they?”
“I didn’t know the queen was interested in the Perronts’ princess.”
“If Carl’s fiancée had been decided sooner, none of this would’ve happened.”
The king sneered.
“You know well no one suitable appeared in your eyes. It’s questionable if such a person even exists. And you favor the lady?”
“If it’s the Perronts’ princess, she’d be suitable for Carl.”
The queen promptly replied to the king’s words with a smile. She had no intention of making Whitney Orleans Carl’s consort.
“If the queen desires so, I will consider it.”
“Really?”
The queen’s eyes narrowed as the king, who she thought would persistently insist on Cheston’s engagement, seemed to step back.
“I also do not wish for Carl and Cheston to be in a competitive situation. Giving the Perronts’ princess to Carl, who is higher in the line of succession, would prevent unnecessary bloodshed, so don’t worry.”
“Carl will be delighted to hear this.”
The king kept his smile as he took another look at Cheston and Whitney. This assured the queen would no longer be interested in whatever meetings Cheston and Whitney might have.
“I’ve been meaning to visit the Tulip Palace; do you have any other engagements?”
“Even if I do, I’ll gladly postpone them. Let’s go together.”
Tulip Palace was the name of the queen’s residence. She was delighted at the king’s interest in visiting her palace, not considering why he might want to do so. She thought this might be an opportunity to find evidence about Libenia, which others couldn’t uncover.
The king had access to places he couldn’t normally visit, so he planned to search thoroughly. It was also Cheston’s first request to him, and there were limits to what Cheston could find out on his own. Hence, it was better for the king, who could explore even the innermost parts, to verify the existence of Libenia.
He wanted to fulfill that duty as a father.
“The queen’s garden is said to be beautiful. I’d like to see places others haven’t, places only I can go.”
“Of course, it’s your request. I’ll instruct to be guided to a place where we won’t be disturbed.”
The queen’s face lit up slightly, and she linked arms with the king. The king looked at her with a sad expression, wondering if maybe, as the queen said, everyone had become unhappy because of him.
My Arch-enemy Sealed My Memory and Said That He is My Husband
This is an incredibly captivating story that you absolutely shouldn’t miss! I’ll give a brief introduction here, and below you’ll find a detailed synopsis of the plot.
The female lead is a fierce and powerful demon king. The male lead is a once-in-a-millennium celestial lord, admired by the entire cultivation world.
They are equally matched, legendary rivals who have battled for centuries.
In the final duel, the female lead is gravely injured. The male lead saves her, seals her memories, and hides her true identity. He tells her that he is her fiancé. His entire life has been flawless—except for the one thing he never expected, never controlled, and never wanted to control: falling for his greatest enemy. She is his inner demon, his obsession.
When the female lead regains her memories, she is furious at his deception.
She makes his life a living hell.
And somehow, the male lead—possibly a total masochist—doesn’t mind at all. In fact, he’s happy she’s paying attention to him.
Yep, we’re back to my favorite trope: male lead suffering. If you love this kind of story, jump into the pit with me now!!!
Intro
Dong Xia lost her memory.
Her handsome and extremely powerful fiancé Li Qing comforted her: “It’s okay if you can’t remember. I’ll always be with you.”
Everyone thought Dong Xia’s ancestors must have burned incense to get such a perfect fiancé. He was the number one person in the immortal realm, yet he remained chaste and only loved her.
…
The day before marrying her fiancé, Dong Xia finally remembered everything.
She wasn’t suffering from memory loss at all.
Her arch-enemy had made her fake her death, destroyed her cultivation, replaced her memories, and pretended to be her deeply in love fiancé.
No wonder he said, “It’s okay if you can’t remember”!
Dong Xia laughed coldly as she pulled out her long knife: Li Qing, prepare to die 🙂
*
Li Qing, as the supreme being of the immortal realm, was the people’s shining beacon.
The only unknown stain in his life was his affection for Dong Xia, the ruler of the demon realm.
In the final battle of the war between immortals and demons, the sky collapsed and the earth shattered. The ruler of the demon realm was finally slain under the sword of the supreme being of the immortal realm, and everyone in the immortal realm applauded.
The cultivation world lost a ruler of the demon realm.
And in the back mountain of Li Qing’s cave dwelling, he secretly hid away a fiancée.
Notes:
1. The female lead is white on the outside, black on the inside, and the queen of flattery; the male lead repeatedly tests the edge of darkness, a VIP guest at the crematorium.
2. Fantasy cultivation world setting.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
