Blackening the Affectionate Male Lead (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 7
Whitney narrowed her brows as she looked at the room in disarray.
“I should’ve known something was odd when they said they’d clean.”
Even the few clothes that had remained in the chaotic room were now soiled. At that moment, Whitney remembered her mother’s dress, which she’d kept in the wardrobe.
She frantically searched the wardrobe, but the dress was nowhere to be seen. Her gaze drifted toward the heap of clothes scattered across the floor like rags.
“No… Mother’s keepsake…”
Whitney sank to the floor and clutched what was barely recognizable as a scrap of her mother’s dress. She had forgotten just how cruel those two people were.
Relieved merely by their return alive, she’d let her guard down and forgotten what kind of people they truly were.
She needed to send the dress to the salon right away, yet all she had left were torn, ruined garments. Wiping away her tears with the back of her hand, Whitney gathered the scraps and piled them in one corner. Thankfully, the jewelry she’d hidden inside the bed seemed undiscovered.
Yet Whitney suspected even this wouldn’t stay hidden forever—sooner or later, the maids would search the room and find it.
“Don’t cry. Just don’t cry.”
Crying wouldn’t change a thing. First, she needed to tidy the room and clear her thoughts. As she sorted things piece by piece, her mind gradually grew clearer.
Wiping the sweat from her brow in the now-clean attic, Whitney carefully unfolded the ruined dress.
“At least… there might still be parts salvageable.”
For the missing portions, she’d have to find a way to gather money somehow. This debutante event was crucial for her—it was her only chance to shift her reputation and secure her standing.
[To Monsieur Leberom,I’m sending this letter with the box, in case you’re surprised when you open it.
The dress I promised you has been utterly ruined.
It’s entirely my fault for failing to take proper care of it.
For now, could you make do with only the usable fabric?
Please accept this jewelry in place of what’s missing. You should be able to fetch a good price if you sell it.
Whitney Orleans.
P.S. I won’t forget your kindness.]
With a quiet wish that the world might be just a little more beautiful, Whitney placed the letter into the box and sent it off. Even if he refused, she couldn’t blame him.
[This is the timeline separator]Fortunately, Monsieur Leberom sent a reply, agreeing to try and reconstruct her dress.
[Lady Orleans,Please don’t worry. Though the fabric is in pieces, it’s still excellent material—trust me.
I’ll also keep this jewelry safe. It will match the dress wonderfully, so I suggest wearing them together when the time comes.
You won’t regret choosing me.
Just in case, I’d prefer you come pick up the dress yourself. Somehow, I have a feeling it won’t arrive intact if I send it.
I’ll write again once it’s finished.
Monsieur Lebelom.]
It did seem safer to fetch it in person, as he suggested. Knowing how things were, someone might cause trouble again if they saw the restored dress. Whitney tucked Leberom’s letter under her bed for safekeeping.
“Thank goodness. I can finally breathe easy.”
Leaning back against her bed, Whitney let out a deep sigh. She’d been confined to her room for a week. The knight who’d humiliated her was nowhere to be seen. Her stepmother cared deeply about appearances; if the prestige of House Orleans declined, it would devalue both Melissa and herself.
Whitney assumed the knight who’d disgraced House Orleans in public would be dismissed—it would cause problems for securing funds too. And indeed, things turned out just as she expected.
Her stepmother, having twisted her waist, angrily hurled an object at Whitney in frustration over the doctor’s orders to stay still. Whitney ended up with a wound on her forehead, but she let her bangs fall to cover it.
Whitney had taught herself herbal medicine out of necessity—ever since childhood, her body had been covered in injuries, and learning herbs was a matter of survival. She never relied on the medicines her stepmother doled out “charitably.” Had she not learned herbs properly, her body would be covered in wounds too unsightly to bear.
This time, fortunately, she still had dried herbs stored carefully in a corner of the attic. She gently applied some to her forehead and glanced in the mirror.
“A wound like this should heal quickly.”
Now that her injury was treated, all that remained during her confinement was to read the books she’d moved into her room. There were more books about the Ducal Mansion of Orleans than she’d expected—she’d set aside time to read them properly, and now the confinement order had come just in time, which suited her well.
As Whitney slowly turned the pages, her eyes widened in surprise at a name written beside her father’s.
Victorian?
“So Father had a sister…”
She’d assumed he had no siblings since no relatives appeared even at his funeral.
Lady Rubernus. Though not part of the capital nobility, records stated she’d married Sir Rubernus, a well-known Margrave from the frontier. The absence of any further records suggested their contact had been severed.
“…Maybe I should send her a letter, just in case?”
She could start with a simple inquiry about her well-being. Perhaps this aunt could become a strong ally.
Since House Rubernus valued trade, Whitney would need to make them an offer they couldn’t refuse. She pondered carefully what they might truly need.
Rubernus had fallen out of the King’s favor and been exiled to the frontier. Though their connections and name still held weight, losing the King’s favor was a heavy blow.
“They must need someone who can help them regain access to the capital.”
If that was the case, she could provide exactly that—assuming everything went according to her plan.
Whitney read for hours without moving, until the stiffness in her neck forced her to press her fingers hard against it and lean against the wall.
Noticing the shadow of the window stretching across the wall, she blinked blankly.
“It’s already this late…”
It had taken time, but the harvest of knowledge had been greater than expected.
She’d learned her father had a sister, that the Ducal Mansion of Orleans held numerous territories—including lands granted directly by the royal family, which only the legitimate head of the house could manage.
Since her stepmother was only acting head for now, she had no right to sell those lands.
“Thank goodness. Otherwise, she’d have sold them all by now.”
Whitney slowly rose and gazed out the window. She didn’t dislike the attic—in fact, she loved it. Her father had built this space especially for her, knowing how much she enjoyed gazing at the sky.
Though too small for her now that she’d grown, it remained precious to her because of the memories it held.
Creeeak—
As the window opened, the scent of aged wood mingled with a gust of wind rushing inside. The sky slowly deepened into a crimson hue as dusk spread across the horizon.
“I wonder if His Highness the Prince is doing well… I don’t even know how to contact him.”
In the next five months, she had to find a way to save him before he was wrongfully condemned.
[This is the timeline separator]And that opportunity arrived sooner than she’d expected.
Confined to her attic, unable to go outside, Whitney was startled by sudden commotion from downstairs. She’d been reading when her eyes fixed on the door.
“Why on earth is it so noisy?”
Perhaps a guest had arrived. But guests at the Ducal Mansion rarely concerned her. Her duty was simply to stay quietly out of sight in the attic.
Since it was likely her mother’s guest, no one would be looking for Whitney. So she tried to return to her reading.
“Change into this dress immediately.”
Without warning, a maid burst in and practically threw a dress at her. Whitney frowned and fixed her gaze on the impolite Rael.
“Oh, right—sorry. I was in such a hurry.”
Only then did Rael knock on the already-open door. Whitney sighed deeply, closed her book, and walked toward Rael.
“Don’t behave this way outside. People will point fingers and say someone from the House of Orleans has no manners.”
“Ha! I have no intention of leaving the mansion, so you worry about yourself, Miss Whitney. Everyone’s whispering you’ll be lucky if you’re not thrown out once you come of age. And that’s not all—they’re saying you’ll be sold off to another house once you’re of marriageable age.”
“…Thanks for the warning. But before that, could you at least explain why I suddenly need to wear this dress?”
“A guest has arrived.”
“A guest?”
Even if a guest had come, it shouldn’t concern her. Curious why they’d suddenly summon her, she glanced at Rael—but knew she wouldn’t get an explanation.
Moments later, several maids entered and began attending to Whitney. Bewildered by the sudden fuss, she sat quietly in a chair.
“She must have brought out even Melissa’s clothes—that means this guest really matters.”
Led by Rael, Whitney descended to the lower floor. Seeing Melissa seated on the sofa—and the familiar figure opposite her—her eyelashes fluttered in shock.
“Why is he here…?”
The cloaked man lifted his head and looked straight at Whitney. At their meeting glances, her heart dropped with a thud.
Even in the dimness, she recognized him instantly by his calmly gleaming blue eyes.
How could she ever forget those eyes—clear as a lake yet fathomless in their depth?
The faint scent of Libenia flowers she’d caught on the breeze that day hadn’t been her imagination after all.
Standing before her was none other than Prince Chester—whom she’d longed so desperately to see.
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.
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Chapter Comments (1)
Inline Comments (9)
Cecilia hosted parties every two weeks, inviting guests to the Ducal Mansion—lik
What if it was Prince Carl? Or the man who brought them from the countryside and helped them?
“Meeting someone privately?”
I think she dyes her hair, or that she’s an illegitimate daughter of another man.
Mother would surely be furious, so it remained to be seen how she’d react. Judgi
I hope Cecile gets a very gentle punishment that cuts her down 🙂🔪
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This is the first time I’ve seen a good aunt help the heroine; I think this novel is different.